Goodbye to an Old Friend by Brian Freemantle

Author:Brian Freemantle
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Open Road Media

The security men guarding Pavel had grown so concerned that they had telephoned London and spoken with Sir Jocelyn. London had got Adrian before he left Bennovitch, and when he arrived at Pulborough, he was given a full briefing. He supposed that Binns would have already told the Premier and that he would be blamed for what had happened. It ceased to matter.

Despite the warning, Adrian was still shocked when he went into the spacious room, overlooking the clipped, tiered lawns, in which the Russian was hunched, as if he were in pain.

Pavel half turned, saw it was Adrian and then looked away again, disinterestedly. His eyes were sore from crying and there were still traces of tears on his face, so white it appeared almost artificially made up.

Although there had been assurances from the security men of room and body searches, Adrian’s first thought was that Pavel had taken poison. It had happened once before and security had been as insistent then. The inquiry had shown they’d missed the hollowed-out cross the defector had worn around his neck, a thing they should have checked within the first hour.

‘Viktor …?’

The Russian ignored him, staring out into the garden.

‘Viktor … what’s wrong?’

Adrian moved nearer, going around in front of the other man. He had both hands in front of him and at first Adrian thought he was holding his stomach and that his fear of poison was correct, but then he saw Pavel was clutching the photograph wallet against him, as if he were afraid someone was going to snatch it away.

‘Viktor … tell me. What is it?’

The Russian looked up at him, distress leaking from him. Adrian saw his nose was running and realized he wasn’t going to do anything about it. The Englishman felt slightly disgusted.

‘Are you ill …? Do you want a doctor?’

Pavel shook his head.

‘I didn’t sleep,’ he said.

‘I know.’

‘I forgot. I’m watched pretty well.’

Adrian said nothing.

‘All I could think about was them …’ He gestured towards the pictures in his lap. ‘Do you realize what I’ve done to them, to my children and my wife?’

Seats had been installed in the bay window of the room: Pavel sat at one end and Adrian sat at the other, studying the man, dismissing his fear of poison.

The breakdown of a man known to adore his wife and family, judged Adrian. A man facing complete realization of the terror he’d left behind. Sincere? Or phoney?

‘Do you know what I’ve done?’ repeated Pavel, a man whose mind is blocked by one thought and cannot progress beyond it. ‘Do you know they could actually be put to death?’

Adrian nodded, slowly.

‘But you knew that, Viktor,’ he said, pointedly. There was no reaction at the use of the Christian name. ‘You must have considered that. It must have been one of the first things that occurred to you.’

Pavel made an uncertain movement.

‘Of course I thought about it,’ he said. ‘But I thought … Oh, I don’t know what I thought …’

‘Really?’ queried Adrian. ‘That’s not like you, Viktor.

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