Bomb Grade

chapter 39

T he priest with whom Natalia had discussed the wedding officiated at Popov’s funeral. He’d been content enough in the warmth of the church but the first snows of winter were in the air and outside he hurried through the graveside ceremony. There were only the two of them, Natalia and Charlie, and both shook their heads to the offer of casting the earth.

‘Thank you for coming with me,’ she said, as they walked side by side from the cemetery.

‘I wasn’t sure you’d want me to.’

‘I’m not sure that I did.’

The Berlin prosecutor had ruled the personal details in the taped confession weren’t relevant to the trial and didn’t intend offering them in evidence and Charlie hadn’t told Natalia of the surveillance Popov had imposed upon them, although he had insisted it was safe for Sasha’s protection to be lifted. He had told her everything he expected to become public but hadn’t described the Zurich account as an escape fund. Fomin had handed over everything Popov had assembled on them and kept locked in his office safe. Charlie hadn’t told her about that, either. Just destroyed it all. Natalia hadn’t cried: shown any emotion. But then Natalia was not a crying person. ‘My posting here has been confirmed. I’m going to be here permanently.’

‘You want that?’ she asked.

‘Yes.’

‘I still might resign.’

‘Why?’

‘My part was hardly an overwhelming success, was it?’

‘It couldn’t have been, with Popov manipulating everything. Has anyone asked for your resignation?’

‘No.’

‘Then don’t offer it.’

‘How long did you suspect Aleksai?’

Charlie shrugged. ‘Not too long,’ he lied.

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

‘You wouldn’t have believed me. You would have thought it was jealousy. I didn’t have any positive proof, until he got to Berlin.’

‘Were you jealous?’

‘You don’t have to ask me that.’

‘I did love him. I can’t now, not after how he tried to use Sasha. But I did love him before.’

‘It’s over now.’

They reached Natalia’s car. ‘You going straight back to Berlin?’

He nodded. ‘I’m being called tomorrow. They rearranged things so I could come here.’

‘Hillary with you?’

He shook his head. ‘She’s gone back to Washington.’

‘Sorry.’

‘It wasn’t serious. I told you, she was a free spirit.’

‘Do you want me to run you to Sheremet’yevo.’

Charlie was surprised by the offer. ‘It would make you tight for time getting back for Sasha. I’ll take a cab.’

‘She’s very confused. Keeps asking me when Ley is coming to live with us. We’re both confused, I suppose.’

‘I’d like to see her sometime.’

‘Not for a while.’

‘There’ll be a lot of time, now that I’m living here.’

‘Yes,’ said Natalia, distantly. ‘There’ll be a lot of time.’