Less than thirty seconds later I saw Liv come through and walk straight past the loaded sign without even turning her head. But I knew she would have seen it. Her long black coat, Tibetan hat, and light-brown boots were easy to spot among the crowd as she moved through the hall, brushing snow from a shoulder with one hand and carrying two large paper Stockmann bags in the other.
She carried on past the kiosks and rest rooms, maneuvering through the schoolkids, who were now waiting for one of their teachers to sort his shit out with the tickets. I kept my eye on the peak of Liv's hat.
I had a good check to make sure she hadn't been followed in, just in case she'd brought any protection with her, or worse, in case the Wasp had a few of the party faithful on her tail.
The hat disappeared as she turned left into the ticketing and metro hallway. There was no rush, I knew where she was heading.
Once on my feet and past the school trip I spotted her again, just about to sit on top of the DLB, next to some more kids. The street pre former was in his normal spot, knocking out some old Finn favorite on his accordion. The noise mixed nicely with the ruckus from a group of drunks on the other side of the benches. They were having an argument with Santa Claus, much to the amusement of those passing.
Liv sat down as Santa poked the chest of one of the drunks. Staff began to step in to separate them. I watched Liv bend down and pretend to mess around with her bags. Her hand moved to pick up the DLB. The empty container was pulled from the Velcro and dropped into one of the bags; it wouldn't get read here.
I waited for her to leave, positioning myself in a corner so that whatever door she decided to head for I wouldn't be in her line of sight. A few minutes passed before she stood up, looking toward the ticketing area and smiling broadly. Her arms went out as the man from St. Petersburg emerged, smiling, from the crowd. They embraced and kissed, then sat down together, talking in that smiley, hand-in-hand, nice-to-see-you way, their noses only inches apart. He was dressed in the same long camel-hair coat, this time with a dark maroon turtleneck sticking out of the top. Today he also carried a light-brown leather briefcase.
Making sure I wasn't in line of sight of the platform doors, I checked the departures and arrivals board high on the wall. The St.
Petersburg train, going on to Moscow, was leaving from Platform 8 at 3:34 just over half an hour's time.
They talked for another ten minutes and then both stood up. Liv's contact picked up her bags in one hand, his briefcase in another, and they walked toward the platform doors.
Alarm bells started to ring in my head. Why had he picked up her bags?
My heart started to pound even harder when they both went through the doors and out onto the snow- covered platform. Shit, was she going with him? Maybe the courier had just given her the news about what had happened at Microsoft HQ and Liv was bailing out while she could.
I counted to ten and pushed my way out into the cold. Platform 8 was to the right of me as I headed toward the luggage lockers. The snow was falling gently and there wasn't a breath of wind. I walked with my head down, hands in pockets. Glancing sideways across the tracks, I saw they were heading for the cars about midway along the train. I walked slowly toward the left-luggage room, watching until they got on board. Then, checking my watch as if I'd just remembered something, I turned on my heels. There were about seventeen minutes to go before they left for St. Petersburg, and it looked like I'd have to go with them.
I went past two of the Russian train staff, standing in the guard's van at the rear of the train, their high- peaked, Nazi-officer-style caps pushed onto the backs of their heads as they glumly took a swig of whatever was in their bottle.
I climbed aboard and entered a clean, though very old car, with a corridor facing the platform and compartments all the way along to my right. I moved along the warm walkway and sat down on one of the hard, fabric-covered seats in the first empty compartment. The strong, almost-scented cigarette smell probably never left these trains.
What now? I had money but no visa. How was I going to cross into Russia? Hiding in the rest rooms only works in Agatha Christie movies.
Maybe a bribe could get me in. I'd play the dickhead tourist who hadn't got a clue about needing a passport, let alone a visa, and offer to be very generous with my dollars if they would just be so kind as to stamp me in or whatever they could do for me. After all, only a lunatic would want to get into Russia illegally.
I sat and watched snow-covered Nazi hats strolling along the platforms below the windows. My carotid pulse was throbbing on both sides of my neck and there was a pain running up the center of my chest as I heard whistles being blown and the heavy car doors slamming closed.
I checked Baby G-three minutes to go. It wasn't dealing with the guards and immigration people that was getting me stressed; it was the possibility of losing Liv, my only quick and certain link to Val.
My compartment door was pulled open and an old woman in a long fur came in, carrying a small overnight bag. She muttered something and I gave a grunt in reply. Looking up, I caught a glimpse of black leather moving on the platform. Now what was happening? Liv carried on past with her bags, head down against the snow.
I felt huge relief as I jumped up and moved along the corridor, but I couldn't get out yet in case the courier was watching her and wondered why someone else had decided to jump train.
She disappeared into the station and I leaped onto the platform, not checking to see if he was looking, and headed for the doors she had just passed through. I spotted her hat above the crowd, heading for the bus station exit. She must know by now that there was no message in the box. I fell in behind, waiting for my chance to grip her. I was about twenty paces behind as she pushed her way through the bus station doors. Once through them myself, I looked out into the snowfall. All I could see were buses and lines of people trying to get on them; Liv must have turned off as soon as she hit the sidewalk.
I was moving down the steps when there was a shout behind me. 'Nick!
Nick!'
I stopped, spun round, and looked back up toward the doors.
'Liv! How lovely to see you.'
She was standing by one of the pillars, left of the doors, smiling, arms outstretched, getting ready to greet another of her long-lost friends. I switched on and played the game, walking into her arms, letting her kiss me on both cheeks. She smelled great, but what I could see of her hair under her hat wasn't as well groomed as usual and was knotted at the ends.
'I thought I would wait for you. I knew you would be around somewhere, otherwise why leave an empty container?'
Still embracing, I looked at her with my wonderful-to see-you smile.
'Tom is dead,' I said.
The look on her face told me she knew how I felt. She pulled back and smiled. 'Come, walk with me. You have a right to be angry, but all is not lost, Nick.' She invited me with her gloved hand to carry her bags. As I bent down I saw the boyfriend's light-brown briefcase.
Still smiling at her, I gripped her arm and more or less pulled her down the stairs. Once on the sidewalk I turned right, toward the front of the station and the town center. 'What the fuck's going on?
We got hit by an American team last night. I was lifted. Then the fucking Russians hit them!'
She nodded as I ranted away at her, doing her normal trick of knowing everything but giving very little away.
I said, 'You already know that, don't you?'
'Of course. Valentin always finds out everything.'
'You and Val have been fucking me over big time. Enough. I want him here tomorrow, with the money. Then I'll give him what he wants. I have the Think Pad and it's downloaded with what you want.' I wished I'd taken Tom up on his offer back at the lead house to let him tell me exactly what he was doing.
She hadn't even been listening. 'Are you sure Tom is dead?'
'If he's out in this shit?' I held my hand out.
She looked exactly the same as she had done in the hotel, calm and in control, almost as if she was in another place and I wasn't talking to her.
I increased my grip on her arm and guided her down the road, not caring what passers-by might think.
'Listen, I have the download. But I'll only deal with Val now, not you. There will be no more fuckups.'
'Yes, Nick, I heard you the first time. Now tell me, this is very important. Valentin will not do a thing unless he has all the details.
