The Margin of Evil! (10 page)

'
No,' Mendolovitch replied. 'The last time I saw him he was in an agitated state. He gibbered on about how he had been double crossed by some new business associates from Georgia. He said that he was going to blow the whistle on them, and when he'd done that, he Isaak Goldstein would once again be the 'King Pin' on the Moscow underground. I thought yeah all right! I never saw him again.'

'
So you were left alone?' Georgii said.

'
No, not exactly. These Georgians turned up and said that everything would be O.K. if I cooperated with them. If I refused they would turn me in to the authorities. It was then that I knew something had happened to Goldstein. But there was no way that I was going to stick my neck out for that slimy piece of turd!'

'
Why don't you leave? Take your family, use those, 'Influential' non-person connections and get out on the 'Warsaw Underground',' Georgii said.

'Why don't I
... Good question Comrade Radetzky. I'll tell you why! Because they are holding my youngest daughter as insurance! That's why! Now please leave, I have nothing more to tell. Go, please!'

'
You understand that I'll have to speak to you again.'

Mendolovitch just returned to
a vacant stare.

Georgii walked to the door and descended the stairs.
He had both got half way down. When the loud bang, of a pistol, sounded from Mendolovitch's office; Georgii scrambled back up the stairs and charged back into the office. The sight that faced him was nauseating. Mendolovitch was leaning awkwardly at an angle, and the back of his head seemed to be plastered all over the office's back wall. Georgii turned around clutched his stomach and was violently sick.

Morning turned to afterno
on. He had to be interviewed by other Cheka alumni, as the area was off limits to the Bog Standard Chetnik. They grilled him again and again. By early evening he was dismissed and able to go. On the way home, Georgii decided that at the first available opportunity he was going to become a vegetarian. At least with plants and vegetables you knew what you were eating.

Exhausted he arrived back at his rooms.
Pyotr and Anna were not there.  He had just taken off his coat and was about to fix himself some soup when there was a loud knock at the door. Georgii went to answer the door.  He was halfway there when the door was flung open.  He felt himself reach for his revolver.

In burst Anya Trofimov.
She held two glasses in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. Georgii stood there transfixed. As always everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. Trofimov walked in, she placed the vitals on the table and then dramatically threw off her coat. In the next moment she grabbed a bemused Georgii Radetzky and then manoeuvred him towards the bedroom.

'
Comrade we still have some unfinished business from 1914 to attend to.'

Georgii was now in a bemu
sed state of amusement and she was now busying herself removing both of their clothes. For the second time in a day the ceiling began to spin, but also Georgii was becoming aware of something else other than himself being subjected to the abject desires of Comrade Trofimov. It was the faint sound of giggling and it was coming from inside the wardrobe. Also the bed was beginning to wobble. The more the bed wobbled, the louder the giggling got; but Trofimov seemed oblivious to everything, as she pinned herself to him, that was going on around her. Then it happened. The leg of the bed gave way and the pair of them fell onto the floor. Georgii was now on top of Trofimov and he noticed that the impact of the fall had caused Trofimov's left eye to roll out of its socket. It was bouncing across the floor in the direction of the wardrobe. She was staring at the wardrobe where the giggling had now reached a feverish pitch. Then there was an almighty 'BANG' and the two kids tumbled out of the wardrobe.

Trofimov pushed him off, picked up the false eye, and then flounced off into the other room.
At the same time she was struggling to rearrange what remained of her clothing and hair. She grabbed the wine the two glasses and then turned to face him with a face like thunder.

'
Comrade Radetzky! This is the first, and last time you humiliate me!!'  With that she was gone and the door slammed behind her.

He t
urned to face the two children.  Before he could say anything little Anna said.

'
We've seen plenty of that going on! Pyotr says that's how grownups keep warm at night!'

Georgii Radetzky lay on his ba
ck and looked up at the ceiling and laughed out loud. He looked over at the two kids and thought to himself that it was a great shame that these two had lost their childhood innocence so early. He looked back up at the ceiling, and thought to himself that he had got off 'Trofimov's Hook' rather lightly. Knowing her as he did, and her habit for bearing grudges, next time he might not extricate himself so easily. His mind was racing, he thought about this and that. Eventually he fell off to sleep.

The next day was a non-starter.
Trofimov was already in her alcove when Georgii arrived at his desk. She did as she always had done before; she just gave him the cold shoulder. He knew that she would, so he just went about his business. Really he was just killing time, until he could meet Gerhardt in 'The Immaculate Winter Garden'.

Chapter Six

Georgii Radetzky hurried across town to the rendezvous. He went as fast as his legs would carry him. He slipped and skidded on the ice. Auguste Gerhardt was already there waiting for him.

'Did you bring your field glasses Georgii?'
he said.

'
Yes I did,' Georgii replied.

'
Right, we will go straight to the Goods Yard.'

Without further ado, they headed off through the st
reets on their way to the yard.  Georgii knew they were going in the right direction, because he could hear the whistles of the trains getting louder and louder. He had noticed that the nearer they got to the railway line less and less people seemed to be milling around on the street. He looked at his Hunter watch, it was only five o' clock. Georgii put the watch away. He looked at Gerhardt, Russia's premier detective was staring resolutely ahead, and not only that, he was now walking in a dogged fashion. On arrival the yard seemed to be a strange place. First of all it was surrounded by a nine-foot high wall and the whole place was unusually quiet. The pair of them stood by the wall.

Gerhardt broke the silence,
'Give me your overcoat.'

Georgii did as he was asked.
Gerhardt then threw it on top of the wall and then said.

'
Give me a leg up.'

His mentor jumped up onto the top of the wall.
Georgii watched as Gerhardt took a good look around him. He then signalled to Georgii to follow. He pulled him up on to the wall. The top of the wall was covered in broken glass and the old trench coat was ripped to shreds.

Pointing over towards the far
-side of the yard Gerhardt said. 'We`re going to lie up in that building; that one over there.'

Once in the yard they headed off in the direction of the building.
They entered the ruin and climbed up some stairs to the first floor. He looked around him, the windows were broken and the sticks of furniture inside the rooms were smashed. Gerhardt pointed to a hole in the ceiling.  There was a metal table over in the corner of the room. They dragged it over so that it was directly under the opening. Gerhardt climbed on top and clambered through the hole. A moment later he gestured for Georgii to push the table back into its original position, over by the wall. He then lowered a rope and hauled him up into what once, he supposed, had been an attic. Once inside Georgii looked around him. Part of the roof that looked back across the railway yard had fallen in. It was a perfect vantage point to see what was going on down below. Where the roof had fallen in, Georgii could see his mentor worming his way into the debris. Soon Gerhardt had disappeared and a voice quietly called on him to follow.  Georgii did as was requested and crawled under the fallen roof. He soon found Gerhardt; the pair of them worked their way to the edge, where the eaves had once been. They lay there and waited.

Trains came and went, they disappeared in both directions.
Georgii could see they were 'Red Army' troop trains headed off to, or returning from, the front. Their silhouettes looked impressive against the backdrop of buildings and sheds on the edge of the yard.

Gradually a silence filled the yard.
It was a deafening silence that Georgii had experienced during the war. It was the silence that heralded an attack by you or the enemy. Georgii had experienced this silence on too many occasions; he knew that he was not going to be disappointed.

Georgii was looking through his field glasses, when the yards main gates w
ere suddenly thrown open. Four lorries entered the yard and parked themselves in a semi circle in the centre of the yard. The gates were shut behind them. One of the first things they did was to position two machine guns on either side of the main gate.

Men jumped out of the vehicles and started unloading a series of trestle tables.
Georgii looked over to his mentor, whom had now got out a small notebook, and was intermittently jotting down notes.  He looked over at Georgii and winked at him and then carried on scribbling.

There was no doubt about it, t
his place was an excellent hide, in which to observe the goings on down below.

Since the arrival of the first l
orries, more had arrived. Once they had unloaded they parked up on the edge of the yard.

Where the first four l
orries had formed a semi circle, they in turn had been surrounded by a series of trestle tables that fanned out across the yard. These tables formed a passage that led back towards the vehicles. By the gates, two tables had been pushed together. These tables, Georgii noticed, crossed the tee. Behind these, various individuals were depositing all sorts of bits and pieces.

Storm lanterns and hurricane lamps now illuminated everything.
And the sight that faced them was totally unique.  As the lorries came and went, men unloaded them and took their contents over to the tables.

This was a black-market of the like Georgii had not seen before.
They carried meats of every kind. Men cut up the meats and then laid them out neatly onto the tables. In another part of the yard, bakers had set up a makeshift bakery and were scurrying to and fro with loafs of bread.  Elsewhere men were fetching and carrying clothes of every kind.  They were hanging them on rails, and were taking great care arranging them. All in all, Georgii calculated there must be 150 men at work beneath them. After an hour it seemed that they had finished laying out their wares. Men stood around in groups talking to each other and making final preparations for what was to come.

Gerhardt and Radetzky waited and watched.
Then, bang on nine o'clock, the railway yard gates were flung open. Georgii watched the never-ending line of people file in. Then they were herded at gunpoint into small groups and the gates shut behind them. No one could enter and no one could leave. He calculated there must be at least a thousand people there.

Soon it became clear to him why the table at the front
was arranged in the way it was. People were led over to the table and they exchanged whatever valuables they had. One person sat on the other side and did an immediate valuation, whilst another made an entry in a ledger, then another exchanged them for a ticket. The ticket was then exchanged for food and clothing. Once the transactions were completed people were led over to a corner of the yard where they were assembled in groups. Then they were led over to the gate. The gates opened and the people were let out. 

Gerhardt tapped him on the shoulder.
He pointed over to the roofs of the warehouses and the sheds. On top of each one sniper's lay in wait.

Georgii watched people exchange goods of every kind.
On one side of the yard there was a dentist removing gold fillings and then placing them on scales.

Georgii watched in awe.
This was some operation he thought. He had to admire these black marketeers; they were conducting their business right under the shadows of the Kremlin walls. Also they were doing what the Bolsheviks had promised and, as of yet had, so far, failed to do. They were feeding the people, and also giving them what they wanted.

There was a noise downstairs.
Georgii froze. He looked over at his colleague. Gerhardt raised his finger to his mouth.

Two men were chatting quietly and moving around down below; the smell of cigarettes wafted up through the joists.
The thing that struck Georgii the most was they were not speaking in Russian, they were speaking in Georgian. His heart missed a beat.

They spent half the night lyi
ng up there. They had seen the black marketeers come, and they had seen them go. When they were long gone, they watched as the trains, suddenly, reappeared, that was something else that struck Georgii as strange. He waited until Gerhardt gave the all clear.

Gerhardt was the first to move, he signalled for Georgii to follow.
They left the way they came. Back over the wall and on to their respective homes. Before they went their separate ways; Gerhardt told Georgii that he would get a message through to him when they were next to meet, preferably sooner rather than later. He was going to introduce him to someone special. This special person also had a special interest in Isaak Goldstein's disappearance. They would meet within the next seventy-two hours. Georgii Radetzky thought impatiently, 'Well I just can't wait!'  He walked home in the morning twilight, he was thinking of the events of that night. Moscow certainly had its secrets and it certainly kept them well hid, out in the open, for all to see, he thought.

He thought.
'Fuck it,' I might as well go straight to work. So he did a u-turn and went to the station.

It was half past seven in t
he morning and the offices were virtually empty. Georgii Radetzky slumped across his desk and fell asleep. Down and down he sank into the black depths, until he became aware of a tapping sensation. At first he couldn't work out what was happening to him. He began to twitch, slowly he awoke, and gradually he became aware of his surroundings. He also realised that it was the new office boy who was trying to wake him.

'
Trofimov is fuming! She thinks you've come in drunk! She wants to see you right now in her office!'  The boy said.

Georgii pulled out his Hunter.
'Fuck it', he thought, it was nearly half past ten. The office was heaving with people and Trofimov was staring at him from the confines of her cubicle. He got up and sluggishly walked across to her office.

'
Shut the door behind you Comrade Radetzky!' There was a lengthy pause, and then she carried on. 'I take it you are aware of Comrade Lenin's views on excessive drinking.'  She fixed him with one of her icy stairs.

Georgii nodded, now was probably n
ot the best time to explain himself, without giving the whole game away. He cleared his throat.

'
Comrade, since 'The Great War' I have had trouble sleeping at night. Recently I have taken to wandering the streets at night. Because I am a member of 'The Peoples Militia', I am not bothered by Red Guards wanting to know why I'm breaking the curfew. I seldom ever drink these days, so with all due respect, don't accuse me of drunkenness on duty.'  Georgii could not believe the rubbish that he was coming out with. He was making it up on the spot. He looked at Trofimov; her facial expression had mellowed somewhat since he had walked into her office.

She grunted, and then cleared her throat.
'Comrade all I was stating was Lenin's well known views on the misuse of alcohol! Now down to business. Two days ago I sent you to Red Square to arrest two boys whom had been harassing a French diplomat! Against my better judgment you decided to have them bailed on the proviso that they report to this station on a daily basis! Yesterday the pair failed to report in. As a consequence a warrant for their immediate arrest was issued by me yesterday evening at seven thirty. The two were picked up at ten thirty, trying to board a train. I want you to interview them. So here is a letter to gain you admission to Lefortovo prison. When you get there you will question them. You will then return here and prepare a statement with me for the prosecution. They are in court tomorrow!'

In light of recent events, G
eorgii was slightly taken aback.  He took the letter from Trofimov and then went back to his desk. He sat down and thought. Whilst he had been with Gerhardt, it had never occurred to him, that the 'Two Assailants' would not comply with their bail conditions. There must be a reason 'Why'. So without further ado he made off for Lefortovo.

The place had always given Georgii Radetzky the creeps, and quite rightly so, the building was sinister in character and design.

He walked up to the main gate and shouted, 'Comrade Radetzky! Cheka! Here on official business!'  He waited for a reply.

A face peered out of an upper window situated by the famed main gate.
'On whose authority are you here Comrade?, the face said.

'
Cheka business, you deaf bastard!' Georgii indignantly replied waving Trofimov's letter up at the window.

'
O.K., O.K. I'm coming down.  Wait there,' the face said.

Georgii waited for the gaoler.
The gate slowly started to draw upwards. Then a voice, a different voice, instructed him to enter. Georgii walked into the prison. A tall, dignified looking man with outstretched hand walked towards him.

'
Greetings comrade, come inside and take a seat.'

Georgii did as instructed.
He handed his letter of introduction over to the urbane man sitting opposite him. He handed it to the adjutant, who also scrutinised it. The tall man spoke.

'
Comrade Radetzky you wish to see the two young men that were brought here late last nigh!'

'
That is correct,' Georgii replied.

'
Then my colleague over here will take you to see them,' he nodded to his assistant.'  You will also have no objections if my colleague sits in on the interview.'

'
None whatsoever!'  Georgii did have reservations but there was little that he could do at this time.

They walked across the courtyard and into the main building.
They then walked upstairs and along corridors until they came to the boys` cell. The door was opened, and the site that faced Georgii was one of abject horror. Both boys had been lying face down on the floor. There was the foul smell of excrement mixed with urine, it made him wince. It was only when the intrusive daylight forced them to blink and look upwards, that Georgii had some inkling of what the two boys had gone through.