"Tell me about the room you werekept in."

"I told you, I wasblindfolded."

He put his hand to his wife's face andcovered her eyes. She started to move away but he held her still. "Nadia,this is important. Imagine you're in that room again. Imagine you'reblindfolded. What smells were there? What sounds?"

"There was no ... sound of traffic.I heard birds outside but it was very quiet and still. It seemed like somewherein the country, but it was Moscow, I'm sure of it."

"Why are you sure?"

, "When I was taken to the convent Iwas still blindfolded but I couldn't have been in the car for more than half anhour. But where we drove from ... I don't know ... it could have been anywhere."

"Think. What else do youremember?"

Nadia went to push his hand away but hekept it there.

"Yuri, please ... I can't take anymore, please ..

Lukin removed his hand. Nadia was crying,tears streaming down her face. He pulled her close and held her tightly.

"It's all right, my love. It's allright. Come into the bedroom. Try and sleep."

She wiped her face and pushed away fromhim. "How can I sleep after what you've told me?"

"Because you need to. Take one ofthe pills the doctor gave you." He stood up and saw the alarm on her face.

"Where are you going?"

"Nadia, I have to try to findStanski. He won't come back here, he wouldn't risk it. But if it makes you feelbetter I'll have one of the men come over and stay. But tell him nothing andlock the doors while I'm away."

He picked up the brown bottle. "Thisis what Stanski used to put you asleep erlier. It's a controlled substance, ananesthetic and solvent. And that means it can only be bought through legalchannels. I need to check if any of the names on the lists of dissidents arechemists or doctors, or work in hospitals where they could have access to suchsupplies, or even if any has been reported stolen. It's not much to go on, butit's all I can think of. If Pasha calls, tell him where I've gone. I'll haveone of the men stop by as soon as I get to my office."

"Yuri, please be careful." Hekissed her forehead. "Of course. Now try and rest."

Lukin, watched as she crossed to thebedroom door. She looked back at him, a frightened look that almost broke his heart,and then she went into the bedroom.

He put his hand to his forehead and satthere, in turmoil. Everything had gone wrong. The ether was a thin strand, buthe had to give Nadia some hope. He had to find Stanski and find him fast beforeBeria discovered that the woman was missing. He found it difficult toconcentrate as he tried to rack his brain for clues.

Nadia's information hadn't been much.Maybe a house on the outskirts of Moscow. A quiet place in the country with notraffic. A dacha, perhaps. Maybe a woman involved. It was nothing much to goon. Nothing.

He needed solid clues. He looked down atthe ether bottle. Right now it was all he had.

It was almost ten that evening when theTupolev 4 military transporter arriving from Vienna touched down on the snowyrunway at Moscow's Viiukovo airfield.

Among the military-only passengers thatevening was a bulky man in his early forties with cropped hair. He wore an airforce maan's uniform an had hardly spoken throughout the bumpy four-hourflight, pretending to sleep in his seat at the rear of the aircraft, while theother military passengers drank and played cards or wandered up and down theaisles to ease the boredom.

Now, as he carried his duffel bag downthe metal steps, an imposing black Zil drew up alongside the Tupolev and ayoung lieutenant in air force uniform introduced himself and led the major tothe waiting car.

It took almost ten minutes to exit theairport, the papers the lieutenant produced being checked thoroughly at thespecial gate reserved for military traffic. But the documents were all in orderand the Zil was waved through.

Half an hour later the car pulled up on adark country road on the outskirts of Moscow. The young officer looked aroundand smiled.

"This is where I was told to dropyou, sir."

The man looked Out of the window at thefalling snow and said, "You're certain this is the place?"

"Certain, Comrade Major."

Massey climbed out silently, dragging hisbag after him. The lieutenant watched him disappear into the darkness as thesnow fell lightly beyond the windshield.

Lukin pulled up opposite the entrance tothe small park near the Kiev Metro station. As he stepped out of the car, henoticed that the lights were on in the park. He saw a dozen or moretough-looking men huddled beyond the bare trees twenty meters away. Most of themhad the dark look of the south: Uzbekistans, Turkestaiis, Georgians, gypsiesfrom the Crimea with ugly, elaborate tattoos on their hands and arms. Hardenedpetty criminals who ran the Moscow black markets and risked five years inSiberia for additional trading.

He saw the rusting green Emka parkedacross the street, but there was no sign of Rizov.

He noticed that some of the men under thetrees were closing suitcases and canvas bags, stashing them onto the backs ofbicycles or carrying them to the trunks of rusted cars award vans outside thepark. Another ten minutes and the place would be deserted.

Through the bare trees Lukin saw a traderwith a heavy black mustache. A barrel-chested fat man with one led shorter thanthe other, wearing loose, baggy clothes and a bushy beard. Oleg Rizov. Rizovthe Bear.

He was arguing with a woman carrying ashopping bag. The woman held up a dented can of tinned peaches, trying tobargain. Rizov kept smiling a gold-toothed smile and shaking [ his head fromside to side. Finally the exasperated woman threw the can into the bushes indisgust and uttered a mouthful expletives before turning on her heel. The othermen standing under the trees laughed and Rizov growled at them, then limp( overand retrieved the can of peaches and swore after the woman.

Lukin watched as moments later Rizovpicked up two worn suitcases and came out through the park gates to rusty Emka,waddling like a man with legs of rubber. Rizov locke the cases in the trunk,then went around to the front. He removed two windshield wipers from inside hiscoat and fit them to the wiper arms, then climbed into the Emka.

It started in a puff of blue exhaustsmoke and moved ol from the curb. Lukin pulled out after it.

The apartment block off the southern endof the Lenin Prospect had been built just after the war, but despite itsnewness it looked shabby. Raw unplastered cinder block and lines of fro zenwashing hanging on balconies.

The Emka halted and Lukin saw Rizov climbout, retrieve his two suitcases and remove the wipers again before he locke(the car. He stepped on a line of wooden planks that covered the slushy patchesin front of the building before he limped into the apartment block.

Lukin locked the BMW and followed.

He went up to the third floor and knockedon Rizov's door There was a rattle of bolts and locks and Rizov appeared. Hisface dropped when he saw Lukin.

"Major ... what a surprise ..

Lukin brushed past him.

The room was squalid, untidy and indisarray, but it was a storehouse of luxury. The two suitcases from the carwere open, their contents scattered. Jars of Dutch jams and some cans ofpeaches and red caviar. From hooks in the ceiling hung sides of smoked salmonand bunches of dried salted herrings. On the table Lukin saw half a dozenbottles of Ukrainian champagne and a couple of kilo jars of pickled sturgeon'sroe.

"About to give a party, Oleg? Or didI disturb your supper?"

Rizov closed the door and nervouslylicked his lips. "What can I say, Major?"