The Man from Leningrad

by R. J. Patterson

  Pritchett cocked his head to one side and stared at Maddux.“Do you?”

  “I have a contact there who might be able to give us the original course plotted by Soviet specialists.”

  “You have a contact there?” Pritchett asked.

  Maddux nodded. “A very reliable one.”

  “And how do you know you can trust this source of yours?”

  “Easy,” Maddux said with a sly grin. “He’s my father.”

  Chapter XXII

  THE EARLY EVENING DINNER crowd at Em Hoettche was abnormally sparse for this time of year. A 5:00 p.m. reservation meant enough time to eat before taking a stroll along the Rhine River. Winter was still in control but struggling to hold on as spring pushed through occasional days of warmer weather. And while the high temperatures were still in the mid-forties Fahrenheit, Maddux thought it felt like summer after surviving the Arctic winds.

  He checked his watch as he waited for Rose Fuller to arrive. The fact that she was already a few minutes late was disconcerting. Her punctuality was legendary around the Bonn station, and she’d never once canceled for any reason. He wondered if this was going to be a first.

  Once the time hit 5:15 p.m., he was ready to give up on her altogether and go have a drink at the bar. He turned his back on the street and yanked on the door handle. Rose surprised him by slipping past and through the opening into the entryway of Em Hoettche.

  She spun around and eyed him closely, lines creasing her forehead.

  “Are you okay?” Maddux asked, reading the concern on her face.

  “I’m sorry I late,” she said before sighing. “I had a suspicion that I was being followed, so I needed to take a longer and more circuitous route to get here.”

  “I was beginning to get worried.”

  “That’s totally understandable. Whenever Ms. Punctuality shows up late, it’s not a reason to panic—but it probably should be.”

  “Who do you think was following you?” he asked.

  “Let’s get a table away from the window, and we can discuss it there.”

  Maddux approached the hostess and told her that they had reservations for 5:00 p.m. She glanced at her watch and scowled. The fact that the woman acted annoyed grated on Maddux. Just before standing outside to wait for Rose in the cold, Maddux had alerted the hostess to his plan. But apparently that made no difference to her.

  “Right this way,” she said, expressionless as she escorted them toward a booth in the back of the restaurant. She placed menus on the table and dashed back to the front where two men had just entered restaurant.

  “She sure has a bee up her bonnet,” Rose said.

  Maddux nodded. “We need to keep our eyes peeled and our conversations about work coded at minimum. The pitfalls of our profession are increasing by the day as more and more governments want to know what everyone is talking about.”

  “Good thing I brought this,” Rose said, placing a small object on the table.

  “What is it?” Maddux asked.

  “It scrambles our voices in case anyone is attempting to listen in using a long-range microphone. Whatever they hear will simply sound like a garbled mess. They can’t even isolate our voices on even the best technology. It’s perfect.”

  “I need something like this sown permanently into my shirts. It’d make it much easier to have meaningful conversations.”

  Rose laughed and then pushed a button on the device, activating it.

  “Well, I was hoping that maybe tonight we could talk about some things that nobody would want to overhear anyway.”

  “You want to talk about cars?” Maddux said with a wink.

  “Maybe ones that go a little bit faster than what you normally drive—if you catch my drift.”

  Maddux reached across the table and took Rose’s hand.“You don’t have a gadget that will make me the perfect man, do you?”

  “Don’t need one,” she said.

  “I don’t need a gadget?”

  She chuckled. “No, I don’t need a perfect man. You’ll do just fine—just as long as you come back from every one of those missions of yours.”

  A man wearing suspenders and playing the harpsichord swept by their table. He smiled as he serenaded them with the famous German folk song, Muss I Denn.

  “I think it’s pretty obvious what’s going on here,” Maddux said. “I’m just not sure how to move forward.”

  “One step at a time, which is decisively faster than your current speed of one step, wait a month, another step, wait another month, and so on.”

  “It’s not easy when we’re living the life that we both lead.”

  “We need to make it work,” she said. “I want our relationship to be more than just believable when we go on missions together. I want it to be real.”

  “And so do I, but—” Maddux said before sighing.

  “But what?”

  “I’m just afraid of what might happen in the years to come as I make enemies around the world. I care about you, which is why I don’t want to put your life in danger. And I feel it will be if our relationship becomes serious and real. People will find out, and you will always be a weakness that some other state actor will try to exploit.”

  “Why don’t you let me worry about that?” she asked. “I knew the risks when I signed up to join the agency. Don’t you think I wondered what would happen if I fell in love with an agent?”

  “I’m sure the thought crossed your mind once or twice,” Maddux said, “but this is moving from the hypothetical to the actual.”

  Rose smiled and huffed a laugh through her nose.

  “You do realize that’s exactly what I do all day? I take the theoretical and figure out a way to make it actual. The process of going from wondering to experiencing is also one of my favorite parts of the job. This is a well-worn process for me.”

  “Well, it’s new to me,” Maddux said. “And I want to move forward, but—”

  “What’s stopping you? Are you really that concerned that I can’t take care of myself?”

  “Maybe that’s part of it. I just don’t want you to suffer when someone targets you to get back at me.”

  Rose tilted her head back slightly.“I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself if necessary.”

  “I respect that, yet I need a little more time to think about it. Charging into a situation has never been my style, at least when it comes to relationships.”

  “That much is abundantly clear at this point,” she said. “You ease in, like a snail. Hard shell making it tough to crack, but soft on the inside. And never in a hurry. It’s safe in there for you, but at some point you need to come out and explore the world of relationships around you. You might be surprised at what you find.”

  “Trust me—I’m already plenty surprised.”

  She smiled and picked up the wine glass that a waiter had slid in front of them while Maddux and Rose were still fully engaged in their conversation.

  “To the future,” Maddux said, holding up his wine glass for a toast.

  “To the future,” Rose repeated.

  They clinked their glasses together before signaling to the waiter to take their orders. After collecting the menus, he scurried back to the kitchen.

  “Speaking of the future, how do you think you’re going to contact your father once you get there?” she asked.

  “I have some ideas on where to find him and how to do it in a way that protects his identity and mine,” Maddux said.

  She leaned forward and spoke in a hushed tone.“I’m surprised Pritchett signed off on this. While you were gone, I’ve learned just how valuable of an asset your father is regarded tucked inside the Soviet government.”

  “Washington is on edge from what Pritchett said, as they should be. Otherwise, I’m not sure anyone would permit me to approach him, albeit in a secretive manner.”

  “Every time you go behind enemy lines, I wonder if you’ll return.”

  Maddux took a sip from his wine glass.“So far so good.
”

  * * *

  AFTER DINNER, there was still just enough daylight for a stroll along the Rhine River. Rose had mentioned several times how much she enjoyed walking along the water and watching the faint twilight fade into the a twinkling nightscape. And Maddux suggested such a venture after they finished their meal.

  “This is what I’m talking about,” Rose said as she clutched Maddux’s arm and leaned into him. “This is moving forward.”

  “Or perhaps I’m just finally showing you my romantic side,” he said, winking as he looked down at her.

  “I’ve seen it before,” she said. “And I’d like to see it more often. This is simply wonderful.”

  She twirled around, giddily laughing. Maddux drank in the moment, a pleasant respite in the middle of a stressful time with the CIA. His failure in Barentsburg only raised the tension—and he desperately wanted another chance to make things right.

  But for a few minutes, he thought about something else, dreaming about a life with Rose. Would they get married? Have kids? Raise a family together? It all seemed impossible given their circumstances, but he didn’t want to toss his dreams aside, casting them atop a heap of justified cynicism. There would come a time when an opportunity might arise to make that change. He knew he would be ready when that time came.

  They swapped stories about their childhood with Maddux sharing fond memories about his father. After one of the stories about him showing Maddux how to stand up to a schoolyard bully, Rose stopped.

  “Your father seems like a great man,” she said. “I wish I could meet him one day.”

  “He was—I mean, is. I’d love for you to meet him, too. Not sure when, if ever, but perhaps you’ll get a chance one day.”

  “I’d like that.”

  They continued along the water before peeling back toward the city in the direction of Rose’s apartment. Maddux felt like they’d hardly spent any time walking, but the street clock said otherwise. It was nearly 10:00 p.m.

  “I didn’t realize how late it was,” he said. “We need to pick up the pace. I really need to get some sleep before my flight in the morning.”

  “And I’m bushed,” she said, quickening her gait.

  As they rounded the corner, turning onto a quieter avenue, a man started following them. Maddux hadn’t noticed the man before, and he seemed to just appear out of the shadows.

  Maddux grabbed Rose’s hand, slowing her down for a moment. The man adjusted his stride, refusing to pass them. Then Maddux doubled the speed they were walking before, and the man followed suit.

  After another block, Maddux spun around to confront the man.

  “What do you think you’re—” Maddux said before the man delivered a vicious uppercut to Maddux’s chin. He staggered backward but regained his balance.

  The attacker turned his attention to Rose briefly but was interrupted by Maddux, who flew headlong into the man and knocked him over. They rolled around on the ground, trading punches before both men stopped and covered their ears.

  A high-pitched noise accompanied by a searing pain rendered Maddux incapacitated. But so was his opponent.

  Maddux looked up at Rose, who handed him a small package with a pair of earplugs. He shoved them in, and the sound was suddenly faint and had no effect on him.

  “What are you doing?” Maddux asked.

  “I’m testing out some tech,” she said with a smile. “Works pretty great, doesn’t it?”

  She turned toward the stalker and kicked him twice in the ribs before stomping on his face with the heel of her shoe and knocking him out. After turning off the device, the man scrambled to his feet and hustled away.

  “And stay gone,” Rose yelled after him.

  “I guess I don’t have to worry about anything happening to you while I’m away,” Maddux said, still admiring her handiwork. “You can clearly take care of yourself.”

  “But you already knew that, didn’t you?”

  Maddux nodded. “It’s just that—”

  “No need to explain. We all get cold feet when we enter into relationships. It’s natural.”

  “Well, I still don’t want to put you in harm’s way, at least tonight, I don’t. Someone must’ve known where you live since it’s apparent that guy was after you, not me.”

  “Got any ideas?” she asked.

  Maddux noticed a pay phone across the street. He walked over to it and dialed Pritchett’s home number.

  “Do you think we can get another ticket to Moscow tomorrow?”

  “Who wants to go?”

  “It’s not about who wants to go, but who needs to go. Someone followed Rose home tonight. Whoever is after her knows where she lives. We need to get her relocated. That’ll take a while. And quite frankly, I wouldn’t mind having her along with me for the trip. I think she could be incredibly helpful.”

  “I’ll make arrangement for her apartment—and the flight,” Pritchett said.

  Maddux hung up the phone and looked at an anxious Rose.

  “Well, don’t keep me in suspense,” she said. “What did he say?”

  “Let’s go pack your bags and get you somewhere safe. You’re going with me in the morning to Moscow.”

  Chapter XXIII

  Moscow, Russia

  MADDUX BREEZED THROUGH customs at the airport, while Rose faced a fair amount of scrutiny from the agent inspecting her documents. Listed as an employee of Opel, the agent made a phone call to verify her employment. Even after being told that she was on payroll at the car manufacturer’s office in Bonn, the man still held her suspect.

  “Have you been in the country before?” he asked in English.

  She shook her head.

  “Your passport says otherwise,” he said.

  “I travel so much for the company, I sometimes forget where I’ve been.”

  The agent wagged his finger. “If you’d ever been here, I promise you would not forget it.”

  She shrugged. “Most of the time I never see much of the city where I go. I catch a taxi from the airport to my hotel. Sometimes I never leave as the people we are doing business with meet us there.”

  “And do you travel often with your colleague?”

  “I accompany many of our staff members on these trips in a support role. I’m here to simply record all that is said and dispense notes afterward. I also sometimes get the men coffee.”

  The agent flashed a faint smile, warming to the idea that the woman standing in front of him wasn’t a threat.

  “Here you will get the men vodka,” he said before breaking into a laugh.

  She cocked her head to one side and cut a quick glance down at the passport page filled with several stamps.

  “Now that you mention it, I do remember serving some vodka before, maybe about a year ago.”

  The agent studied the page again and nodded. “Looks like your memory has returned.”Then he jammed a stamp onto the passport page and slid it back to her.

  “Enjoy your stay.”

  Rose collected her documents before walking away. She was at least ten meters clear of the station before she slowly exhaled. Nearly getting caught before exiting the airport shook her up.

  “Are you all right?” Maddux asked as she approached him.

  “I don’t do this enough to be smooth at it,” she said.

  “Sometimes smooth can bring on unwanted suspicion.”

  “Guess I was getting it either way today,” she said as she stared down at the floor.

  “But you made it through.”

  “So far. Hopefully that agent doesn’t make a call to the KGB.”

  Maddux chuckled. “He doesn’t have to. They’re already watching us.”

  * * *

  MADDUX’S MEETING with the Russian partnership wasn’t the kind he was very fond of. Handing down an ultimatum about who can use Opel parts wasn’t exactly in his job description. But Maddux was an executive and had a better grasp of the customs and language than anyone else on staff. Confronting several men thro
ugh a third party would’ve been torturous—and other parts of the message would’ve likely been lost in translation. Maddux’s command of Russian would ensure that pitfall was eliminated. However, Sergei Boykov was also someone who was a person of interest by the CIA. The agency would appreciate Maddux and Rose being proactive enough to achieve two directives in one trip.

  Rose tagged along to record the meeting and provide support for Maddux, at least that was the excuse for using Opel to get her into the country. In reality, she was here for a different kind of support.

  She watched as Maddux handled the men with honor and respect. While she couldn’t understand what was being said, the Russian businessmen seemed receptive to whatever Maddux was saying based on their body language. In just over an hour’s time, they went from guarded poses to more open ones. And by the time they finished, the men invited Maddux and Rose to join them for dinner.

  “Is this normal to go out to dinner with business associates after scolding them?” she asked, reaching in her coat pocket and activating the device that interfered with radio waves in case anyone was trying to record them.

  “This is a first for me, so I don’t know,” Maddux said. “But it is typical when we are striking up a partnership or going over marketing plans.”

  “In that case, I guess we have nothing to worry about then.”

  Maddux shot her a sideways glance.“Rose, this is Russia. We always have something to worry about here.”

  “In that case, it’s a good thing I brought along some extra equipment.”

  Maddux’s eyes widened. “If you get caught with any of surveillance gizmos, we’ll be working in a salt mine in Siberia until we die or they shoot us, whichever comes first. And I can promise you we’d probably rather be shot.”

  “Don’t worry,” she said. “They are not used to searching women. They’ll never think to check my earrings.”

  She winked at him and smiled.

  “Oh, Rose, I think you’re going to be more trouble than you’re worth on this mission.”

  “Aren’t I always?”

  Maddux and Rose proceeded to follow the men down the street. Sergei Boykov was the group’s leader. Loud and gregarious, he nearly finished a bottle of vodka by himself during the meeting. However, Maddux could tell Boykov had little interest in the dealings since all he talked about was the restaurant named Yaroslav.