No Time for Heroes by Brian Freemantle

made up his own mind what it proved, and he wasn’t happy with the conclusion.
    â€˜If this is an in-house Russian affair we’re not going to get diddly squat, judging from the co-operation of those two embassy guys yesterday,’ said Johannsen.
    â€˜Maybe there’ll be something we can pick up from the memo pad?’ suggested Rafferty, studying the list Cowley handed him.
    â€˜The MasterCharge and American Express billing is local,’ pointed out Cowley. ‘Check with both: get the charge sheets, particularly if there were any on the night of the murder.’
    â€˜There would have been a counterfoil on him, if he’d picked up a tab,’ argued Johannsen.
    â€˜Not necessarily, if he didn’t want to put it against an expense account,’ said Rafferty.
    â€˜Let’s get the accounts,’ insisted Cowley. ‘If there’s nothing for the night in question, they might still isolate a favourite restaurant. And restaurants are going to be today’s enquiry. There are photographs of Serov coming through State, from the embassy.’
    â€˜It’ll need to be done at night,’ argued Johannsen. ‘That’s when he ate.’
    â€˜Done twice,’ corrected Cowley. ‘Some lunchtime shifts run over, into early evening. We could miss whoever served him if we leave it too late.’
    Rafferty breathed out noisily but didn’t protest. ‘It’ll need a squad again.’
    â€˜The taxi checks haven’t been completed, but there’s nothing so far,’ reported Johannsen. Unexpectedly he added: ‘The papers say you speak fluent Russian. You get anything of what they were whispering to each other yesterday?’
    Despite the assumed nonchalance they were both good, Cowley acknowledged. ‘When you pressed Pavlenko about social engagements, particularly on the night Serov died, the guy who wasn’t introduced told Pavlenko he couldn’t talk about it.’
    â€˜That all?’ demanded Johannsen, disappointed.
    â€˜What I did get was incomplete. Just two words: “ You can’t .” They were taking a lot of trouble not to be overheard.’
    â€˜The papers also say you’re head of the Bureau’s Russian division, monitoring all Russian personnel in this country,’ said Johannsen. ‘You make the second guy, who wasn’t introduced?’
    Very good, thought Cowley. ‘Nikolai Fedorovich Redin. KGB when it was the KGB. Now it’s called an external security service.’
    â€˜What about Serov planning to defect?’ suggested Rafferty. ‘It’s happened elsewhere, despite all the changes. Redin discovers it, knocks Serov off and throws in the mouth shot to blow smoke in our eyes …’ The man paused, apparently unaware of the appalling metaphor. ‘… It would even be appropriate, if Serov were going to tell us things we shouldn’t have heard. And the Russians do kill people who try to run: it’s happened a lot.’
    â€˜In the past,’ disputed Cowley. ‘One, defectors invariably are intelligence officers, with something to offer: our files mark Serov as a genuine diplomat. Two, there’s usually some approach, before they try to run. It’s very rarely a walk-in: someone literally coming off the street. Three, I am head of the Russian division: if there’d been any prior contact, I’d know about it already. There wasn’t.’
    Both detectives looked unconvinced.
    â€˜Your files could be wrong,’ said Rafferty.
    â€˜Maybe, rare though it is, he did intend to be a walk-in,’ said Johannsen. ‘You think the CIA would tell you if they had Serov about to jump into the bag?’
    â€˜Not necessarily,’ conceded Cowley.
    â€˜Shouldn’t you ask the Cousins at Langley?’ suggested Rafferty.
    It had been an impressive double act, admired Cowley: probably carefully rehearsed, like using the tradecraft