Heads You Win

“Are you Mrs. Elena Karpenko?” asked Hammond.

“I am,” said Elena, a slight tremble in her voice.

Once again the two men introduced themselves, and Alex couldn’t take his eyes off them. It was as if they’d stepped out of the television screen straight into their front room.

“There’s nothing for you to worry about, Mrs. Karpenko,” said Hammond, smiling. Elena didn’t look convinced. “We’d just like to ask you a few questions.”

“Please sit down,” said Elena, not least because she didn’t like them towering over her.

“We understand that you and your son escaped from Leningrad. We wondered how that was possible, given that the Soviet Union has such tight border security.”

“He thinks you might be a spy,” said Dimitri in Russian.

Elena laughed, which puzzled the two men. “My husband was murdered by the KGB,” she said, as Travis opened a notebook and began to write down every word. Hammond then asked her a series of questions that had clearly been well prepared.

“Can you recall the names and ranks of any of the KGB officers you cooked for, and their responsibilities?” asked Hammond.

“I could never forget them,” said Elena, “especially Major Polyakov, who was the docks’ head of security, although my husband told me he reported directly to the dock commandant.”

Travis turned the page after underlining “dock commandant.” He then wrote down the name and rank of every other officer Elena could remember.

“Only a couple more questions,” said Hammond. He opened his briefcase and took out a plan of the docks, which he placed on the table in front of her. “Can you show us where you worked?”

Elena placed a finger on the officers’ club.

“So you were nowhere near the submarine base,” said Hammond, pointing to the other end of the dockyard.

“No. You had to have special security clearance to work in that part of the yard.”

“Thank you,” said Hammond. “You could not have been more cooperative.” Travis closed his notebook, and Elena assumed the interview was over. “And is this your son?” asked Hammond, turning to Alex. Elena nodded. “I hear you’re doing well at school, and had hoped to attend the foreign language school in Moscow.”

“Yes, I did,” said Alex in Russian, hoping he sounded like James Cagney.

“I wonder if you’d be willing to be interviewed by a specialist officer from Langley,” responded Hammond in Russian.

“You bet,” said Alex, enjoying the whole experience every bit as much as his mother was detesting it. “Especially if it will help get the men who killed my father.”

“I only wish it was that easy,” said Hammond. “I’m afraid it’s not like the television, where they seem to be able to solve all the world’s problems every evening in just under an hour, between commercials.”

Elena smiled. “We’ll do anything we can to help.”

“Do either of you have any questions for us?” asked Hammond.

“Yes,” said Alex. “How do I become a G-man?”

“They work for the FBI,” said Travis. “If you want to join us at Border Patrol, you’ll have to study hard at school and make sure you pass all your exams.”

Hammond stood up and shook hands with Elena. “Thank you again for your cooperation, Mrs. Karpenko. We’ll be in touch with your son again in due course.”

Alex immediately turned the television back on, while Dimitri, who’d hardly uttered a word, accompanied the two men out of the room and into the corridor. Alex thought it strange that Dimitri hadn’t questioned them, but he was more interested in the film.

“You were right, Dimitri,” said Travis once they were outside on the pavement. “She’s a gem. And more important, although he’s young, the boy could be an ideal candidate.”

“I agree,” said Hammond. “Perhaps it’s time to tell him about Players’ Square.”

“I already have,” said Dimitri. “So you should have a man posted there on Saturday morning.”

“Will do,” said Hammond. “Then we’ll just have to hope they find each other.”