[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Once more he got out the map and studied it. First, the large map of the
Trans-Baikal and the lands to the east. That portion of Siberia east of Lake
Baikal, lying between the Amur River border with China and the Arctic Ocean,
was a huge piece of territory. He merely glanced at the thick finger of land
pointing eastward toward the Bering Strait and Alaska. That was impossible,
absolutely impossible. Mountains, rivers, and tundra. Few villages, few
people, many small mountain ranges, swamps, and bitter cold.
South toward the Amur; that has to be it. Perhaps eastward, south of Magadan?
He was studying the map when he heard the tap on the door. For a moment he
sat starkly still.
The KGB? They usually came in the night. But he, Zamatev, was the KGB, or at
least he was the GRU, which was almost the same thing.
The knock came again. Too light for that. He walked to the door. "Who is
there?" he demanded.
"Kyra."
He opened the door. "Come in! Come in! How are you?" His kiss was brief. Her
lips were cold from the night air.
There was no nonsense about her. She walked right to his desk. She placed a
typewritten report on the map, "It is there, what I have learned, but let me
tell you. I think I have a lead."
He sat down and leaned back in the chair. "Tell me."
"We covered a lot of area and we found nothing, nothing at all. We asked
questions, we looked at reports. Nothing."
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"In Aldan, however, there is a dealer in furs. A man named Evgeny Zhikarev."
"I know the name."
"Exactly. Stegman had questioned him once."
"What about him?"
"A dealer in furs, as I said, and a small bale of furs had just been
received. Obviously he was nervous, and it had something to do with the furs.
I went through them, and I know something of pelts. Some of them were very
fine skins, and the best of them were treated in a different way from the
bulk. Most of the furs were crudely handled, but a number of them showed the
skilled hand of a man who both knew about furs and cared about them.
"Zhikarev had obviously noticed it, too, but he disclaimed any knowledge of
the man who had done it. I believe him."
"You believe him?"
"Yes. The furs come from the forest and are obviously taken and treated by
several different trappers. There is no way he could know them all, and this
one was new."
"You know that?"
"He swears it and I believe him, I went through many of the furs he has for
sale or trade. None of them were handled in the same way."
She took off her fur hat and shook out her hair. "Comrade Wulff wears a
beautiful fur coat, and so does his wife, whom I happened to see. That's not
unexpected in a section where furs are so common, but I have an idea that the
comrade is doing very well by himself. I believe the traders favor him
somewhat and that he favors them."
"So?"
"You and I know that happens, and Wulff seems very happy with his position."
"It is a good one, and he has friends." His eyes yielded nothing. "Some of
his friends in the higher commands have fine fur coats, too. It is not
unusual."
"I do not criticize. I only comment. One comment would be that Wulff knows a
good deal about the furs and their origin. No doubt he could provide
information if he wished."
"Ah?"
Zamatev was thinking about it. That Wulff was being given furs he did not
doubt. That he might overlook a few things as a result was also probable. That
he would in any way betray his government Zamatev did not believe. If Wulff
knew where the American was, he would arrest him or at least report him.
Hence, he did not know. But was he, perhaps, negligent? Did he know of a place
where the American might be? Wulff had once been a very good man. He had
covered a lot of wild country long ago. Now he was an administrator and
content to be so.
"You spoke to him?"
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"He was cooperative. He went back to the house of Zhikarev with me, but
Zhikarev was gone."
"Gone?"
"Not at home."
"You went inside?"
"We did. Everything looked much the same, except that the bale of furs had
been unpacked and placed with other furs of their kind. There were no signs of
hurried packing. It looked like he had just stepped out."
"But you do not believe it?"
"I do not. I think Stegman frightened him. I think he is gone. I may be
wrong, but I do not believe he will come back. Or, let us say, I do not think
he planned to come back."
"But he may?"
"As a precaution I suggested to their commanding officer that the border
guards be replaced for a few days. That the guards be given some leave and
others put in their places." She smiled. "Just in the event that Zhikarev had
made some friends along the border."
"Good! Very, very good! A friend of Zhikarev might also befriend a friend of
his. You ordered the arrest of Zhikarev?"
"I did."
Zamatev walked to the window and looked out. The little car was farther down
the street tonight. He gave it a glance only. This was a lead, although a slim
one, scarcely more than that found by Alekhin.
If the American was an Indian he must also be a trapper. Were they not all
hunters and trappers? If so, he might be catching fur to raise money he would
need and to pay his way now. In any event, he could not afford to ignore any
lead.
"You are tired."
"Not too tired."
He smiled. "Go home and get some rest. It will be busy around here tonight."
"We know nothing," she warned. "It is only the furs."
"And the man Zhikarev, who disappeared. It is only the guilty who flee." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl exclamation.htw.pl
Once more he got out the map and studied it. First, the large map of the
Trans-Baikal and the lands to the east. That portion of Siberia east of Lake
Baikal, lying between the Amur River border with China and the Arctic Ocean,
was a huge piece of territory. He merely glanced at the thick finger of land
pointing eastward toward the Bering Strait and Alaska. That was impossible,
absolutely impossible. Mountains, rivers, and tundra. Few villages, few
people, many small mountain ranges, swamps, and bitter cold.
South toward the Amur; that has to be it. Perhaps eastward, south of Magadan?
He was studying the map when he heard the tap on the door. For a moment he
sat starkly still.
The KGB? They usually came in the night. But he, Zamatev, was the KGB, or at
least he was the GRU, which was almost the same thing.
The knock came again. Too light for that. He walked to the door. "Who is
there?" he demanded.
"Kyra."
He opened the door. "Come in! Come in! How are you?" His kiss was brief. Her
lips were cold from the night air.
There was no nonsense about her. She walked right to his desk. She placed a
typewritten report on the map, "It is there, what I have learned, but let me
tell you. I think I have a lead."
He sat down and leaned back in the chair. "Tell me."
"We covered a lot of area and we found nothing, nothing at all. We asked
questions, we looked at reports. Nothing."
Page 83
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"In Aldan, however, there is a dealer in furs. A man named Evgeny Zhikarev."
"I know the name."
"Exactly. Stegman had questioned him once."
"What about him?"
"A dealer in furs, as I said, and a small bale of furs had just been
received. Obviously he was nervous, and it had something to do with the furs.
I went through them, and I know something of pelts. Some of them were very
fine skins, and the best of them were treated in a different way from the
bulk. Most of the furs were crudely handled, but a number of them showed the
skilled hand of a man who both knew about furs and cared about them.
"Zhikarev had obviously noticed it, too, but he disclaimed any knowledge of
the man who had done it. I believe him."
"You believe him?"
"Yes. The furs come from the forest and are obviously taken and treated by
several different trappers. There is no way he could know them all, and this
one was new."
"You know that?"
"He swears it and I believe him, I went through many of the furs he has for
sale or trade. None of them were handled in the same way."
She took off her fur hat and shook out her hair. "Comrade Wulff wears a
beautiful fur coat, and so does his wife, whom I happened to see. That's not
unexpected in a section where furs are so common, but I have an idea that the
comrade is doing very well by himself. I believe the traders favor him
somewhat and that he favors them."
"So?"
"You and I know that happens, and Wulff seems very happy with his position."
"It is a good one, and he has friends." His eyes yielded nothing. "Some of
his friends in the higher commands have fine fur coats, too. It is not
unusual."
"I do not criticize. I only comment. One comment would be that Wulff knows a
good deal about the furs and their origin. No doubt he could provide
information if he wished."
"Ah?"
Zamatev was thinking about it. That Wulff was being given furs he did not
doubt. That he might overlook a few things as a result was also probable. That
he would in any way betray his government Zamatev did not believe. If Wulff
knew where the American was, he would arrest him or at least report him.
Hence, he did not know. But was he, perhaps, negligent? Did he know of a place
where the American might be? Wulff had once been a very good man. He had
covered a lot of wild country long ago. Now he was an administrator and
content to be so.
"You spoke to him?"
Page 84
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"He was cooperative. He went back to the house of Zhikarev with me, but
Zhikarev was gone."
"Gone?"
"Not at home."
"You went inside?"
"We did. Everything looked much the same, except that the bale of furs had
been unpacked and placed with other furs of their kind. There were no signs of
hurried packing. It looked like he had just stepped out."
"But you do not believe it?"
"I do not. I think Stegman frightened him. I think he is gone. I may be
wrong, but I do not believe he will come back. Or, let us say, I do not think
he planned to come back."
"But he may?"
"As a precaution I suggested to their commanding officer that the border
guards be replaced for a few days. That the guards be given some leave and
others put in their places." She smiled. "Just in the event that Zhikarev had
made some friends along the border."
"Good! Very, very good! A friend of Zhikarev might also befriend a friend of
his. You ordered the arrest of Zhikarev?"
"I did."
Zamatev walked to the window and looked out. The little car was farther down
the street tonight. He gave it a glance only. This was a lead, although a slim
one, scarcely more than that found by Alekhin.
If the American was an Indian he must also be a trapper. Were they not all
hunters and trappers? If so, he might be catching fur to raise money he would
need and to pay his way now. In any event, he could not afford to ignore any
lead.
"You are tired."
"Not too tired."
He smiled. "Go home and get some rest. It will be busy around here tonight."
"We know nothing," she warned. "It is only the furs."
"And the man Zhikarev, who disappeared. It is only the guilty who flee." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]