by Rik Stone
The general gave them a minute and then said, “So, after everything that’s happened to you – escaping prison and the killing of, what, five people? – do you believe anyone is actually looking for you personally or are they chasing shadows?”
“When I was in prison I didn’t exist, so I couldn’t ‘go missing’. And since Zeki kidnapped me when I was a boy I’ve spent my life in the wind. I have no identification, no homeland, nothing. So as far as the police are concerned with the killings, they’ll be happy believing Zeki is the guilty party.”
“What of mistakes? Do we need to make follow ups?”
“No, no mistakes, General. I planted evidence to incriminate Zeki, but none of it was in error.”
“Explain.”
“The guns: the bullets from the Welrod we used to kill Volkan set Zeki up as the main suspect. I left that gun on the floor in the back of Osman’s car. I also gave up Ahmet’s gun at a murder scene because it was taken by a man fitting Zeki’s description. I used other people while following victims and told them my name was Zeki.”
Petrichova nodded. “Okay, so we’re happy with your position.” He gave his attention to Anna. “Formally then, Anna is Captain Anna Kord and is from one of our elite task forces.” Mehmet smiled. “No introductions necessary for Yuri, but that man hiding over there on the other side of the table is Leo Rabinovich.”
Leo got to his feet and approached with an outstretched hand. He was smaller than Anna and she was no giant. His dark-grey, pinstriped suit shone greasy with age. His frame was slight, bordering on skeletal and a last strand of wispy auburn hair perched like an old bird’s nest over a hollow face. Sacs of flesh were puckered under dark, lazy eyes that had a hunted look. The skin covering his face was oversized, crumpling his features and a small moustache sat neatly over a thin top lip. He wasn’t a handsome man, but he had an attractiveness that was somehow enhanced by an air of vulnerability. Mehmet took his hand and smiled.
Petrichova proceeded. “Right, you all know each other. Sit.”
Everyone returned to their seats and Mehmet sat with Yuri.
“With regard to the mission, I want you and Yuri to act in a supporting role. When Anna finishes her part of the job, I want you and Yuri to deliver what she gets and then return for follow-up orders.”
Mehmet knew from Yuri never to question orders. And anyway, it would be pointless asking for details at this stage. The general had been sufficiently obscure to make it clear he wasn’t ready to share.
General Petrichova continued, “Leo works in the passport office in Leningrad. He will create a Russian persona for Mehmet and give him a new identity. It’s unlikely, but the way you look now you could still be mistaken for the newspaper photo fit of Zeki. I–”
“Before you make any changes to me, General, I have to go back to the room where I’ve been living. If I leave without taking my belongings, the landlord might become suspicious. If that happens and somehow the authorities tie me to the killings, people there would give a very different description to the ones that are currently being distributed. Better I bring the lodging to a clean end.”
Yuri smiled with satisfaction. “You’ve learned well, Mehmet.”
The general had no such compliment to make and sounded short of patience when he said, “Okay, do what you have to do and then return as quickly as you can. Yuri, you go with him.”
Chapter 42
Mehmet packed a small holdall and paid the landlord his dues while Yuri waited for him on the quayside. The general expected them to return with haste so the Russians in the embassy could mess around with Mehmet’s appearance, but Yuri had other ideas.
“An hour won’t change the shape of the world,” he said. “The general can wait.” He pulled a mischievous face, a laugh rumbled from his belly and he clamped a hand to the back of Mehmet’s neck. “You couldn’t guess how much I’ve missed you, Mehmet, and worried about you,” he said. “Eight long years without hearing a thing.”
Mehmet sighed. “I couldn’t allow myself to feel the same way about you or Nina I’m afraid. If I learned anything when I was under the jetty with the Little Dogs, it was to think about yourself and not let anything else matter. I thought I was going to die in the police station and Synopi wasn’t that much more hopeful, so as far as I could see I had no future.”
Mehmet had been comfortable enough with Yuri’s hand on his neck, but it suddenly tightened. “Ah, that’s why you weren’t quick to ask about Nina; you’ve cast her from your thoughts.”
He squirmed from Yuri’s grip. “I don’t know what I feel about her to be truthful. She seemed so perfect for me when we were at the Ottoman, but I’ve been with many women since escaping Synopi. I…” He deserted an explanation he couldn’t properly give. “What did happen with you and her that night?”
“Well, Nina proved herself to be a loyal comrade for one thing. She could have fled, but chose to stand with me. When you stormed out, she gave you enough space to cool down before going out to look for you. She was gone and back in moments warning me that the police were all over the place. If she hadn’t seen them, if she hadn’t come back, they would’ve surprised and killed me for certain.”
Yuri put his hand on Mehmet’s shoulder.
“She took the Welrod and me the Uzi. I’ve no idea where she learned to shoot, but because she could use the pistol, she saved me a second time when a policeman crept up on me. She dropped him with a headshot. Something I’m sure you couldn’t have done.”
He laughed. Mehmet didn’t.
“From what you’ve told me, you must know where she is and if she’s safe,” Mehmet said.
“Yes I do, and yes she’s safe. Why? Have the feelings for her returned and now you need to rush over and see her?”
The question unnerved him. He was at a loss. “What? I don’t know, Yuri. My head is mixed up. As I said, I’ve been with women since meeting Nina and I wouldn’t want to treat her the way my father did my mother. I don’t…”
Yuri grabbed his neck again and pushed him playfully. “We have plenty of work ahead of us before you could see her anyway, so don’t go rushing into decisions. Your freedom is still new to you. Let it sink in. Your true feelings will surface soon enough.”
The conversation drifted and they walked the long way around the quayside towards Sirkeci. Mehmet couldn’t understand why it should be important, but Yuri seemed desperate that he should meet Pinar Yeter, his reporter lover.
Yuri broke the silence. “I don’t know whether you noticed,” he said, “but the article in the Hurriyet newspaper reporting on the deaths was written by Pinar. She’s covered all the killings, from Volkan through to the Osmans, and always made sure the slant was towards Zeki being the killer.”
“Does that mean she’s a love of convenience?” Mehmet asked, instantly regretting it because Yuri had so obviously told him about her with pride.
“No!” he said, looking hurt. “Not a moment of it. They say there’s a lid for every pot and that’s pretty much how I see me and Pinar. Together, we are a complete item.”
“I’m sorry, Yuri. I didn’t mean the words to come out the way they did.”
He smiled and Mehmet quickly changed the subject.
“Anna seems very serious. Are all Russian women so severe?”
Yuri chuckled. “Some are, yes, but Anna has reason to be sombre. She’s over here to finish up an overlap operation from Moscow. It’s been very difficult for her.”
“Is that why her eyes are so sad?”
“Yes, her partner on the operation is her lover. The task didn’t go exactly to plan and right now he’s lying in a coma in the hospital wing of an abandoned gulag in Northern Russia, Siberia to be exact.”
The disappointment Mehmet felt hearing that she had a man had him cursing his genes once more. He shook the thought. “Will he make it?”
“Who knows? He’s been in the coma for a month. The medics have their doubts… Anna is officially called Puchinsky, but she took his
second name to confirm their love – another pot with a lid.”
His words made Mehmet think of Nina and sadness spiked in his chest.
“She just wants this job finished so she can get back to Russia and keep vigil by his bedside,” Yuri said. “But you know the general. He has no time for personal relationships and believes this assignment is best suited to a woman – and in the field she’s the best of all women.”
“What is the task?” Mehmet asked.
“He’ll tell us that when we get back.”
“You know one reason I came into the embassy early was to find the main man responsible for my father’s death. Will you tell me who he is?”
“Yes, but not now. I don’t want you getting distracted. Be patient, Mehmet, you will find out soon enough.”
They walked in silence, comfortable in the quiet of each other’s company. Horns and klaxons blew out over the Bosporus and the usual chants called the faithful to prayer. Getting to Topkapi Palace and on into Gulhane Park, a couple of police officers were scanning the area, probably hoping a missed clue to the Osman killing might jump out at them. A nervous tingle brushed a path up Mehmet’s spine and he tucked his head into his shoulders, stared at the ground as he walked by.
They hurried past and Mehmet thought over the conversation he’d had about Nina as they continued to Sirkeci.
*
“I’ve been living with Pinar for a few years, but when we heard Ahmet had been killed I moved out in case it was tied in with the night of your arrest,” Yuri told Mehmet as they approached the building where she lived.
“So you knew Ahmet had made the arrest?”
“Yes, I found out that much.”
“So where are you staying now?” Mehmet asked, knowing the boat had been burnt out at the same time as the Ottoman house.
“Ah, wait till you see her, Mehmet. I have a Turkish gulet. Twenty-four-metres long with two Man-Engines, it’s a sailing boat that can punch through tides and headwinds and barely drop a couple of knots from her top speed. And the hull has been strengthened to make her ocean going.”
“What will she do?”
“She holds steady at around 10 knots.”
Mehmet had lived with Yuri since he was twelve years old and life on the water had enriched his life. Listening to the descriptions, he couldn’t wait to board the vessel.
By the time they got to Pinar’s front door, Yuri had told Mehmet all there could possibly be to tell about his wonderful boat, but taking out a key, his excitement seemed to move elsewhere. They went into a private hall without knocking and a woman rushed out of a room looking worried, holding a small revolver. On seeing Yuri, her face lit up. The thrill of it seeming to get the better of her, a scream shrilled, she put the pistol on the hall table and threw herself at him, jumping up and wrapping her legs around his waist. Yuri kissed her long and passionately, and feeling like a spare part, Mehmet took a step back towards the door.
“Whoa, put me down, Pinar. We have a guest.”
She slid catlike from his body, straightened her clothing and peered at Mehmet from behind Yuri’s massive biceps.
“This is Mehmet,” he said.
Mehmet put out a hand, but she brushed it aside, moved in close, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him tightly against her. He sunk into voluptuous curves and was embarrassed to feel the pit of his stomach twinge.
“At last we meet,” she said. “I’ve heard so much about you, it’s like you’re one of my own. But I can see why Yuri has kept you hidden: you such a handsome young man and him such a jealous one. He said you were tall and strong, and you clearly are, but he never mentioned how good-looking you were.”
Mehmet didn’t know where to put his face, but did realise it was time to pull his lower body away from hers.
“Okay, okay, that’s enough of embarrassing the boy,” Yuri said, appearing to enjoy every moment.
Pinar stood Mehmet back to give him the once over. He took the time to do the same of her. Pretty, dark, mysterious and even though she wouldn’t see forty again, she was more than attractive. Fleshy, but on her it wasn’t a fault.
Mehmet looked at Yuri and smiled. Pinar pulled Mehmet to her again and his face began burning. This was beginning to get too intimate.
Yuri laughed at the clear discomfort. “Don’t worry, Mehmet, she’s a very demonstrative lady. This, I must say, has its benefits.”
Mehmet was still appreciating what he meant when Yuri laughed one of his belly laughs. Pinar dislodged herself and punched him in the arm.
“Ouch… We can’t stay long, Pinar. We have a job to do and the risk to you isn’t over. I came because I couldn’t wait for you to meet Mehmet. But I also have to ask if you’re willing to increase your articles about the hunt for Zeki. Invent a source that’s seen him in and around Unkapani. Try to keep it on the front page. If you do that, the people who know Zeki is dead will think the killer is still in Istanbul. That gives us the chance to go and do what has to be done.”
Mehmet stayed with Pinar and Yuri for maybe half an hour and then decided to disappear. Let them say their goodbyes in private.
After forever, Yuri came out onto the street looking like the cat that had got the cream and they began the return along the curving coast road back to the embassy. Mehmet considered: Yuri had told Pinar to make it look like Zeki was seen in Istanbul. That meant he knew the task was somewhere other than in the city.
“I thought you didn’t know what the task was about?” he said.
Yuri sniggered, nodding appreciatively at Mehmet. “I don’t, I just know it isn’t in Istanbul. Be patient, Mehmet. We’ll find out soon enough.”
Chapter 43
“Have you heard of Beyrek Ozel?” the general asked, directing the question to Mehmet.
He and Yuri had returned to the embassy earlier and the staff there had played with his appearance. Sitting at the conference table now with the people he had met earlier, he was feeling uncomfortable, or at least unusual, with his new appearance. His head had been shaven back and sides, and there wasn’t much more than that left on top. He was given a blue and white striped shirt with epaulettes and blue army trousers that had a darker blue seam down the leg. And, he was told to wear the clothes until asked to do otherwise. With his face clean shaven for the first time since he could remember, he definitely looked the Russian soldier rather than Turkish gang member, but the ‘newness’ of it felt odd.
“I’ve heard the name, yes. In fact, it was you I heard it from. Back when you outlined the task for killing Volkan.” Mehmet wasn’t sure if it was obvious to the others but his voice had trembled with an irrational nervousness.
“You have an excellent memory. Good, in that case you know Beyrek is a gangster, and that’s all you know. Yuri, on the other hand, knows him quite well.”
“What, from one of his lists?” Mehmet asked.
“No, Beyrek was a man we’ve worked around since losing contact with you. Probably the most successful criminal in the city and he’s also spread his wings to other parts of the country. Currently, he’s on the receiving end of a flesh trafficking trade in Icmeler. He lives there permanently because life is sweeter for him there.” The general coughed. “His operations in Istanbul are still in full flow, however. He uses his trusted captains to take care of them for him.”
“Is your interest because of the flesh trade? Are the women coming out of the Soviet Union?” he guessed.
“Well judged, Mehmet, yes. Which is the reason Anna is here: to make a trade with Beyrek. We won’t go into the whys and wherefores of the man now. All you need to know is that he has two girls in his care, Russian Jewesses, Hannah and Becca.”
“And they’re important?” Yuri asked.
“They’re an obligation. Their father, Jacob Bernstein” – he opened a hand towards Leo – “and Leo here were instrumental in playing out an operation in Moscow recently. I’ll not go into it, but Jacob is an accountant. His daughters were kidnapped and used to man
ipulate him, but he still came through for us. So maybe I was wrong to say obligation; they’re more than that. These girls are under the protection of the Soviet State and Jacob was loyal to it. It is imperative we live up to our responsibilities.”
General Petrichova cleared his throat again.
“We arrested an army officer who worked for Otto Mitrokhin, the man who ran the trafficking from Moscow. Mitrokhin is no longer Beyrek’s partner in crime, he’s dead, but Beyrek doesn’t know that and will believe he is still powerful enough that he wouldn’t want to upset him. The officer in custody knows Beyrek personally and after a little gentle persuasion, he telephoned him with a demand for the return of the girls. We agreed to pay a price but made sure Beyrek was aware that Mitrokhin would be very unhappy if the deal didn’t go through.”
Petrichova got up and walked to the window, clasped his hands behind him, arched his back and raised himself onto the balls of his feet.
“The bottom line is this: he’s expecting a visit from Anna in the next week or so. If you’re wondering why Anna, she is making the exchange because Beyrek knows Yuri, and Mehmet being Turkish wouldn’t work, so… Never mind that; Anna will pay the agreed sum and bring the girls to you. She’ll then be out of the loop and will return to Russia. She has pressing matters to attend to.”
He returned to the table, sat and drummed his fingers on the polished surface.
“Leo has done his work here and will return to Moscow tomorrow to complete it. First light, Yuri, Mehmet and Anna take the gulet to Turgutkoy on the western side of the peninsular from Marmaris. There, Anna will travel alone to Icmeler. Yuri will wait with Mehmet at the dockside until she brings Hannah and Becca to them. Anna goes her own way overland while you two bring Hannah and Becca back to Istanbul.”
“And that’s the job?” Mehmet asked, incredulous at the impotency of his part in the mission.
“Yes, for now. But you and Yuri will have a lot more to do once that part of the task is complete.”
