«The Palestinians are here.»
Another jet roared overhead. Still twelve to go, he thought. When we start negotiations tomorrow, it will be the biggest auction yet. Nothing must go wrong.
He turned again to his assistant. «Take a memo.»
CONFIDENTIAL MEMO TO ALL OPERATION PERSONNEL: DESTROY IMMEDIATELY AFTER READING.
CONTINUE CLOSE SURVEILLANCE ON SUBJECT TARGET. REPORT ACTIVITIES AND STAND BY FOR HER POSSIBLE ELIMINATION.
XX
WHENDANA AWAKENED, she telephoned Tim Drew.
«Have you heard any more from Ambassador Hardy?» he asked.
«No. I think I offended him. Tim, I need to talk to you.»
«All right. Grab a cab and meet me at the Boyrsky Club at one-fourth Treatrilny Proyez Street.»
«Where? I'll never—»
«The cabbie will know. Take one that's beat-up.»
«Right.»
Dana stepped outside the hotel into a freezing, screaming wind. She was glad she was wearing her new red woolen coat. A sign on a building across the street informed her it was -29 degrees Centigrade. My God, she thought. In Fahrenheit, that's about 20 below zero.
There was a shiny new taxi in front of the hotel. Dana stepped back and waited until a passenger got into it. The next taxi looked old. Dana took it. The driver looked at her inquiringly in the rearview mirror.
Dana said carefully, «I want to go to one-quarter Teat—» She hesitated. «—rilny—» She took a deep breath. «—Proyez—»
The driver said impatiently, «You want the Boyrsky Club?»
«Da.»
They took off. They drove along avenues heavy with motor traffic and forlorn pedestrians hurrying along the frozen streets. The city seemed overlaid with a dull, gray patina. And it isn't just the weather, Dana thought.
The Boyrsky Club turned out to be modern and comfortable, with leather chairs and couches. Tim Drew was in a chair near the window waiting for her.
«I see you found it all right.»
Dana took a seat. «The cabdriver spoke English.»
«You're lucky. Some of them don't even speak Russian, they come from so many different distant provinces. It's amazing that this country can function at all. It reminds me of a dying dinosaur. Do you know how big Russia is?»
«Not exactly.»
«It's almost twice as big as the United States. It has thirteen time zones and borders on fourteen countries. Fourteen countries. »
«That's amazing,» Dana said. «Tim, I want to talk to some Russians who had dealings with Taylor Winthrop.»
«That includes about everybody in the Russian government.»
Dana said, «I know. But there must have been some Russians he was closer to than others. The president —»
«Perhaps someone a little lower in rank,» Tim Drew said dryly. «I would say that of all the people he dealt with, he was probably closest to Sasha Shdanoff.»
«Who is Sasha Shdanoff?»
«He's the commissar of the Bureau for International Economic Development. I believe Winthrop saw him socially as well as officially.» He looked at Dana closely. «What are you after, Dana?»
«I'm not sure,» she said honestly. «I'm not sure.»
The Bureau for International Economic Development was an enormous redbrick building on Ozernaya Street, taking up a full block. Inside the main entrance, two uniformed Russian policemen stood by the door, and a third uniformed guard sat behind a desk.
Dana walked up to the desk. The guard looked up.
«Dobry dyen,»Dana said.
«Zdrastvuytye. Ne—»
Dana stopped him. «Excuse me. I'm here to see Commissar Shdanoff. I'm Dana Evans. I'm with the Washington Tribune Network.»
The guard looked at a sheet in front of him and shook his head. «Do you have an appointment?»
«No, but—»
«Then you will have to make an appointment. You are an American?»
«Yes.»
The guard searched through some forms on his desk and handed one to Dana. «You will fill this out, please.»
«Right,» Dana said. «Would it be possible to see the commissar this afternoon?»
He blinked. «Ya ne ponimayu. You Americans are always in a hurry. What hotel are you at?»
«The Sevastopol. I just need a few min—»
He made a note. «Someone will inform you. Dobry dyen. »
«But—» She saw his expression. «Dobry dyen.»
Dana stayed in her room all afternoon waiting for a phone call. At six o'clock, she telephoned Tim Drew.
«Did you get to see Shdanoff?» he asked.
«No. They're going to call me back.»
«Don't hold your breath, Dana. You're dealing with a bureaucracy from another planet.»
Early the following morning, Dana went back to the Bureau for International Economic Development. The same guard was at the desk.
«Dobry dyen,»Dana said.
He looked up at her, stone-faced. «Dobry dyen.»
«Did Commissar Shdanoff get my message yesterday?»
«Your name?»
«Dana Evans.»
«You left a message yesterday?»
«Yes,» she said tonelessly, «with you.»
The guard nodded. «Then he received it. All messages are received.»
«May I talk to Commissar Shdanoff's secretary?»
«Do you have an appointment?»
Dana took a deep breath. «No.»
The guard shrugged. «Izvinitye, nyet.»
«When can I—?»
«Somebody will call you.»
On her way back to the hotel, Dana passed Detsky Mir, a children's department store, and she went inside and looked around. There was a section devoted to games. In one corner was a shelf of computer games. Kemal will like one of those, Dana thought. She bought a game and was surprised at how expensive it was. She headed back to the hotel to wait for the phone call. At six o'clock she gave up hope. She was about to go downstairs to dinner when the phone rang. Dana hurried over to it and picked it up.
