"Kyle, Duncan - Terror's Cradle" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kyle Duncan)

'Oh? Who is he?'

'Over there, sir.' He nodded towards the apology for a lounge, where a man sat quietly, smoking a cigarette. He looked up as I approached and began to rise.

'I'm Sellers,' I said.

'Pavel Marasov. I am Press Attache at the Soviet Embassy in Stockholm.' He offered his hand and I shook it: a cold hand, limp grip. He was a bit like his handshake, too. Rimless glasses of Glenn Miller vintage. Medium height, nondescript, in a slightly scruffy suit, but with a kind of intensity around the eyes. 'I came here to see if there was news and was told you are here.'

'And is there any news?' I sat down next to him.

'No. I asked the police. They do not know where Miss Hay is. It is very worrying.'

I said, 'We're all worried.'

'The Ambassador himself is most anxious.'

We stared at each other for a moment or two. Then I said, 'Mr Marasov, I don't know much. The police are keeping it tight. But I understand there was some problem about a transparency.' I used Schmid's trick, watching his eyes and emphasizing the word transparency.

But he didn't hesitate. 'Oh yes. It was unfortunate. We were sorry Miss Hay was troubled, but  you are a journalist, I think?'

'Yes.'

'Then you will understand. In Moscow Miss Hay was at the Number One Magazine Publishing House.'

I said, 'I know it. I was there myself.'

He looked at me for a moment.

'So you are the, er -'

'I'm the one you threw out,' I said.

He nodded, even smiled a little. 'I heard of it, but - this is a neutral country, eh?' Then he frowned and returned to the subject. 'You understand that there is a central photographic laboratory. They do work on many publications.'

'I remember.'

'They were copying transparencies for Miss Hay. A great many transparencies, you know? She selected what she wanted and they were copied because it is the rule that the original transparencies are not released. You follow me?'

'Yes.'

'Well, naturally there was much material in the laboratory, including the transparency which had been selected for a special anniversary edition of Soviet Industry. Miss Hay had taken away a large number of transparencies and when it was found that the cover was missing, it was thought it might, in error, have been given to her. The matter was urgent for production reasons.'

I said, 'I'd still like to know what happened.'

'It was most regrettable. It was necessary to stop her at the airport and ask if her material could be examined.'

Who stopped her?'

'I believe a message was sent from the publishing house to the airport police. Naturally it was not a police matter ...'