The Russia House Page #8

Fourth floor, green-painted door,

bang opposite the lift.

Right. Then in that case

this will be your window.

Now, when you get in,

let us see you at that window.

Good.

Jack will walk you halfway.

Then you're on your own.

Tell Dante you want to walk out

with as many answers as he can give you.

This is it. The shopping list.

You'll have to tell him to wet the pages.

The questions will float to the surface.

Uh, make sure you bring it back.

We think the whole thing

will take two hours. Three, for luck.

Tell him you want a date

for a final meeting to fill in the blanks.

And when you want to leave,

pull the curtain. We'll pick you up.

How's that?

Good.

Give this to Ned, will you?

Just in case something goes wrong.

Nothing's going wrong.

That's it over there. Second from the right.

You'll be fine from here, Barley.

Fingers crossed, Jack.

Cheerio.

Thank you.

Sir, the shopping list...

It's only questions, isn't it?

- It wouldn't tell anyone anything?

- Everything.

It would tell what we know

by telling what we don't know.

And it would tell

what we would most like to know.

If the Sovs get the list, we might as well

have published the notebooks,

just as Barley promised Dante.

Yes, I do know.

Barley's made a deal.

He's keeping his promise to Dante

in his own way.

And he's trying to save Katya.

- He's giving them the list!

- Come on, Ned.

The Sovs are just waiting

for Barley to give it to them.

Jesus Christ!

- Brock, signal the truck.

- Don't!

- Signal Paddy. Abort.

- Don't!

Looking good!

And he's coming back smiling.

And you can take a long, long vacation.

My joe's crossed over.

He went in.

He never came out.

About seven hours.

Yes, sir.

Sh*t city, Ned.

Honour is due.

Well, folks, better put

the chairs back on the tables.

Till next time.

Yekaterina Borisovna Orlova.

Yes. Katya.

- The letter was signed ''Katya''?

- No, just the initial. ''Your loving K. ''

British lntelligence showed you

the letter for the first time in Lisbon?

Yes.

And it referred to your first meeting

with Savelyev, whom you know as Dante?

Yes. At Peredelkino.

But Mrs Orlova was not at Peredelkino?

- As I keep telling you, I didn't meet her...

- Please. Allow me.

Did Savelyev arrive at Peredelkino

by himself or with others?

I don't know. Why don't you ask him?

Unfortunately,

Professor Savelyev is dead.

He became very ill with hepatitis.

A great loss to the Soviet

scientific community.

We all mourn him.

Me too.

I have nothing further

to add to what I have said.

You have the shopping list -

payment in full.

Yes. The celebrated list.

We have a deal.

I expect you to honour that deal.

Yes, I'm talking about honour,

not ideology.

I've left a letter behind me just in case

they don't know the difference.

Tell me about the letter.

''Dear Nedski, change of plan, old chum. ''

''Sorry I couldn't let you know. ''

''I thought you'd be onto me

if anyone was. ''

''But perhaps you taught me too well. ''

''Anyway, Dante is blown,

as you would say. ''

''His letter to Katya was a fake. ''

''His phone call to the hospital

was KGB-controlled. ''

''But Dante and Katya

had worked out a code. ''

What did he say?

Tell me.

He is taken. Yakov is taken.

''If he was caught,

he called her by the wrong name. ''

He used the wrong name.

If we are safe, he calls me Alina.

If... if he is caught, Maria.

He called me Maria.

He was telling me we are dead.

Give me the key.

''So there we were. And I was thinking

'Why haven't they arrested us?'''

''It took me a while to work it out. ''

''But of course!

They wanted the shopping list. ''

''So there was the crunch.'

to save your precious secrets,

or to trade them for Katya and her family. ''

''The easiest decision I ever made. ''

''And if you wouldn't have done the same,

then you've learned nothing. ''

''Dante was right. ''

''The grey men are keeping alive the arms

race, which nobody is supposed to want. ''

''It's all over for the secrets game.

Your day is done, old boy. ''

''Publish and be safe. ''

I need to betray my country,

and I haven't got much time.

And don't tell me you don't know

who to get in touch with. Just do it, hm?

I want to meet them in the morning

and agree a contract. All right?

''I did my best for you, Ned. ''

''But now I have to do my best

for Dante, and for Katya. ''

Smile. You must smile.

They're watching us.

Your side and my side.

We're going to beat them both.

I can't save Yakov. Nothing can.

But you're safe.

The children are safe.

Uncle Matvey's safe.

I love you.

And I won't let you down.

''It was my first good contract.

Real people for unreal arguments. ''

''I got everything I wanted,

down to a safe passage for Wicklow,

Henziger and the others. ''

''No doubt there'll be

hell to pay at your end. ''

''But you shouldn't open

other people's letters. ''

''Love, and luck. Barley. ''

What about Russell?

Russell's a survivor.

Rumour has it that the shopping list

was really a brilliant deception,

planted on the Russians

by our clever Russell,

who also started the rumour.

If he can get the Sovs to believe it,

everything's back to square one.

Dante need never have bothered.

And Barley?

Oh, Barley.

He's home free. Back in Lisbon.

It's not a large flat, of course.

But by Moscow standards...

We'll all squeeze in.

Still backing your Russia, Barley?

Well, we'll see.

You know, I chose this flat because

I like to watch the ships come in.

I must have known

that one day it would be my ship.

And you think that Katya's

going to be on it?

Well, perhaps it's your due.

It took some guts. And you seem

to think you did the decent thing.

Good luck, Barley.

Katya!

Come on!

Come on, Katya! Come on!

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