"Robert Weinberg - Logical Magician 02 - A Calculated Magician" - читать интересную книгу автора (Weinberg Robert)

200 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016.

ISBN: 0-441-00144-0

ACE┬о
Ace Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
200 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016.
ACE and the тАЬAтАЭ design are trademarks
belonging to Charter Communications, Inc.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

scientia est potentia
(knowledge is power)

mundus vult decipi
(the world wants to be deceived)

8
Prologue
That no one ever guessed that Boris Bronsky was nothing more than an unimportant member of the
Russian State Department was directly attributable to sixty-three red Xs. The marks were engraved next
to the names of those who incurred the wrath of the Soviet premier or the secretary of the Communist
Party, The imposing list of his victims served as a grim warning to leave Boris Bronsky strictly alone. In a
country where spies spied on spies spying on spies, Boris retained astonishing autonomy. He worked
independently, without supervision, without interference, without controls.
Thus, on June 6, when Boris entered a dark alley of a disreputable section of Paris, no member
of any secret organization followed. Not that Bronsky ever worried about such matters. He was, in fact,
incredibly naive about the inner workings of the KGB and the Secret Service. It never once occurred to
him that his own organization would monitor his movements. He probably would have been even more
astonished to learn of the nine agents who had disappeared without a trace trying to keep pace with him
over the years. But Boris was a man with absolutely no imagination. That, and his total lack of ambition,
was why he had been chosen for this position in the first place a quarter of a century before.
His predecessor, Nikoli Valda, equally notorious in his time, had chosen Boris as his prot├йg├й
after reviewing the records of hundreds of civilian employees working for the KGB. Valda never
confided to his young assistant how he had made his choice. Many years later, Boris concluded it was
because he was a man of simple tastes, not easily bored. Which was actually closer to the truth than he
realized. For though he was respected by a few, feared by many, Boris Bronsky lacked ambition. And
that, considering the power he wielded, was all-important.
Among his family and friends, Boris was affectionately nicknamed тАЬthe Bear,тАЭ Standing six feet
four inches tall and weighing slightly more than 340 pounds, BorisтАЩs resemblance to the animal was quite
apparent. A layer of thick, curly brown hair that covered much of his body helped to further the illusion.
As did his small, piercing black eyes. Bronsky looked the part of his namesake.
However, according to those who loved him, the title came from BorisтАЩs gruff but friendly nature.
To his fellow Russians, bears were creatures of the circus---huge, powerful animals without the least bit
of meanness in their souls. Bears played with huge balls and buffeted clowns and suffered the most
outrageous practical jokes with a seemingly unlimited amount of patience. It was BronskyтАЩs gentleness
that earned him the nickname тАЬthe Bear.тАЭ