‘Holy shit!’ exclaimed Drew. ‘You any idea what that could mean?’
‘No,’ said Kapalet, whose limited knowledge anyway made it an honest answer.
‘It means that if we’ve been misleading the President about Soviet space technology, Star Wars is just so much wasted money,’ said Drew. He gulped at his drink and said again: ‘Holy shit!’
‘I think that’s too positive an assessment, on just those remarks alone,’ said Kapalet.
Drew shook his head, locked into some inward reflection. ‘What a fuck-up!’ said the American. ‘Jesus H. Christ what a fuck-up!’
‘It’s been useful?’ queried Kapalet, not forgetting the need to be paid.
Drew turned at last away from the bar, using the cover of his open jacket completely to conceal the passing of the money to the Russian. Drew said: ‘What else?’
‘That’s all,’ said Kapalet. Feigning the grievance, he said: ‘I would have thought that was pretty good, from your reaction.’
‘It’s terrific, Sergei: just terrific,’ placated Drew immediately. ‘You’re doing good, real good.’
There was a drum-roll crescendo on stage and the person whom Kapalet had for thirty minutes believed to be a woman engaged in self-intercourse with a piece of rope was triumphantly and explicitly revealed to be male.
‘It was a man,’ said Kapalet, disappointed.
Drew looked finally towards the stage. ‘Nothing’s what it seems,’ he said.
‘You’re right,’ agreed Kapalet.
18
The major entered the office with military precision but the respect of authority was there and Malik determined to maintain it, wanting the man nervous. To heighten in Chernov’s mind the importance of the recall and the interview Malik had assigned an official car to bring the man to Dzerzhinsky Square directly from the airport. It also denied any opportunity for prior contact between the man and Panchenko, to prepare an agreed account.
Malik kept the security officer standing and nodded through the ritual of Chernov formally identifying himself, not actually looking at the man but appearing to study the files and dossiers carefully arranged over the desk, purposely to convey the impression of a detailed and widespread inquiry. When he looked up at last Malik said, intentionally curt: ‘You were part of a squad assembled on 9 September to arrest Comrade Deputy Agayans?’
‘I was,’ agreed Chernov. He was a small, clerk-like man.
‘Describe to me what happened.’
‘With Comrade Colonel Panchenko and others I went to Gogolevskiy Boulevard…’ began the major but at once Malik cut in, stopping him.
‘No!’ said Malik. ‘From the beginning: the very beginning. From the time the squad was assembled.’
Chernov swallowed, pausing in the effort to recollect and when he resumed it was haltingly, which Malik decided was understandable because until ten minutes earlier the man would have had no idea why he had been brought back to Moscow. Malik actually did have Panchenko’s revised report before him, following through it as Chernov talked, accepting there was no important disparity between the two accounts about the beginning of the arrest assignment.
‘Nightclothes?’ interrupted Malik again, when Chernov reached the point of Agayans opening his apartment door.
‘A robe, over pyjamas.’
‘What time was it?’
‘Nine.’
‘You are sure of the time?’
‘Positive. I checked at the moment of the door opening. It is procedure.’
Which Panchenko appeared to have ignored, remembered Malik: still not an important disparity. He said: ‘What was Agayans’ demeanour to find himself confronted by a uniformed squad?’
Again Chernov paused, frowning to find the appropriate words. Then he said: ‘There was hardly any reaction at all. I had never encountered such a response before.’
‘He did not even appear surprised?’
‘More as if he were dulled,’ said Chernov after a further pause. ‘As if he were uninterested in our being there.’
Quite a variation from Panchenko’s account, decided Malik. He said: ‘What happened then?’
‘Comrade Agayans asked what we wanted and Comrade Colonel Panchenko said we had orders for his arrest, upon your authority.’
‘How did Agayans react to that?’
Chernov shifted with discomfort and said: ‘I thought he was going to laugh.’
‘You thought a man about to be arrested was going to laugh!’ echoed Malik.
‘I mean no disrespect, Comrade First Deputy,’ said the security man. ‘I was trying honestly to answer your question.’
This was emerging very differently from Panchenko’s account, thought Malik. He said: ‘ Did he laugh?’
Chernov shook his head. ‘He said he had done nothing wrong and that he wanted to get dressed, to sort it out…’
‘… Sort it out…?’ stopped Malik. Something else not in Panchenko’s report.
‘Yes,’ said Chernov uncertainly.
‘How did he say he was going to sort it out?’ insisted Malik.
‘He didn’t,’ said Chernov and Malik felt a sink of disappointment.
‘What happened?’
‘He and Comrade Colonel Panchenko started to walk in the direction of a corridor which I assumed to lead into the bedroom. I started to follow…’
‘… You followed?’
‘It is procedure to accompany an arrested person at all times,’ said Chernov. ‘At the entrance to the corridor they stopped. There was a conversation and Agayans turned, as if he were coming back into the room.’
‘The conversation!’ seized Malik. ‘Did you hear what was said!’
‘Not completely.’
‘How much!’ demanded Malik.
‘Odd words,’ said Chernov. ‘I thought I heard him say nonsense. And then something about sorting it all out.’
‘Did Agayans come back into the room?’
‘He definitely took one or two steps back – I’d halted, not sure what was happening – but Comrade Colonel Panchenko stopped him.’
‘Stopped him!’
‘Physically reached out, holding him by the shoulder. There was some further conversation and then Agayans turned away from where we were and went back along the corridor.’
The questions jumbled in Malik’s mind but he refused to go out of sequence. He said: ‘What did you hear of this further conversation?’
‘Again just odd words,’ said Chernov. ‘I thought I heard Agayans say “settled” and I’m sure Comrade Colonel Panchenko said “bedroom”… something like “in the bedroom” or “to the bedroom”.’
‘During this time,’ said Malik, speaking slowly, ‘did you hear any names mentioned?’
Chernov appeared to give the question some consideration and then he said: ‘None.’
‘Think about it,’ persisted Malik desperately. ‘Are you sure there was no name mentioned apart from mine during the conversations between Panchenko and Agayans?’
‘Quite sure,’ insisted Chernov.
Malik was reluctant to leave the insistence upon names but decided that he had to. He said: ‘What happened when Agayans turned away from the main room a second time to set off down the corridor?’
‘Colonel Panchenko did come back into the room,’ said Chernov. ‘Actually turned me back to where the others
