As he sat there he suddenly saw the backdoor open. In the flood of light that !filled the doorway a man stepped outonto the patio and closed the door after him.

He lifted the binoculars. It was too darkto see the man's face clearly and he swore to himself. Then a light flared inthe blackness near a woodshed as the mien lit a cigarette, and he locked ontothe figure and saw the face clearly for an instant and froze.

The man put down his binoculars andpicked his way back through the woods to the van. It was five minutes laterwhen he drove into the nearest town and found a public telephone.

He went to stand under the rusting metalcanopy and inserted a coin and dialed the number. It took @,., a long timebefore the phone was lifted at the other end. "Boris?"

"Da. "It's Sergei. I think I'vefound them."

Moscow.

Nadia came out of the kitchen with abottle of vodka and two gllasses. Her hands were trembling.

Lukin said, "You really think youought to drink?"

"I need it. So do you."

"Perhaps I should call you adoctor?"

She shook her head. "One patient isenough for tonight. Sit down, Yuri."

There was a firmness in her voice Lukinhadn't heard before, He sat on the couch and she poured two glasses and came tojoin him.

As Lukin sat there, he felt numb inside.What had happened was a nightmare. They had left Pasha at the office of aMongol doctor he knew. A bullet had chipped his shoulder bone but the woundwasn't life-threatening. The doctor had given him a shot of morphine andcleaned the wound, then Pasha had called Lukin aside.

"Go home, Yuri. I'll call you when Iget out of here. Look after Nadia. She looks pretty upset."

"You're sure you'll be allright?"

Pasha lifted his arm and grimaced inpain. "I'll just have to learn to drink with my left." Lukin knew thehumor was forced.

He consulted the doctor.

"He's lost some blood," thedoctor said, "but I know this lunatic. He'd live through anything. Whatabout you and your wife? You both look shaken."

Lukin didn't want to complicate thingsfurther. The less the doctor knew the better. But he had him examine Nadia inthe next room.

When the doctor came back he said,"Your wife's pretty distressed. Because she's pregnant, I've given hersome mild sedatives to help her relax. Make sure she takes them. Do you want totell me what happened?"

Lukin shook his head. "She wasn'thurt?"

"There's no sign of any physicalinjury. She just needs to rest. What about you?"

"Just make sure Pasha's taken careof. And if anyone asks, you were told his wound was an accident."

Now Lukin put his head in his hand as hesat on the couch. He felt drained, exhaustion and stress foggin- his brain.

"Drink this."

He looked up. Nadia handed him the glassof vodka.

When he had swallowed @" a mouthful,she sat beside him. "Tell me what's going on. Tell me why that mankidnapped me." She looked at him. "What happened to your hand?"

Lukin heard the anger in her voice as shestared at him..

"You'd better tell me everything,Yuri. Because if you don't I'm packing my things and leaving. My life's beenput in danger. And the life of our child."

"Nadia , .." He went to touchher but she pushed him away.

He understood. At first, her reaction wasfear and shock, now anger, because he had put their lives in danger.

He shook his head helplessly. "Nadia... regulations don't permit me ..

"I mean it, Yuri. After tonight youowe it to me to tell me everything. And to hell with your regulations. What ifthat madman hadn't released me when he did?"

"I would have tried to followhim."

"That was still putting my life indanger."

"Nadia, there was no other way ..

"Tell me the whole truth. or so helpme, Yuri, as much as I love you, I'm leaving you. Who was the man?"

Lukin saw the look on her face and knewshe meant it. He put his glass down very slowly, took a deep breath and let itout.

"An American assassin. His name'sAlex Stanski. He's also known as the Wolf. He's in Moscow to kill JosephStalin."

Nadia turned white. She put down herglass, disbelief on her face.

Lukin told her everything. When he had finished,Nadia stood up and said, "Oh my God."

"After tonight the situation lookshopeless. When Beria learns I've released the woman he'll have me arrested andshot. It won't matter that I did it because your life was in danger. To Beriathat's no excuse. Duty comes first. And he'll see you as an accomplice whoshould be punished." He saw the look of anguish on his wife's face andsaid, "Nadia, you wanted the truth and I've told you."

"I ... I don't believe this ishappening."

He felt the perspiration run down hisshirt. "Listen to me Nadia. No matter what way you look at it I'm dead andyou're in danger. It's not going to take long before Beria learns the truth.Tomorrow at the latest I want you to leave Moscow. Go somewhere you stand achance of not being found. Somewhere far away. The Urals. The Caucasus. I'llarrange false papers. You take every ruble we have. It's your only hope. If youstay, you'll be shot or sent to a camp. This way at least you stand achance."

"I'm not leaving you herealone."

"You have to, if only for ourchild's sake."

"And what will you do?"

"I stay in Moscow. If we leavetogether there wouldn't be any mercy shown. But if I stay there's a chanceBeria won't trouble himself about you."

Nadia seemed to crack then, and Lukin sawthe flood of tears before her arms went around his neck and he pulled herclose.

"No tears, Nadia. Please ... "Iwon't go without you,"

"Then think of our child."

She pulled away from him, sobbing. Lukinstood. Seeing her like this was killing him.

"Tell me what happened this morning.What did Stanski do to you?"

Nadia wiped her eyes. "He came tothe door and forced himself in. He put something over my mouth and I blackedout. When I came to he had a gun to my head. He said he'd kill us both if Ididn't do as he said. I thought he was some escaped madman."

"Did he hurt you?"

"No."

"Tell me what happened after he tookyou outside." She told him and Lukin said, "When Stanski took you tothe car, was he alone?"

"No, there was someone waiting inthe driver's seat."

"Who?"

"I couldn't see. I was still drowsy.As soon as I got in the backseat he blindfolded me. The next thing I knew I wasin a room somewhere. That's all I remember."

"Do you remember what type ofcar?"

"I ... I'm not sure."

"Think, Nadia. What type? Whatcolor?"

"Everything happened so fast. Idon't remember what type."

"Do you remember the color?"

"Gray, maybe. Or green. I can't becertain."

"What about the license plates'? Youdidn't see the license plates?"

"No."

Lukin sighed. "Do you rememberanything about the driver?"

"He had his back to me."

"Think, Nadia. Please."

"When the smell of the drug wentaway I could smell something else ..

"What?"

"A clean smell. Like perfume ... butI'm not sure."

"Could the driver have been awoman?"

Nadia shook her head. "I don't know.I suppose, but I really don't know. Can we stop this, please, Yuri ..

Lukin saw the strain and tension on herface. She was close to breaking point but he needed some clue. Something thatmight help him.