WHENEVER THEY COULD find inconspicuous time together, Yuri and Grigory met at the Blue Lagoon and went through the options for getting Anya as far as Longyearbyen. The journey could be made by snowmobile, but she could not travel alone, so someone would have to go with her and get back without being missed. This presented a major difficulty since in the midwinter conditions of ice, snow and permanent night, it could take two days to get there and two days to get back.
‘We’ll have to wait until the sun returns,’ said Grigory. ‘Going now, with just headlights all the way, would not be a good idea. Suicide more like. I presume you don’t want to die just yet?’
There was an unspoken assumption that the someone who would accompany Anya would be Yuri, since Grigory had already made it clear he was not going to stick his neck out too far for her.
Apart from the light problem, if the weather got bad they could be in bigger trouble.
‘Are you sure she wants to risk her life for this? It’s no joke out there. Nobody makes that kind of a trip at this time of year unless they have no choice,’ said Grigory.
‘I’ll talk to her,’ said Yuri. ‘Make sure she knows what she’s getting in to.’
Then there was the helicopter, which Yuri was more than capable of flying. The problem with this, as Grigory pointed out, was that it could not be taken without people noticing. For a start half the town would hear the engine warming up, which would be essential for de-icing before take-off.
The third possibility was to wait until the spring and find a boat that would take her.
‘It’s too long a wait,’ said Yuri. ‘I think she might crack up before then.’
Snowmobile seemed the least bad option, and they began to think of ways that Grigory could cover for Yuri’s absence. Catherine would know he was not around, since he spent time with her every day, so she would have to be dealt with in some way. Grigory laughed when Yuri told him Anya was convinced that Catherine was the secret contact.
‘Good,’ he said, ‘maybe you could encourage that?’
‘I’m not sure I need to do anything,’ replied Yuri. ‘But if we get caught I don’t want her pointing the finger and calling Catherine a master spy. What would happen to her if they did suspect her? She’d be OK, wouldn’t she?’
Grigory threw a stone across the thin frozen layer on top of the lake. It bounced once, then slid another twenty feet before coming to a stop.
‘Are you asking if the fact that she’s a foreigner would protect her?’ said Grigory. ‘I think if they suspected she was really an agent, nothing would keep her safe. In this game, no one behaves by gentleman’s rules.’
‘And Anya?’ said Yuri. ‘What about her? She is not selling secrets, or spying on anyone. She is just a wife who wants to be with her husband.’
Grigory paused and gave him an odd look. ‘She is no ordinary wife. She worked on a restricted programme. Love is not a valid excuse for defecting with a head full of secrets.’
‘I’m not so sure it is love,’ said Yuri.
‘Is that not what all of this is about?’ asked Grigory. ‘Why is she doing it then?’
‘I am not a mind-reader but I think she is trying to recapture something she lost, to get her life back like it was before. But that old life is gone, and there is no way to get it back. Not now.’
‘You’ve told her this?’ asked Grigory.
‘Not in so many words, but yes, I have tried,’ he replied.
‘Let me guess, she doesn’t believe you.’
‘No. She’s determined to follow it through. She thinks I’m biased because I don’t want her to go.’
‘Is that true? You still don’t want her to go?’
‘Isn’t that obvious?’ asked Yuri. ‘We are great together. And her husband is a liar and an idiot.’
‘Oh,’ said Grigory. ‘I thought this might be another version of your “put them on a boat and wave goodbye” routines, just a bit more complicated.’
‘Just a bit.’
Grigory looked confused. ‘So why are you doing it then, if it’s not what you want?’
Yuri shrugged. ‘It’s not for me to choose. It’s what she wants. She wants to be with him more than she wants to be with me.’
Grigory stopped talking for a while, and stared at the frozen water. A large air bubble erupted under the surface of the ice as drinking water for the town was extracted from a pipe deep underneath the surface.
‘I might have another idea on how to get her there to Longyearbyen,’ said Grigory. ‘Leave it with me for a while.’
‘Something you’d like to share?’ asked Yuri.
‘No,’ said Grigory. ‘Not yet. But it might just work out for all of us. Right now, I don’t like the other options. They are too risky. For you especially.’
He turned and walked away, leaving Yuri wondering what this sudden brainwave was all about.
‘Why is she a communist?’ asked Timur.
Yuri was sitting in the sauna again with the KGB man, despite his best efforts to have their meeting moved to a location that required clothes. Being half naked with Timur was not an experience he looked forward to. But he hoped that this would be their last time. He had even gone to the trouble of preparing thorough notes in order to seal the deal.
‘She believes in communism as the fairest system for people to live under,’ he began. ‘One in which everyone is valued equally, and no one gets left behind. She believes the world would be a better place if the communist system spread everywhere, including England.’
Timur raised his eyebrows.
‘That’s what she believes,’ said Yuri. ‘Unless it’s a brilliant act, which I don’t think it is.’
Timur nodded, and added as an afterthought, ‘Of course, it’s true.’
‘Of course,’ agreed Yuri.
For the likes of Timur, the Soviet system was indeed perfect. Not for any of the positive reasons that Catherine had outlined. Not for fairness, or equality, or any of those noble ideals. Instead, the system gave men like him power over others, power to enrich themselves, power to do what they wanted. All with impunity, because the party protected its own. One of them could not be condemned for corruption without endangering the whole house of cards. So they closed ranks around each other at the first sign of trouble. And it was not unusual for the accuser to be the one who was punished.
‘Boyfriends?’ asked Timur. ‘Before 1973. Who were they?’
‘I did ask about them,’ said Yuri. ‘But there really doesn’t seem to have been much action there. She said that boys in school and college found her a bit odd. That was her word.’
‘Odd?’ asked Timur.
‘I think she means she was a bit of a misfit,’ said Yuri. ‘Which she is, but in a good way. I think she is quite inexperienced when it comes to romance.’
Two large miners walked in the door, naked, with towels draped over their shoulders. Timur scowled at them and they stopped in their tracks.
‘We’re having a meeting here,’ said Timur. ‘You’ll have to come back later.’
The miners looked from Timur to Yuri. They were not about to argue with the KGB man, but they reserved most of their displeasure for him. Great, thought Yuri, now they will think I’m an informer. It was true. He was. But with any luck he was about to be retired from that low profession. However, if a rumour was started about him, in this little town it would be hard to shake off, no matter what the truth was. This was another reason why he had wanted this meeting to happen in a less public place.
‘So no boyfriends at all?’ asked Timur.
‘None really,’ replied Yuri. ‘Just a few brief encounters. If she met someone she liked, which she seems to have seldom done, they usually did not return her interest for very long. And for her, there was always something missing.’
‘She’s choosy then?’ asked Timur.
‘Oh yes. I should think so,’ said Yuri. ‘That’s probably part of the problem. She also mentioned that some men had found her politics to be off-putting.’
Timur nodded. Yuri had studied all of his reactions. It was hard to know what the man wanted to hear. If he had known he would have tailored his report to satisfy him. As it was, he was throwing information at Timur, hoping that he would somehow cover what was required of him. All of it seemed to be useless gossip. The subject of her past relationships seemed to interest him the most, but there was precious little material on this topic to go on.
Yuri could imagine Catherine’s male contemporaries finding her off-putting. She did come across as strange, at least until you got to know her.
‘And when this space study of hers is finished in the spring,’ said Timur, ‘what will she do then?’
‘It’s actually a bit of a fraud’ said Yuri. ‘She isn’t really interested in how we might live in space. She only thought it up as a way to get here.’
‘She lied to us?’ said Timur. ‘We gave her permission to come here on the basis of her thesis work.’
‘Well. Yes,’ said Yuri. ‘But she lied in the best possible way. She wanted to come here. She has no more interest in space than you or I do.’
Timur considered this for a moment, before smiling. ‘That was clever.’
‘She’s very resourceful,’ agreed Yuri. ‘I think she might take over my job some day. She is certainly capable enough. She keeps me on my toes.’
Yuri looked away as he noticed beads of sweat trickling down Timur’s hairless chest. Almost there, he kept telling himself, and you’ll never have to do this again. He looked at his handwritten pages, searching for anything he had forgotten. Timur watched him and waited, but he could not find anything other than what he had mentioned already.
‘I think that’s all,’ said Yuri. ‘I went down every avenue, like you said, and followed each one as far as it went.’
The secret service man did not look satisfied, but he said nothing.
‘You want my opinion?’ asked Yuri.
Judging by his expression, Timur definitely did not care to hear what Yuri had to say for himself. But he replied, ‘Go on.’
‘Catherine is a good person. She is no more an enemy of the state than I am. If you would just talk to her yourself, I am sure you would come to the same conclusion.’
To his surprise, Timur seemed to be taking on board what he had said.
‘I might just do that,’ he replied. ‘I don’t think it can do any harm. Sometimes it is good, at a certain point, to gauge these things for oneself. There’s only so much you can get from reports, after all.’
Job done, thought Yuri. He folded up his notes until they fit in the palm of his hand.
‘I hope this was useful,’ he said. ‘Better than the last time?’
‘It wasn’t bad,’ said Timur, with a shrug. ‘You are improving.’
‘So, I can stop, as we agreed?’ asked Yuri.
‘We didn’t agree anything.’
‘But you said if—’
‘No, I didn’t, I said maybe. You can continue, as normal, for the time being. After that, we’ll see.’
Yuri felt like stuffing his notes down Timur’s throat and holding his mouth shut.
‘What are you waiting for?’ asked Yuri. ‘There isn’t any more. She’s clean.’
‘It takes time to make a thorough evaluation of any individual,’ said Timur. ‘I cannot say when I will have enough information. I’ll let you know when you can stop.’
Yuri calmed himself, and shrugged. ‘Fine. Whatever you think.’
The door opened again, and this time four miners entered, chatting to each other in what sounded like Chechen. Timur didn’t object to them coming in. Yuri took that as the sign that the meeting was over. He took his pages, and held on to his towel as he stood up. Two of the miners took Yuri’s place on the wooden bench, and the other two sat on either side of Timur. Unlike the earlier two miners, these men obviously did not know who they were sitting next to. If they had they would not be crowding him like that. Yuri made a quick exit before Timur had time to follow him.
He dressed without showering, and walked straight out of the building. He was not happy about what appeared to be his open-ended engagement as an informer. No matter that Timur wanted it to continue; there would be no more reports from him, he decided. If Timur pulled his threat again, about replacing him, he thought he could ask for Grigory’s support. Then the two of them could fight it out together.
At his apartment, to his disappointment, he found that Anya was not there. He was about to go looking for her when there was a knock on the door. He smiled, pleased that she had sought him out first. But when he opened the door he found Grigory standing in the hallway. Grigory grinned at the oversized double bed squashed into the tiny apartment, but he said nothing about it.
‘Come with me,’ said Grigory. ‘That thing I mentioned is coming together.’
Yuri just wanted to rest and recuperate. Timur had drained the life out of him. But he put on his coat and followed the party man down the stairs. It had been two days since their last meeting at the Blue Lagoon, and they had not spoken since.
‘Where are we going?’ he asked.
‘You’ll see,’ said Grigory. ‘Your lady friend not around tonight?’
‘No,’ said Yuri. ‘I’m not sure where she is.’
When they stepped outside Yuri expected Grigory to turn right and head for his own apartment building, or to his office, which lay beyond that in the administration building. However, instead, Grigory went behind the London block and walked across the snow-covered school playground.
‘Would you like to tell me where we are off to, and why?’ asked Yuri.
‘No, I wouldn’t,’ said Grigory. ‘Be patient.’
Soon they reached the greenhouses, which served as the all-year-round kitchen garden for the canteen. Grigory opened the door and went in. Yuri followed. The inside of the greenhouse was in semi-darkness, lit only by stray amber light from the street lamps outside. Yuri reached for a light switch.
‘Don’t,’ said Grigory. ‘Leave it off.’
Yuri was about to question this when he saw a shape approaching them through the shadows from the other end of the greenhouse. The bulky figure made him nervous, but he could see that Grigory was calm. A bearded, rugged man stepped into the light in front of them. He was not a resident of Pyramiden and Yuri had never seen him before in his life. A Norwegian by the look of him. Middle-aged, but fit, and more at home outside than in.
‘Yuri, this is Bjorn,’ said Grigory. ‘I asked him to come and see us.’
‘Who is he?’ asked Yuri. ‘And how did he get here?’
‘Bjorn is an old friend,’ said Grigory. ‘He has proved useful to me before.’
Bjorn nodded his agreement.
‘And he got here by helicopter,’ continued Grigory. ‘He’s a trapper, but he flies too. Not many of them left nowadays.’
‘I didn’t hear a helicopter!’ said Yuri.
Bjorn laughed. ‘I landed outside of town. Far enough away so no one would hear. And I hiked the last part of the way. Grigory said I should not be seen by anyone.’
Yuri turned to Grigory for an explanation.
‘Bjorn here is going to deliver our package to Longyearbyen.’
Yuri pulled Grigory to one side. ‘I can’t send her off with someone I don’t know, just like that. Who the hell is he?’
‘He is our guarantee that this is not going to rebound on us. He takes her, and as soon as she’s gone, the two of us will make ourselves as conspicuous as possible around town. Then after a day, you can be the one to raise the alarm. Your beloved has gone missing, and you have no idea what’s happened to her. We can even organise a search party.’
‘But who is he? asked Yuri. ‘He works for them?’
‘No,’ said Grigory. ‘He is exactly what I said, a trapper. He works for himself. He spends most of the year out in the wilds. Nobody knows these islands better than he does.’
‘I don’t know about this,’ said Yuri. ‘I can’t just hand her over to anyone.’
While they spoke, Bjorn busied himself looking at the plants that were growing in the greenhouse beds. He pulled a carrot off a bunch beneath the soil, brushed it clean and started eating it. He seemed to have no interest in what they were saying about him.
‘He can be trusted. You can take my word for that. This is not the first time I have employed him for this kind of work.’
‘What exactly has he done for you before?’ demanded Yuri.
‘The same. Delivering packages.’
‘People?’
‘No,’ said Grigory. ‘Not people. But it isn’t any different. One package is the same as another.’
Yuri did not like the way this conversation was going, nor the abrupt manner in which this new plan had been dumped on him. He turned to leave but Grigory grabbed his arm.
‘He is your ticket to safety. I thought you would be glad.’
Yuri turned to look at the Norwegian.
‘He is a stranger,’ said Yuri. ‘How can I give Anya to him? She trusts me.’
‘Out there, I would trust him with my own life,’ said Grigory. ‘I will vouch for him.’
Yuri calmed, and Grigory let go of his arm. The trapper sensed they had finished their private chat and walked over to them.
‘Is she ready?’ he said. ‘I will take her now.’
Yuri held up his hands. ‘Hold on. She is not going anywhere tonight. I thought the plan was to wait until the sun came back.’
The Norwegian shook his head. ‘I do not need the sun to find my way. And right now, how many people know I will take her?’
‘Just us three,’ said Grigory.
‘That’s good,’ said the Norwegian. ‘But the longer we wait, the more chance others will find out. We should go now. That’s what I recommend. If not now, then soon.’
Yuri shook his head. The man did exude confidence, he had to admit. Perhaps he could trust him to get her there safely. But he was not ready to let her go.
‘I need a week to prepare her,’ he lied. ‘Minimum.’
The Norwegian was not happy. He looked to Grigory for help, but the party man remained silent. Yuri felt Grigory studying his expression, and he wondered if he knew what was going on inside his head. He suspected he did, as Grigory started nodding his head, accepting the situation.
‘Can you come back in a week?’ asked Grigory. ‘It seems we need this extra time.’
‘To wait means more danger, for you and for me,’ said the Norwegian. ‘Why would you do that?’
‘We have no reason to believe we will be discovered,’ said Grigory. ‘We are prepared to take the risk of a few more days. Are you?’
The Norwegian rubbed his beard, thinking this through.
‘For more danger, I will need more money,’ he said.
‘Yes, yes, whatever,’ said Grigory, dismissing all talk of cash with a wave of his hand.
‘Then I will meet you, outside of town, this day next week, at six in the evening, OK?’
‘You know the weather station, north of Pyramiden?’ asked Yuri. ‘We could meet you there.’
‘I know it,’ said the Norwegian. ‘I will be there. Make sure the woman is too, and on time. I will not wait long on the ground.’
He offered his hand to Yuri, and they shook on their agreement. Then he nodded once at Grigory and left.
Yuri did not speak for several minutes afterwards. He was still annoyed that Grigory had made arrangements like this in the first place without consulting him. Most of all, he was annoyed that his new plan was cutting short his last few weeks with Anya.
‘He’s right, you know,’ said Grigory. ‘Sooner would be better.’
Yuri nodded, but he didn’t care.
‘Does she really need a week to prepare, or is that for you?’ asked Grigory.
‘For me,’ he admitted. ‘I expect she would probably have gone now if I had asked her.’
Grigory did not look surprised. He put his hand on Yuri’s shoulder. ‘Enjoy your last week. Then deliver her to Bjorn.’
When Yuri failed to show any enthusiasm, Grigory added, ‘Don’t forget the last part.’
To Yuri’s surprise, Anya seemed more nervous than thrilled when he told her she would be leaving in a week’s time. This was the news she had been waiting to hear since she arrived in Pyramiden. He was glad that she was not jumping up and down with delight, but he had expected a little more gratitude.
‘Don’t you want to go?’ he asked.
‘I do,’ she said. ‘Of course I do. Just, now, it seems very sudden. I spent so many months thinking it wasn’t going to happen at all. It’s hard to get my head around that it’s actually real.’
She was pleased to hear that the journey would be made by helicopter, and she would not have to endure the hardship of an arduous trip on land through the snow and ice. This part of Grigory’s plan was a relief to Yuri too. Regardless of Anya’s hardiness when it came to alcohol, he thought she was far too delicate for the real Arctic that existed beyond the edge of town.
She wanted to know about the person who was taking her, and he lied, saying the Norwegian was someone he knew to be trustworthy.
‘Is he here now?’ she asked.
‘No,’ he replied. ‘But I have met him, and discussed everything. He will return here in seven days’ time.’
‘You mean he was here, in Pyramiden?’ she asked.
‘Yes,’ Yuri admitted.
‘When?’
‘Yesterday,’ he said. ‘He’s gone. You will meet him yourself soon enough.’
‘Will you be making the trip with me?’ she asked.
‘I’m afraid not,’ he said. ‘I will take you to the rendezvous, but then you will be on your own. Is that all right?’
She nodded her head, but he could see she was nervous about the idea.
‘So, it seems we have only one week left together,’ said Yuri. ‘How would you like to spend it?’
‘With you,’ she said, far too slowly, as though she’d just realised it was the answer he probably wanted to hear.
‘You know you can back out of this at any time, if you want,’ he said. ‘It’s your choice.’
‘I know,’ she said. ‘And I appreciate everything you are doing for me.’
He waited for more but she sank deep into her own private thoughts.
‘How about one drink to celebrate, or drown your sorrows?’ he asked. ‘We could go out if you like?’
She smiled briefly before her frown returned.
‘Would you mind if we skipped it tonight?’ she said. ‘I think I need to think things over, alone, if that’s all right.’
In his mind, he crossed off one of their last nights together. Now there were only six.
‘Sure,’ said Yuri. ‘Whatever you want. I’m here if you need me.’
She hugged him, and left without another word. He waited a moment and then looked out the window down into the square. She walked over to Paris, across the snow. Then she stopped before the doorway as though she had forgotten something. She looked back towards his first-floor apartment. He was standing away from the window, and the only light on was in the bathroom, so he was not sure if she could see him. After a moment, she turned and walked along the walkway in the direction of the port. He did not know where she was going. Perhaps she needed a drink after all, and was headed to the glass bar without him. After another thirty seconds she disappeared out of view.