CHAPTER SEVEN
They used the same taxi they had come in to find the estate on the photo. It had taken most of the morning to locate it and the Generals daughter Nicki came with them as a guide, for she had been to the area when visiting her piano teacher. In fact it had been she who had eventually identified it by the statues posted at each end. There were poets one end and musicians at the other. “Madam calls it her gifted bridge, as her apartment looks right on it, she says it’s a haunt for the homeless beneath the arches.”
Now here they were walking towards the underside, following a worn track through the rough undergrowth. Vincent led with Nicki in between them, the cousin had stayed with his taxi. They came into a small clearing just before the low first arch, around them was a mess of garbage, old bicycles, car tyres and a number of rock strewn fireplaces. A blond Slavic faced lad sat on a truck tyre heating an old wok over a limp flame. As they entered he merely glanced at them and carried on frying.
Nicki approached him and started questioning him gently; she sat down on another truck tyre and indicated the other two should sit as well.
“His name is Sasha,” she said then turning back to the youth she continued asking questions and translating his reply.
“He is a friend of Misha’s, they went to school together, they both came here when things were tough. Misha is not here, go away.”
“Nicki, ask Sasha to give a message to Misha from me, tell him I am the Turpin he is waiting for.” Raulf tore a page from a small notepad and handed the pen to Nicki.
“Just write your fathers telephone number and give it to Sasha please.”
Nicki did as she was bid and handed Sasha the paper, he threw it in the fire. He then held his hand out to Raulf.
“He wants to see your passport.”
“Does he read English then?” Raulf handed it over.
Sasha flicked through the pages and smiled as he spoke.
“It is you, he knows because of all the places you’ve been to stamped on the pages” Nicki handed the passport back. “Sasha has said he will talk to Misha, you are to return here alone this evening before dark, if Misha will speak to you this fire will be burning. Remember it is this fire by the low arch.”
“I will bring Mr.Lazlo with me Sasha.”
“No” said Sasha.
“Yes, for both mine and Misha’s protection.”
“I protect Misha, I adult, am strong. Misha he trust none. They try to kill.”
Raulf looked at Nicki, but her intuition forestalled his question.
“ We all learnt a little English/American at school, remember we played host to many English speaking students.” She laughed, “And is your Russian as fine as Sasha’s?”
Raulf smiled at the reproof and nodding to Sasha rose and started to walk along the pathway to the taxi. He suddenly turned and said, “Mr.Lazlo will come as far as the clearing but not close to the fire.”
Sasha brushed his long hair from his eyes and nodded, then waved them away imperiously.
In the car on the way back Raulf booked the cousin and taxi for the late afternoon.
“Do you have another car you can use?” Vincent asked.
Nicki translated, we could use my fathers.”
“Thank you but no, it must be one not connected with you or us.”
Nicki spoke to her cousin, he nodded and tapped his eye and then pointed back.
”He says he can use his one of his friends, for a price. He said you were observed by glasses.”
“Yes, we were, thank your cousin for his watchfulness.” Vincent continued looking out the back window as he spoke. “Two groups.”
“Two of what!” Raulf asked.
“Perhaps my father had someone watch over us?”
“Of course”, said Vincent and smiled his knowing smile. “Ask your cousin where he spotted them please.”
Nicki asked, “On the bridge, at least on the approach pedestrian walkway, the poets side”.
“They were indeed, thank you Nicki, Raulf I do not think you should go anywhere tonight, I should be in your place.”
“That’s kind of you Vincent but it’s my task, and I promised to see it through.”
“I wish to see the General alone Nicki, without you or Raulf, please do not take offence, but we will see what he thinks before Raulf is led into a trap.”
That afternoon Vincent was locked up with the General in his study, they spent some time before they came over to the barn where Raulf was writing his audit report.
General Grotinov sat down heavily on the settee.
“I’m going,” said Raul flatly.
“Stubborn,” said Vincent smiling.
‘We agree Mr. Turpin, quite honestly we cannot afford to loose this opportunity, there are others after the same rabbit, as is proven by the surveillance on you this morning. The quicker we can reach and grab Misha and if necessary the boy Sasha, the better.”
Raulf nodded his assent.
“Did you have someone looking us over yourself?” he asked. “Vincent spotted the glint of something in the apartment block?
“The one my daughter visits for her piano. Therefore yes to your question, now lets get on. When you return to the bridge this evening, you will as much as possible stay within sight of that apartment building. It is from here that we can defend you if necessary. Vincent is to reconnoitre around you, you will stay on the path at all times, and you will stay in the clearing and not go under the bridge arches out of sight. I expect if Misha will see you it will be done under the apparent safety of the bridge, but in fact this is the least safe place for you or them. You will tell the boy Sasha this when you reach his fire. You are clear on this?’
Raulf nodded.
“You will obey Vincent’s directions immediately, he will be somewhere near you and the boys. Remember it could be a fire ground out there, I have limited resources so keep the boys with you at all times, don’t split up. If you cannot convince them to run with you then you follow them. A group we can protect to some extent, I hope. Good luck.”
“You know more than you are saying General, who were they on the bridge today?” Raulf clipped his pen into his top pocket and leaned back in the chair.
“They were recognised as men from Marshall Krectahev’s department. We have long suspected him as one of the major players or hoodlums if you prefer. Yes, indeed he is a high level personage and a powerful force in the mafia.”
“So if you know that, have him arrested.”
“He is also Minister for Defence and Chief of our Joint staff.”
“Ah, a protected person with political and military support.” Acknowledged Raulf
“True, but not the Chess Grandmaster.”
“There’s more to this no doubt.”
“Why do you say that?”
“This morning Vincent was not going to let me go in, now some hours later that’s all changed. True you want Misha’s message badly, the confirmation of a name. Do you know General I suspect you already have guessed whose name it is? After all, you were in a position to know most of the old security machinery, including no doubt some of the exceptional planners and manipulators. “ Raulf looked directly at the General.
“So you are here on a fools errand, is that it? No you are right Mr Turpin, well half right, we have our suspicions but no proof.”
“So why overrule Vincent? Am I, and I suppose Misha, to be your goat trap to catch the tiger?”
“Very Indian and poetic too and quite true, I’m sure Sir Hubert would agree, but alas we cannot get confirmation as we could not depend on the communication lines.”
“Quite, so elaborate, if you please.”
“No I don’t please, after perhaps this, my stringed up goat. We do think we know who it is, an exceptional planner, true, and a man wholly successful in his deviousness, yet highly respected because of his success against the West. They have a picture of him in the old KGB building which was taken to the new security office training quarters. It was presented with full pomp and ceremony with the President present, naturally all this in secret. You see we Russians haven’t changed, we love secrecy, and putting our fingers up the nose of our Western colleagues. Our Mafia already are strong, and whilst the greedy westerners ply for Russian businesses and land, our Mafia already control the richest pickings. They are investing, in turn, in global industry; soon their investments will provide them with board positions. So they sell or allow to be sold some industries, certain factories. The more you from the West invest, the more they will invest the self-same funds back into the West. You yourself Mr. Turpin are in some way involved in this circuit by your audit of one of our industries. May I ask what you found there?”
Raulf was taken aback by the Generals vehemence.
“In short a good prospect, efficient modern machinery, excellent labour relations, considerable cash reserves at the bank and an accepted brand name.”
“So you notify the man Jarman you serve to buy this business. Eh? So how much would you expect the payment to be?”
“That of course is not my concern but I would expect something in the region of three hundred million pounds.”
“Thank you Raulf, and now I tell you this, the cash reserves, the machinery, the whole lot is Mafia, the shop front is, let us say, well displayed. Even the accounts I expect are beautifully prepared. And the excellent labour relations would be, wouldn’t they be so with Mafia bosses in the boardroom. Of course you saw none of this but Vincent did. You see he saw an old adversary from his Sicilian days in the plant, whilst he was checking the asset list.”
“Is this true Vincent?”
“Yes, I would have told you tonight before you finished your report. They are a set up and the man the General speaks of, I have been searching for sometime. Sicily is not the place to confront him, He travels a great deal, for he works for the Italian Mafia, has close connections to the US of A and now here in Russia.”
“What do you intend to do.”
“We have a task to perform for our friends, once we finalise that, then I can turn to my own problem. The General has kindly offered his assistance in return for our help. So I want you to wear this Browning pistol. Its loaded and I’ll show you the safety catch, I presume you have shot before, I seem to remember you were in your school CCF.”
“That’s true, but I haven’t been on a range for a few years Vincent.”
“You never forget, remember to use it well, your life or mine could depend on the accuracy, steady your aim, no firing from the hip, its not a western.”
“Do you really think it could be so bad.”
“The General has convinced me there will be trouble. Do you remember Dobbs of the Embassy? His car cruised past the Generals gate this morning, spotted by the gatekeeper. Trade Commissioner living over here, how long some six years, should have picked up what the General told us, after all each day he drove there and picked us up. So why his extended interest in us.”
“London.”
“Maybe, or maybe the other side here in Russia, the General has no direct knowledge of him over here other than what he does at the Embassy.”
“I told you Vincent that we treat him as a spy first and a commissioner second.” The General broke in.
“Well yes you did, however I cannot confirm that.”
“You wouldn’t anyway, the spy game goes on between ourselves regardless of the détente between our politicians. And there are always the industrial secrets for us to sniff out…its never-ending.”
“Perhaps that’s true but we need to dress for this evening, and I need to prepare Raulf for his rendezvous, so General if you will excuse us.” With that Vincent strode up the stairs to change.
“So my friend what will you tell your Mi’lord?”
“That he’d be a fool to throw his money at a carefully staged show plant. Thank you for the information General”
“I accept your thanks, in my business we trade information, I would like the name Raulf, the confirmation of that name. I will tell you now that if it is the person whom we believe it is, he has a propensity to take part in his own stage production. Oh he loves directing to be sure but he’s not averse to appearing occasionally on stage himself. Know your enemy, surely that’s as true in our business as in yours?”
The General shook Raulf’s hand.
“A little more history, Mr. Raulf Turpin, for you need to be extremely careful. Back in Comrade Andropov’s time, the KGB was perhaps the only truly non-corrupt organisation we had. In the Soviet, we have had for a long time clans based more on feudal ties and territory, with base criminality as their goal. We also had another clique, on a political level, but just as inventive as far as free loading corruption was concerned. All regions became infected by these two, some even were run by the same people and even in the top levels of the old Politburo received their regular dues; Mikhail Gorbachev was one of the few not tainted, that’s why Yuri Andropov sought him out and groomed him. When he achieved power and commenced his cautious opening of all the mischief of the past, their were some hard pressed hard liners who grumbled, then feared for their future and made their plans for survival accordingly. When Boris Yeltsin took over he purged internal security of those he disliked or did not trust. And into the arms of the criminal clans flocked those from the political and security clans. Thus our Mafia was born. Not on lines of families like the Italians, but based on dual need for greed, influence and power. Today they have much to be wary of. These clans ultimately were welded into a single group under the command of a Commission, an easier target for me. Our new President is from the old security, is well liked and incorruptible. It was he that as Minister of Defence who cleaned out the hard liners electing young professional officers in their place. So his power base is secure even though he was elected. It is he who I serve and he has allowed me this venture outside the confines of our state security and use outsiders. So be alert at all times, but remember you are in safe hands.”
“Yes, having Vincent is a great relief.”
“Not just Vincent, you must stay in the open, and within sight of Nicki’s piano teacher’s apartment. The third floor.” With that the General turned on his heel and left the barn.