“The Hudson residence.”
“Cesar, is Mr. Hudson in?” Dana found that she was holding her breath.
“Miss Evans! How nice to hear from you. Yes, Mr. Hudson is here. Hold on, please.”
Dana felt her body tremble with relief. If there was anyone who could help her get Sasha Shdanoff into the United States, Roger Hudson would be the one person able to do it.
His voice came on the line a moment later. “Dana?”
“Roger, oh, thank God I got you!”
“What’s the matter? Are you all right? Where are you?”
“I’m in Moscow. I found out why Taylor Winthrop and his family were murdered.”
“What? My God. How did you—”
“I’ll tell you all about it when I see you. Roger, I hate to impose on you again, but I have a problem. There’s an important Russian official who wants to escape to America. His name is Sasha Shdanoff. His life is in danger here. He knows the answers to everything that’s happened. We have to get him out, and quickly! Can you help?”
“Dana, neither of us should be involved in anything like this. We could both get in trouble.”
“We have to take that chance. We have no choice. This is too important. It has to be done.”
“I don’t like this, Dana.”
“I’m sorry to drag you into this, but I have no one else to turn to.”
“Dammit, I—” He stopped. “All right. The best thing to do right now is to get him to the American embassy. He’ll be safe there until we can work out a plan to get him into the United States.”
“He doesn’t want to go to the American embassy. He doesn’t trust them.”
“There is no other way. I’ll call the ambassador on a secure line and tell him to see that he gets protection. Where is Shdanoff now?”
“He’s waiting for me at the Chiaka Apartments. He’s staying with a friend. I’m going there to meet him.”
“All right. Dana, when you pick him up, go directly to the American embassy. Don’t stop anywhere on the way.”
Dana felt a surge of relief. “Thank you, Roger. I mean thank you!”
“Be careful, Dana.”
“I will.”
“We’ll talk later.”
Thank you, Roger. I mean thank you.
Be careful, Dana.
I will.
We’ll talk later.
Tape ends.
At seven-thirty, Dana slipped out of the service entrance of the Soyuz Hotel. She went down an alley, ripped by the icy wind. She pulled her coat around her tightly, but the cold was in her bones. Dana walked two blocks, making sure that she was not being followed. At the first busy corner, she hailed a taxi and gave the driver the address Sasha Shdanoff had given her. Fifteen minutes later the taxi stopped in front of a nondescript apartment building.
“Me wait?” the driver asked.
“No.” Commissar Shdanoff would probably have a car. Dana took some dollars from her purse, held out her hand, and the driver grunted and took them all. Dana watched him drive off, and she went inside the building. The hallway was deserted. She looked at the slip in her hand, apartment 2BE. She approached a flight of shabby stairs and walked up to the second floor. There was no one around. A long hallway lay in front of her.
Dana began to walk along it slowly, looking at the numbers on the doors. 5BE…4BE…3BE…The door to 2BE was ajar. Dana tensed. Cautiously, she pushed the door open wider and stepped inside. The apartment was dark.
“Commissar…?” She waited. There was no answer. “Commissar Shdanoff?” A heavy silence. There was a bedroom ahead, and Dana moved toward it. “Commissar Shdanoff…”
As Dana entered the dark bedroom, she tripped over something and fell to the floor. She was lying on something soft and wet. Filled with revulsion, Dana scrambled to her feet. She felt along the wall until she found a switch. She pressed it, and the room was flooded with light. Her hands were covered with blood. On the floor lay the object she had stumbled over: Sasha Shdanoff’s body. He was on his back, his chest soaked in blood, his throat slit from ear to ear.