The old man winked as he touched his cap."As the major wishes."

Stanski tapped him on the shoulder andlooked down at the swept path. "You're doing a fine job Here, comrade.Keep up the good work."

Stanski walked back and crossed over tothe other side of the street. A cafe stood fifty meters beyond. The lights wereon and he went inside. It was a dismal-looking place but full of early morningworker.@. Taxi end tram drivers and @sleepy-looking shop girls from the storesalong KULUZOVSKY Prospect havin- coffee or breakfast. It smelled of rancid foodand stale cigarette smoke and everyone in it looked bored to death or halfasleep.

It took him almost ten minutes to get aglass of tea. He found a free table by the window.

He sat smoking a cigarette. The streetlamps were on and the light was reasonable, so he had a good view of theapartment block across the street. The old janitor was still clearing awaydebris from the front garden, but ten minutes later he disappeared into thebuilding.

Meeting the old man had been a help-nowhe had the name of Lukin's wife and a brief description-but he could also be aproblem. If he didn't stay out of the way, Stanski would have to deal with him,and he hoped to avoid complicating things.

It was fifteen minutes later when he sawthe woman across the street. He didn't notice her red hair at first because shewore a fur hat, but when she turned into the pathway he spotted the flame-redcolor at the nape of her neck. She carried a heavy shopping basket and wasdressed in a fur-collared coat and knee boots. From the brief glimpse he had ofher face she looked pretty. He watched her go in the front door.

He sat in the cafe for another fiveminutes, waiting to see if the janitor reappeared. He didn't, and Stanskicrushed out his cigarette and stood up.

He crossed the street briskly, and whenhe rounded the corner nearest the apartment block he saw Irena sitting in theparked Skoda, a woollen scarf partly covering her face. The Skoda's licenseplates were muddied and unreadable.

He tapped on the passenger window and hesaw her start as she looked around, then she opened the door for him and heclimbed inside.

Irena looked frozen. "What kept you?I was beginning to get worried you weren't coming back."

"Lukin's wife was out. I think she'sjust come back. She's alone, so far as I can tell."

"What if she isn't?"

" Let me worry about that. I'll justhave to play the cards as they fall. There's an alleyway around the next cornerthat leads to the back of the apartment block."

Ireia nodded. "I saw it."

"A door leads out from the garden.It's about midway along. Wait for me at this end of the alleyway."

"What if someone asks me what I'mdoing there?"

"Just tell them the car's brokendown and you're waiting for a friend. Keep the scarf covering your face."

He saw the doubtful look on her face andsmiled. "Trust me."

"You're a crazy man, and I don'tknow why but I do."

"See you soon."

He stepped out of the Skoda and walkedback around to the front of number 27.

He went up the path and still saw no signof the janitor. He climbed the stairs to the second-floor landing.

He took the bottle of ether out of hispocket and uncorked the top. He doused a handkerchief with a splash of theliquid. The pungent vapor was sickly and overpowering and he quickly stuffedthe bottle and the handkerchief back in his pockets. He checked that hisholster flap was undone and left the safety off. He knocked on the door.

The woman appeared almost at once. It wasthe same woman he had seen go up the path. Red-haired, pretty. She had removedher coat and wore a dress and cardigan and a kitchen apron. When she opened thedoor she frowned slightly at the sight of the uniform, but when Stanski smiledshe smiled back and wiped her hands on her- apron.

"Yes?"

Stanski glanced over her shoulder. Thenarrow hallway behind her looked empty.

"Madame Lukin? Nadia Lukin?"

"Yes."

At that moment Stanski pushed in the doorand lunged at the woman.

As she started to scream his hand wentover her mouth and he kicked the door shut behind him.

Lukin was standing at the office windowshortly before noon, smoking a cigarette, when he saw the gates in thecourtyard below swing open and two Zil trucks drive in and brake to a halt onthe cobbles. Plain-clothes KGB men and uniformed militia jumped down and beganto force a crowd of civilian prisoners from the trucks, beating them with riflebutts.

As he stood watching there was a knock onthe door. "Enter."

Pasha came in, his eyes bloodshot fromlack of sleep. "I thought I'd see how the men were making out with thecity hotels."

"Any luck?"

"They've covered half on the listbut nothing so far."

Lukin nodded down into the courtyard asthe trucks disgorged their cargo. "What's going on down there?"

Pasha came to the window and looked down."More work for the bully boys in the cellars, by the look of it. They'rethe people on the dissident lists being brought in for questioning. The restare still being rounded up. The interrogation teams will let us know ifanything turns up. We should have everyone on the lists covered by tonight. Themen are working flat out."

Lukin sighed and nodded. "Hardlyquick enough. OK, keep checking the hotels. When you're finished, I want you tohave the men check all the cooperative guest houses to within atwenty-kilometer radius of Moscow."

"Yuri, there must be hundreds..."

"And I want them checked, Pasha. Allof them. And another thing ..."

Lukin nodded down at the, courtyard."Tell whoever's in charge below to go easy on the prisoners. They'recitizens, not cattle for the slaughter."

"As you say." Pasha nodded andleft.

Lukin looked at his watch. Another twelvehours and Anna Khoiev's time was up. If she didn't talk soon, he'd have todeliver her to Beria and face him himself. He'd have to try to interrogate heragain. The door burst open without a knock.

Romulka stood there smiling. "Ithought I'd find you here. Well, Lukin, any progress,?"

"Not as yet. What do you want?"

"Just a friendly chat."

"The prisoner, Lebel, where ishe?"

"Odd, but that's what I came to seeyou about. Right now he's in one of the cellars being softened up."

"I told you to be careful, Romulka.The man has connections. I want to see him."

Romulka shook his head. "I'm afraidnot, Lukin. The Frenchman is mine. And Beria will tell you that if you care toask."

"As officer in charge I demandit."

Romulka stepped closer and tapped theriding crop in his palm. "Demand all you like. of course, we could alwayscome to an agreement. Let me interrogate the woman and you get access to Lebelin return."

"Go to hell."

Romulka grinned. "A pity. I wouldhave enjoyed a little fun with her. Still, another twelve hours and she'll bemine."

"You're the lowest form of life,Romulka."

"A matter of opinion, surely? Thinkabout the offer, Lukin. And remember, it's not my life at stake, it'syours."

With that he went out of the door. Lukinreturned to the window and bit back his anger.

He heard more vehicles entering thecourtyard. Another two Zil trucks pulled up and this time a couple ofmilitiamen tied back the canvas flaps and jumped down. As they unslung theirrifles, a group of frightened-looking men and women prisoners began too climbout of the trucks@ One of the women fell to her knees and a militiaman struckher across the face with his rifle.