Текст книги "Snow Wolf"

Автор книги: Glenn Meade

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Twenty-one deserters, a black marketeer, and a youth of fifteen with a rusting unlicensed German Luger but no ammunition. The boy had been arrested during the night, and questioned about the parachute drop, but it was obvious he knew nothing. Reading between the lines of the report by the local KGB, the boy had been tortured during interrogation. It was unlikely he was even a partisan. They hid in the forests, brave but futile Estonian men and women armed with decrepit German weapons, but they still harried the army even eight years after the war.

Lukin shivered as he put the report aside. The poor boy would most likely be shot. Having an unlicensed weapon in the occupied territories meant certain execution, regardless of age.

He pushed back the chair and lit a cigarette, felt the strong malckorka tobacco reach the pit of his lungs. There was a knock on the door and Kaman entered and saluted.

"The car's ready for your checkpoint inspection, sir. The East Tower is first, I believe."

Lukin stubbed out his cigarette. "Very well, Kaman, the East Tower it is."

It was pitch dark and freezing as the Emka rattled down the narrow cobbled roads of the old town.

Like most small Russian cars, the Emka was pretty basic and had no heater, so Zinov wore a heavy sheepskin jacket to keep warm. He had suggested that Anna and Stanski sit together in the back seat, and use the heavy woollen blanket he kept for passengers to cover their legs. When he turned left into a narrow road that led toward one of the ancient granite towers, they all saw the checkpoint ahead.

A group of plain-clothes men and uniformed militia manned a temporary red barrier placed across the road between two oil barrels, just in front of the tower. There was a line of three vehicles in front, two delivery trucks and a private car, halted and waiting to be allowed to pass. The militiamen appeared to have finished searching the first truck and it drove through when the barrier was removed.

Zinov eased on the brakes and pulled in behind the car in front. He tapped the steering wheel impatiently with his fingers.

"Damn it. I suppose there's not much we can do but wait our turn." He looked back at Stanski and Anna as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Smoke, anyone? Crimean black. Guaranteed to leave you gasping."

Stanski took one, but Anna declined. Stanski touched the flame of his match to Zinov's cigarette, then looked back at Anna. Her mouth was tense with strain and she stared back at him.

They all heard a vehicle rattle on cobbles. Stanski looked ahead and saw a green army Zil drive up to the checkpoint from the opposite direction. The car braked to a halt and a man stepped out.

He wore a black KGB uniform and officer's cap and a heavy black overcoat and galoshes, Stanski noticed he wore only one leather glove on his left hand, The hand looked stiff and he guessed it was false.

The KGB man crossed to a uniformed officer at the checkpoint and spoke heatedly with him. Moments later the officer turned and barked an order and the militiamen manning the checkpoint started to work more smartly.

Klieg lamps and arc lamps sprang to life, flooding the cobbled street. More militia appeared, as if some of them had been sleeping in the back of their cars and had been shaken awake. The KGB officer had obviously made an impression because the second truck was being searched more thoroughly. There was a bustle of activity and the darkness came alive with stern orders and answering voices.

Stanski felt Anna's hand grip his tightly as they watched the scene. He counted twelve militia and army personnel, plus the KGB man with the leather glove and his driver. Five agonizing minutes passed and the truck showed no sign of being allowed through. Behind them, more vehicles had joined the queue.. Zinov finally slammed his fist on the steering wheel. "Damn it to hell! At this rate we'll be lucky to make Leningrad by midnight."

Suddenly the truck was allowed through and the car in front of them started to move up. It was searched just as thoroughly, the driver's papers scrutinized, and the KGB man watched it all with interest as he leaned against a wall smoking a cigarette. Stanski swore to himself and felt a cold sweat break out all over his body.

He quietly unbuttoned the flap of his Tokarev pistol and made sure the safety catch was off. He leaned across to Anna, sensing her growing fear.

"Get ready to move if we have to run for it," he whispered. "Try to make it back to the inn."

Zinov glanced around suddenly. "You said something?" Stanski smiled and said quickly, "Perhaps we should have taken the train, Colonel."

"My apologies, this is damned ridiculous."

"Not your fault."

"True, but I think it's damn well time I had a word with the officer in charge. We can't hang around all day, for heaven's sake, or we'll both be late."

But suddenly it was their turn as the car in front was waved through. The barrier came down again as Zinov advanced the Emka, halted and rolled down his window. The flood from the arc lamps washed the car in a blinding pool of light and a militiaman ran forward.

"Right, get out of the car and have your papers ready."

Zinov flushed red at the militiaman's bluntness. He flashed his ID. "You're talking to a colonel in the KGB. Watch your damned manners." He waved toward the barrier. "Allow us to pass and be quick about it."

The militiaman looked at Zinov's ID and shook his head. "Everyone's got to be checked and their vehicles searched. So just do as you're told and we'll get this over with as quickly as possible."

Zinov could hardly contain his anger at the man's impertinence. "We'll damn well see about that! Who's in charge here?"

It won't make any difference, comrade. His name's Major Lukin, KGB Moscow. So in the meantime, step out of the car."

Stanski and Anna tensed at the mention of the name, but Zinov seemed completely to lose his head.

"Shut up, you insolent fool, and tell the officer in charge I want to see him. Now!"

The roar from Zinov made the militiaman jump. The man turned and raised a hand and signaled the KGB man, the one named Lukin, who had been watching the proceedings.

He strode over. "Is there a problem?"

"Look here, Lukin, or whatever your name is," said Zinov. "You're talking to a colonel in the KGB, and my friends and I are in a hurry. We've got important business in Leningrad."

"I'm afraid no one passes without being checked and searched."

"On whose damned authority?"

Lukin produced his ID and held it out for Zinov to inspect. "On mine. There is a search for enemy agents in progress." Zinov examined Lukin's ID and said, "That's all very well, but as you can appreciate, you're delaying us."

"I'm delaying everyone, Colonel, but I'm sure you realize I have a job to do. Now, would you all please step out of the car and have your papers ready."

Zinov flushed a deep red, then stepped out and slammed the door after him. The militiaman examined his papers first while two men moved to search the car. Stanski and Anna slid out from the rear as Lukin's eyes showed a sudden interest.

He stepped forward. "Papers, please, Captain."

Stanski handed them across. For a long time the major looked at Stanski's face, then examined the papers, before he looked up and said, "And who is this lady?"

"My wife, Comrade Major. We've been staying in Tallinn on a short visit."

"And the purpose of your visit to Tallinn, Captain Petrovsky?"

Stanski smiled and nodded at Anna. "Our honeymoon, comrade."

"Where were you staying?"

"With a relative of my wife's in the old town. Is there a problem, Comrade Major?"

Lukin studied Stanski's face. "Indeed there is. We're looking for a man and a woman, enemy agents who parachuted into Estonia the night before last. As it happens, our information suggests they're about the ages of you and your wife here."

He looked at Anna. "So you say this lady is your wife?" Stanski said proudly, "Indeed she is, comrade. We were married three days ago." He smiled. "And I can assure you, major, she's not an enemy agent."

There was a laugh from one of the militiamen standing nearby, but Lukin's expression didn't change.

He said evenly, "My congratulations to both of you. May I see your papers also, madam?"

"Of course."

Anna fumbled in her handbag and handed them over. Lukin examined the documents thoroughly, flashing his light on the paper, feeling it, rubbing his thumb against the page. He didn't hand them back to Anna but looked at Stanski, then examined his papers again, doing the same.

"Your destination, Captain Petrovsky?"

"Leningrad."

"For what purpose?"

"To rejoin my division."

"And which division is that?"

"The 14th Armored. There are winter maneuvers imminent at Novgorod and I'm afraid I have to rejoin."

The major glanced at Stanski's 14th Armored uniform flashes. "Would you mind if we searched your luggage?"

Stanski shrugged. "Of course not, Major."

Lukin snapped his fingers and a militiaman appeared. "Remove the captain's luggage and search it thoroughly. His wife's also." He looked at Stanski again as suddenly two militiamen came forward with their Tokarev machine-pistols at the ready, as if sensing trouble.

Zinov came over and interrupted. "Look, Major, is that really necessary?

We're in a damned hurry. This officer is known personally to me. And also the young lady. I happen to stay frequently with her uncle here in Tallinn."

"Quite. And I'm sure you are in a hurry. But so are we all. This won't take long."

Zinov flushed angrily. The militiaman removed all the bags and Lukin said to Stanski, "Please indicate your luggage."

Stanski pointed out their two suitcases. Lukin examined both suitcases externally first, very carefully, running his fingers along the joins. Stanski stood there, feeling the sweat on the back of his neck, trying to judge how many shots he could get off rapidly, deciding there and then to shoot Lukin first.

The major looked up. "Open the cases please, Captain."

Stanski did as he was ordered. Lukin knelt and flashed a light through the belongings. He examined the clothes' labels and felt the material of each garment. Finally he stood up and studied Stanski again. There was a look of indecision on the major's face, indicating something was bothering him.

"You look familiar, Captain. Have we met before?"

"I can't say we have, Major."

"Did you serve during the war?"

"With the Fifth Kursk."

"Infantry?"

"Yes, sir."

"Really? You knew Colonel Kinyatin?"

Stanski pretended to think for a moment, then shook his head. "I was only with the Kursk for three months before I was transferred. I'm afraid I never heard of the man."

Zinov shivered from the cold and interrupted again. "Really, Major, the poor fellow and his wife have had their honeymoon plans upset as it is. You can see he's a genuine officer. Are you going to make a fool of yourself and arrest him or are we all to just stand here and freeze to death?"

The major gave Zinov a withering stare, then looked at Anna and Stanski again, as if still unable to make up his mind.

"A question, Captain. What's your wife's month of birth?"

"Sir?"

"Her month of birth. A simple question."

Stanski smiled faintly. "July. A man could hardly forget that, especially being just married, sir."

"You seem a little old to be just getting married, Captain."

"Sir?"

"is this your first marriage?"

Stanski shook his head and looked as if he was suitably hurt. "No, sir. My first wife died in the war. Really, sir, is this all necessary?"

Lukin hesitated for a long time, then slowly handed back the two sets of papers. "My apologies for the delay. You may proceed. Have a pleasant trip, Captain. You too, madam. And you, Colonel,"

"About damned time too," said Zinov, puffing a breath of steaming air.

They all climbed back into the car. As Stanski slid in beside Anna in the back and threw the woollen blanket over their legs, he felt her hand reach for his and grip it very tightly, her fingers digging painfully into his flesh. He felt her shaking and there was sweat dripping inside his own shirt despite the cold, his heartbeat hammering in his ears.

As the Emka moved off and rattled over the cobbles, Zinov was muttering angrily to himself in the front. "Those Moscow types think they run the damned show." He growled venomously, "And don't you worry, Major Lukin, you jumped-up little shit. I'll see to you when I get to Leningrad. You've no fucking respect for senior rank."

As he kept on cursing, Stanski glanced back through the rear window.

The KGB major stood staring after the car, a faint look of uncertainty clouding his face.

Stanski turned back. The major had been clever, asking harmless questions, but questions that could have told him a lot. Somehow, by the look on his face, he was still not completely convinced. Stanski tensed and shivered as the Emka rounded the next corner.

Anna whispered in the darkness of the cab, "What's wrong?"

"I think someone just walked over my grave."

It was just before nine when Lukin returned to the Tondy bar racks.

Kaman was waiting with a sheaf of papers. He looked exhausted.

"Some more reports for you, Major. Still definitely no sign of the man and woman, I'm afraid." He placed the papers on the table. "You think at this stage we're wasting our time?"

Lukin fixed him with a stare. "On the contrary. I want the operation continued and expanded."

Kaman sighed. "Has the major considered that these people could have been killed when they parachuted into Estonia? Parachutes sometimes fail. Perhaps we should be searching the countryside for bodies?"

"One death from an unopened parachute I can accept, but not two. The order stands. Widen the net to include up to fifteen kilometers beyond the town center. Every house, inn and shop in the town is to be thoroughly searched."

"But that will take days!"

"You have twelve hours."

"Major, what you're proposing will include a quarter of the population of Estonia!"

Lukin rounded angrily. "I don't give a damn. Just do it. And quickly, man!"

"Yes, Major." Kaman saluted and left, closing the door.

Lukin ran his hand through his hair in exasperation. He had been harsh on the captain-the man looked as tired as him self-but too much was at stake. The roadblocks and check points and the checking of the hotel registers should have, yielded something.

But nothing. Not even a suggestion that the man and womai were in Tallinn.

The man and the woman ought to be somewhere out there It was ridiculous. With so many checkpoints something should have turned up by now.

He thought of the captain and his young wife at the Tower. Something odd about him he couldn't quite figure. He was sure he had seen the man's face somewhere before. The remark had been no ploy, like some of the other questions. where had he seen him?

The captain's wife was attractive but hardly beautiful. The make-up had spoiled her face. A little too heavy. Maybe it was deliberate? The man had said they were on their honeymoon She should have been happy. She didn't look too happy, just anxious. Or was it his imagination?

But the man had shown no sign of fear, just bemusement Lukin had found it hard to decide about him.

The question he had asked him about his wife's birthday had influenced his decision, but only just. He had once caught a couple of German agents in Kiev who had been traveling as man and wife. A husband always remembered his real wife's birthday and the German had faltered too long, then finally made a run for it before he was caught. But the captain this morning had known.

Still, the couple were borderline, and he should have checked their story. The colonel's statement that he had known his passengers personally had swung it in their favor.

But what really bothered Lukin still was the man's face. He was certain he remembered him from somewhere. something about him that seemed oddly familiar. But he was too trouble( too stressed, and memory worked best when the mind was at peace, not tired and in turmoil. It would come to him eventually, but right now, even though he racked his brain, it wouldn't.

He picked up the photographs of the woman and the man known as the Wolf. He looked down at them for a long time. The Wolf's picture was really too blurred to be useful and had been taken from too great a distance. Another thing kept bothering Lukin-the fact that there were two pages missing from the man's file. Perhaps Beria had his reasons for withholding the pages, but Lukin felt somehow less than trusted. It was as if his path were being made deliberately more difficult.

Pasha was right. It was usual that an investigator be given access to all information concerning a case.

The photograph of the woman showed her with no make-up, her hair cropped short and her face gaunt. There were obvious dark circles under her eyes from stress or lack of sleep, or both.

Lukin tried to imagine what she would look like with more flesh on her cheekbones and her hair longer and wearing makeup. Impossible, really. A woman could completely change her appearance with cleverly applied make-up. Still, instinct told him something wasn't right. And the checkpoints had turned up no other likely suspects.

He picked up the phone and quickly dialed Kaman's extension.

"Lukin here. I want a Captain Oleg Petrovsky checked out immediately. See if he's with the 14th Armored at Leningrad. Get onto his commanding officer, or whoever's next in line. I want details from his personal file. Background, marriage, and so on. And verify if the division is planning winter maneuvers at Novgorod. Have them call me." Kaman said, "Who is he?"

"Never mind that for now, just do it. And phone the local air force commander and have a helicopter stand by in case I need it. If he quibbles, put him onto me. And find out where a KGB colonel named Zinov was staying in Tallinn."

Lukin replaced the phone. There was still plenty of time to stop the Emka before it reached Leningrad. The drive took five hours, so that left Lukin the best part of three.

He checked his watch. Nine A.M. With luck, the information should be back from the Leningrad Divisional Headquarters within ten minutes.

February 27th 1953 9::15 A.m.-6:30 P.m.

Estonia.

February 27th They took the main highway to Kivioli, then once past the town followed the coast road for Leningrad.

Brightly painted fishing boats lay rotting on the shoreline, abandoned nets like giant spider's webs. The skies were clear but off to the west a mass of threatening snow clouds hovered above the frozen Baltic.

It was over three hundred kilometers to Leningrad, five hours on the highway, but once they left Kivioli the roads were clogged with military traffic. A long column of tanks and trucks trailed jets of muddy slush in their wake as they moved westwards, and Zinov had to drive slowly until they reached the coast.

"Good to see Stalin still likes to let the Baits know that we're in business," commented Zinov. "Smoke, anyone?"

Stanski accepted a cigarette. As Zinov handed back his lighter, he said casually, "I must say, that major back in Tailinn seemed very uncertain about you."

Stanski smiled. "I must have a suspicious face, Colonel."

Zinov laughed. "Well, if you had been enemy agents you certainly would have picked the wrong traveling companion in a KGB colonel."

After another hour there was almost no traffic apart from occasional peasants on horses and donkeys and carts and Zinov made up for lost time.

They passed squalid Estonian towns and villages, and here and there the ruins of houses dotted the countryside, still deserted since the war, charred buildings and derelict cottages with their roofs caved in. Rusted, scavenged hulks of German Panzers and artillery pieces were still decaying, lying abandoned in open fields.

As they passed through a deserted village Stanski and Anna saw that the timber houses had been recently razed to the ground and the local church gutted. Two black paint strokes on a sign had obliterated the village name.

"A couple of months ago that was a thriving village," Zinov remarked. "Until some partisans decided to blow up an ammunition dump in a nearby barracks. The local commander shot all the men and had the women and children sent to Siberia. Drastic, but then drastic measures are sometimes called for, I think you'll agree, Captain?"

"Of course."

Zinov turned back and smiled. "These crazy partisans think we can be defeated. But they're wrong. Like that madman Hitler and that fool Napoleon. Do you know the famous monument in Riga? On one side it reads: "In 1812 Napoleon passed this way to Moscow with two hundred thousand men.' On the other side it reads: "In 1813 Napoleon passed this way from Moscow with twenty thousand men.' Zinov laughed.

They passed Narva half an hour later and Zinov suggested they stop and stretch their legs before they pressed on to Leningrad.

"We'll have some food and vodka. Nothing like a little refreshment and fresh air to clear the head."

Stanski glanced at Anna. Something about the major at the checkpoint in Tallinn had made them both uneasy and unwilling to delay getting to Leningrad.

He said to Zinov, "Perhaps we ought to press on?"

"Nonsense, we've plenty of time. We'll be in Leningrad in under two hours. There's a perfect spot up ahead. I sometimes stop there for a break."

It was still dark, a gray twilight and the moon out, as Zinov turned off the highway minutes later and drove along a forest road. Either side narrow lanes led off into the woods and after a hundred meters they dipped over a rise and came out in a clearing beside a small frozen lake.

The view over the lake was really rather beautiful, the towering birch trees along the shoreline sugared prettily with snow, and there was a sense of peaceful isolation after the highway.

Zinov climbed out and said to Stanski, "Splendid, isn't it?

Get the vodka and food, man, it's in the trunk. There's some smoked eel and bread. I bought it from Flinn. I'm sure your wife's hungry."

Stanski went around to the trunk and removed a picnic basket. As he turned back he heard a small cry from Anna and saw Zinov grab her savagely by the hair, his pistol pointed at her head.

"Put your hands in the air," he ordered Stanski. Zinov's face looked stern and he was suddenly all business. "Undo your pistol belt very slowly. And I mean slowly. Then throw it over here. You do as I say or the woman gets a bullet in the head."

"What's going on? Is this some kind of joke?"

Zinov's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Something's not right with you two. That major back in Tallinn, he was right. You're both enemy agents."

"Colonel, this is nonsense," Stanski said reasonably. "Our papers were in order at the checkpoint. Put the gun away. You're making my wife nervous." Zinov said sharply, "Shut up. I've listened to your accents. Neither of you are from Leningrad. I've lived there all my life. The woman here, she's from Moscow, but you, I can't figure you Out. A little while back something else occurred to me. Last night you told me you were with the 17th Armored. But you told the major at the checkpoint you were with the 14th. Perhaps you'd care to explain?"

"A mistake. I don't know what I was thinking of. And I never said my wife was from Leningrad."

"Mistake, my ass."

Stanski shifted his stance, ready to move, but he was standing well back, too far to get closer to the colonel.

Zinov fingered his pistol. "I really wouldn't try anything. I'm an excellent shot." He aimed the pistol at Stanski. "Now, you're going to tell me just who you really are or I pull this trigger.

Lukin sat in the freezing dome of the MIL as his eyes swept the ribbon of highway that snaked below the helicopter.

They had taken off in darkness from the Tondy barracks an hour before, flying at barely fifty meters above the main Leningrad road. Acres of endless birch forest ran either side, coated white, the lights of villages and street lamps burning in the winter grayness that stretched ahead.

The helicopter pilot turned to Lukin and shouted above the noise. "We can't go much farther, Major. There's a bank of snow cloud moving in from the west. Flying in both darkness and bad weather is not permitted by regulations."

Lukin had had difficulty convincing the pilot's commander to allow the helicopter to fly in darkness, until he produced the letter from Beria, and the man had given in grudgingly, warning Lukin of the dangers of flying in poor light. The MIL wasn't equipped for it and the pilot would have to stay close to the ground.

Now Lukin shook his head. "Forget regulations. You turn back when I tell you. You have enough fuel?"

"For another two hundred kilometers, but-"

"Then keep flying. Shout if you spot anything."

The pilot started to protest, but then he saw the grim look on Lukin's face and returned to his controls.

Lukin looked down at the map on his knee. He had a small reading light in his hand and he flicked it over the map while he continued to glance down at the highway. There was a column of tanks moving south, their lumbering gray shapes like giant metal snails in the twilight.

The news had come back from Leningrad ten minutes after Kaman had made the call. There was no Captain Oleg Petrovsky with the ]4th and definitely no winter maneuvers in Novgorod. Lukin's instinct had been right. But damn, he should have followed it at the checkpoint.

The inn where Zinov had stayed had been visited by the KGB, but the place was locked and the owner nowhere to be found. The men had broken in but a quick search of the premises had produced nothing. There was only one other name on the inn's register, a captain named Bukarin. Lukin would just have to wait and see if either the captain or the innkeeper showed up.

By his own calculations, the Emka had to be somewhere close up ahead. Even traveling at eighty kilometers an hour, the maximum distance the car could have traveled was two hundred kilometers. Allowing for traffic, more likely a hundred and fifty. That put them about five minutes ahead.

Lukin considered that the colonel driving the Ernka could have taken a minor road, but that was unlikely. No roadworks blocked the main highway, and the minor roads were clogged with military traffic. The pilot had already swooped low on several Emkas, come alongside them in the darkness, disbelief on the faces of the passengers as the helicopter hovered alongside to get a closer look at the occupants. But so far, no sign of the colonel's car. Lukin still couldn't figure if the KGB man had been an innocent dupe, or whether he was part of it.

He looked down at the highway again. Empty. They had passed the last column of tanks minutes ago. He shouted to the pilot. "You have a searchlight under the fuselage?"

The man looked back and nodded.

Lukin said, "If there's nothing in the next ten minutes, we go back and check the minor roads, those that lead into the forest. The car could have pulled in somewhere."

The pilot looked worried, pointed up ahead at a bruised looking sky, and shook his head. "There's going to be snow soon. Besides, there are high-voltage cables off the main highway. In this poor light we could clip one. It's too dangerous."

"Do as I tell you," Lukin commanded.

The pilot shook his head firmly. "No, Major, I'm in charge of this aircraft. I must insist, it's too dangerous. And if we get snow it could be treacherous. We turn back-" The pilot turned away and tilted the control stick, and the MIL started to bank tight, heading back the way they had come.

Lukin removed the pistol from his holster, cocked it, and put it to the man's head.

The Pilot glanced over at him, open-mouthed.

"Are you fucking crazy?"

"Maybe, but you'll be dead if you don't do as I say, Switch on that search beam, Lieutenant, or I'll take your damned ear off!"

"Colonel, you're making a mistake."

Zinov stood there, his weapon pointed at Stanski. "Talk. Before I'm tempted to shoot."

"I have nothing to say. Except I'm going to report this. Your behavior is uncalled for."

There was a brief look of uncertainty on Zinov's face and then he said, "You're trying my patience."

"Might I make a suggestion? We drive down to the nearest Militia barracks. You phone my commanding officer. He'll verify my identity."

Zinov smiled. "And meantime, you both try and make a run for it. I'm not an idiot. And it's me who's going to get the dit for capturing you, not that jumped-up fool of a major back in Tallinn. So tell me who you are."

"Captain Oleg Petrovsky, 14th Armored Division."

Zinov stepped closer and angrily leveled the gun at Stanski. "Don't fuck with me."

Anna said, "Colonel, I think you ought to know the truth."

Stanski went to speak, but Anna interrupted. "No. I have to tell him."

She looked at Zinov steadily. "We're not married to each other. My husband is an army officer in Leningrad. This man is who he says he is. But we went to Tallinn to be alone together."

Zinov grinned. "Lovers? Nice try, but you'll have to do better than that."

"In my bag you'll find a photograph of my husband and me."

Zinov hesitated, suddenly unsure. "Get it for me. Just remember not to try anything or your friend here loses his head."

Anna moved to the car and found the handbag on the back seat.

Zinov stepped closer to her and said, "Toss it here."

Anna threw over the bag and as it landed Zinov bent to pick it up.

She crossed the distance quickly and as Zinov reacted and raised the gun in panic her hand chopped down hard on his neck. He screamed in pain and Stanski was already moving, racing across the ground between them, but he wasn't fast enough.

Zinov fired off a shot and it clipped Stanski's tunic, just as his foot came up and kicked the gun from the colonel's hand and his fist smashed into his jaw. Zinov fell back into the snow, blood streaming from his mouth.

As Stanski grabbed the weapon, Zinov looked up pleadingly, real fear in his eyes. "Please don't kill me. Please, I'll tell no one. Please-"

Stanski shot him between the eyes.

Anna put a hand over her mouth in horror and Stanski said, "Get back to the car."

She didn't move as she stared down at the colonel's body. There was blood pumping from his wound. For several seconds she stood there, stricken, until Stanski touched her arm.