“Immediate flight is not necessary,” said Ishihara calmly. “The description of the car and the plate number have been announced to agents at large over the NKVD radio band, but so far no one has actually reported sighting us.”
“Let’s keep it that way,” said Wayne, grinning nervously. “I mean, why stay in this car until they do?”
“I am not suggesting we should. However, I judge that we have some time left to us. The NKVD does not seem to have reported the car theft to the regular city police.”
“Well-maybe they reported by phone. That’s why you didn’t hear it on their radio band.”
“I can monitor the city police band, as well. They still have not reported this theft.”
“Yeah, I see. What do you think-maybe the NKVD doesn’t want to admit it could happen to them?”
“I believe this is the case. They will want to maintain the image of the NKVD as all-powerful.”
“What do you suggest we do now?”
“Maybe we should approach a military installation-” Ishihara stopped suddenly.
“What’s wrong?”
Ishihara held up his hand for Wayne to wait.
Relieved that Ishihara had not malfunctioned in some way, Wayne waited, watching him.
Ishihara turned to him. “The NKVD has report ed a sighting of someone of MC 4’s description.” Ishihara pulled the car away from the curb and drove down the street.
“Oh, yeah! I forgot-Raskov and Konev are still looking for him, too. Where is he?”
“He was originally reported sleeping in a schoolhouse that had been used for housing displaced citizens. Everyone there is in a work brigade that digs ditches every day.”
“You know where?”
“Yes. I have the same directions that were just given to the other NKVD agents.”
“Raskov and Konev might be there. They’ll recognize us when we drive up.”
“As we approach, we can decide how to proceed. In the meantime, I shall continue to monitor the radio band. They will not be able to communicate over it without letting us hear the message, too.”
“We’re driving right into the lion’s den,” said Wayne. “But if that’s where MC 4 is, that’s where we have to go.”
17
Steve, Judy, and Jane joined the work brigade for the day. They rode out to the antitank ditches with everyone else and spent the morning digging together. They moved far enough from the other workers to talk among themselves privately, but Steve did not call Hunter again. He knew that Hunter would not try to contact him, and that left him undecided about what to do.
At midday, they got in line with the others for lunch. After they received hard rolls and bowls of a thin vegetable soup, they sat down to eat by themselves on the top edge of the ditch. The other workers sat with their own friends.
“Have you looked up the ditch that way at all?” Jane pointed.
“Hm?” Judy turned, her mouth full.
“There’s a guy up there who’s small enough to be MC 4. I saw him just now.”
“Really?” Steve tore off a piece of a hard roll. “There must be hundreds of people in the ditch all around us. Where is he?”
“Right now, he’s lost in the crowd,” said Jane, leaning to her right as she tried to see him again. “And he was in the distance, almost out of sight.”
“I don’t see him, either,” said Judy, leaning the other way to look.
“How well did you see him?” Steve asked. “I mean, are you sure it was MC 4?” He looked in disgust at his bowl of watery soup.
“Well, no. But he was dressed poorly; his coat was too big and one sleeve was tom.”
“Like he might have picked up cast-off clothing from somewhere,” said Steve.
“That’s right.”
“What was he doing?” Judy asked.
“He was digging like everyone else.” Jane was still looking up the long ditch, but she shook her head. “I don’t see him now.”
“Judy,” said Steve. “What would happen if we went to look for him?”
“I don’t think we should. These brigades are rigidly organized.”
“What would happen to us?” Jane asked.
“I don’t know. But I don’t see anybody walking around socializing.” Judy lowered her voice. “It’s hard to convey just how oppressive the Communist Party is during this era. Even the military units have party members watching over the ideological purity of everyone. And, of course, they can summon the NKVD at any time to take away dissidents, real or imagined. The same is true right here.”
“I’m convinced,” said Steve. “We don’t want to attract attention to ourselves. Without Hunter here, I don’t want to take any unnecessary risks.”
“Especially since that guy might just be someone else,” said Jane. “I only got a glimpse.”
“Let’s just keep looking from here for now,” said Steve. “If he does look like MC 4, then at the end of the day, maybe we can see which truck he gets on. That will help us find him later tonight.”
“Good,” said Judy.
Steve thought a moment. “What are the chances that we would just run into him like this? Doesn’t that seem farfetched to you?”
“I suppose it does seem like a coincidence,” said Judy.
“It’s not just pure chance,” said Jane. “Remember, Hunter specifically identified a certain area of Moscow where he expected MC 4 to appear. Our warehouse is nearby.”
“That’s right,” said Judy. “And all the displaced citizens who are not working at something more essential are being drafted into the work brigades.”
“Exactly,” said Jane. “So his presence here, in a brigade from the same neighborhood as our warehouse, is not really too unlikely.”
Steve nodded, looking through the crowd in the distance again. “Maybe we have a chance, then.”
Ishihara drove while Wayne sat rigidly next to him. Though Wayne had to be excited by the prospect of finding MC 4, a glance at him told Ishihara that his human companion was frightened by the fact that other NKVD agents were going to the same location. So far, they had hardly even left the outskirts of Moscow.
“We’re leaving the city,” Wayne said anxiously. “What’s our route?”
“I have been considering this,” said Ishihara. “From what I have been able to observe and overhear on our travels so far, the Soviet lines are positioned mainly to the north of Moscow. I believe they are poised to make a flank attack on the Germans when and if the Germans advance eastward on the city. The antitank ditches are being dug straight west of Moscow, but still have military patrols behind them.”
“And that’s where we’re headed.”
“Yes.” Ishihara drove a varied pattern through the west side of Moscow. Finally he found a well-used, unpaved road leading out of the city. They drove in silence.
After the midday break, Judy picked up her shovel and looked again where Jane might have seen MC 4. Then as Judy resumed digging, she worked her way toward a middle-aged woman in her own brigade. Steve glanced at her but merely nodded, trusting her to be careful.