Run Around Read Online Free PDF Page B

than Charlie’s head. The Russian seemed to fit easily into such surroundings. He was tall, easily more than six feet, and heavy as well, bull-chested and thick around the waist. His size was accentuated by the thick black beard he wore in the style of the Russia he was supposed to despise, flowing to cover his neck and tufted where it had never been trimmed. The suit was clean but appeared worn, shiny at the elbows, the lapels curling inwards from constant wear. His suit had bent like that, until he’d had it cleaned for the bank meeting, recalled Charlie. He guessed it would collapse again, in a few days. It usually did.
    The Russian stood, as Charlie moved further into the room, but from the stance Charlie decided it was more a gesture of politeness than nervousness.
    â€˜Mr Witherspoon said I would be seeing someone else today,’ said Novikov.
    The man’s voice matched his frame, deep and resonant, but that was not Charlie’s immediate thought. Witherspoon was a bloody fool, disclosing his real identity. Charlie said: ‘Just one or two points. Finer detail, really.’
    â€˜I will do everything I can to help,’ said the Russian.
    â€˜So I have been told,’ said Charlie, gesturing the man back on to the couch he’d been occupying when he entered. For himself he chose one of the easy chairs, slightly to one side.
    â€˜What is it particularly interests you?’ asked Novikov.
    Dance around a bit first, thought Charlie. He said: ‘You were making plans to defect, in Moscow?’
    â€˜Yes?’
    â€˜How?’
    â€˜I was leaving that to my control at the British embassy: the military attaché, George Gale. Waiting for him to tell me what to do.’
    Charlie wondered if that were the man’s real name, as well. Silly buggers might as well hand out visiting cards, with spying listed as their occupation. He said: ‘Why?’
    â€˜I believed I was under suspicion.’
    â€˜Why?’ repeated Charlie. He decided his initial impression was correct. There was no nervousness about the man, which there usually was with defectors, caused by natural uncertainty. Novikov appeared actually confident and relaxed.
    â€˜You know I was security cleared to the highest level?’ said the man.
    â€˜Yes.’
    â€˜In the last few weeks I was only allocated low level material, the sort of stuff ordinary clerks could handle. I was not an ordinary clerk.’
    And I bet you never let anyone forget it, thought Charlie. He said: ‘But it was only suspicion? You had no actual proof?’
    â€˜If there had been any actual proof I would have been arrested, wouldn’t I?’
    â€˜I suppose so,’ agreed Charlie, content for the man to patronize and imagine he was in the commanding role. The sessions with Witherspoon would have been something to witness. He said: ‘So what happened?’
    â€˜One day I was unwell: went home early. I found someone in my apartment. He went out a rear window as I opened the door and it was dismissed by the KGB militia as an attempted burglary but I knew it was not.’
    â€˜How did you know?’
    â€˜Precisely because attempted burglaries at the homes of senior KGB cipher clerks are never dismissed,’ said Novikov.
    It was a convincing point, accepted Charlie. He said: ‘What do you think it was?’
    â€˜A search, perhaps. Or technicians installing listening devices. Most likely both.’
    â€˜So what did you do?’
    â€˜I had an emergency contact system arranged with Major Gale,’ recounted the man. ‘I telephoned him at the embassy from an untraceable call box and said I could not keep our appointment – that was the code phrase, I cannot keep our appointment – and that told him to go to another untraceable call box so that we could speak between the two without the risk of our conversation being intercepted. I said I had to cross at once and he