You wouldn’t have, you podgy dolt, thought Yenev. Officers who disliked the Party and its methods went to considerable lengths to conceal their feelings. Only occasionally were they identified and then almost always through informers — and no naval, army or air force unit lacked them. If anyone knew that the commissar should.
‘And now,’ said Milovych. ‘What do you propose to do?’
‘I’ve already asked the Volga to inform all Soviet naval units in the vicinity.’
‘Nothing else?’
‘It is a political matter, comrade commissar. Abduction or defection on foreign soil. That is why I at once sent for you.’ Milovych smiled. His thoughts were racing ahead. This was his scene and he was going to make the most of it. It was he who had urged that Krasnov and Gerasov should be armed when it was decided they should be left ashore. It was Yenev who had opposed the idea — on the grounds that it was a breach of protocol. Yenev’s view had prevailed. That was something which Milovych would recall at the appropriate time and place.
‘Please ask the Volga to send a boat across for me!’ He said it with an air of bustling importance. ‘I must go into Kolhamn at once to see Major Martinsen and the Ordforer. I shall have to take charge of matters ashore. Ensure that everything possible is being done.’
‘Good,’ said Yenev rising from his desk. ‘But remember it is Norway, not Soviet Russia. What you can do is limited.’
‘I am well aware of that, comrade Yenev.’ Milovych eyed the captain sternly as if he had taken some unwarranted liberty.
‘What are you going to do about an interpreter?’ asked Yenev, adding somewhat unkindly, ‘You’ve no longer got Krasnov.’
‘I will take Gallinin. He speaks Norwegian.’
‘I take it, then, that you will accept responsibility for radiation control failures,’ said Yenev.
‘There are several experts in that field in the salvage vessels, comrade Yenev. I imagine they can do without Gallinin.’
‘Very well,’ said Yenev. ‘I accept your decision. But it must be logged as yours.’
Milovych’s small eyes glinted with animosity, and he made a mental note of Yenev’s challenge before changing the subject. ‘When I am in possession of the facts I shall send a signal to the Vice-Admiral in command of the Political Department in Leningrad informing him of the occurrence.’
‘Yes. That would be advisable. He won’t be pleased, of course.’ Yenev said this rather pointedly and with some relish. For a time it silenced the commissar, who had become thoughtful. No doubt Leningrad would not be pleased. They would want a sacrificial lamb. He would try to make it Yenev. But that might not be easy. He looked up, began a smile but cut it off when he remembered the missing dentures. ‘I must get into uniform,’ he said with sudden resolve. ‘Excuse me.’
‘Of course.’ Yenev was aware for the first time of feeling genuinely sorry for the commissar, who now had a heavy load of hay on his fork. ‘It is an extremely serious matter,’ said the captain. ‘I shall not rest until I hear your news.’
This was something of an overstatement for within ten minutes of the commissar’s departure Yenev was asleep.
When he reached the radhus during the early hours of morning the commissar found Major Martinsen with the Ordforer and Odd Dahl the bailiff. When Milovych explained that Gallinin would act as interpreter Martinsen said, ‘That will not be necessary.’
Milovych found difficulty in concealing his surprise. Martinsen had spoken Russian. Initially, when he’d come off to the Zhukov with the message from the embassy in Oslo, and on subsequent occasions, he’d given no indication that he knew the language. Norwegian had always been used. Gallinin or Krasnov interpreting. Milovych was about to point this out, then thought better of it. Martinsen had been deceitful but that was a minor offence in the commissar’s book. He would certainly have done the same thing if he could have turned it to advantage. No doubt Martinsen had hoped to overhear something of value. That he should now speak Russian suggested he hadn’t.
‘Nevertheless,’ said Milovych, returning to the point, ‘I would like Gallinin to be present during our talks.’
‘We have no objection,’ said Martinsen.
They seated themselves round the table in the Ordforer’s office and Milovych opened the proceedings. ‘I’ve had your disturbing message about Lieutenant Krasnov,’ he said, pinching the folds of his double chin. ‘What is the latest news?’
‘We are still conducting a house-to-house inquiry,’ said Martinsen. ‘We’ve already searched the harbour area including a vessel about which Dr Kroll had suspicions.’
‘Which vessel?’
‘The yacht Kestrel Crewed by British tourists. But there was nobody on board except the four crew members. The yacht sailed early this morning.’
Milovych bristled. ‘That should not have been permitted.’
Martinsen said, ‘It was a matter for us to decide, Commissar. This is a Norwegian port.’ He yawned, he’d been up a long time. ‘In any event, later she was stopped and searched at sea by our fast gunboat. It was a thorough search. The officer responsible says he would have found a hidden rabbit, let alone a Soviet naval officer.’
Milovych was silent, weighing what had been said, wondering if the reference to the rabbit concealed something uncomplimentary. ‘Who is conducting the house-to-house search?’ he challenged.
‘It’s not a search.’ Martinsen spoke wearily. ‘It’s an inquiry. Our soldiers and sailors are conducting it.’
‘An inquiry is not enough,’ said Milovych. ‘Every house in Kolhamn should be searched from basement to attic.’ Martinsen repeated this to the Ordforer in Norwegian. Hjalmar Nordsen frowned, his mouth set firmly. ‘Tell the commissar this is Norway, not, with respect, Soviet Russia. We do not institute house-to-house searches to find men from foreign ships who go missing. We have already in my opinion over-reacted in our efforts to be helpful to his government. Krasnov may be in bed with a local girl at this moment while we are involved in all this fuss and bother.’
Gallinin translated.
‘No,’ said Milovych emphatically. ‘Our officers are too well disciplined. I believe he has been abducted.’
Martinsen raised his eyebrows. ‘Abducted? Whatever for? Who would want to do that?’ He watched the commissar’s face with studied care before explaining to the Ordforer what had been said.
The commissar, aware that his reactions were under observation, attempted to control them by clenching his podgy fists until the knuckles showed white on the table. This was a question he should not have invited. Why indeed if the Zhukov was obsolete and used only for training would anyone want to abduct one of her officers?
‘Well,’ he countered, ‘he may have been murdered.’ It was weak and everyone in the room including Gallinin knew it was.
‘In which case a body will presumably be found and the matter becomes one for the police,’ said Martinsen.
Milovych’s small eyes narrowed. I must, he thought, take a grip on myself. These Norwegians are being difficult. ‘The whole affair suggests that Lieutenant Krasnov has been the victim of violence,’ he said. ‘Gerasov tells me that when the lieutenant went to the lavatory he left his uniform cap on the table. So he intended to return.’ There was a glint of triumph in the commissar’s eyes as he looked round the table. He’d made a good point and knew it. ‘Krasnov went through the swing-door to the passage leading to the lavatory and has not been seen since. The fire exit at the back was found bolted on the inside. If he went out of that door — which he must have done — someone bolted it behind him.’