He was good, conceded Natalia, like he’d always been. She hadn’t begun with any positive intention, apart from personally controlling the encounter at all times, but she had thought of taking her time, which she admitted to herself would have been to let Charlie fully appreciate her position and authority now. But his response had taken control away from her, making her the person who had to respond, not lead. ‘Involvement is what we’re here to discuss.’
Natalia sat, waiting, looking at him.
Charlie sat, waiting, looking at her.
Beside him, Kestler shifted, restlessly. Don’t! Charlie thought, anxiously; don’t for Christ’s sake say anything! We haven’t got anything yet! In front of him there was another frowned look from Popov towards Natalia. Who was the first to concede.
‘We are sure of an intended nuclear robbery. Which we of course are going to prevent. The decision has been made…’ Natalia hesitated, moving her head positively towards Charlie. ‘… following your suggestion, to include both of you, under strictly limited and clearly understood conditions, in that prevention.’ There, you bastard! Natalia thought. Now I’m back in command. Like I’m going to be in command of everything else while you sit on the sidelines and watch.
But it wasn’t Charlie who spoke. Kestler said, ‘Where is this attempt to be made?’
For the first time Natalia took her attention from Charlie, looking invitingly sideways to Popov.
‘To the northeast,’ said the man.
Charlie had tensed, nervously, at the sound of Kestler’s voice but it had been a perfectly valid question. Before the American could speak further, Charlie said, ‘Northeast of where?’
‘Moscow,’ said Popov, unhappy at not having made himself clearer in front of Natalia and the two officials who were both members of their minister’s secretariat.
‘In Russia, then?’
‘Of course it’s in Russia!’ said Popov, glad the Englishman was talking inadequately so soon after him.
Natalia knew Charlie’s question hadn’t been careless. ‘Where was your information that it was happening?’
He’d taught her to interrogate like that, recalled Charlie. Not exactly like that – the question assumed a fraction too much – but always to convey more knowledge than she possessed to lessen the guilt or importance of what her interviewee had to offer so they would provide even more. ‘There are widespread rumours in the West of an intended robbery. The Ukraine has been mentioned. Fuel rods, too.’
‘No,’ rejected Popov, shortly.
‘Would you know, if it was the Ukraine?’ demanded Kestler.
Cunt! thought Charlie, anguished. Why, when they were being led by the hand into the promised land, did the complete and utter asshole have to use their previous evening’s rehearsal to denigrate the colonel in front of his superiors! As Popov’s face tightened, Charlie hurriedly said, ‘Any material would, we know, be Russian. I think my colleague’s question was to confirm the liaison between yourself and Kiev.’ The attempted recovery could have been a thousand times better but it was preferable to leaving the rudeness hanging in the air. Calling Kestler a colleague had stuck in Charlie’s throat. He wondered if the pain in his feet would worsen if he kicked the American like he wanted to, right in the crotch.
‘Of course there is excellent liaison,’ said the grey-haired ministry official, as annoyed as Popov.
‘I didn’t intend to suggest there wasn’t,’ mumbled the American, agonized by his thoughtlessness.
Natalia welcomed the diversion, although she didn’t take her attention away from Charlie. He’d be furious, she guessed: writhing inside. He’d told her once that was why he hated working in any sort of group or even with another person: he took full responsibility for his own mistakes but refused to inherit those of others. He had every cause to be upset today: the American, whom she half-suspected of sexually appraising her, was badly displaying his inexperience. Moving to lessen the hostility but not to excuse the man, Natalia said sarcastically, ‘There were messages, about information? Was that it?’
‘Quite obviously nothing to do with what we’re here today to discuss,’ seized Charlie, gratefully. He allowed a hopeful smile towards Natalia for the first time.
She didn’t respond. ‘It would seem not.’
‘Then perhaps we should concentrate upon what we are here to talk about?’
‘That would be a sensible idea.’ Natalia delivered that line to Kestler, completing the rebuke.
‘Where, in the northeast?’ Charlie demanded, directly.
‘Near Kirov.’
Which wasn’t a straight answer, Charlie recognized. It probably didn’t matter: most of the Russian nuclear sites were known by Washington or London so it could be identified by a process of elimination. ‘When?’
‘Within the next month.’
Didn’t know or wouldn’t say? wondered Charlie. Or was she intentionally making him beg for crumbs? If she was, he was content to do so: he wasn’t in any hurry to end the meeting. What he was in a hurry about was to have another one, as soon as possible. Just the two of them. He wanted to reach out, to touch her, feel her softness and her warmth and have her touch him back, like she’d done when they were together, a reaching out to know one was with the other. ‘How, exactly, is our involvement to be limited?’
Natalia was enjoying playing with him, showing him how much she remembered of what he’d taught her, hoping he’d realize she was taunting him. He’d tried to out-fence her with that question but it wouldn’t work because she could use it to demonstrate how secondary he was going to be. Charlie had never liked being secondary in anything. ‘You will not, of course, be allowed to take any part in the actual interception operation: to go anywhere near the site, in fact. Your involvement will be restricted to that of observers, during planning. You will be informed of the identities of the criminals concerned, after their arrest. And attend any trial, if you so wish.’
He might as well be sitting with a begging bowl in front of him instead of a blotting pad, thought Charlie. Hoping against hope that Kestler wouldn’t butt in and ruin the possibility of her saying more, Charlie delayed his response by pouring himself water.
You’ll have to do better than that, thought Natalia; you were too good a teacher. Ask, Charlie; ask humbly.
Kestler spoiled the contest. ‘I am authorized by my Bureau to offer any technical assistance you might require,’ the man blurted.
In front of him Charlie saw Popov reach out for Natalia’s arm. She bent her head towards the man and then nodded. Coming back to them Popov said, ‘We appreciate the offer, but I think our facilities are quite adequate.’
Charlie’s concentration wasn’t fully upon the predictable rejection. There was nothing unusual in the man getting Natalia’s attention by touching her arm, but Popov had remained holding it as he’d talked and Charlie thought Natalia had begun but then stopped an impromptu movement to cover Popov’s hand with hers. Ridiculous, Charlie thought: in the bewilderment of being confronted by Natalia he was trying too hard and seeing significance where none existed. The colonel had been surprisingly over-familiar and any shift by Natalia, if indeed she had stirred, would have been a gesture of displeasure. Discarding the unnecessary reflection Charlie said, ‘I’d like to make clear that I am extremely grateful to be included. And although I naturally accept the limitation of an observer I would appreciate the opportunity to contribute during the planning.’ There, he thought, I’m practically on my knees. And talking like a recorded message, which should read well in the transcript he intended sending back to London to prove to everyone he was behaving exactly as he had been told.