A Five Year Plan

Chapter Twenty-four

The Britannia nudged its way toward the sub, gently towing Calgary Stanford’s boat alongside. From the control station on top of the conning tower, another officer shouted down to a sailor standing on the foredeck of the sub. The sailor opened a deck hatch and tossed a line to the Britannia. As soon as they were tied off to the sub, the sailors aboard the yacht began to throw the Nike sports bags to the man standing on the foredeck, who dropped them quickly through the hatch.

When Kate turned to look for Jellicoe and Stanford, she saw that another sailor had boarded the Comanche and disarmed the two men. By then it was clear that Dave was in league with the men from the sub. He paid close attention to the loading of the bags and from time to time would make some obviously good-humored remark to the other sailors, in Russian.

‘Dammit, you’re Russian,’ Kate told the captain lieutenant.

‘Yes, Russian,’ he said grinning back at her. ‘So, it’s true what they say. The FBI finds out everything in the end.’

When the last bag had been dropped down the sub’s open deck hatch, another man came up on deck and greeted Dave as if he was his oldest friend. Then he climbed down the short Jacob’s ladder that had been hung over the side of the submarine’s black hull, and clambered up onto the Britannia.

Kate noted that even Al looked surprised when the man from the sub embraced Dave fondly. They looked like they were two characters from Tolstoy, she thought. She could not understand a word of what was said, but it was clear that Al had no knowledge of what was happening. Just as clearly, he was angry. Gritting his teeth, Al moved to take a swing at Dave and then remembered the machine pistol still pointed at the small of his back.

‘You double-crossing bastard,’ he said. ‘We ain’t anywhere near the Ercolano’s position, are we? You set this up with the Russkies from the very beginning.’

‘Now you’re getting it,’ said Dave.

This time Al hardly cared about the machine pistol. He was strong, but not very quick, and certainly not as quick as Dave, who neatly sidestepped the blow then brought his left hand into Al’s side, around the bulletproof vest he was still wearing, and just over the kidney. Al doubled over with pain, leaving Dave a clear shot at his blue jaw, which sent him sprawling onto the deck at Kate’s feet.

Dave shook his hand painfully. Looking down at his former partner, he said, ‘There’s an old Russian saying, that says, roughly translated, you’re fucked, pal.’

Einstein Gergiev kissed Dave on the cheek once more and clapped him warmly on the shoulder.

‘Kak pazhitaye ti,’ said Dave grinning widely. ‘Pazdrav lya yem.’

The two men spoke in Russian. Unlike English it is a language in which there are two forms of address: formal and informal. Speaking to the captain lieutenant or any of his men, Dave had used the more formal vi; but now, speaking to Gergiev, he used only the informal ti, the proper form of address for someone you know very well. Such as a man with whom you had shared a prison cell for four years. Dave’s accent was nearly faultless.

‘We’ve done it,’ he was saying.

‘You mean you’ve done it, Dave. All I had to do was persuade the Northern Fleet commander to lend me a submarine.’

‘Is that all?’ laughed Dave. ‘You’re right, that’s not very much. Just the loan of a sub.’

‘He was very glad to do it. Things were a lot worse than even I had imagined. The Navy in Murmansk owes the local electricity company almost four million dollars in unpaid bills. Last week, they cut off the power supply to three nuclear submarine bases. I’m no nuclear physicist, Dave, but even I can see that the consequences of what these guys at the electricity stations are doing could be disastrous. The prospect of someone providing the Navy with several million dollars of cash in return for preventing nuclear disaster was an offer he could hardly refuse.’

‘It’s really that bad?’

‘For sure. There are dozens of retired submarines awaiting decommissioning, and quite a few of them are leaking like sieves. They need a constant supply of electricity just to keep the pumps going so that the subs don’t sink. It’s hard enough to decommission an old reactor on land, let alone at the bottom of the White Sea.’ Gergiev laughed loudly. ‘Under the circumstances I was able to cut us a very generous deal. A very generous deal.’

‘What’s the percentage?’

‘You won’t believe it.’

‘Einstein, there must be forty million dollars in those bags.’

‘That much, eh?’

‘At least. So what’s the cut?’

‘They settled for 30 percent.’

‘Thirty percent. That’s only twelve million.’ Dave looked delighted.

‘It’s three times what they owe Kolenergo. That’s the power authority.’ Gergiev shrugged. ‘The Russian Navy’s desperate for hard currency. Frankly the commander would probably have settled for 25 percent, but well, I was feeling patriotic. And it’s not just the Navy either. Just a few weeks ago, Kolenergo cut the power supply for two whole days to the central command of the Strategic Rocket Forces at Plesetsk. Dave, this is the place that controls our ICBMs. They even cut the power to an air traffic control center when the Prime Minister’s plane was in the air.’ Gergiev laughed. ‘Twelve million? Believe me, they’ll think it’s a bargain. After all, they had nothing to lose and everything to gain.’

‘Leaves us maybe twenty-eight million dollars,’ breathed Dave. ‘That’s fourteen million each.’

‘Any trouble?’

‘Plenty. But it’s a long story.’

Gergiev was older than Dave. He wore a Lenin-style beard and mustache and, like the captain lieutenant, he was wearing a grimy blue boilersuit. He looked more of an intellectual — a university professor, or a medical man — than someone connected to one of St Petersburg’s biggest Mafia gangs. He nodded and said, ‘You’re right. You can tell me about it later, when we’re on our way back to Russia. We’d better be going. The Northern Fleet Sonar Surveillance System reports another submarine in the area.’

‘Probably the French one Kate was expecting,’ said Dave.

‘She’s the doll, right?’

‘She’s the mother of all dolls. A real matrushka, my friend. One woman inside another. There was me making love to her, and it turned out she was FBI all along. Not that I ever accepted her at face value. You know me, Einstein. I don’t believe in anything.’

‘Then we’ll make a real Russian of you yet,’ grinned Gergiev. ‘What was she doing on the ship? Were they onto us, do you think?’

‘Not for a minute. Like I said, it’s a long story. This boat we’re on? As bad luck would have it, the FBI had been keeping it under surveillance. Hard currency isn’t the only thing being smuggled across the Atlantic. The fuel tanks of this boat are full of cocaine. She thinks that’s what we came after.’

Gergiev looked thoughtful.

‘A pity,’ he said after a moment.

‘What?’

‘I was thinking it’s a pity we don’t have more time. There’s a big market for cocaine in Russia these days. Please don’t tell me how much there is down there.’

‘Not just cocaine. There are three bodies too. I told you. We had some trouble.’

‘In that case I’ll feel a lot happier when we’ve sunk this boat.’ Gergiev glanced over at Al, who was now restrained by two burly Russian sailors. ‘Was the killing down to him?’

‘Only partly.’ Dave shook his head and said, ‘I think he likes shooting people. Ten minutes ago, he was planning to shoot me.’

‘So what are you going to do with him?’

‘That all depends on whether Kate’s still disposed to be the scrupulous federal agent. I was hoping I might be able to persuade her to come along with us.’

Gergiev looked doubtful. ‘There are plenty of women in Russia, Dave. With the exception of our politicians’ wives, most of them are very beautiful. A little corrupt, maybe, but that shouldn’t worry you.’

‘This one’s special, Einstein. Any objections?’

Gergiev looked at Kate. At a glance he saw what kind of a woman she was. Beautiful, sure. But strong too. And proud. He had seen women like Kate before. Party women, when there was still a Party. KGB women, when there was still a KGB. They might wear a little make-up and dress in an attractive, feminine way; and some of them might also affect an interest in romance; but they were always a lot tougher than the men. Whenever there was a spy scandal and an agent went over from one side to the other, it was always a man who betrayed his country. Never a woman. And certainly never a woman like Kate. It was the same in marriage too. Always the husband who was the traitor, never the wife. Women knew the meaning of loyalty. Men just knew how to spell it. So Gergiev knew her answer would be no, even if Dave hoped it might be something different.

Gergiev said, ‘Objections? No, of course not. Bring her along. I’m sure the missile boat’s crew will be delighted to have an attractive woman on board.’

‘Thanks Einstein. I’ll talk to her.’

‘Talk all you like. But, Dave?’ Gergiev tapped his watch meaningfully. ‘Don’t say too much.’

Reluctantly Kate allowed Dave to lead her into the galley where he returned her FBI identity card and badge, and quickly reiterated that he wasn’t interested in the drugs aboard the yacht. Then he explained about the money. He said, ‘It’s drug money. Tony Nudelli thinks the money is Colombian. But actually it belongs to some people in New Jersey. Some friends of Tony, as it happens. Italian friends. They are not going to be pleased when they find out that Tony was behind this. That’s my present to Tony. He thinks he’s picking up some easy cartel money, on its way to Eastern Europe for laundering. Instead he’s going to make some new and powerful enemies.’

Kate looked unimpressed. She said, ‘You ask me, it’s your personality that needs the laundering.’

‘Maybe you’d care to take my list.’

‘You’re in enough hot water already.’

‘Do you poke fun at all men? Or just the ones you know?’

‘Don’t flatter yourself. I don’t know you at all. You’re just some guy I once slept with. Most of the time I had my eyes closed, remember?’

Dave smiled uncomfortably. ‘You can sell yourself that story if you want, Kate. Who knows? Maybe you can write the report and say that there was a lone gunman and no guys standing on the grassy knoll. Maybe you can even produce a magic bullet. But I’ve seen the Zapruder film of what happened between you and me, Kate. It wasn’t like you described at all.’

Kate shrugged dismissively. ‘It’s not just the Warren Commission who can cover up. And when it comes to what happened between us, I’m Earl Warren and Richard Nixon and Oliver North all rolled into one. In my head this cine film’s already been edited. The scissors have been out. Crucial scenes have been cut. Cut, d’you hear?’

‘Snip away, Kate,’ said Dave. ‘But which of us is the more dishonest? I steal money. You lie to yourself. Not just any lie, mind. But the worst kind of lie. This is the kind of lie that might stop you being happy.’

‘Exchange an honest life for a crooked one? That’s not even worth ten cents on the dollar. I’ll say one thing for you, Van, you’re full of surprises. I always thought your kind placed no value on sentiment.’

Dave sighed. ‘Well, I had to try. Any law against that, Kate?’

‘None that I heard of.’ Kate shook her head, and quickly wiped a tear from her eye. ‘You know, when I met you, I thought you were the perfect man.’

‘You’re confusing me with that other guy, in the Bible. The guy you’re thinking of got himself nailed.’

‘You knew Shakespeare. And Pushkin.’

‘When you’re in prison, you make all kinds of new friends.’

‘It wasn’t meant to end like this.’

‘You just remember you said that, Kate. When you’re back home in Miami. I know I will.’

‘And where will you be?’

‘Murmansk. St Petersburg. Riga.’

‘Sounds cold.’

‘They wear a lot of fur in Russia. Don’t you like fur, Kate? You’d look good in mink.’

‘To tell the truth I sort of hate to think of all those mink going to so much bother.’

‘It won’t be for very long. I intend to travel.’

‘With all the enemies you’ve made, you’ll need to.’

‘Maybe even come back to the States, when it’s safe.’

‘Make sure you let me know in advance, so I can book you a cell in a nice jail.’ Kate shook her head. ‘Don’t even think of it, Dave. I see so much as a homesick dog in the Miami Herald’s Classified and I’ll track you down like your name was Doctor Richard Kimball.’

‘I’ll be looking out for you.’

‘Don’t bother. You won’t see me coming.’

‘That I’ve seen already.’

Kate felt herself blush again. But this time it was not with anger.

Dave smiled and said, ‘Did you know blushing is considered to be evidence of a moral sensibility?’

‘What would you know about that?’

‘Nothing much. I just know I’ll always remember that night we spent together. When I’m old and gray it’ll keep me occupied just thinking about it.’

‘I hear cons have all kinds of ways of getting through a long sentence. But if I were you I’d think of a canary. I believe they can be quite affectionate.’

Dave looked around for inspiration and saw Einstein Gergiev tapping his watch. Sadly he looked back at Kate, her face as implacable as ever. The one tear that had encouraged him had quickly dried. The blush on her smooth cheek had cooled. There seemed to be no way of getting past her sharp tongue. He could see that she’d steeled herself to say some of the things she was saying. None of it came from the heart. He was certain of that anyway. But it was as if she had engaged the services of a smart attorney, like Jimmy Figaro, and the smart attorney was chambered in her mouth. There was no getting past him.

Desperate now, he said, ‘Didn’t you ever want to take a ride in a submarine?’ He took her by the wrist. ‘C’mon, Kate. Take a dive with me.’

She retrieved her wrist from his hand.

‘Me? Sorry Captain Nemo, but I get claustrophobic taking a shower. No way would you ever get me down in one of those cigar tubes.’ She went on glibly. ‘So you see, even if I wanted to come with you, I couldn’t. I’d be climbing up the walls in less than twenty minutes.’

‘Then I guess I’d better be going.’

‘It’s what I’ve been telling you,’ she said sombrely. ‘You should never have done this, you know. You should never have stolen all this money. Maybe you can convince yourself it’s just drug money and that it doesn’t matter. One thief stealing from another and shit like that. But when you need guns to do it, then you’re just as evil as the way the money was made. That’s what counts. Nobody can build his happiness on another’s pain. Next time you look in a mirror just see if I’m not right.’

‘Evil?’ He laughed. ‘If you ever change your mind... Well, it’s you I want to see Kate, not the police. I don’t look in mirrors very much. Kind of got out of the habit while I was in prison. They don’t have them in case you use the glass to make a point on yourself. But the sun. Now that’s something I do look at, a lot. What I say is, why look for another light when there’s one we already have? Good and evil? Don’t be so melodramatic. You know, even the sun, the brightest thing in the solar system, has some black in it. Take a look at a picture of it sometime and see if I’m not right. When you do, you’ll realize that those black spots are the sun’s most obvious feature. And you know something else? Those spots, they affect everything, more than we’d ever suspected until quite recently. Nobody knows what causes them. Probably nobody ever will. But the next time you look at the sun, just ask yourself if I’m really as black a villain as you say. So long, Kate. It’s been fun.’

Dave turned to walk out of the galley, and then remembered about Al. He said, ‘By the way, you can take Al with you when you leave. Our partnership is dissolved.’

‘No honor among thieves?’

‘Just don’t turn your back on him.’

Kate waved the handcuffs she had brought with her from the Carrera. Her own FBI set. Not the pair she was still wearing on one wrist. She said, ‘I was saving these for you.’

‘How did you do that anyway?’ asked Dave. ‘How did you get out of those cuffs?’

Kate smiled. ‘Same way I got rid of my husband. I escaped.’

They came out of the galley and stepped back onto the aft deck, where Al was still held between the two Russian sailors.

Seeing Dave again, he said, ‘Hey Dave, you’re not planning to leave me here?’

‘When you’re back in Miami, Al, I don’t advise you try a career reading people’s minds. There isn’t any plan. Not any more.’

‘After all we’ve been through?’

‘I’ll always think fondly of you, Al. Right up until the moment when you were planning to kill me.’

Kate walked back to Al and quickly snapped the cuffs on his wrists. Turning to look at her, Al said, ‘I hope you’re as tough as you think you are, girlie. Because I’m gonna enjoy tellin’ people your sordid little story.’

Kate flashed Dave a narrow-eyed look. He was still in earshot. She said, ‘That’s what it is, all right. A sordid little story. It’ll make a change from all the other sordid stories we get in my line of work.’

‘Bitch.’

‘You know something, Mister? I’ve gained a special understanding of the criminal mind. It’s my considered opinion that mostly — and this includes you, sport — you’re all criminal and not much mind.’

When Kate and Al were back aboard Calgary Stanford’s boat, and they had let go the line attached to the Britannia, Dave climbed onto the hull of the submarine. As soon as the last sailor had left the boat, he took his own submachine gun and emptied the clip at the Britannia just along the waterline. As the boat started to sink, the rest of the sailors climbed down the deck hatch until only Dave and Gergiev were left standing on the foredeck.

’Zhalost,’ sighed Gergiev. He patted the wallet in his breast pocket, and added, ‘Uminya balit zdyes.’

‘Hmmm?’

‘I said it’s a pity,’ repeated Gergiev, in English. ‘It give me a pain right here. In my wallet. All that cocaine.’

When Dave answered, his eyes were not on the yacht sinking into the sea with the cocaine and the three dead bodies, but on the one already cruising slowly away. The one with the real fortune aboard.

‘You’ll get over it,’ said Dave, and waved to Kate.

She did not wave back.

‘Given enough time, you can get over anything.’