advertisement. The girl said one man had enquired if the boat were white, which was the arranged acknowledgement that an agent from the embassy had seen his signal. Zenin said it was green but that he wanted to withdraw the card anyway, because heâd managed to dispose of the boat elsewhere. She reminded him that the previous day sheâd made it clear the four pounds was not refundable and Zenin assured her he was not seeking one. She said theyâd always be willing to put a display card in their case if he had anything else to sell and Zenin said he would remember.
Zenin walked unhurriedly back through Soho, isolating four whores already plying for lunchtime trade. Would there be any sexual involvement with Sulafeh Nabulsi, he wondered. It was the briefest of thoughts, because he had many other things to arrange. There was the sports gear and the cassette playing equipment to buy. And the bicycle hire to be arranged. But most important, the preparation for the false trail, in Switzerland. From a call-box he telephoned Swissair advanced reservations, explaining he wanted to accompany a friend flying from Geneva to New York on the 16th but wasnât sure of the flight. When the clerk asked for the name he said Schmidt, but indistinctly, in case he was out of luck. He wasnât. The girl said there was already a Klaus Schmidt reserved in the computer for their midday flight that day and did Zenin want to confirm his seat. The Russian said he would have to call back and hung up. How useful was the universal name of Smith, he thought.
The highest secrecy accorded the assassination mission meant that all communication was absolutely restricted, with each recipient having personally to sign a receipt and any such communication having to emanate from Berenkov, whose signature accompanied and authorized every despatch.
The notification from England of Zeninâs undetected arrival in London arrived two days after Zeninâs disembarkation from the trawler in Ullapool â the word âcatalogueâ again being used to describe the Russian â and after alerting the KGB chairman and the ambitious Mikhail Lvov, Berenkov sat gazing down at the incoming message, still unconvinced it was the right decision to proceed with the operation, irrespective of any political importance attached to it or the amount of time and effort already expended in its planning. Berenkov was curious that Kalenin, of whose caution he was very aware, had not taken the prudent course and abandoned the operation. Could there be a reason he didnât know? The KGB chairman was a devious man who in the past had allowed apparently straightforward missions to be run on several levels. If there were a secret reason, it would be for Kaleninâs protection. What about his own?
Berenkov accepted there was at this stage very little he could attempt. But it was essential he evolve something and in time, if necessary, to turn Zenin back when the assassin approached the embassy in Bern, which was the only point of necessary contact with a Soviet installation that was being allowed the man.
Berenkov took a long time preparing the instruction, wanting the checks to be made properly but without panic. The first transmission was to Switzerland and second to England. Copies were naturally sent to both Mikhail Lvov and Valery Kalenin.
The call came from the KGB chairman the following day. âLvov is complaining that you are unreasonably interfering,â disclosed Kalenin.
âJust to you?â
âI suspect heâs going higher but unofficially. He believes he has important friends,â said Kalenin.
âWhat should I do?â said Berenkov, deferring to the other manâs expertise in headquarters survival.
âNothing,â said Kalenin at once. âNot yet.â
Chapter Five
It had been late when he got back from Sussex the previous night, practically pub closing time, and so Charlie kept the car instead of
Zenin walked unhurriedly back through Soho, isolating four whores already plying for lunchtime trade. Would there be any sexual involvement with Sulafeh Nabulsi, he wondered. It was the briefest of thoughts, because he had many other things to arrange. There was the sports gear and the cassette playing equipment to buy. And the bicycle hire to be arranged. But most important, the preparation for the false trail, in Switzerland. From a call-box he telephoned Swissair advanced reservations, explaining he wanted to accompany a friend flying from Geneva to New York on the 16th but wasnât sure of the flight. When the clerk asked for the name he said Schmidt, but indistinctly, in case he was out of luck. He wasnât. The girl said there was already a Klaus Schmidt reserved in the computer for their midday flight that day and did Zenin want to confirm his seat. The Russian said he would have to call back and hung up. How useful was the universal name of Smith, he thought.
The highest secrecy accorded the assassination mission meant that all communication was absolutely restricted, with each recipient having personally to sign a receipt and any such communication having to emanate from Berenkov, whose signature accompanied and authorized every despatch.
The notification from England of Zeninâs undetected arrival in London arrived two days after Zeninâs disembarkation from the trawler in Ullapool â the word âcatalogueâ again being used to describe the Russian â and after alerting the KGB chairman and the ambitious Mikhail Lvov, Berenkov sat gazing down at the incoming message, still unconvinced it was the right decision to proceed with the operation, irrespective of any political importance attached to it or the amount of time and effort already expended in its planning. Berenkov was curious that Kalenin, of whose caution he was very aware, had not taken the prudent course and abandoned the operation. Could there be a reason he didnât know? The KGB chairman was a devious man who in the past had allowed apparently straightforward missions to be run on several levels. If there were a secret reason, it would be for Kaleninâs protection. What about his own?
Berenkov accepted there was at this stage very little he could attempt. But it was essential he evolve something and in time, if necessary, to turn Zenin back when the assassin approached the embassy in Bern, which was the only point of necessary contact with a Soviet installation that was being allowed the man.
Berenkov took a long time preparing the instruction, wanting the checks to be made properly but without panic. The first transmission was to Switzerland and second to England. Copies were naturally sent to both Mikhail Lvov and Valery Kalenin.
The call came from the KGB chairman the following day. âLvov is complaining that you are unreasonably interfering,â disclosed Kalenin.
âJust to you?â
âI suspect heâs going higher but unofficially. He believes he has important friends,â said Kalenin.
âWhat should I do?â said Berenkov, deferring to the other manâs expertise in headquarters survival.
âNothing,â said Kalenin at once. âNot yet.â
Chapter Five
It had been late when he got back from Sussex the previous night, practically pub closing time, and so Charlie kept the car instead of
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