Ken Follett - Triple (1991)

She kissed his tears, and told him it was all right over and over agaiii. Slowly he calmed down, and eventually he seemed to sleep for a few minutes. She lay there watching his face as the tension seeped away and he became peacefuL Then he opened his eyes and said, 'Ttrhy did you do that?" Well.- At that time she had not understood exactly why, but now she thought she did. "I could have given you a lecture," she said. "I could have told you that there is nothing to be ashamed of; that everybody has grisly fantasies, that women dream of being flogged and men have visions of flogging them; that you can buy, here in London, pornographic books about sex with amputees, including full-color pictures. I could have told you that many men would have been able to summon up enough bestiality to perform in that Nazi labomtory. I could have argued with you, but it wouldn't have made any difference. I had to show you. Besides--' She smiled ruefully. "Besides, I have a dark side, too." He touched her cheek, then leaned forward and kissed her lips. "Where did you get this wisdom child?" "It isn't wisdom it's love." Then he held her very tightly and kissed her and called her darling and after a while they made love, very simply, hardly speaking, without confessions or dark fantasies or bizarre lusts, giving and taking pleasure with the familiarity of an old couple who know each other very well; and afterward they went to sleep full of peace and joy.

David Rostov was bitterly disappointed with the Euratoin printout. After he and Pyotr Tyrin had spent hours getting it doped out, it became clear that the list of consignments was very long. They could riot possibly cover every target. The only way they could discover which one would be hit was to pick up Dickstein's trail again. Yasif Hassan's mission to Oxford thereupon assumed much greater importance. They waited for the Arab to call. After ten &clock Nik Bunin, who enjoyed sleep the way other people enjoy sunbathing, went to bed. Tyrin stuck it out until midnight, then he too retired. Rostov's phone finally rang at One A.M. He jumped as if frightened, grabbed the phone, then waited a few moments before speaking in order to compose himself. "Yes?" Hassan's voice came three hundred miles along the international telephone cables. "I did it The man was here. Two days ago." Rostov clenched a fist in suppressed excitement. "Jesus. What a piece of luck." "What now?" Rostov considered. "Now, he knows that we know." "Yes. Shall I come back to base?" "I don't think so. Did the professor say how long the man plans to be in England?" "No. I asked the question directly. "Me professor didn!t know: the man didn't tell him." "He wouldn't." Rostov frowned, calculating. "First thing the man has to do now is report that he's blown. That means he has to contact his London office.- "Perhaps be already has.", "Yes, but-he may want a meeting. This man takes precautions, and precautions take time. All right, leave it with me. I'll be in London later today. Where are you now?" "I'm still in Oxford. I came straight here off the plane. I -can't get back to London until the morning." "All right. Check into the Hilton and I'll contact you there around lunchtime." "Check. A bient6t." "Wait." "Still here."

"Don't do anything on your own initiative, now. Wait until I get there. You've done well, don't screw it up." Hassan hung up. Rostov sat still for a moment, wondering whether Hassan was planning some piece of foolishness or simply resented being told to be a good boy. Ile latter, he decided. Anyway, there was no damage he could do over the next few hours. Rostov turned his mind back to Dickstein. The man would not give them a second chance to pick up his trail. Rostov had to move fast and he had to move now. He put on his jacket, left the hotel and took a taxi to the Russian Embassy. . He had to wait some time, and identify himself to four different people, before they would let him in in the middle of the night. The duty operator stood at attention when Rostov entered the communications room. Rostov said, "Sit down. There's work to do. Get the London office first." The operator picked up the scrambler phone and began to Fall the Russian Embassy in London. Rostov took off his jacket and rolled up his, sleeves. Ile operator said, "Comrade Colonel David Rostov will speak to the most senior security officer there." He motioned Rostov to pick up the extension. "Colonel Petrov." It was the voice of a middle-aged Soldier. "Petrov, I need some help," Rostov said without preamble. "An Israeli agent named Nat Dickstein is believed to be in England.- "Yes, we've had his picture sent to us In the diplomatic pouch-but we werenI notified he was thought to be hem" I'Llsten. I think he may contact his embassy. I want you to put all known Israell legals in Landon under surveillance from dawn today~" "Hang on, Rostov," said Petrov with a half laugh. "That's a lot, of manpower." "Don!t be stapid. You've got hundreds of men, the Israelis only have a dozen or two." "Sorry, Rostov, I can't mount an operation like that on your say-so. Rostov wanted to get the man by the throat. 'This is ur. gentl" "Let me have the proper documentation, and I'm at your disposal."

"By then hell be somewhere elsel" "Not my fault, comrade." Rostov slammed the phone down, furious, and said, "Bloody Russiansl Never do anything without six sets of authorization. Get Moscow, tell them to find Feliks, Vorontsov and patch him through to me wherever he is." . The operator got busy. Rostov drummed his fingers on the desk impatiently. Petrov was probably an old soldier close to retirement, with no ambition for anything but his pension. There were too many men like that in the KGB. A few minutes later the sleepy voice of Rostov's boss, Feliks, came on the line. "Yes, who is it?" "David Rostov. I'm in Luxembourg. I need some backing. I think The Pirate is about to contact the Israeli Embassy in London and I want their legals watched." "So call London." "I did. They want authorization." '~Ihen apply for it." "For God's sake, Feliks, I'm applying for it now!" "IMeWs nothing I can do at this time of night Call me in the morning." "What is this? Surely you can--" Suddenly Rostov realized what was happening. He controlled himself with an effort. "All right, Feliks. In the morning." "Goodbye.,,

"YesT' "I'll remember this." The line went dead. "Where next?" the operator asked. Rostov frowned. "Keep the Moscow line open. Give me a minute to think." He might have guessed he would get no help from Feliks. The old fool wanted him to fail on this mission, to prove that be, Feliks, should have been given control of it in the first place. It was even possible that Feliks was pally with Petrov in London and had unofficially told Petrov not to cooperate. There was only one thing for Rostov to do. It was a dangerous course of action and might well get him pulled off the case-in fact it could even be what Feliks was hoping for. But he could not complain if the stakes were high, for it was he who had raised them. He thought'for a minute or two about- exactly how he should do it. Then he said, "rell Moscow to put me through to Yuri Andropov's apartment at number twenty-six Kutuzov Prospekt." The operator raised his eyebrows-it was probably the first and last time he would be instructed to get the head of the KGB on the phone-but he said nothing. Rostov waited, fidgeting. "I bet it isn't like this working for the CM" he muttered. The operator gave him the sign, and he picked up the phone. A voice said, "Yes?" Rostov raised his voice and barked: "Your name and ranklot "Major Pyotr Eduardovitch Scherbitsky." 'This is Colonel Rostov. I want to speak to Andropov. It's an emergency, and if he isn!t on this phone within one hundred and twenty seconds you'll spend the rest of your life building dams in Bratsk, do I make myself clear?" "Yes, colonel. Please hold the line." A moment later Rostov heard the deep,. confident voice of Yuri Andropov, one of the most powerful men in the world. "You certainly managed to panic young Eduardovitch, David." "I had no alternative, sir." "All right, let's have it. It had better be goo&" "Me Mossad are after uranium." "Good God." "I think The Pirate is in England. He may contact his embassy. I want surveillance on the Israelis there, but an old fool called Petrov in London is giving me the runaround.,, "I'll talk to him now, before I go back to bed.,, 'Mank you, sir. "And, David?" "Yesr, "It was worth waking me up-but only just." There was a click as Andropov hung up. Rostov laughed as the tension drained out of him, and he thought: Let them do their worst-Dickstein, Hassan, Feliks-I can handle them. "Success?" the operator asked with a smile. "Yes," Rostov said, "Our system is inefficient and cumber. some and corrupt, but in the end, you know, we get what we Want.