Red Square - Martin Cruz Smith [60]
“I saw you.”
“What were you doing at the cemetery?”
“Burying my father.”
“Oh.” Rodionov grunted as if he had expected a more imaginative excuse. “Condolences.”
Through the door, the yard was so full of incandescent lamps that it looked ablaze. As the Volvo was winched from the pit, water poured in bright fountains from the doors.
“I’ll fold the Rosen investigation into the Penyagin investigation.” Arkady pulled on dry pants.
Rodionov sighed as if a difficult decision had been forced on him. “We want someone working full-time on Penyagin and nothing else. Someone fresh, more objective.”
“Who are you placing in charge? Whoever it is will have to spend time getting briefed on Rudy.”
“Not necessarily.”
“You’re going to bring in someone cold?”
“For your sake.” Rodionov glanced around to demonstrate solidarity with Arkady. “People will say that if Renko had found Kim, Penyagin would still be alive. They’ll blame you for the tragic deaths of both your detective and the general.”
“We have no evidence that Penyagin was abducted. All we know is that he’s here.”
Rodionov was pained. “This sort of innuendo and speculation is uncalled for. See, you’re too close to this case.”
The shirt was a sail with sleeves. Arkady tucked it in and slipped his bare feet into the shoes. “So who are you putting in charge of the investigation?”
“A younger man, someone who can bring more vigor to this case. In fact, this person is very well versed on Rosen. There should be no problems of coordination at all.”
“Who?”
“Minin.”
“My Minin? Little Minin?”
Rodionov became firmer. “I’ve already talked to him. We’re raising him a grade so that he’ll have equal authority to you. I think we may have made a mistake by bringing you back to Moscow, by glorifying you and letting you loose on the city. You should be careful or you’re going to fall further than you did before. I must tell you that not only will Minin bring more vigor to this case, he will also bring a clearer sense of direction.”
“He’d kill that bucket if you told him to. Is he here now?”
“I told him not to come until you were gone. Send him a report.”
“There’ll be overlap between investigations.”
“No.”
Arkady had started to take his jacket from the butcher block. He put it down. “What are you trying to say?”
As he answered, Rodionov carefully made his way across the floor. “This is a crisis that demands forceful action. The murder of Penyagin is not just the loss of a single man, it’s a blow against the body of the state. Everything we do, our office and militia, must have one overriding goal, finding and arresting the elements responsible. We will all have to make sacrifices.”
“What’s my sacrifice?”
The prosecutor lifted a face lined with sympathy. The Party still turned out great actors, Arkady thought.
Rodionov said, “Minin will take over the Rosen investigation, too. It will be part of this case, as you suggested. Tomorrow I want all your files and evidence on the case delivered to him—as well as a report on tonight’s events, of course.”
“This is my case.”
“The debate is over. Your detective is dead. Minin is reassigned. You don’t have a team and you don’t have an investigation. You know, I think we’ve been demanding too much of you. You must have been in an emotional state after your father’s funeral.”
“Still am.”
“Take a rest,” Rodionov said. As he handed Arkady his jacket from the block, a pocket rang against a tile.
“My god, an antique,” Rodionov said when Arkady took out the Nagant.
“An heirloom.”
“Don’t point that at me.” The prosecutor backed away from the revolver. “No one’s pointing it at you.”
“Don’t threaten me.”
“I’m not threatening you. I was just wondering. Penyagin and you were at the cemetery out of respect for …” He tapped the gun on his head to remember.
“Asoyan. Penyagin succeeded Asoyan.” The prosecutor edged toward the door.
“Right. I never met Asoyan. Good man. I forget, just what did Asoyan die of?”
But the city prosecutor had escaped to