There are No Ghosts in the Soviet Union. Reginald Hill. Читать онлайн. Newlib. NEWLIB.NET

Автор: Reginald Hill
Издательство: HarperCollins
Серия:
Жанр произведения: Историческая литература
Год издания: 0
isbn: 9780007370337
Скачать книгу
you Inspector Lev Chislenko!’

      He raised his glass in salutation. Kozlov followed suit. Chislenko raised his in acknowledgement. Then in perfect unison the three men tossed the hot round spirit to the back of the throat, and because fifteen centilitres of straight vodka at that brief moment of initial epiglottal contact monopolizes all thought and feeling, for the first and probably the last time in their lives the trio felt and thought as one.

      Then they were three again.

      ‘And now,’ said the old man, ‘we must not keep the Minister waiting.’

      Chislenko had imagined he would be escorted to the Minister’s official chambers in the highest reaches of Petrovka, where his own minor rank did not permit him to penetrate. Instead, they went down to the street and climbed into an oldish but still luxurious Mercedes with a plain-clothes chauffeur.

      ‘You like the car?’ said Serebrianikov, noting his impressed glance. ‘My enemies say it is unpatriotic to use a German car, but I reply that historically it has always been the duty of the patriot to flaunt the trophies of victory.’

      Chislenko, who knew a little about foreign cars through gently envious study of confiscated magazines, wondered what particular victory over the Germans Serebrianikov had won in the late ’sixties.

      He said, ‘They make excellent machinery, the Germans.’

      ‘Yes. Cars. Guns. Lifts even. They build to last, as Comrade Osjanin realized. A very clever man, Comrade Osjanin.’

      The compliment sounded genuine. Chislenko risked a direct question, though still keeping it as ambiguous as he could.

      ‘Is further action contemplated, Comrade Secretary?’

      The old man smiled in acknowledgement of the easy route offered him to switch the subject from Osjanin, but replied, ‘Oh yes, Lev. But you will have guessed that this business of the lifts was probably not a unique aberration. There have been suspicions before. You have given us our first sound evidence and now we shall dig and dig. There is corruption here on a huge scale, I would guess. Many, many millions of State money must have been diverted into the Comrade Controller’s pocket, and the pockets of his accomplices. Perhaps you would like to help in the digging, would you, Lev?’

      Chislenko must have looked so alarmed that Serebrianikov chuckled with glee.

      ‘What a cautious man you are! I like that; it is a good quality in an Inspector, caution. And discretion too. You have shown them both, Lev. Now you must show them again. Tell me, what did you discover in the Pravda records?’

      Was he being invited to demonstrate his powers of caution and discretion? Or was this a time for openness? It occurred to him that he had no idea where the car was headed. Perhaps at the end of the journey two KGB thugs with guns and spades were waiting if he gave the wrong answers. Sudden terror squeezed his heart for a long moment.

      ‘Indigestion?’ said Serebrianikov. ‘It is my fault. Vodka in the morning, without some zakuski to chew on, is all right for tough old guts like mine, but you modern youngsters! Here, have a peppermint.’

      The old man sounded genuinely concerned.

      Chislenko took a mint. As he put it into his mouth, he wondered neurotically if perhaps it was drugged, then grew very angry with himself. These were silly fantasies. If anything, he was safer in this car than anywhere. In a sense, the car, he decided, was a time-capsule. Outside the car, all the old rules applied. But inside, it was truth-time. Serebrianikov had shown the way.

      He took a deep breath and said, ‘I found out that the Minister’s brother, Fyodor Bunin, died in an accident in what was possibly the same lift on Friday, July 13th, 1934.’

      ‘Possibly?’

      ‘There were two lifts, Comrade Secretary. The records do not show whether the one in which the accident took place in Leningrad fifty years ago was used as the north or the south lift in the Gorodok Building.’

      The old man nodded approvingly.

      ‘Good, good. You are using your intellect, Lev. Go on, go on.’

      Go on where? wondered Chislenko. He found he was surprisingly eager to continue to impress the old man but his brain was groping in a fog of vague possibilities. He tried to focus on what he knew. Fyodor Bunin. The Encyclopædia

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4QAYRXhpZgAASUkqAAgAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/sABFEdWNreQABAAQAAAA8AAD/4QNyaHR0cDov L25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wLwA8P3hwYWNrZXQgYmVnaW49Iu+7vyIgaWQ9Ilc1TTBNcENl aGlIenJlU3pOVGN6a2M5ZCI/PiA8eDp4bXBtZXRhIHhtbG5zOng9ImFkb2JlOm5zOm1ldGEvIiB4 OnhtcHRrPSJBZG9iZSBYTVAgQ29yZSA1LjAtYzA2MSA2NC4xNDA5NDksIDIwMTAvMTIvMDctMTA6 NTc6MDEgICAgICAgICI+IDxyZGY6UkRGIHhtbG5zOnJkZj0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMTk5 OS8wMi8yMi1yZGYtc3ludGF4LW5zIyI+IDxyZGY6RGVzY3JpcHRpb24gcmRmOmFib3V0PSIiIHht bG5zOnhtcE1NPSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvbW0vIiB4bWxuczpzdFJlZj0i aHR0cDovL25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wL3NUeXBlL1Jlc291cmNlUmVmIyIgeG1sbnM6eG1w PSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvIiB4bXBNTTpPcmlnaW5hbERvY3VtZW50SUQ9 InV1aWQ6Zjk4NjM2OGQtNDQ1Yy05ZDQ0LWExMmEtYzhjZTRjMWU0MWJkIiB4bXBNTTpEb2N1bWVu dElEPSJ4bXAuZGlkOjhFOTk2RTk0NDk5MDExRTVCRUREODNCODNDQ0ZEMzM0IiB4bXBNTTpJbnN0 YW5jZUlEPSJ4bXAuaWlkOjhFNUE4NjAyNDk5MDExRTVCRUREODNCODNDQ0ZEMzM0IiB4bXA6Q3Jl YXRvclRvb2w9IkFkb2JlIFBob3Rvc2hvcCBDUzUuMSBNYWNpbnRvc2giPiA8eG1wTU06RGVyaXZl ZEZyb20gc3RSZWY6aW5zdGFuY2VJRD0ieG1wLmlpZDo4QUM2MjY5MjIwMjA2ODExOUZDQkVFOUM0 QzYwOTQzRiIgc3RSZWY6ZG9jdW1lbnRJRD0ieG1wLmRpZDozMjcwNDE4NjIwMjA2ODExOUZDQkVF OUM0QzYwOTQzRiIvPiA8L3JkZjpEZXNjcmlwdGlvbj4gPC9yZGY6UkRGPiA8L3g6eG1wbWV0YT4g PD94cGFja2V0IGVuZD0iciI/Pv/iDFhJQ0NfUFJPRklMRQABAQAADEhMaW5vAhAAAG1udHJSR0Ig WFlaIAfOAAIACQAGADEAAGFjc3BNU0ZUAAAAAElFQyBzUkdCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD21gABAAAA ANMtSFAgIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEWNw cnQAAAFQAAAAM2Rlc2MAAAGEAAAAbHd0cHQAAAHwAAAAFGJrcHQAAAIEAAAAFHJYWVoAAAIYAAAA FGdYWVoAAAIsAAAAFGJYWVoAAAJAAAAAFGRtbmQAAAJUAAAAcGRtZGQAAALEAAAAiHZ1ZWQAAANM AAAAhnZpZXcAAAPUAAAAJGx1bWkAAAP4AAAAFG1lYXMAAAQMAAAAJHRlY2gAAAQwAAAADHJUUkMA AAQ8AAAIDGdUUkMAAAQ8AAAIDGJUUkMAAAQ8AAAIDHRleHQAAAAAQ29weXJpZ2h0IChjKSAxOTk4 IEhld2xldHQtUGFja2FyZCBDb21wYW55AABkZXNjAAAAAAAAABJzUkdCIElFQzYxOTY2LTIuMQAA AAAAAAAAAAAAEnNSR0IgSUVDNjE5NjYtMi4xAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABYWVogAAAAAAAA81EAAQAAAAEWzFhZWiAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAWFlaIAAAAAAAAG+iAAA49QAAA5BYWVogAAAAAAAAYpkAALeFAAAY2lhZWiAAAAAAAAAkoAAA D4QAALbPZGVzYwAAAAAAAAAWSUVDIGh0dHA6Ly93d3cuaWVjLmNoAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWSUVDIGh0 dHA6Ly93d3cuaWVjLmNoAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAGRlc2MAAAAAAAAALklFQyA2MTk2Ni0yLjEgRGVmYXVsdCBSR0IgY29sb3VyIHNwYWNlIC0g c1JHQgAAAAAAAAAAAAAALklFQyA2MTk2Ni0yLjEgRGVmYXVsdCBSR0IgY29sb3VyIHNwYWNlIC0g c1JHQgAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABkZXNjAAAAAAAAACxSZWZlcmVuY2UgVmlld2luZyBD b25kaXRpb24gaW4gSUVDNjE5NjYtMi4xAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAsUmVmZXJlbmNlIFZpZXdpbmcgQ29u ZGl0aW9uIGluIElFQzYxOTY2LTIuMQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAdmlldwAAAAAA E6T+ABRfLgAQzxQAA+3MAAQTCwADXJ4AAAABWFlaIAAAAAAATAlWAFAAAABXH+dtZWFzAAAAAAAA AAEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACjwAAAAJzaWcgAAAAAENSVCBjdXJ2AAAAAAAABAAAAAAFAAoA DwAUABkAHgAjACgALQAyADcAOwBAAEUASgBPAFQ