Destiny's Puppets. Henri Mallet

it?» he mumbled again in a low voice.

      Egorov took the sheet again and re-read it. The letter, written in a neat woman’s handwriting, was addressed to him. There was a date and a signature at the bottom. At last he drew a deep breath, like before jumping into water, and pressed the secretary’s call-button.

      «Svetlana, please, find Morozov and call him here.»

      He looked at the sheet of paper with disgust once again. There was a knock on the door.

      «Come in,» said Egorov, sat straight in the chair and put on a serious expression.

      Morozov, his deputy and a long-time friend, entered the room, stepping lightly. Morozov was a keen sportsman and looked a model Soviet officer. The uniform fit him like a glove.

      «Dmitry, come in and sit down. We need to talk. I have a curious document for you. Read it carefully and then try to explain at least something to me.»

      Egorov handed Morozov the sheet of paper. Dmitry looked at his boss attentively. His short hair was perfectly combed, and there was nothing but composure and sternness in his eyes. They had been friends for many years and he knew that if Egorov started talking in a dispassionate, indifferent tone it meant no good. Morozov looked at the paper and started reading. From the very first lines he understood what had happened and managed to quickly subdue a wave of rage. He read it and put the paper on the desk, and looked at Egorov. They were sitting silently for some time, staring at each other. Still saying nothing, Morozov got up and walked over to the window.

      The boss had a perfect view from his window a feast for an artist’s eyes. Morozov loved just standing there and admiring the scenery, but at that moment he did not feel like enjoying the beauty of nature. He did not know what to tell Egorov, how to explain to him that the letter contained nothing but distorted facts. Dmitry turned back, looked at the paper once again and a hot wave of range welled up inside him, but he realized perfectly well that rage was useless here. Morozov sat down at the table again and, looking at Yegorov, finally spoke.

      « Nikolay, we have known each other for many years, and you know me well. You know, naughty where I live and work is not in my rules, and even more so with a girl like Svetlana. She has been working for you for a couple of years, and you know she nips all the attempts of her colleagues to flirt with her in the bud, there is nothing to reproach her with. She is a very beautiful girl, but serious and responsible.»

      The boss’s expression did not change. He was staring at his friend for some time, and then he took a file from his desk and handed it to him.

      «Have a look – this is Nelly Belov’s file. She was employed here because she is the fiancée of a sailor – Victor Tabunov. They are both from Ivanovo. But for a personal request from the Leningrad KGB she would not have got a job at our military base.

      Morozov was briefly fumbling through the pages of the dossier. The girl looking at him from the standard photo was not a beauty at all. She looked suspicious and filled with resent for the entire world. The image of her face was complimented with two large moles and massive ears. Nelly came from the family of dispossessed kulaks, finished the technical school in Ivanovo and kept a low profile. There have been no complaints about her during her work at the base. She is diligent, efficient, and punctual. Speaking of men, she had close contacts only with her fiancé, Victor Tabunov.

      The next page was much more interesting for Morozov. It said that Nelly Belov was Valentina Bykov’s close friend, that she was a frequent visitor at her home and even participated in family celebrations. But the most important thing was that Valentina Bykov’s father was the director of the Leningrad KGB office. It was he who made a request that Nelly Belov be enlisted here.

      «A provincial girl to have such a friend? Quite weird. Where on earth did, they meet and become friends, one being from Ivanovo and the other – from Leningrad?» Morozov raised his head.

      «Perhaps they met when Nelly was an intern in Leningrad. The girls worked together. Nelly seemed to win Bykov’s trust, visited her home.»

      «But what does it change?»

      «You read on,» Egorov retorted peevishly.

      When Morozov resumed reading, he gave way to temper.

      «It turns out that she wrote this denunciation of 15 September, on 16 September she and her fiancé filed a request to get married, which they did on 17 September, and on the same day they submitted a request for the fresh husband to be registered in Nelly’s room on Nevsky avenue. A very smart job, indeed! But what do we gain from this? We still can’t prove that Nelly tried to poison Svetlana with intent!» in Dmitry Morozov's voice there was disgust and indignation.

      «That is not even the point. Bykov called me this morning. The Bykov from the Leningrad KGB office and the father of Valentina Bykov – Nelly’s close friend. As far as I can guess, Nelly asked her friend Valentina, she asked her father to press me to provide the newly-weds with good housing. And I can say that but for this denunciation I would have found them suitable accommodation even without Bykov’s call. Now you do understand that I have to do something. And it turns out, I have to fire Svetlana or throw this Nelly out! I suspect that she was frightened and turned to her friend's father for help not by accident,» sparks of anger flashed in Yegorov's eyes.

      In the silence of the office, the cries of seagulls outside the window began to be heard.

      «So I understand you believe me?» Morozov uttered almost in a whisper.

      «Of course! We’ve been working side by side for ages. And I know Svetlana from cradle. There is nothing to say here, all is clear.»

      The men looked at each other in silence for a while.

      «Here’s what I think,» Egorov took another file and opened it, «this is Victor Tabunov’s personal file. There is nothing special in it, but once the situation has turned this way, I have made a decision to demobilize Tabunov! Look, here is the doctor’s report that Tabunov has had several blood pressure jumps. And you cannot allow a person with high blood pressure serve on a submarine. As he has just married, his wife will go with him to the place of residence registration, namely – to the city of Ivanovo.» Egorov sneered at Morozov, «how do you like this gambit?»

      «That’s why you are the boss and I am your deputy.»

      «Dmitry, please, ask Svetlana to prepare all the necessary documents as soon as possible. The newly-weds need a vacation to go on honeymoon, and their move to Ivanovo will take some time.»

      «Of course, I’ll deal with it at once.»

      6

      Again, Major Lazarev re-read the dossiers of the people he was going to deal with in the near future. He examined the schedule of rehearsals and performance in the studio theatre "Youth", as well as the plan of the building and Mikhail Fedorov’s comments to it.

      «Well, ladies, shall we dance?» he said his favorite joke in a low voice.

      He had heard this phrase in an old western. Before the fight with the host of opponents, the main character gripped two huge revolvers in his hands and said in a triumphant tone, "Well, ladies, shall we dance?” He then jumped up high, made a revolution towards his opponents, and stayed clear from their returned fire by producing kind of dancing movements. Shooting accurately, he killed all of his opponents on the spot. And of course, there was not a single scratch on him. Anatoly Lazarev chuckled, put the file away in the safe and left the room.

      Anatoly went to the building of the theatre studio "Youth" through the side door. He passed through the foyer that housed portraits of actors, photos from performances and posters on the walls. He found himself in the auditorium, where a unique aroma of theatre dwelled. Only the stage, where the rehearsal was in full swing, was lit. Carefully, trying not to make a noise, Anatoly sat down on a jump seat and started watching. He immediately recognized Mikhail Fedorov. He was an actor of immense charm and talent, famous for many roles in movies, and now was the leader of his own theatre company. Women of all ages went crazy over him.

      Mikhail, with a bundle of papers in his hands, was lightly moving around the stage while simultaneously giving instructions. «Sasha, if I say that the