The Cardinal of the Kremlin - Tom Clancy [241]
About the time they finished their coffee, the flight was called. They waited. The plane wouldn't leave without them. Finally, when the last call came, the attendant brought their coats and hats, and another led them and their guards down the stairs to their car. The other passengers had already ridden out to the aircraft on a bus-the Russians haven't quite discovered jetways yet-and when their car arrived, they were able to walk right up the stairs. The stewardess guided them solicitously to their first-class seats in the forward cabin. They weren't called first class, of course, but they were wider, they had greater leg room, and they were reserved. The airliner lifted off at ten o'clock, Moscow time, stopped first at Leningrad, then proceeded to Talinn, where it landed just after one.
"So, Colonel, you have your summary of the subject's activity?" Gerasimov asked casually. He seemed preoccupied, Vatutin noted at once. He should have been more interested, particularly with a Politburo meeting only an hour away.
"Books will be written about this one, Comrade Chairman. Filitov had access to virtually all of our defense secrets. He even helped make defense policy. I needed thirty pages merely to summarize what he's done. The full interrogation will require several months."
"Speed is less important than thoroughness," Gerasimov said offhandedly.
Vatutin did not react. "As you wish, Comrade Chairman."
"If you will excuse me, the Politburo is meeting this morning."
Colonel Vatutin came to attention, pivoted on his heels, and left. He found Golovko in the anteroom. The two knew each other casually. They'd been a year apart at the KGB Academy, and their careers had advanced at roughly the same rate.
"Colonel Golovko," the Chairman's secretary said. "The Chairman must leave now, and suggests that you return tomorrow morning at ten."
"But-"
"He's leaving now," the secretary said.
"Very well," Golovko replied and stood. He and Vatutin left the room together.
"The Chairman is busy," Vatutin observed on the way out.
"Aren't we all?" the other man replied after the door closed. "I thought he wanted this. I arrived here at four to write this goddamned report! Well, I think I'll have some breakfast. How go things in 'Two,' Klementi Vladimirovich?"
"Also busy-the people do not pay us to sit on our backsides." He'd also arrived early to complete his paperwork, and his stomach was growling audibly.
"You must be hungry, too. Care to join me?"
Vatutin nodded, and both men made for the canteen. Senior officers-colonel and above-had a separate dining room and were served by white-coated waiters. The room was never empty. The KGB worked round the clock, and odd schedules made for irregular meals. Besides, the food was good, especially for senior officers. The room was a quiet place. When people talked here, even if they were discussing sports, they did so almost in whispers.
"Aren't you attached to the arms negotiations now?" Va-tutin asked as he sipped his tea.
"Yes-nursemaiding diplomats. You know, the Americans think I'm GRU." Golovko arched his eyebrows, partly in amusement, at the Americans, partly to show his not-quite classmate how important his cover was.
"Really?" Vatutin was surprised. "I would have thought that they were better informed-at least well " He shrugged to indicate that he couldn't go any further. I too have things that I cannot discuss, Sergey Nikolayevich.
"I suppose the Chairman is preoccupied by the Politburo meeting. The rumors-"
"He's not ready yet," Vatutin said with the quiet confidence of an insider.
"You're