按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
ry。 Her clothing prised about the only colorful things to be had in his country； in this case a green pullover shirt and gray pants over little red leather shoes。 If his access to the 〃closed〃 shops had one advantage； it was in what he could get his little girl。 The Soviet Union didn't even have cloth diapers for its infants…mothers usually made them out of old bedsheets…much less the disposable kind favored in the West。 As a result； there was a premium on getting the little ones toilet…trained； which little Svetlana had managed some time ago； much to her mother's relief。 Oleg followed the smell of cabbage to his wife in the kitchen。
〃Hello； darling；〃 Irina Bogdanova said from the stove。 Cabbage； potatoes； and what he hoped was some ham cooking。 Tea and bread。 No vodka yet。 The Zaitzevs drank； but not to excess。 They usually waited until Svetlana went down to bed。 Irina worked as an accountant at the GUM department store。 The possessor of a degree from Moscow State University； she was liberated in the Western sense； but not emancipated。 Hanging by the kitchen table was the string bag she carried in her purse everywhere she went； eyes always on the lookout for something she might buy to eat or brighten their drab flat。 It meant standing in line； which was the task of women in the Soviet Union； along with cooking dinner for her man； regardless of his professional status in life or hers。 She knew that he worked for State Security； but did not know his job there； just that it paid a fairly fortable salary； and came with a uniform that he rarely wore； and a rank soon to take a jump upward。 So； whatever he did； he did it well enough； she judged； and that was sufficient。 The daughter of an infantryman in the great Patriotic War； she'd gone to state schools and gotten above…average marks； but never quite achieved what she'd wished。 She'd shown some talent at the piano； but not enough to go onward to a state conservatory。 She'd also tried her hand at writing； but there； too； she'd fallen short of the necessary talent to get published。 Not an unattractive woman； she was thin by Russian standards。 Her mouse…brown hair fell to her shoulders and was usually well brushed…out。 She read a good deal； whichever books she could get that were worth her time； and enjoyed listening to classical music。 She and her husband occasionally attended concerts at the Tchaikovsky。 Oleg preferred the ballet； and so they went there as well； helped； Irina assumed； by his job at #2 Dzerzhinskiy Square。 He was not yet so senior as to allow them to hobnob with senior State Security officials at radely parties。 Perhaps when he got his colonelcy； she hoped。 For the moment they lived the middle…class life of state…employed bureaucrats； scratching by on their bined salaries。 The good news was that they had occasional access to the 〃closed〃 KGB stores where at least they could buy nice things for her and Svetlana。 And； who knew； maybe they could afford to have another child in due course。 They were both young enough； and a little boy would brighten their home。
〃Anything interesting today？〃 she asked。 It was almost their daily joke。
〃There is never anything interesting at the office；〃 he joked in reply。 No； just the usual messages to and from field officers； which he forwarded to the appropriate pigeonholes for in…house couriers to hand…carry upstairs to the offices of the control officers who really ran things at KGB。 A very senior colonel had e down to see the operation the previous week； which he'd done without a smile； a friendly word； or a question for twenty minutes； before disappearing off to the elevator banks。 Oleg knew the man's seniority only from the identity of his escort： the colonel who ran his own operation。 Whatever words had been exchanged had been too distant for him to overhear…people tended to talk in whispers； if at all； in his department…and he was trained not to show much interest。
But training could only go so far。 Captain Oleg Ivanovich Zaitzev was too bright to turn his mind all the way off。 Indeed； his job required something approaching judgment for its proper execution； but that was something to be exercised as gingerly as a mouse's stroll through a roomful of cats。 He always went to his immediate superior and always started off with the most humble of questions before getting approval。 In fact； his judgmental questions were always approved。 Oleg was gifted in that； and he was beginning to get recognized as such。 His majority wasn't all that far off。 More money； more access to the closed stores； and； gradually； more independence…no； that wasn't quite right。 A little less circumscription on what he would be able to do。 Someday he might even ask if a message going out made good sense。 Do we really want to do this； rade？ he'd wanted to ask every so often。 Operational decisions were not his to make； of course； but he could…or would be able to in the future…question the wording of a directive in the most oblique terms。 Every so often he'd see something going out to Officer 457 in Rome； for example； and wonder if his country really wanted to risk the consequences of having the mission order go bad。 And sometimes they did go bad。 Just two months before； he'd seen a dispatch from Bonn warning that something had gone wrong with the West German counterintelligence service； and the field officer had urgently requested instructions…and the instructions had been to continue his mission without questioning the intelligence of his superiors。 And that field officer had disappeared right off the network。 Arrested and shot？ Oleg wondered。 He knew some of the field officers' names； virtually all of the operations' names； and a lot of the operational targets and objectives。 Most of all； he knew the code names of hundreds of foreign nationals who were agents of the KGB。 At its best； it could be like reading a spy novel。 Some of the field officers had a literary streak。 Their dispatches were not the terse muniques of military officers。 No； they liked to municate the state of mind of their agents； the feel of the information and the mission assigned。 They could be like travelogue writers describing things for a paying audience。 Zaitzev wasn't really supposed to digest such information； but he was a man with a mind； and besides； there were telltale codes built into every dispatch。 The third word misspelled； for example； could be a warning that the officer had been promised。 Every officer had a different such key system； and Zaitzev had a list of them all。 Only twice had he caught such irregularities； and on one of those occasions his supervisors had told him to ignore it as a clerical error…a fact that still astounded him。 But the mistake had never been repeated； and so； maybe it really had just been an enciphering error by the officer in question。 After all； his superior had told him； men trained at The Centre didn't often get caught in the field。 They were the best in the world； and the Western enemies were not that clever； were they？ Then Captain Zaitzev had nodded submission to the moment； written down his warning notation； and made sure it was in the permanent files； covering his ass like any good bureaucrat。
What if his immediate superior were