The Devil's Alternative (63 page)

So it would be the labor camps, the living death, for the woman he loved and had been so near to marrying in his native Scotland.

“Then what will you do to her?”

The old Russian raised his eyebrows in mock surprise.

“Do? Nothing. She is a loyal woman, a patriot. She is also very fond of you, young man. Not in love, you understand, but genuinely fond—”

“I don’t understand,” said Munro. “How do you know?”

“She asked me to tell you,” said Rudin. “She will not be a housewife in Edinburgh. She will not be Mrs. Munro. She cannot see you again—ever. But she does not want you to worry for her, to fear for her. She is well, privileged, honored, among her own people. She asked me to tell you not to worry.”

The dawning comprehension was almost as dizzying as the fear. Munro stared at Rudin as the disbelief receded.

“She was yours,” he said quietly. “She was yours all along. From the first contact in the woods, just after Vishnayev made his bid for war in Europe. She was working for you. ...”

The grizzled old Kremlin fox shrugged.

“Mr. Munro,” growled the old Russian, “how else could I get my messages to President Matthews with the absolute certainty that they would be believed?”

The impassive major with the cold eyes drew at his elbow; he was outside the Throne Room, and the door closed behind him. Five minutes later he was shown out, on foot, through a small door in the Savior Gate onto Red Square. The parade marshals were rehearsing their roles for May Day. The clock above his head struck midnight.

He turned left toward the National Hotel to find a taxi. A hundred yards later, as he passed Lenin’s Mausoleum, to the surprise and outrage of a militiaman, he began to laugh.

About the Author

FREDERICK FORSYTH is the author of eight best-selling novels:
The Day of the Jackal
,
The Odessa File
,
The Dogs of War
,
The Devil’s Alternative
,
The Fourth Protocol
,
The Negotiator
,
The Deceiver
, and
The Fist of God
. He has also written an acclaimed collection of short fiction,
No Comebacks
. He lives outside London.

About the e-Book

(DEC 2002) Scanned, fully proofed, and formatted by .