The Charm School

by Nelson DeMille

  Hollis nodded. “Burov did. Minimum damage. The heavy guns come in tomorrow from Lubyanka with polygraphs and electric shock.”

  “I was just in time.”

  “Right. Are Surikov and his granddaughter out?”

  “Yes. Last Saturday. Leningrad route.”

  Hollis stared at him in the dim light. “You’re sure?”

  “Yes.”

  Hollis said, “You have to negotiate for the wives and everyone else here too, Seth.”

  “Landis mentioned his wife. Who are these wives?”

  “Russian women. Mostly politicals. And sixty some children—”

  “Good God… .” Alevy shook his head. “I figured there would be women for them. But wives… children…? Are they attached to…? Well, I guess they must be. My mind is trying to process this—”

  “Plus there are six kidnapped American women, and there are other Russians from the Gulag, such as the camp doctor and nurses. They go into the deal for the three thousand moles that we’re going to swap.”

  Alevy looked at Hollis. “You know something, Sam, you’re a real American. I mean that. You really want to save the world, or at least as many of its inhabitants as you meet and like. Well, okay, we’ll be in good shape to bargain after tonight.”

  Hollis asked, “How far do you intend to fly in an Mi-28 with eight people aboard?”

  “Depends on how the winds are blowing.”

  Hollis said, “I don’t think the ambassador or Charlie Banks would appreciate seeing a hijacked Soviet helicopter landing in the embassy quad.”

  “We can discuss this after we’re airborne.”

  “Seth, you can’t get an Mi-28 with eight people to any part of the free world from here. Do you have a refueling station, a relay chopper—?”

  Lisa came into the room, wearing a blue warm-up suit and running shoes, and Alevy guessed that this must be the camp uniform. She stood back a moment, taking in Alevy in his KGB uniform, then moved quickly to him and put her arms around him. “Seth. Oh, my God…”

  Alevy disengaged himself. “We have to move quickly.”

  She nodded and took her ski parka from the coat hook. “I have to get my icon—”

  Alevy held her arm. “It’s not your icon.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s a reproduction, Lisa. It’s got a transmitter in it. That’s how we found you.”

  Lisa stared at him, then at Hollis.

  Alevy said, “It was a contingency plan. In case something like this happened. I checked out Lubyanka and Lefortovo with a radio receiver and got a negative signal.” He added, “I hoped with the hammer and sickle carved in the icon, they’d let you keep it. They probably think the Kellums did that. The real icon is safe.”

  Lisa stood quietly a moment and looked from one to the other, then moved close to Alevy. “Do you know what they did to me here?”

  “I’m afraid I probably do. That’s the point: what they do to people.” He said to Lisa, “Bert Mills is outside. He, I, and Sam have a few things to take care of here. You will have to make your way to the helipad by yourself. Brennan is in the radio shack there. He could use some help with his Russian if anyone telephones him. Captain O’Shea is on the pad with a helicopter. We’ll be along shortly.”

  Lisa replied, “Forget it, Seth. Sam and I have come this far together, and we’re not separating.”

  Hollis said to Alevy, “Don’t even bother to argue with her.”

  Alevy nodded. “I know.” He drew two 6.35mm Tokarev automatics with silencers from the inside pockets of his greatcoat and handed them to Lisa and Hollis.

  Hollis got his parka and reached for the door.

  Alevy held his arm. “One last thing, and I guess we can spare sixty seconds for it.” Alevy drew a small leather box from his pocket and handed it to Hollis.

  Hollis opened it and saw inside the silver star of a brigadier general.

  Alevy said, “There are orders signed by the President, but I couldn’t bring those along, for security reasons of course. Congratulations, General.”

  Hollis closed the box, wondering briefly if this promotion could be considered posthumous, or perhaps pre-posthumous. He wondered too how the government was going to get his death benefit back from his wife if he actually made it home or if they’d increase it if he didn’t. The last thing he allowed himself to wonder was if the general’s star was a reward or a bribe. He said, “Thank you for delivering it.”

  Lisa kissed him on the cheek. “Congratulations, Sam. General Hollis.”

  “Thank you.”

  Lisa turned off the tape player and the lamp, and they left the cottage quietly.

  Bert Mills stood with his hands in the pockets of his green KGB coat. “Hi, folks. Ready to go home? For real this time.”

  “Hello, Bert.”

  Alevy said, “Lisa is coming with us.”

  They moved quickly to the lane and headed back toward the main road. Hollis whispered, “Directional microphones. Talk low and talk Russian.”

  Alevy nodded. He whispered in Russian, “Are there patrols out?”

  Hollis replied, “Tonight there are.” He explained briefly about the curfew, the reason for it, and the morning executions.

  Alevy shook his head. “That bastard. Eleven people…? We did get here just in time.”

  Hollis said, “But tonight you have to watch for curfew patrols.”

  They came to the main road near the VFW hall, which was now dark and quiet. Hollis whispered, “Where do you want to go?”

  Alevy replied, “Headquarters.”

  Hollis pointed to the right.

  They hurried at a jog along the road and within a few minutes saw the lighted facade of the grey concrete structure. They stopped and knelt in the drainage ditch by the side of the road. Alevy remarked, “There’s no Soviet flag or markings.”

  Lisa said, “This is America. Inside the building, however, is another story.”

  Hollis asked, “What do you have in mind, Seth?”

  “We have to knock out the headquarters and all their communications and listening devices if this thing is going to work. Then we need two more passengers for the helicopter.”

  Hollis thought of the Landises and knew their son wouldn’t make much difference in an already overloaded helicopter. He also thought of General Austin and Commander Poole. He said, “That’s a tough call, Seth. But I have a few candidates.”

  “I’ll make it a little easier for you. Is Burov in the camp?”

  Hollis looked at Alevy and nodded. “I guess that’s the professional thing to do.”

  “Sure as hell is. Not to mention my personal annoyance over the ‘dirty Jew’ remark. I’ll bet you guys have a few things to settle too.”

  Lisa replied, “This is not a vendetta, Seth, but if you need him, we know where he is.”

  Alevy nodded. “The second person I want is the ranking man here.”

  “That would be General Austin,” Hollis replied.

  “And you know where to find him?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.” Alevy poked his head over the drainage ditch and looked at the headquarters building. He said, “Tell me about H.Q.”

  Hollis answered, “There’ll probably be a guard in that booth. There will be a duty officer at the desk as soon as you walk in. Commo room to the left.” Hollis gave Alevy and Mills a description of the layout, concluding with, “The cells are on the first floor in the center rear.” He added, “Jack Dodson is in one of those cells, and he’s the American I want with us.”

  “No,” Alevy replied, “we are taking General Austin.”

  “Wrong.”

  Lisa said, “You can’t find Austin or Burov without our help, Seth. If Sam wants Dodson, you’ll take Dodson.”

  Alevy replied angrily, “I won’t take him if he’s not ambulatory.”

  Hollis said, “You’ll take him if he has a breath left in him. I don’t know the man, Seth, and neither do you, but he’s the o
ne who’s earned the right to leave with us. Subject closed.”

  Alevy said tersely, “All right. How many men do you think are in the headquarters building at this hour?”

  Hollis replied, “According to the briefing I got from Austin’s aide, Commander Poole, there will be the duty officer, commo man, sergeant of the guard in the guard room near the cells, one or two KGB Border Guards, and one or two drivers who may or may not be in the building at any given time.” He added, “There are also six or seven men in the listening room where all the camp’s sound sensors and listening devices are monitored. That’s the room we have to shut down if we’re going to move freely around this place.”

  Alevy replied, “We’re going to shut down the whole building.” He said to Hollis and Lisa, “You two obviously can’t pass as KGB officers, so you stay—”

  Lisa interrupted, “We’ll pass fine as prisoners. Let’s go, Seth.”

  Alevy glanced at Mills, who nodded. They quickly went over the plan, then stood and walked toward the building, Lisa and Hollis in front, their hands behind their backs, followed by Alevy and Mills.

  The guard peered at them from the booth, and as they drew closer into the light, he stepped out, his rifle across his chest.

  Alevy motioned him to the front door. “Two for the cells. Open.”

  The guard hesitated, then went to the front door and opened it. He peered at Alevy and Mills in the light, and it was obvious he did not recognize them as any of his battalion officers. Alevy motioned him into the building. Mills brought up the rear and closed the door.

  The duty officer was Lieutenant Cheltsov, the man Hollis and Lisa had spoken to when they were released from the cells. Cheltsov stood to attention behind his desk. He glanced at Hollis and Lisa and said, “Again?” then looked quizzically at the Border Guard, who shrugged. Cheltsov addressed Alevy, “Yes, Major?”

  Mills drew his silenced automatic and put a single shot through the Border Guard’s head. Lieutenant Cheltsov watched the man fall, but nothing seemed to register with him. He stared at the dead man on the floor, then turned to Alevy, who shot him once in the forehead. Cheltsov fell back into his chair, his arms outstretched, and stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, the bullet hole in the center of his forehead spouting blood.

  Lisa put her hand to her mouth, turned away, and faced the front door.

  Alevy said to Hollis, Lisa, and Mills, “Bolt the front door, wait five seconds, then bring those bodies into the commo room.” He crossed the lobby and opened the door to the communications room. The commo man sat at the telephone switchboard, reading a magazine. He turned and looked at Alevy, then stood. “Yes, sir?” He saw the automatic in Alevy’s hand.

  Alevy motioned him away from the switchboard, then shot him twice in the chest, sending the man crashing into the radio console. Alevy walked to the telephone switchboard. It was a manual board, he noticed, and with the operator dead, no calls could be connected.

  Hollis and Mills came in, dragging the bodies of Lieutenant Cheltsov and the guard. They pushed the two dead men under the radio table.

  Alevy looked at the switchboard connections and found the contraction Verto—“helicopter.” He plugged the wire in, pushed the ringer button, and held the headset to his ear. A voice, sounding bored and tired—and nervous, he thought—said, “Da. Nechevo.”

  “Bill, it’s me.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Anyone else call?”

  “No, thank God—”

  “Anything to report there?”

  “No. Quiet. Nechevo.”

  “Okay, you won’t be getting any calls on the telephone except from us.”

  “Both radios are squawking away.”

  “Hold on.” Alevy moved to the radios and turned the volume up on the speakers. He listened a few seconds, then said to Brennan, “Normal traffic. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Right. You in charge there now?”

  “Getting there.”

  “You find them?” Brennan asked.

  “Yes, they’re both with us now.”

  “Great. Say hello.”

  “All right. Listen, Bill, if your end of the operation starts to come apart, you and O’Shea beat it. And if you’re still around at three forty-five, and we don’t show up, you leave before that gas gets to you. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Lisa will be at this switchboard until further notice.”

  “Good.”

  “See you later.” Alevy said to Lisa, “Hold Brennan’s hand awhile. Connect any calls going through this switchboard and listen in. With your other ear, monitor the traffic on these two radios. Okay?”

  She nodded.

  Alevy said to her, “We shouldn’t be more than fifteen minutes. If you hear trouble, call Brennan, then get out of here and make it to the helipad. I’d like one witness to this place to make it out. Okay?”

  She glanced at Hollis, who nodded.

  “Okay,” Alevy said. “Sam, let’s go to the room where they monitor the listening devices.”

  Hollis squeezed Lisa’s hand and went to the door, opening it slowly. “Clear.” Alevy and Mills followed him into the lobby.

  Hollis led them to a short corridor off the lobby that ended in a black metal door marked MONITORING STATION. The three men held their pistols at the ready, and Hollis twisted the doorknob slowly. He took his hand off the knob and shook his head to Alevy. “Locked.” He raised his hand to knock, then noticed a button on the doorjamb and pressed it.

  A few seconds later a voice called out. “Who is it?”

  Hollis replied, “Cheltsov.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Hollis moved to the blind side of the door as Alevy and Mills holstered their pistols. Alevy whispered to Hollis, “Stay here and keep watch.”

  The door swung out, revealing a young man in his shirtsleeves. The man looked at Alevy and Mills, jumped back quickly, and saluted, his eyes scanning left and right for Lieutenant Cheltsov.

  Alevy and Mills strode into the monitoring station, a small windowless room of precast concrete, lit by fluorescent bulbs. Six men sat at individual consoles with earphones, listening, Alevy assumed, to the input from various electronic security devices around the camp, switching channels from time to time.

  Along the far wall was a bank of reel-to-reel tape recorders. On the left-hand wall, Alevy saw a large map of the camp, marked with numbers showing, Alevy guessed, the locations of the listening devices.

  The young man in his shirtsleeves, still holding his salute, asked, “Can I help you, Major?”

  Alevy replied tersely, “Carry on.”

  The young man hurried back to his console and put on his earphones.

  Alevy and Mills stood in the center of the room and looked around. Alevy noticed a red light over the door, which he guessed must flash when the door button was pushed so as to alert the men with headphones that someone was there. Alevy spoke to Mills in a soft voice. “How do you want to take them?”

  Mills cleared his throat. “They’re unarmed, Seth. Can we take them without blood?”

  “I would, Bert, if we had a bit more time.” Alevy noticed a few of the men glancing at him and Mills, and he gave them a stern look, sending them back to their monitoring. Alevy said to Mills, “You do those three, I’ll do these three here, and we’ll meet at the middle. On three… one, two, three—” Alevy and Mills drew their silenced automatics and began firing.

  Hollis, outside the door, heard bodies hitting the floor and thrashing around. Someone screamed. He reached for the door, but it opened, and Mills came out, looking, Hollis thought, as though it was he who had lost blood. Alevy followed, closing the door behind him. Alevy said to Hollis, “The cells.”

  Hollis led them back to the lobby, then turned into the long corridor that ran to the rear of the headquarters building. They came to the cell doors and quickly checked the bolts until they found one that was shut. Hollis opened it and looked inside. A man lay on the floor and even in th
e dim light Hollis could see his clothes were torn and he was badly battered.

  Alevy said, “I guess that’s Dodson.”

  Hollis knelt beside the man and checked his pulse. “Alive.”

  Alevy said to Hollis, “Take him to the commo room. Wait there with Lisa.”

  Hollis stood. “Where are you two going?”

  “Where can we get a vehicle?”

  “Should be one or two Zils out back.” He moved to the door of the cell. “Down that corridor.”

  “Okay,” Alevy said, “we’ll bring it around front.” He added, “Sam, if you don’t see us in ten minutes, you and Lisa take off for the helipad. Okay? Don’t try to carry Dodson.” Alevy asked, “If I don’t catch up with you later, where can I find Burov?”

  “East end of the main road,” Hollis answered. “Big dacha. Guards and dogs. Think about that.” Hollis added, “Don’t forget about the men in the guard room down the corridor.”

  Hollis went back to Dodson and lifted him onto his shoulders.

  * * *

  Alevy and Mills walked rapidly into the corridor that Hollis had indicated and came to a door marked GUARD ROOM. Alevy opened the door, and he and Mills walked into a small barracks room in which was a field desk and telephone and six double bunk beds, all unoccupied except for one bottom bunk in which was a naked man and woman. A sergeant’s KGB uniform and the woman’s clothes were strewn on the floor. The sergeant sat up quickly and hit his head on the top bunk, then scrambled out of the bed and stood naked at attention. The woman pulled the sheets over her head.

  Alevy asked, “Sergeant, where are the other guards and drivers?”

  The sergeant seemed to have trouble finding his voice, then replied, “One guard and driver are making the rounds of the posts with the corporal of the guard. The other guard and driver are at their fixed post at the rear door of this building.”

  “Is anyone else in the building?”

  “The duty officer, the communications specialist, and the men in the monitoring room. Major, I can explain about—”

  “About-face, Sergeant.”

  The sergeant did an about-face, and Alevy drew his pistol and shot him in the back of the head, sending him sprawling over the strewn clothes. Mills put three rounds into the huddled figure beneath the blanket. The woman thrashed around, then lay still. Mills and Alevy caught each other’s eye for a moment, then turned away and went out into the corridor.