Chapter 21 Chapter Nineteen

It takes three hours to get to Moscow on Sabina Airlines.Dana noticed that most of the passengers were warmly dressed, with leather jackets, hats, and scarves stuffed in their suitcases. I should dress warmer, Dana thought.Well, I won't be in Moscow for more than a day or two. She couldn't help thinking about Antonio Persico's words.Winthrop was like a madman at the time."The Russian program must go ahead. We've come too far and we can't let anything stop it now," he babbled on the phone. What important project was Winthrop working on?What has become clear?Shortly thereafter, the president appointed him ambassador to Moscow.

The more messages I get, the more it doesn't make sense.Dana decides. To Dana's surprise, Russia's international airport, Sheremetyev II, was packed with tourists.Why would a sane person visit Russia in winter?Dana wondered. When Dana came to the baggage carousel, a man standing nearby was staring furtively at her.Dana felt a "Gorden" in her heart.They know I'm here, she thought.How would they know? The man was approaching her: "Dana Evans?" He had a thick Slovak accent. "yes……" He grinned widely and said excitedly, "You're my biggest admirer! I see you on TV all the time."

Relieved, Dana said, "Oh, yes. Thank you." "I would like to ask if you would do me the honor of signing my autograph?" "certainly." He handed a piece of paper in front of Dana, "I didn't bring a pen." "I have." Dana took out her new gold pen and signed for him. "thanks, thanks!" Dana was about to put the pen back in her bag when someone squeezed her and the pen fell to the concrete.Dana stooped to pick it up, the hose was broken. I hope someone can fix it, Dana thought.Then she looked more closely.A thin metal wire can be seen through the crack.Confused, she gently pulled it out.A tiny transmitter is attached to the wire.Dana stared at it in disbelief.That's why they always know where I am!But who put it in?Why?She recalled the card that came with it.

Dear Dana, I wish you the best of luck on your journey.accomplice. In a rage, Dana pulled out the wire and threw it to the ground, then crushed it with her heel. In an isolated laboratory, signal markers on a map suddenly disappeared. "Oh, damn it!" "Dana?" She turned around.Washington Tribune TV's Moscow correspondent stood there. "I'm Tim Drew. I'm sorry I'm late. The traffic outside is horrible." Tim Drew was a tall, red-haired man in his forties with a warm smile. "I've got a car waiting outside. Matt told me you're only here for a few days."

"Is such that." They took Dana's luggage from the luggage carousel and headed out the door. The drive to Moscow is like a scene from Doctor Zhivago.From Dana's point of view, it seemed that the whole city was wrapped in a layer of pure white snow. "It's so beautiful here!" exclaimed Dana. "How long have you been here?" "Two years." "How do you like it?" "It's kind of scary. Yeltsin was always short of money, and no one knew what to expect from Vladimir Putin. Mental patients running mental hospitals." People crossing the road pass by. "Have you booked a room at the Sevastopol Hotel?"

"Yes. How is it?" "It's a typical Soviet International Travel Service hotel. I'm sure there will be someone on your floor watching you closely." The streets were crowded with people in furs and cardigans and overcoats, and Tim Drew glanced at Dana: "You'd better go buy some warmer clothes, or you'll freeze." "I'm fine. I should be home tomorrow or the day after tomorrow." In front of them was Red Square and the Kremlin.The Kremlin stands alone on a hill on the left bank of the Moskva River. "My God, it's exciting," Dana said.

"Yeah. If those walls could talk, you'd hear a lot of screaming." Tim Drew went on: "It's one of the most famous buildings in the world. It's in Little Borowitz on the North Shore On a piece of land on Mount Ki..." Dana stopped listening.She was thinking, what if Antonio Persico had lied?What if he made up the story about Taylor Winthrop killing the little boy?Then lied about the Russian plans. Outside the east wall is Red Square.Kutafin over there is the visitor's entrance on the western wall. So why is Taylor Winthrop so eager to come to Russia?It's just that the position of ambassador will not be so attractive to him.

Tim Drew is saying, "This has been the seat of power in Russia for hundreds of years. Ivan IV the Terrible and Stalin had their headquarters here, as did Lenin and Khrushchev." All the circumstances have become clear.I had to find out what he meant by that. They stopped in front of a grand hotel. "Here we are," said Tim Drew. "Thanks, Tim." Dana got out of the car, and a strong cold air rushed to her face. "You go in first," Tim called. "I'll carry your suitcase in. By the way, if you're free tonight, I'd like to take you to dinner."

"thank you very much." "There's a private club with very good food. I think you'll like it." "very nice." The hall of the Sevastopol Hotel was large, luxurious, and full of people.Several staff were busy behind the reception desk.Dana walked up to one of them. He looked up: "What's the matter?" "I'm Dana Evans. I have a reservation." The man looked her over for a moment, then said nervously, "Oh, yes, Miss Evans." He handed her a reservation card. "Will you fill out this form, please? I need your passport too. "

As Dana filled out the form, the clerk looked and nodded at a man standing in the corner of the hall.Dana returned the reservation card to the clerk. "I'll have you taken to your room." "Thank you." The room had a faint remnant of the nobility of the past, the furniture looked dilapidated, and it smelled musty. Dana's luggage was brought in by a stocky woman in an out-of-shape uniform.Dana tipped her, and the woman left with a grunt.Dana picked up the phone and dialed 252-2451. "U.S. Embassy." "Please pick up Ambassador Hardy's office."

"Please wait." "Ambassador Hardy's office." "Hi. This is Dana Evans, can I speak to the ambassador?" "Can you tell me what I'm doing?" "It's—it's a private matter." "Just a moment please." Thirty seconds later, Ambassador Hardy's voice came from the phone: "Miss Evans?" "yes." "Welcome to Moscow." "Thank you." "Roger Hudson called and said you were coming. What can I do for you?" "I wonder if I can come and see you?" "Of course. I—wait a minute." There was a brief pause, and then the ambassador was back on the phone. "How about tomorrow morning? Ten o'clock?" "That's great. Thank you very much." "Let's talk about it later." Dana looked out the window at the people hurrying through the snow and said, Tim was right, I'd better go buy some warmer clothes. Jim's is not far from Dana's hotel.It's a giant mall stocked with an array of bargains, from clothes to hardware. Dana walked to the women's clothing department, which was lined with heavy coats.She chose a red wool coat and paired it with a red scarf.It took her a full twenty minutes to find a clerk to go through the buying and selling procedures. Dana had just returned to her room when her cell phone rang.It's Jeff calling. "Hello, honey. I called you a lot on New Year's Eve, but you didn't answer the phone, and I don't know where to find you." "Sorry, Jeff." So he hadn't forgotten!bless him. "Where are you?" "I'm in Moscow." "Is everything going well, baby?" "Good. Jeff, tell me about Rachel." "It's too early to tell. They're going to try a new treatment on her tomorrow. It's completely experimental at the moment. We won't know the results for a few days." "I hope it works," Dana said. "Is it cold there?" Dana laughed. "You won't believe it. I'm iceman." "I wish I could melt you there." They talked for another five minutes, and Dana could hear Rachel calling Jeff. Jeff said on the phone, "I have to hang up, honey. Rachel needs me." I need you too, Dana thought. "I love you." "I love you." The American embassy on Nowinsky Boulevard is an old building in disrepair, with Russian guards standing in sentry boxes outside.A long line of people waited patiently.Dana walked through the line and called a guard.He checked the registration form and waved her in. Inside the lobby, a U.S. Marine stands inside a security post lined with bulletproof glass.An American female guard in uniform checked the contents of Dana's bag. "okay." "Thank you" Dana walked to the service desk: "Dana Evans." A man standing near the desk said, "The ambassador is waiting for you, Miss Evans. Please follow me." Dana followed him up a few marble steps to a reception room at the end of a long corridor.As soon as Dana stepped through the door, an attractive lady in her early forties smiled and said, "Nice to meet you, Miss Evans. My name is Lee Hopkins, and I am the ambassador's secretary. You can go right in." " Dana went into the inner office.As she made her way to his desk, Ambassador Edward Hardy stood up. "Good morning, Miss Evans." "Good morning," Dana said, "thank you for meeting me." The ambassador was a tall, ruddy-looking man with the warm manner of a statesman. "Nice to meet you. What can I get you?" "No, thank you, I won't drink." "Please sit down." Dana sat down. "I was glad when Roger Hudson told me to expect your visit. You came at an interesting time." "Oh?" "I hate to say it, but just between you and me, I'm afraid this country is in free fall." He sighed, "Totally frank, I don't know what's going to happen here next, Evan Miss St. This is a country that is 800 years old, and we are watching it go. Criminals are running the country." Dana looked at him curiously: "What do you mean?" The ambassador leaned back in his chair. "Here the law declares that members of the Duma—the lower house of parliament—cannot be charged with any crime. The result is that the Duma is filled with people wanted for all kinds of felonies—both ex-prisoners and crime-going criminals. Criminals. You can't touch any of them." "It's incredible," Dana said. "Yes. The people of Russia are wonderful, but their government... oh, what can I do for you, Miss Evans?" "I wanted to ask you about Taylor Winthrop. I'm doing a report on his family." Ambassador Hardy shook his head mournfully: "It's like a Greek tragedy, isn't it?" "Yes." That word again. Ambassador Hardy stared at Dana curiously: "The whole world has heard this story over and over again. I don't think there is anything more to say about it." Dana said carefully, "I wanted to tell this story on a personal level. I wanted to know what Taylor Winthrop actually looked like, what type of person he was, what kind of friends did he have here, did he have enemy……" "Enemy?" He looked surprised. "No, everyone loves Tyler, and he's probably the best ambassador we have here." "Have you ever worked with him?" "Yes. I was deputy ambassador under him for a year." "Ambassador Hardy, are you aware of something that Taylor Winthrop does—" She paused, not quite sure how to put it. "—everything has become clear." Ambassador Hardy frowned. "Are you referring to the commercial agreement or the government agreement?" "I'm not sure what I mean," Dana admitted. Ambassador Hardy thought for a while. "Me too. Yeah, I don't know what that would mean." "Some of the people who are currently working at the embassy -- have they worked with him?" Dana said. "Oh yes. In fact, my secretary Lee used to be Taylor's secretary." "Do you mind if I talk to her?" "Not at all. In fact, I'll give you a list of people here who might be helpful to you." "That's great, thank you." He stood up. "You have to be careful here, Miss Evans. There are a lot of criminals in the street." "I've heard that too." "Don't drink the water from the tap. Even the Russians don't drink it. Oh, and when you eat out, always find a 'kitty stole' - meaning a clean table - or you'll You will find your table full of expensive amuse bouche that you don't want to order. If you want to shop, Abarth is the best place to go. The shops there have everything. And beware of the taxis here, choose the old and shabby Cars. Scoundrels and crooks mostly drive new cars." "Thank you." Dana smiled: "I will remember." Five minutes later, Dana was talking to the ambassador's secretary, Lee Hopkins.They were alone in a small room with the door closed. "How long have you worked for Ambassador Winthrop?" "Eighteen months. What do you want to know?" "Has Ambassador Winthrop planted his enemies here?" Lee Hopkins stared at Dana in surprise. "Enemy?" "Yes. In this kind of work, I guess there are times when you have to say no to someone who hates the word 'no.' I don't think Ambassador Winthrop can please everyone." Lee Hopkins shook his head. "I don't know what you're looking for, Miss Evans. But if you're going to write bad things about Taylor Winthrop, you're asking the wrong people for help. He's the one I'm talking about." Kindest, most caring person I've ever known." Here we go again, Dana thought. Over the next two hours, Dana spoke to five more people who had worked at the embassy during Taylor Winthrop's tenure. He is an outstanding man... He really likes the people... He went out of his way to help us... enemy?Not Taylor Winthrop... I'm wasting my time, Dana thought.She went to see Ambassador Hadi again. "Did you find what you wanted?" he asked, seeming nonchalant. Dana hesitated. "Not exactly," she said honestly. He leaned forward. "And I don't think you will either, Miss Evans. If you're looking up bad things about Taylor Winthrop, you're not going to find it. You've got everyone in here upset. They love That man, and me too, don't try to unearth a scandal that doesn't exist. If that's all the reason you're here, you can go." "Thank you," Dana said, "I will." Dana has no intention of leaving. The National VIP Club, directly opposite the Kremlin and Manezh Square, is a private hotel and casino.Tim Drew was there waiting for Dana when she arrived: "Welcome," he said, "I think you'll like it here. This place caters to the elite among the encouragers and promoters of Moscow high society, and if A bomb falls on this restaurant, and I think the government will stop." Dinner was delicious.They started with blini and caviar, followed by borscht, Georgian sturgeon in walnut sauce, shredded pork and Slocum rice, and Vachuski cheese flan for dessert. "That's great," Dana said. "I've heard Russian food is terrible." "Indeed," Tim Drew asserted to her, "this is not Russia, this is a special little oasis." "What's life like here?" Dana asked. Tim Drew considers it for a moment: "It's like standing near a volcano, ready for it to erupt. You never know when it will happen. People in power are stealing billions from countries while people are starving ...that's what sparked the last revolution. God only knows what's going on now. To be fair, that's just one sided. The culture here is amazing. They have the Bolshevik Theatre, the great Hermitage Museum, the Pushkin Museum, the Russian Ballet The Moscow Circus—the list goes on and on. More books are authored in Russia than the rest of the world combined, and the average Russian reads three times as much in a year as the average American citizen.” "Maybe they read the wrong book," Dana said dryly. "Maybe, right now the people are caught in the middle, between capitalism and communism, neither of which works. Bad service everywhere, soaring prices and a lot of crime." He looked at Dana: " I hope I haven't upset you." "No. Tell me, Tim, do you know Taylor Winthrop?" "I interviewed him a few times." "Have you heard of some great project he's involved in?" "He's been involved in a lot of programs, he's our ambassador after all." "That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about something different. A very complicated thing — all the circumstances in it have become clear." Tim Drew thought for a moment: "I can't remember." "Is he intimate with anyone here?" "Some of his fellow Russians, I think, you can talk to them." "Yes," Dana said, "I will." The waiter brought the bill.Tim Drew glanced around and looked up at Dana. "That's typical. There are five separate charges on the bill. And don't bother to ask why." He paid the bill. Once they were out on the street, Tim Drew said to Dana, "Have you got a gun?" She stared at him in surprise: "Of course not. Why?" "This is Moscow. You'll never know." He had an idea. "Let me tell you. Let's stop." They got into a taxi and Tim Drew gave the driver the address.Five minutes later they pulled up in front of a gun store and the two got out of the car. Dana looked into the store and said, "I don't carry a gun." Tim Drew said: "I know. Just follow me." The counters of the store are filled with every kind of weapon imaginable. Dana looked around. "Can anyone just walk in and buy a gun?" "All they need is money," Tim Drew said. The man behind the counter muttered something to Tim in Russian.Tim told him what he wanted. "Okay." He reached under the counter and took out a small, black cylinder. "What's this for?" Dana asked. "It's for you. It's pepper spray." Tim Drew held it up, "All you have to do is press this button on the top and the bad guys will be screaming in pain and can't bother you gone." Dana said, "I don't think—" "Trust me. Take it." He handed it to Dana, paid the man, and they left. "Would you like to see a certain Moscow nightclub?" Tim Drew asked. "Sounds interesting." "Great. Let's go." The Night Fly Club on Tverskoya Street is extravagant, richly decorated and full of well-dressed Russians eating, drinking and dancing. "There don't seem to be any financial issues here," Dana commented. "No. They keep beggars out in the street." At two o'clock in the morning, Dana returned to the hotel, exhausted.The day is long enough.A woman sits at a table in the hallway and records the movements of the guests. Dana looked out the window after entering her room.What she saw was a postcard-like view of soft snowflakes falling in the moonlight. Tomorrow, Dana made up her mind.I must know why I am here. The noise from the jet overhead was so loud it sounded like it was going to hit the building.The man quickly got up from the table, grabbed a pair of binoculars, and walked to the window.The tail of the receding plane was descending rapidly, and the plane was preparing to land at a small airfield half a mile away.Everything in the desolate land as far as his eyes could see was covered with snow except the runway.It's winter and this is Siberia. "Well," he said to his assistant, "the Chinese were the first to arrive." His next comment did not require an answer: "I heard that our friend Wang Ling is not coming back. When he came from our After returning empty-handed from the last meeting, he was not happy returning home. Such a pity. He is a decent man." Just then, a second jetliner whizzed overhead, and he didn't recognize the sign.After it landed, he aimed his high-powered binoculars at the men descending from the cabin onto the tarmac.Some of them had no intention of hiding the automatic pistols they carried. "The Palestinians are coming." Another jet roared overhead.Twelve more, he thought.The negotiations we begin tomorrow will be the largest auction yet.There can be no mistake. He turned to his assistant again. "Write a memo." Confidential Memo to All Traders.Destroy it immediately after reading it. Continue to closely monitor the target.Report her activity and stand ready for possible rooting.