The Reluctant Contact

by Stephen Burke

  ‘I didn’t know they were together.’ said Anya. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

  ‘I didn’t know either,’ said Yuri, through gritted teeth.

  ‘Everything all right?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes, yes. Fine,’ he replied, even though it was far from it.

  All of Timur’s interest in Catherine’s private life suddenly became clear. What was worse was that he had played along with the whole sordid business.

  His temper subsided when the lights went out and he did not have to look at the red-headed bastard sitting beside Catherine any longer. Anya held his hand as the show began. As always, the kids’ song and dance number was the early hit. The crowd, many of them parents of the self-same progeny, applauded and cheered. Yuri turned to Anya, and could see that she was proud of her former charges.

  After an hour, the first act ended and the lights came back up. An announcer, one of the waitresses from the canteen, said there would be a fifteen-minute break before the show resumed. Yuri and Anya followed the crowd back to the foyer where wine and soft drinks were being served.

  ‘Drink?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes, a red wine, please’ said Anya.

  Yuri was already walking away before she had finished her sentence. Straight ahead of him, standing at the bar, was Timur. Yuri felt like hitting him, but he stopped short and kept his hands by his sides.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Yuri demanded.

  Timur turned and gave him a sideways glance before turning away again.

  ‘If you’ve something to say, Yuri, now is not the time or place.’

  Timur looked behind them to where Anya was standing on her own on the other side of the room.

  ‘Look,’ he said. ‘I do believe you are neglecting your girlfriend. Run along now, there’s a good boy.’

  ‘Not until you tell me what you are up to with her.’

  Yuri could see that Anya was watching their exchange and getting uncomfortable.

  ‘You are forgetting your station in life, Yuri,’ said Timur. ‘Myself and Catherine are having a simple evening together at the theatre. So if you don’t mind, I am going to go back to her now. And I suggest you do the same.’

  Timur walked away carrying two drinks. From where he was standing, Yuri could not see Catherine through the crowd. He wondered if she was deliberately avoiding him. He collected two glasses of wine and made his way back to Anya.

  ‘What was all that about?’ she asked. ‘You two looked like you were fighting about something. Jealous?’

  Yuri smiled. ‘No, I assure you. It’s not that. It’s something between me and him.’

  ‘You want to go?’ she asked.

  ‘No,’ he said. ‘This could be our last night out together. We’re staying to the bitter end.’

  On the way back in, Yuri spotted Grigory looking around the crowd and noticing Timur and Catherine together. He did not appear too pleased either. When he passed close to Yuri, he said; ‘Interesting evening, isn’t it? A lot going on. You’ll have to explain it all to me tomorrow.’

  While the second act unfolded, Yuri watched the silhouettes of Catherine and Timur instead of the stage. He did not believe the young English woman was anything other than what she appeared to be, as Grigory had said. But the sight of her laughing with the KGB man made him think of the missing file from Semyon’s list. Eagle had three dates on its page, and the first one was before Catherine arrived in Pyramiden. So it definitely did not refer to her, unless that date referenced some long-distance communication. It was tempting to stand up in front of everyone now, and demand to know which one of them was Eagle. The most guilty face would put an end to the mystery. Perhaps Eagle was Semyon’s murderer. He had ruled out most of the others. But, as yet, he had no idea how to find out who Eagle was.

  In the middle of the night, Yuri left Anya sleeping in his bed. He went out into the corridor and pulled the door gently closed behind him. Outside the front door he put on his coat and walked across the square to Paris. Using his own key, he went in the main door. He walked up one flight of stairs and followed the numbers on the doors until he reached Catherine’s apartment. Standing close to the door, he listened for a while, but there was no sound from inside. He looked through the keyhole but there was nothing to see. She could be asleep in there – but he knew she was not. His betrayal of her, which he had considered harmless at the time, had turned out to be greater than he could have imagined. He considered going over to the executive building and bashing Timur’s door down. But he decided he would have to bide his time before he could attempt to repair the damage he had done.

  He had just started to walk back across the square when he heard it. He knew what it was before he saw it. Behind him, about a hundred feet away was a large male polar bear, well over a thousand pounds. The bear was standing on two legs, investigating a stack of empty barrels. The animal turned and stared at him. Yuri knew it would be a mistake to run. He gauged the distance to his own door. He didn’t fancy his chances if the bear charged him now. Keeping his eyes locked on the white giant, he continued to back away slowly. The animal dropped its front legs onto the ground, and started to walk in his direction. Yuri could smell its foul breath on the wind.

  He hoped this bear had visited town before. He might remember warning shots being fired if he had ventured too close to humans. A polar bear that had not learned this lesson was stuffed and on display in the Cultural Palace. But Yuri had no gun with him now.

  He was sure the gap between them had closed slightly, so when Yuri reached Lenin’s monument, he said to hell with it, and ran. The bear let out a loud growl. He didn’t look back to see if he was being chased. The trick was not to stumble in the snow. He already had his keys in his hand as he bounded up the front steps of London. His hand was shaking but the key went straight in. He pulled open the door and slammed it shut behind him.

  He listened for a couple of minutes in the hallway. Then he cracked open the door a couple of inches and peered out. He saw the bear to his left, lumbering out of town. Yuri shook his head and smiled. Lucky.

  ‘I like him,’ said Catherine, when he questioned her the following day. ‘We have a lot in common.’

  The more she talked about how amazing it was how many shared interests and opinions they had, the more Yuri realised, to his horror, that the little shit Timur had used the personal information he had given him in order to seduce her. He felt sick to his stomach. It was beyond a nightmare. And it was one of his own creation. And the only way to undo it was to come clean about what he had done. But he was too ashamed to do that.

  ‘You know you have to be careful with relationships here,’ he said. ‘Everyone is just passing through so it’s best not to take things too seriously.’

  ‘Are you worried about me, Yuri?’ she asked with a smile. ‘You don’t have to be, you know. I’m a big girl.’

  ‘And you actually like him?’ he said. ‘I find that hard to believe. He is not exactly the most charming person I’ve ever met.’

  By the look on Catherine’s face, Yuri sensed he was already going too far.

  ‘He’s a nice man,’ she said. ‘And he has treated me well so far.’

  His head raced as he tried to think up a silver bullet that would make her stop seeing Timur.

  ‘You can do a lot better,’ he said.

  ‘Just because you don’t like him, doesn’t mean that I can’t,’ said Catherine. ‘What have you got against him anyway?’

  What he’s doing with you, for a start, thought Yuri. And how he had tricked him into helping him.

  ‘This is about him, isn’t it?’ said Catherine. ‘I mean it’s not actually about me at all.’

  Yuri didn’t know what she meant by that, but he tried to cover it by saying, ‘It is about you. I don’t want you to get hurt. I wish you’d listen to me. I’ve known Timur longer than you have.’

  Catherine’s nostrils flared and he felt defeat on the horizon.

  ‘Look,’ she said. ‘I apprecia
te the advice, but I don’t really need you telling me who I can and cannot see. You don’t find me giving advice to you about Anya, do you?’

  Yuri was drowning and he decided to make a tactical retreat, for now, before he made things worse.

  ‘You’re right,’ he agreed. ‘Of course you can do what you like. It’s not my business to interfere in your private life.’

  He felt twice as guilty after hearing the truth from his own mouth. Catherine softened after hearing his apology.

  ‘Well, I appreciate you being concerned about me,’ she said. ‘But there is really no need.’

  Some day soon she is going to hate me, Yuri thought, but not as much as he hated himself right now.

  It was not a wise thing to punch a KGB man in the jaw, but that’s what Yuri did the first chance he got.

  ‘I am going to hit you now,’ he announced, as they encountered each other in the changing room of the sports centre.

  Timur was dressed in his red basketball outfit. He clearly thought it was a joke at first, until he saw that Yuri’s fist really was approaching his face. He raised his arms in a late attempt to fend off the blow, but Yuri connected well with a jab with his right fist to the chin. Timur’s head snapped straight back, and Yuri heard his neck click. It felt good. He wanted to hurt him. The man deserved it.

  Yuri adjusted his footing and prepared for Timur’s counter-attack. None came. Timur just took a step back and shook his head. Yuri lowered his fists from their defensive position.

  ‘I am not going to inform for you any more, on Catherine, or anyone else,’ Yuri said. ‘And I don’t want you messing with that girl again.’

  Timur stared at him blankly, and then said, ‘Of course, the job I gave you, in the service of the state, has nothing whatsoever to do with any recent personal developments between myself and Catherine. The two are completely unrelated.’

  ‘I’m not a believer in coincidences,’ said Yuri. ‘Especially this one. You used me to get her into your bed, didn’t you?’

  Yuri felt his insides implode. He doubled over and had to force himself not to vomit on to his shoes. Whatever martial arts move Timur had just used, he had not seen it coming. All he knew was the man’s outstretched fingers had hit him with tremendous force at a central point just below his ribcage. At least all of his secret service training had not been for nothing. Yuri was still bent over, looking at the floor, waiting for his body to remember to breathe. It could have been worse, he supposed. If the man had wanted to break any of his bones, he expected he could have with ease. Yuri righted himself, hoping there was no more of the same to follow.

  Timur dabbed some blood from his lip with a handkerchief.

  ‘Happily, Catherine is not present to hear your nonsense,’ he said. ‘This time, I am going to let this pass, but I’m warning you – do not overstep the mark again.’

  Yuri was thankful that he had managed to land the first blow. He didn’t fancy his chances of delivering another now that Timur was ready and waiting.

  ‘If you leave Catherine alone, then we won’t have a problem,’ said Yuri.

  ‘What are you, her father?’ asked Timur. ‘She’s an adult. She knows what she is doing. And you should mind your own business.’

  Yuri managed to stand upright again, by pressing against his stomach with his arm.

  ‘So tell me,’ he said. ‘What service to the state was that information I gathered for you, exactly?’

  Timur looked at him with disdain.

  ‘Like I told you,’ he said. ‘You can’t be too cautious with foreigners. Luckily my fears were unfounded, and I have found Catherine to be a solid supporter of the revolution.’

  Yuri laughed. ‘So you’ve ruled her out of your enquiries, have you? Funny the way, as she tells it, you like the same things. Music, poetry, literature. You’re a dark horse, Timur. Or else you’re a lying little shit, one or the other. I know which one I’d choose.’

  Yuri took a step backwards as Timur made another move for him. Timur saw the fear in his face. He smiled and relaxed his arms by his side.

  ‘She’s your assistant. I get that,’ he said. ‘You feel responsible for her. But if you ever do, or say, anything like this to me again, I will not be so understanding. I recommend you devote your attentions to Anya, as I originally requested. Your services as an informant are no longer required. And come the spring we will have to see if we really do still need you as chief engineer. I will be watching you between now and then.’

  Timur stared at him, probably expecting a cynical reply. Yuri did not give him the satisfaction. The KGB man turned and left. Yuri did not feel up to walking just yet, so he sat down and waited for his body to recover.

  The next time the subject of Timur came up at work, Catherine told him, ‘He asks a lot of questions about you.’

  ‘What kind of questions?’ asked Yuri, alarmed.

  ‘Oh, just what you’re like, and what I think of you … I told him I thought you were an honest worker. He agreed. I think he likes you.’

  Yuri buried a smile. He knew he needed help with this situation and he decided he had no option but to tell all to Grigory at their next meeting at the lagoon.

  ‘What I did, I’m not proud of, but it’s not so different from what you do, is it?’

  ‘I am not an informant,’ said Grigory. ‘I’m a spy, or a double agent if you like to be more precise.’

  ‘Oh no,’ said Yuri, waving his index finger at him. ‘Don’t come on all better than me. You inform on your fellow comrades for foreign countries. Enemies of the state.’

  ‘It’s called espionage,’ said Grigory. ‘There is a difference. Mine is an honourable, dishonourable profession. What you did to Catherine, which I frankly still find hard to believe, was just plain dishonourable. If you’re feeling ashamed, that’s because you ought to be. But don’t try and drag me down there with you.’

  ‘What am I going to do about it?’ Yuri asked.

  ‘If I was you,’ said Grigory. ‘I’d confess to her, and get down on my knees and beg for her forgiveness.’

  ‘Is that what you would do? Really?’ asked Yuri. ‘I don’t think so. You haven’t lasted this long in your game without getting caught by coming clean to every person you’ve wronged.’

  ‘That’s my advice,’ said Grigory. ‘You can take it or leave it.’

  Timur and Grigory had much in common, Yuri thought, including a high opinion of themselves. Hypocrisy seemed to be part and parcel of the spy game.

  ‘Couldn’t you do something?’ asked Yuri. ‘Aren’t you technically his boss?’

  ‘Technically,’ said Grigory. ‘In practice no one is superior to the KGB. And even if I was, this is your mess. You made it and you’re the only one who can fix it. How could you agree to inform on her in the first place?’

  ‘Don’t you start,’ said Yuri. ‘I’ve enough of that going on inside my own head. I came here for your help, not abuse.’

  ‘You could always shoot him,’ said Grigory. ‘One less problem for both of us, and Anya. Not to mention Catherine.’

  ‘Not helpful,’ said Yuri.

  ‘Why not? Are you afraid of getting caught?’

  ‘Just a little,’ replied Yuri.

  ‘In the war, self-sacrifice for one’s comrades was the surest route to a medal.’

  ‘As you can see, I survived the war. Self-sacrifice is not really my thing. What did you do during the war?’

  Grigory looked reluctant to answer.

  ‘You did fight?’ said Yuri. ‘Don’t tell me you found a way out of that?’

  ‘Not exactly,’ said Grigory. ‘At first, I was a spy for our side against the Germans. After we won the war, I was a spy against our allies. That’s where I met them. First Berlin. Then later in Vienna.’

  ‘And you were turned, isn’t that what it’s called?’ asked Yuri.

  ‘I did my own turning. I volunteered.’

  Yuri nodded. ‘Yes. For the money wasn’t it?’

  Grigory s
miled.

  ‘I would pay you to solve this Catherine problem,’ Yuri offered.

  ‘Time. Time will solve your problem, you’ll see.’

  Yuri sighed. ‘How much time? I can’t bear to think of him touching her. It makes my skin crawl.’

  Grigory shrugged. ‘I hope you’ve learned a valuable lesson. When you lie down with dogs.’

  Yuri shook his head. ‘Well I really appreciate us having this chat. You’ve been completely useless.’

  ‘For what it’s worth, I find that people like Catherine, who want to save the world, are often looking to be saved themselves. Perhaps she sees Timur as her rescuer?’

  Yuri shook his head, not wishing to hear any more, and started to walk away.

  ‘How’s your defector?’ Grigory shouted after him.

  ‘She is ready and waiting,’ said Yuri. ‘She is being remarkably patient, considering she has waited so long.’

  Grigory looked up at the black afternoon sky.

  ‘You’ll have more time for chess, I hope, once she’s gone,’ said Grigory.

  Yuri was some fool, he reckoned, to have lived so long in Pyramiden and to know so little about its residents. Old spies and new ones. Defectors and informers. And a murderer. That person, whoever they were, was still walking around among them. Getting away with it. The more time passed, the less chance they would ever be caught.

  He stood and watched dozens of miners coming off shift. They left the bathhouse in small groups and headed back towards their respective homes. It could have been any one of them. They all knew the mine well, and they were physically strong enough to make short work of the little Latvian.

  Yuri blew on his hands and stamped his feet. Then he followed the miners into town. Several peeled off in the direction of the glass bar. Yuri would have done the same a few months ago. It seemed like another lifetime now. He guessed he would return to his old habits, as Grigory had said, once Anya was gone. Hard drinking and womanising too. It had been his routine for over a decade. He didn’t miss it. But without her there would be little else to do.

  As he reached the edge of the town square, he stopped. Up ahead, he saw Timur and Catherine walking towards Paris. He thought she was laughing at first, but he soon realised they were actually having a fight. Yuri could not make out what they were saying but they were both raising their voices. And Catherine seemed to be giving Timur worse than he was giving her. Someone should have warned Timur that she set the bar high for her boyfriends. It would not take her long to discover that Timur’s politics were all about his own self-interest. Yuri hoped he was witnessing the demise of Pyramiden’s first international romance. But it was not to be. Timur started to strike a more conciliatory tone. Unfortunately, he knew how to be tender, as well as malicious. After a few more minutes, they seemed to have patched up their differences and were heading for the Paris door. Yuri felt powerless to do anything about it. Timur did not see him, but Catherine caught his eye before looking away. There was no reason for it, but he had the strange sensation that she was doing this to punish him in some way.