excerpt
Should you find any disturbing incidents, for example, the corruption of Soviet citizens, or other evidence that the trip was ill-conceived, then you would have to report it to me. Naturally, I would have to feature it in my report to the Buro. Our worst fears would be confirmed and we would be perceived as knowledgeable. They would not have heard it from Ivan Nikolaevich. They would have heard it first from us, here at the agency.” He paused to clear his throat. “Do you understand me? I hoped I wouldn’t have to make this quite so transparent to you.”
“Understood, Comrade Director. Say no more.”
After she hung up the phone, she considered the astonishing conversation. It was typical. The director had once been an advocate of having a tour group of foreigners on the Volga. Now—while he hastily re-aligned his position on the matter to suit the political winds of the day—he wanted her to dig up the dirt preferably before Ivan Nikolaevich did so. She sighed. It was the usual switch about. One day the authorities wanted everyone to work harder, the next day they were to stop work for a state visit. Life in Mother Russia.
Natasha had thought about her next step. Luckily she knew she could find a “disturbing incident.” The Canadian students were in a rebellious, shifty mood and had begged the afternoon off to go on their own adventures. She decided to follow them on their independent routes to see who would pose a problem. A simple announcement of a few peccadilloes should do the job. But she couldn’t trail after all of them. Who would be the likeliest to offend? The answer didn’t present easily. The bold blonde, perhaps? But Natasha had already spotted her shopping at the department store and there was no problem with that. The director hadn’t exactly ordered her to generate an incident—and frankly she didn’t want to do so. Only whatever was necessary to keep her job. She thought hard. The twins now, they were always trying to take photos of unsuitable places: factories, railyards. Well, they would do for a start.
But just as Natasha crossed the street in search of them, she spotted Jennifer and David hurrying off down the block. Yes, that would be a far better idea. Jennifer was given to liaisons with Soviets—as evidenced in her affair with that anti-Soviet fellow Volodya in Leningrad—and it would be just like David to accompany her on her adventures.
She followed them, observed how they chatted easily with strangers, but lost them again at the fountain where she sat down heavily to rest.
Libros Libertad 