He dressed without showering, and walked straight out of the building. He was not happy about what appeared to be his open-ended engagement as an informer. No matter that Timur wanted it to continue; there would be no more reports from him, he decided. If Timur pulled his threat again, about replacing him, he thought he could ask for Grigory’s support. Then the two of them could fight it out together.
At his apartment, to his disappointment, he found that Anya was not there. He was about to go looking for her when there was a knock on the door. He smiled, pleased that she had sought him out first. But when he opened the door he found Grigory standing in the hallway. Grigory grinned at the oversized double bed squashed into the tiny apartment, but he said nothing about it.
‘Come with me,’ said Grigory. ‘That thing I mentioned is coming together.’
Yuri just wanted to rest and recuperate. Timur had drained the life out of him. But he put on his coat and followed the party man down the stairs. It had been two days since their last meeting at the Blue Lagoon, and they had not spoken since.
‘Where are we going?’ he asked.
‘You’ll see,’ said Grigory. ‘Your lady friend not around tonight?’
‘No,’ said Yuri. ‘I’m not sure where she is.’
When they stepped outside Yuri expected Grigory to turn right and head for his own apartment building, or to his office, which lay beyond that in the administration building. However, instead, Grigory went behind the London block and walked across the snow-covered school playground.
‘Would you like to tell me where we are off to, and why?’ asked Yuri.
‘No, I wouldn’t,’ said Grigory. ‘Be patient.’
Soon they reached the greenhouses, which served as the all-year-round kitchen garden for the canteen. Grigory opened the door and went in. Yuri followed. The inside of the greenhouse was in semi-darkness, lit only by stray amber light from the street lamps outside. Yuri reached for a light switch.
‘Don’t,’ said Grigory. ‘Leave it off.’
Yuri was about to question this when he saw a shape approaching them through the shadows from the other end of the greenhouse. The bulky figure made him nervous, but he could see that Grigory was calm. A bearded, rugged man stepped into the light in front of them. He was not a resident of Pyramiden and Yuri had never seen him before in his life. A Norwegian by the look of him. Middle-aged, but fit, and more at home outside than in.
‘Yuri, this is Bjorn,’ said Grigory. ‘I asked him to come and see us.’
‘Who is he?’ asked Yuri. ‘And how did he get here?’
‘Bjorn is an old friend,’ said Grigory. ‘He has proved useful to me before.’
Bjorn nodded his agreement.
‘And he got here by helicopter,’ continued Grigory. ‘He’s a trapper, but he flies too. Not many of them left nowadays.’
‘I didn’t hear a helicopter!’ said Yuri.
Bjorn laughed. ‘I landed outside of town. Far enough away so no one would hear. And I hiked the last part of the way. Grigory said I should not be seen by anyone.’
Yuri turned to Grigory for an explanation.
‘Bjorn here is going to deliver our package to Longyearbyen.’
Yuri pulled Grigory to one side. ‘I can’t send her off with someone I don’t know, just like that. Who the hell is he?’
‘He is our guarantee that this is not going to rebound on us. He takes her, and as soon as she’s gone, the two of us will make ourselves as conspicuous as possible around town. Then after a day, you can be the one to raise the alarm. Your beloved has gone missing, and you have no idea what’s happened to her. We can even organise a search party.’
‘But who is he? asked Yuri. ‘He works for them?’
‘No,’ said Grigory. ‘He is exactly what I said, a trapper. He works for himself. He spends most of the year out in the wilds. Nobody knows these islands better than he does.’
‘I don’t know about this,’ said Yuri. ‘I can’t just hand her over to anyone.’
While they spoke, Bjorn busied himself looking at the plants that were growing in the greenhouse beds. He pulled a carrot off a bunch beneath the soil, brushed it clean and started eating it. He seemed to have no interest in what they were saying about him.
‘He can be trusted. You can take my word for that. This is not the first time I have employed him for this kind of work.’
‘What exactly has he done for you before?’ demanded Yuri.
‘The same. Delivering packages.’
‘People?’
‘No,’ said Grigory. ‘Not people. But it isn’t any different. One package is the same as another.’
Yuri did not like the way this conversation was going, nor the abrupt manner in which this new plan had been dumped on him. He turned to leave but Grigory grabbed his arm.
‘He is your ticket to safety. I thought you would be glad.’
Yuri turned to look at the Norwegian.
‘He is a stranger,’ said Yuri. ‘How can I give Anya to him? She trusts me.’
‘Out there, I would trust him with my own life,’ said Grigory. ‘I will vouch for him.’
Yuri calmed, and Grigory let go of his arm. The trapper sensed they had finished their private chat and walked over to them.
‘Is she ready?’ he said. ‘I will take her now.’
Yuri held up his hands. ‘Hold on. She is not going anywhere tonight. I thought the plan was to wait until the sun came back.’
The Norwegian shook his head. ‘I do not need the sun to find my way. And right now, how many people know I will take her?’
‘Just us three,’ said Grigory.
‘That’s good,’ said the Norwegian. ‘But the longer we wait, the more chance others will find out. We should go now. That’s what I recommend. If not now, then soon.’
Yuri shook his head. The man did exude confidence, he had to admit. Perhaps he could trust him to get her there safely. But he was not ready to let her go.
‘I need a week to prepare her,’ he lied. ‘Minimum.’
The Norwegian was not happy. He looked to Grigory for help, but the party man remained silent. Yuri felt Grigory studying his expression, and he wondered if he knew what was going on inside his head. He suspected he did, as Grigory started nodding his head, accepting the situation.
‘Can you come back in a week?’ asked Grigory. ‘It seems we need this extra time.’
‘To wait means more danger, for you and for me,’ said the Norwegian. ‘Why would you do that?’
‘We have no reason to believe we will be discovered,’ said Grigory. ‘We are prepared to take the risk of a few more days. Are you?’
The Norwegian rubbed his beard, thinking this through.
‘For more danger, I will need more money,’ he said.
‘Yes, yes, whatever,’ said Grigory, dismissing all talk of cash with a wave of his hand.
‘Then I will meet you, outside of town, this day next week, at six in the evening, OK?’
‘You know the weather station, north of Pyramiden?’ asked Yuri. ‘We could meet you there.’
‘I know it,’ said the Norwegian. ‘I will be there. Make sure the woman is too, and on time. I will not wait long on the ground.’
He offered his hand to Yuri, and they shook on their agreement. Then he nodded once at Grigory and left.
Yuri did not speak for several minutes afterwards. He was still annoyed that Grigory had made arrangements like this in the first place without consulting him. Most of all, he was annoyed that his new plan was cutting short his last few weeks with Anya.
‘He’s right, you know,’ said Grigory. ‘Sooner would be better.’
Yuri nodded, but he didn’t care.
‘Does she really need a week to prepare, or is that for you?’ asked Grigory.
‘For me,’ he admitted. ‘I expect she would probably have gone now if I had asked her.’
Grigory did not look surprised. He put his hand on Yuri’s shoulder. ‘Enjoy your last we
ek. Then deliver her to Bjorn.’
When Yuri failed to show any enthusiasm, Grigory added, ‘Don’t forget the last part.’
To Yuri’s surprise, Anya seemed more nervous than thrilled when he told her she would be leaving in a week’s time. This was the news she had been waiting to hear since she arrived in Pyramiden. He was glad that she was not jumping up and down with delight, but he had expected a little more gratitude.
‘Don’t you want to go?’ he asked.
‘I do,’ she said. ‘Of course I do. Just, now, it seems very sudden. I spent so many months thinking it wasn’t going to happen at all. It’s hard to get my head around that it’s actually real.’
She was pleased to hear that the journey would be made by helicopter, and she would not have to endure the hardship of an arduous trip on land through the snow and ice. This part of Grigory’s plan was a relief to Yuri too. Regardless of Anya’s hardiness when it came to alcohol, he thought she was far too delicate for the real Arctic that existed beyond the edge of town.
She wanted to know about the person who was taking her, and he lied, saying the Norwegian was someone he knew to be trustworthy.
‘Is he here now?’ she asked.
‘No,’ he replied. ‘But I have met him, and discussed everything. He will return here in seven days’ time.’
‘You mean he was here, in Pyramiden?’ she asked.
‘Yes,’ Yuri admitted.
‘When?’
‘Yesterday,’ he said. ‘He’s gone. You will meet him yourself soon enough.’
‘Will you be making the trip with me?’ she asked.
‘I’m afraid not,’ he said. ‘I will take you to the rendezvous, but then you will be on your own. Is that all right?’
She nodded her head, but he could see she was nervous about the idea.
‘So, it seems we have only one week left together,’ said Yuri. ‘How would you like to spend it?’
‘With you,’ she said, far too slowly, as though she’d just realised it was the answer he probably wanted to hear.
‘You know you can back out of this at any time, if you want,’ he said. ‘It’s your choice.’
‘I know,’ she said. ‘And I appreciate everything you are doing for me.’
He waited for more but she sank deep into her own private thoughts.
‘How about one drink to celebrate, or drown your sorrows?’ he asked. ‘We could go out if you like?’
She smiled briefly before her frown returned.
‘Would you mind if we skipped it tonight?’ she said. ‘I think I need to think things over, alone, if that’s all right.’
In his mind, he crossed off one of their last nights together. Now there were only six.
‘Sure,’ said Yuri. ‘Whatever you want. I’m here if you need me.’
She hugged him, and left without another word. He waited a moment and then looked out the window down into the square. She walked over to Paris, across the snow. Then she stopped before the doorway as though she had forgotten something. She looked back towards his first-floor apartment. He was standing away from the window, and the only light on was in the bathroom, so he was not sure if she could see him. After a moment, she turned and walked along the walkway in the direction of the port. He did not know where she was going. Perhaps she needed a drink after all, and was headed to the glass bar without him. After another thirty seconds she disappeared out of view.
Chapter 15
IT TOOK QUITE a lot of persuasion but Anya finally agreed to accompany him to the variety show taking place in the Cultural Palace on Saturday night. This was an annual midwinter event. An attempt to raise everyone’s spirits, halfway between when they’d last seen the sun and when they were due to see it again. For weeks in advance, many of the residents took their minds off their troubles by preparing for their part in the show. Costumes were made, sets were designed, jokes were written and songs rehearsed. Had Anya not been relieved of her teaching duties, she would no doubt have spent part of every day preparing her pupils for their party piece in the opening act.
If they did not go, they would have spent yet another evening in his apartment, hardly talking, and having sex. The latter was easily the most successful part of their relationship. But even Yuri had begun to find the same routine becoming a chore, regardless of the fact that it was all about to end soon. He knew why Anya had been initially reluctant to go. Attendance would require sobriety until at least the first interval. Not so easy for a woman who was habitually well on by eight o’clock.
‘Look on it as a date,’ he said. ‘I don’t think we’ve ever had one of those. Not a proper one. Come on, you’ll enjoy it.’
‘Do I have to dress up?’ she asked, with a sigh.
‘Arctic dress-up, that’s all,’ he said. ‘Nothing special. It’s not like the opera back home.’
‘You went to the opera?’ she said, with an annoying look of surprise on her face.
He may have been a maintenance engineer, but he liked to think he was not completely uncultured.
‘No,’ he admitted. ‘But I’ve seen people going in their finery. And I fixed the lights once, in a theatre, when the performers were practising.’
She nodded as though this was the answer she expected.
‘I used to go to the theatre all the time,’ she said, with a glint in her eye. ‘I did acting classes when I was young. Hard to believe now. Look at me.’
‘No. I believe it,’ said Yuri. ‘I bet you are good at pretending to be somebody else. You have an actress’s face. Good for lying.’
She threw a book at him, and laughed freely in a way he had not seen in weeks.
‘I played the lead in Chekhov’s Three Sisters in my final year.’
‘You remember it?’ he said. ‘I’d like to hear some.’
‘No,’ she said. ‘You’ll only laugh at me.’
‘I promise, I won’t,’ he insisted.
She stood in the middle of the floor, in her bare feet. The oversized bed allowed her a limited stage to perform on, of six feet by six. She paused for a moment, prepared herself, and then recited an impassioned monologue by heart. When it was over, Yuri applauded and she tumbled on to the bed into his outstretched arms.
‘Bravo,’ he said, as he began to undress her. ‘I’ve never made love to a famous actress before.’
On Saturday evening, Yuri put on his best clothes. A clean, ironed blue shirt, buried under his winter layers. He also shaved and polished his black work boots. He did not possess normal shoes any more. There was no point. The snow would climb over the edges and drown his feet in seconds.
He called at Anya’s door in Paris, and had to wait while she made some finishing touches in the bathroom. Yuri checked his watch. The show was due to start in ten minutes’ time.
‘Hurry up,’ he called. ‘Or you’ll miss the schoolkids. You want to see them, don’t you? They’re usually the best part.’
The bathroom door opened a few seconds later and Anya stepped out.
‘Wow. Look at you,’ said Yuri. ‘That’s a sight you don’t see every day on Svalbard.’
She was wearing a figure-hugging, knee-length black dress with broad-heeled black boots.
‘Do you think these will be OK outside?’ she said, raising one foot in the air.
‘Yes,’ said Yuri. ‘They look ready to take on any weather. And the dress is stunning. Why did you bring that here?’
‘I didn’t expect to get to wear it,’ she said. ‘It’s the only nice thing I have left. I like to look at it in my wardrobe. If anything happens to me next week on my trip, I’d like you to bury me in it.’
He stared at her stony expression until she broke into a smile.
‘That’s not funny,’ said Yuri. ‘Don’t say things like that. Nothing is going to happen.’
‘I know,’ she said. ‘I trust you to look after me.’
She reached up and touched the side of his face with her fingers.
‘What did your husband wear w
hen you went out?’ he asked.
‘How do you mean?’
‘White shirt, black tie?’
Anya shrugged. ‘Something like that, I suppose.’
‘Don’t you remember? Come on, let’s go,’ he said. ‘We better not be late.’
They made their way, arm in arm, along the wooden walkway towards the Cultural Palace. On both sides of the square, most of the town was doing the same thing. As they entered the foyer, some people turned and stared at Anya. Ever since her suicide attempt, she had been keeping a low profile in order to avoid these looks.
‘They won’t let me forget,’ she whispered. ‘Will they?’
‘They are not staring because of that,’ said Yuri. ‘The women are staring because they are jealous. You look like a million rubles. Look at them, they are all like Arctic babushkas. And the men are staring because they are jealous of me.’
Anya smiled, even though she knew he was making half of it up to make her feel better.
The theatre was packed with giddy residents as they entered. And the air was filled with the din of conversation. A row at the front had white pages with the word ‘reserved’ written on them. Yuri led the way up the aisle, and found two seats together at the back of the auditorium. Anya made herself comfortable as he began to pull off some of his outer layers. With his jumper over his head, he heard her say: ‘Oh look, your dolly bird has found a mate.’
Yuri pulled his jumper off and followed Anya’s eyeline to the front of the stage. Timur was pulling up two of the reserved signs from the front row. And standing beside him was his date for the evening, Catherine.
Yuri stared in disbelief. Timur had a smug grin on his face as he ushered Catherine to her seat. And what was worse, she seemed to be flattered by his attentions.
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