Stanski calmly knelt, aimed and firedtwice.

The first shot kicked up snow but thesecond hit Pasha and he screamed and rolled over.

Before Lukin could aim again, the orangelight started to flicker and a tendril of smoke plummeted to the ground. Theflare extinguished and light plunged into gloom. Lukin heard an engine splutterto life.

He clambered to his feet, running forwardlike a man possessed, ignoring Pasha's body lying in the snow, firing theTokarev blindly into the darkness after Stanski.

When he reached the road by the river hewas just in time to hear a car roar away.

Ramenki District, Moscow.

The Skoda pulled up outside the dacha andStanski, Anna and frena climbed out.

Irena led them inside, and when she hadlit the wood stove and oil lamps she went into the kitchen and came back with abottle of vodka and three glasses. She poured them each a drink with tremblinghands and swallowed her own quickly.

Her face was white with anger as shestared over at Stanski.

"We all could have been killedtonight. I thought you said there wouldn't be any trouble?"

Stanski put a hand on her shoulder."Take it easy, Irena. It's all over and you're safe."

"Safe? When I saw the sky light upand heard the shooting I thought I was dead for sure. We're lucky we didn'thave half the army on our backs after what happened. And it's hardly over. Lookat me, I'm still trembling."

Stanski picked up his glass. "Butyou're still alive, Anna's free, and no one followed us. All in all, not a badend to the evening, I'd say."

Irena saw the slight smile on Stanski'sface and shook her head in exasperation. "If you're trying to be funny,your humor's wasted-my nerves are too frayed."

She poured another vodka and swallowed itbefore she said to Anna, "I don't know whom I'd rather face. This lunaticfriend of yours or the KGB. The man's as crazy as Rasputin."

She put her glass down and touched Anna'sarm. "What about you? are you all right?"

"Yes."

"You don't look it. You look likedeath. Take a drink, it'll calm your nerves. Me, I'm that shook I'm going todrink until I'm legless. You're going to need a bath and a change of clothes.I've got some in the room at the back. I'll get them and heat some water."When Irena went out, Stanski said to Anna, "Drink. Irena's right, you lookas if you need it."

Anna ignored the vodka. "Where arewe? Where is this place?"

Stanski told her. He had alreadyexplained about Irena, but the atmosphere in the car as they drove to the dachahad been charged and anxious, as if they each expected a roadblock or a policesiren at any moment, and they had hardly spoken. Now Stanski said,"There's something wrong, isn't there?"

"I told you, I'm fine."

"Then why is it I get the feelingsomething about you is different? I would have thought getting you out of theLubyanka was cause for a celebration. Instead, you look like someone's justspoiled your evening."

As she stood there, Stanski saw alifeless look in her eyes and said, "Tell me what's wrong."

"Lukin told me you came to Moscow tokill Stalin. Is that true?"

Stanski didn't reply.

For several moments she stood there,looking at him, and then she said, "if that's true, you're insane."

"Wrong man. It's Stalin who'sinsane. And yes, I came here to kill him."

"You could never do it. It'simpossible. You'd simply be wasting your own life."

"Best let me be the judge ofthat."

Anna was going to continue, thenhesitated. Stanski said, "There's something else, isn't there'? Did Lukinhurt you? Is that it?"

"He didn't lay a finger on me."

"You know you almost got us killedtonight? You can't trust Lukin. How could you be such a fool? You should havelet me shoot him when I had the chance."

"He didn't deserve to die likethat."

He looked at her and laughed harshly."I can't believe you're saying that. The man tries to kill us and you'redefending him."

"Lukin took me to see Sasha."

He saw the pain in her face and suddenlyput down his glass. "Tell me."

She told him everything that had happenedsince he had lost her in the woods.

When she had finished, Stanski said,"So that's why you were with him in the car? Listen to me, Anna, there'sonly one reason Lukin Would have allowed you to see Your daughter, and that'sto make you talk."

"There was nothing I could tell himto help him find you. I think Lukin knew that all along, even when he took meto meet Sasha. What he did tonight any man in his position who loved his wifewould have done ... Lukin thinks she'll be punished too for what you did. Hehad to try and stop you."

"Listen to me, Anna. Lukin's nodifferent from any of those other KGB bastards. He tried it on with you with asob story and hoped you'd fall for it and you did. You should have let me put abullet in him when I had the chance." He shook his head. "He wasplaying games with you, Anna. Playing games to get you to trust him. And evenif he meant what he said about saving you from a firing squad, what sort of alife would it have been for your daughter, imprisoned in a camp?"

He saw her struggle to hold back hertears. His hand reached out and touched her face.

"Anna, I'm sorry. If there wassomething I could do to get Sasha back I would, but it's too late for that andtoo dangerous, and even if I knew where she was you can be sure after tonightLukin will have her closely guarded. I can't take the risk of trying to rescueher, it would only jeopardize what I came here to do. And it's come too far tolet that happen."

She turned away, a flood of grief on herface. Stanski went to touch her again but she pushed him away, and he saw thetears at the edges of her eyes.

"I can't give up now, Anna, not whenI'm so close. And if Lukin thinks I'm finished he's got a surprise instore."

Anna looked back at him. "You'rebeing reckless. You know what you intend is impossible. Stop before it's toolate."

He smiled, but the smile never reachedhis eyes. "Definitely too late for that, Anna. Irena will drive you to arailway station outside Moscow before it gets light. There's a Goods trainleaving for the Finnish border and you'll both be on it. A man named Lebel willlook after you. Irena will tell you everything when the time comes. I'm trulysorry about Sashia."

He looked at her face and she knew hemeant it. He turned toward the kitchen door. "Where are you going?"

"To get some air. Maybe you need tobe alone."." As he opened the door, Anna said, "You know you'redead if you stay in Moscow?"

Stanski pulled up his collar. "Likethey say, the seeds of what we'll do are in all of us. Maybe that's my fate. Imean to finish what I started. And no one's going to stop me now. No one. Leastof all Lukin."

And then he turned and was gone out ofthe door.

The man had driven halfway down the unlitstreet in the van and pulled in under a tree. It was deserted and the dachas oneither side were in shadow. He removed the binoculars from under the passengerseat and stepped out into the snow.

It took him almost ten minutes to findthe address in the darkness. Five minutes later he had found his way around tothe back of the property and came out in a clump of trees at the rear of thedacha. He saw the yellow glow of an oil lamp burning behind the downstairsCURTAINED window and he smiled to himself.

He settled down in the freezing woods.The binoculars were pretty useless without any light, and he trained his eyeson the dacha, scanning the curtained windows for- any sign of movement.