Alevy moved through the trees, and the signal got stronger. He tossed the receiver in the bushes and approached the front door. The door had no lock cylinder, only a knob, and it turned, but the door didn’t move. Alevy put his shoulder to the door and pressed slowly. He felt something give, then heard metal hitting the floor. He whispered, “Stay here.”
Alevy opened the door and slipped inside the dark house, closing the door behind him. He turned on a red-filtered flashlight and played the beam off the walls and furniture, then noticed an open doorway in the right-hand wall, through which he could see the glow of an electric heater. He went through the doorway and found himself in the bedroom. His light picked out the icon on the wall over the double bed. Alevy walked softly over the floorboards to the bed and looked down at Lisa Rhodes, bundled under a stack of quilts. Involuntarily he reached out to touch her cheek.
The crook of an arm locked around his throat, and he saw a long serrated bread knife poised in front of his heart. Alevy managed to turn his head slightly and said softly, “Hello, Sam.”
Hollis released his grip. “Hello, Seth.” He motioned toward the door, and they went into the living room. Hollis turned on a table lamp, and Alevy saw he was wearing a warm-up suit similar to what Landis and Bambach had on. Hollis rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, and Alevy nodded. Hollis put a black gospel tape in the player. Alevy said softly, “Hell of a way to greet a friend.”
“You’re not dressed like any friends that I have.”
Alevy smiled. “You’re a cool customer, Colonel.”
Hollis hesitated, then said, “It’s actually good to see you for a change.” He put out his hand, and Alevy took it. Hollis said, “I was beginning to wonder.”
“I came as fast as I could, Sam. I spent five days in Washington selling this operation.”
“What’s the plan?”
“I’ll brief you as we go along. Why don’t you go wake Lisa?”
Hollis went back into the bedroom and closed the door. Alevy went to the front door, opened it, and spoke to Mills, who was crouched behind an evergreen with his pistol drawn. Alevy said, “They’re here. Few minutes.” He closed the door and walked around the room, examining it. He picked up a stack of magazines, then looked at the videotapes on the bookshelves. “Incredible.”
Hollis came back into the room. “She’s coming.”
Alevy nodded and motioned around the room. “Not bad.”
“Not good, Seth.”
“I heard they gave you a rough time.”
“Where’d you hear that?”
“From a Captain Landis. Know him?”
“Yes.”
“Looks like a burnout,” Alevy said.
“They’re all burnouts. How did you see Landis?”
“At VFW Post zero zero zero.” Alevy explained briefly.
Hollis nodded. “I could spend a week telling you about this madhouse, but I suspect time is short. How did you get here?”
“I misappropriated an Aeroflot chopper from the Trade Center. Mi-28.”
“Right. The one I briefed you on. Who flew?”
“Your aide. He’s rather fond of you and would also like you to reconsider some of the ratings you gave him on his efficiency report.”
“I’ll think about it. Who else is with you?”
“My man, Bert Mills. He’s outside. And Bill Brennan.”
“Brennan? He’s back?”
“Just for the day.”
“Explain the plan to me.”
“Well, I dropped four canisters of something called THX, a new sleeping gas—”
“Sandman.”
“Yes, that’s the code name. Very potent. The canisters are on timers. We have about an hour and a quarter left.”
“For what?”
“For this and that.”
“Who are you taking out of here?”
“You and Lisa and two others. That’s all I can take on an Mi-28, and that’s all the evidence I need to effect the release of everyone else.”
Hollis nodded, “I’d be willing to stay here.”
“I know you would, Sam. But you know too much, and I can’t leave you in their hands.” Alevy hesitated, then asked, “They grilled you?”
Hollis nodded. “Burov did. Minimum damage. The heavy guns come in tomorrow from Lubyanka with polygraphs and electric shock.”
“I was just in time.”
“Right. Are Surikov and his granddaughter out?”
“Yes. Last Saturday. Leningrad route.”
Hollis stared at him in the dim light. “You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
Hollis said, “You have to negotiate for the wives and everyone else here too, Seth.”
“Landis mentioned his wife. Who are these wives?”
“Russian women. Mostly politicals. And sixty some children—”
“Good God….” Alevy shook his head. “I figured there would be women for them. But wives… children…? Are they attached to…? Well, I guess they must be. My mind is trying to process this—”
“Plus there are six kidnapped American women, and there are other Russians from the Gulag, such as the camp doctor and nurses. They go into the deal for the three thousand moles that we’re going to swap.”
Alevy looked at Hollis. “You know something, Sam, you’re a real American. I mean that. You really want to save the world, or at least as many of its inhabitants as you meet and like. Well, okay, we’ll be in good shape to bargain after tonight.”
Hollis asked, “How far do you intend to fly in an Mi-28 with eight people aboard?”
“Depends on how the winds are blowing.”
Hollis said, “I don’t think the ambassador or Charlie Banks would appreciate seeing a hijacked Soviet helicopter landing in the embassy quad.”
“We can discuss this after we’re airborne.”
“Seth, you can’t get an Mi-28 with eight people to any part of the free world from here. Do you have a refueling station, a relay chopper—?”
Lisa came into the room, wearing a blue warm-up suit and running shoes, and Alevy guessed that this must be the camp uniform. She stood back a moment, taking in Alevy in his KGB uniform, then moved quickly to him and put her arms around him. “Seth. Oh, my God…”
Alevy disengaged himself. “We have to move quickly.”
She nodded and took her ski parka from the coat hook. “I have to get my icon—”
Alevy held her arm. “It’s not your icon.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a reproduction, Lisa. It’s got a transmitter in it. That’s how we found you.”
Lisa stared at him, then at Hollis.
Alevy said, “It was a contingency plan. In case something like this happened. I checked out Lubyanka and Lefortovo with a radio receiver and got a negative signal.” He added, “I hoped with the hammer and sickle carved in the icon, they’d let you keep it. They probably think the Kellums did that. The real icon is safe.”
Lisa stood quietly a moment and looked from one to the other, then moved close to Alevy. “Do you know what they did to me here?”
“I’m afraid I probably do. That’s the point: what they do to people.” He said to Lisa, “Bert Mills is outside. He, I, and Sam have a few things to take care of here. You will have to make your way to the helipad by yourself. Brennan is in the radio shack there. He could use some help with his Russian if anyone telephones him. Captain O’Shea is on the pad with a helicopter. We’ll be along shortly.”
Lisa replied, “Forget it, Seth. Sam and I have come this far together, and we’re not separating.”
Hollis said to Alevy, “Don’t even bother to argue with her.”
Alevy nodded. “I know.” He drew two 6.35mm Tokarev automatics with silencers from the inside pockets of his greatcoat and handed them to Lisa and Hollis.