Belly of the Beast (9 page)

Yuri lit a cigarette. “I’m hiding Galina and your mother. Sometimes I don’t know why.”

“Do you owe both of them favors?”

“That’s enough questions. All you need to know is that your mother was not a match and Galina is crazy.”

“I’m going to stay until I know what’s going on,” Niki repeated. “If Galina is my biological mother, and she’s not a match, she may know where my father is.”

By the time Yuri exited the 101 highway, he had resigned himself to another visit with Galina. He drove Niki to the university hospital where she picked up another blood sampling kit, donated by Dr. Baxter this time.

   After the same cake and tea ritual early the next morning, Galina smiled and wiped crumbs from her mouth.

“Strange breakfast,” said Yuri.

“You were in the burrow,” said Niki. “Tell us about the baby.”

Galina smiled. “Not until I’ve had more tea.” Niki poured, then Galina sipped slowly, smiling intermittently. Finally she said, “The snow turned crimson.”

Niki pictured the snow on Rough Rider Ridge when Alex had coughed up blood.

“Actually black in the dim light,” Galina continued, bringing Niki back to the room. “The baby sucked in a lung full of air cold enough to freeze vodka and wailed. I bit through the cord and tied it in a knot. Blood was everywhere. I wrapped the baby in my extra coat, packed it in my rucksack, and tucked the whole bundle inside my coat. I heard shots.”

Yuri and Niki exchanged quick glances, then focused on Galina.

Galina checked her audience, then closed her eyes. “It was dark again, so I left the burrow and skied along a bay as fast as I could. The moon cast shadows of birch trees, long legged sentries marching along the shore. Perhaps the shots were just the birches exploding from the cold, perhaps soldiers were near. It didn’t matter; either one could kill us. I only paused to gnaw salo, melt snow for water, and let the baby suckle. After four days, I knew I was near the border. I smelled garlic and froze in my tracks.

“With my left ski forward, I dropped to my right knee. Just beyond a high fence, a guard stirred a pot on a small fire. The smell of the food drove me crazy, but steam rose from the pot and circled the red star on the border guard’s gray hat; I’d die if he saw me. I knelt motionless forever, the baby didn’t move. When the guard finally walked out of sight to the right, I ducked behind a row of trees to the left, then skied parallel to the fence. When I occasionally caught sight of it, moonlight glistened on frosted razor wire at the top. There was no way to cross it, and I knew there would be a second fence beyond. Then I heard the guard again, the crunch of his footsteps cracking the cold air as he walked in my direction.

 “My tracks were hidden by a small rise, but I was sure he would see me if he looked my way. Luckily he seemed more interested in the sausage he chewed. He passed, his footsteps fading until I heard the thunk of hard-soled boots on planks—a bridge. I stood and shivered until I heard nothing for five minutes, then hurried to the place where a small stream flowed under the bridge. There was no water, just deep snow. I felt where animals had forced their way under the fence. Pushing my skis and that baby before me, I squeezed through. I was under the bridge when the guard returned, heading back toward the fire. My track must have been obvious. He stopped. I guessed he could hear my heart beat. I waited for the shout, the crack of a rife, the sound of a klaxon. The silence was almost worse.

“I heard him strike a match, smelled the sulfur, then the bite of cheap tobacco smoke.

I was about to breathe when I felt the baby move. Any sound would kill us both. I pushed my hand against its face until it stopped moving.”

Niki grabbed Yuri’s wrist, squeezing hard enough to bulge the vessels on the back of his hand. “I think she is my mother, and I know why I can’t stand to have anything cover my face.”

Galina licked a cake crumb from her finger. “Do you want me to finish or not?”

“I’m not sure,” said Yuri.

“I need to know,” said Niki.

“Of course you do,” said Galina. “Come back tomorrow.”

“It’s an impossible story,” said Yuri. “You have outdone yourself, Galina. You never had any children.”

“You don’t know everything,” scolded Galina. “I crossed all of Finland with that baby. Shall I tell you what I did to the Finns who would have sent me back?”

“Perhaps later,” said Yuri. “I think we have heard enough.”

“I’m not leaving without a blood sample,” said Niki.

Galina huffed. “You are not going to poke needles in me. Come back tomorrow. I want to have another party.”

Niki pulled out a syringe. “Hold her.”

Yuri stepped between Niki and Galina. “You’re crossing a line here. Taking blood from Lana was one thing, but—”

“Yuri takes blood without permission,” said Galina behind Yuri’s back. “At Mayak he drained—”

“Galina!” Yuri spun to face her. “What did I tell you yesterday?”

Galina shrugged. “Not to talk about you, but I didn’t know that was for today too.”

“What is she talking about?” asked Niki.

“Galina just wants attention,” said Yuri. Her story is a fairy tale. I told you that from the start. Galina was never pregnant, never had children. She is not your mother, and she does not know who your father is.”

“Of course I do,” said Galina. “Joseph and I made love in a cave. I had his baby. I taught her to ski. She saved a stupid cat in Mexico. I had to leave her.”

“
Nohvihyah
Mehkseekah
,” said Lana, her eyes closed.

Niki and Yuri both spun to face Niki’s mother.

“I mean New Mexico,” said Galina.

Niki dropped her syringe. “My mother talks,” she gasped.

Yuri stared at Lana.

“I am supposed to be the mother,” said Galina. “This is my story.”

Niki went to her mother’s side, knelt and said softly. “Mother? It’s me. Niki.”

There was no response.

Yuri shook his head. “Galina, how long has Lana been talking?”

“Always talks, never listens.”

Niki tried again in Russian, but Lana still did not respond. She turned back toward Yuri. “How could you not know she talks
?”

“She talks Russian while she sleeps,” said Galina. She swung her eyes toward Yuri. “She keeps me awake. You really ought to kill her.”

Yuri didn’t smile. “She told you about escaping from Russia in her sleep?”

“That is my story. I am the one who escaped on skis.”

“Is Joseph my father?” asked Niki.

Galina smiled. “He will come for me someday. We leave notes in the cave.”

Niki raised an eyebrow. “The cave?”

“Shush. Secret cave. Secret bombs.”

“Don’t talk about Mayak,” warned Yuri.

“You told me I shouldn’t say Mayak, but you just said, ‘Mayak.’ You told me not to talk about anything that happened at that place, so I won’t say anything.” Galina ran her finger over her lips zipping them shut.

Niki looked to Yuri. “Don’t shut her up now. My son’s life is at stake. I don’t care if she’s talking for my mother. She knows stuff.”

Galina unzipped her lips. “I know stuff,” she said, then zipped her lips again.

“I didn’t come this far to go home empty-handed,” said Niki. “We need to find out about Joseph.”

Yuri nodded. “I guess I owe you that. Okay, Galina, enough with the zipping. Tell us about Joseph.”

“No. You don’t believe me. I’m not going to talk anymore.”

Yuri thought a moment, then stood and snapped his heels together. “I am chief political officer of Mayak Chemical Combine. We are trying to help Joseph. I order you to tell me about him.”

“Everything is secret. The KGB will take us away if we talk.”

“Don’t talk about the KGB.”

“You just said you are the chief political officer. Political officers are all KGB.”

Niki took a breath. “If you
don’t
talk, Yuri will send you to a gulag.”

“Well, if you put it that way.” Galina took a deep breath as well. “I lived in Tatysh, south of Mayak. It was all part of Chelyabinsk-40.”

Niki grabbed her notebook.

“Don’t mention names,” Yuri said sternly to Galina.

“Tell us everything,” said Niki.

“I lived with my husband,” said Galina.

“Joseph?” asked Niki.

“Yuri said not to mention names.”

“You can mention some names,” said Yuri.

“Joseph was not my husband.”

“Tell us his name,” said Yuri.

“Joseph.”

“No.” Yuri shook his head. “Tell us your husband’s name.”

“Oleg. He couldn’t wash dishes, much less make babies. None of the men who worked at Plant B were any good after a while.”

“Don’t mention Plant B.”

“You want me to tell story or plant rutabagas?”

“Tell the story,” said Niki. “Yuri, sit down.”

Yuri remained standing.

“Oleg stirred the pots of plutonium when the mixers failed,” Galina continued.

“And Joseph,” asked Niki, “where did he work?”

“With me at Plant B.”

“Don’t interrupt,” Niki cautioned Yuri. “Keep talking, Galina.”

 “I was the translator. My husband extracted plutonium from the mixers, I extracted information from Joseph, and Victor Malenkov extracted sex from me.”

Niki’s eyes flew around the room. Lana sat motionless, Yuri was reaching for Niki’s arm, Galina smiled.

“It’s time for us to go,” said Yuri.

Niki pulled back. “Not on your life. Two men were
sleeping with my mother?”

“Not sleeping,” said Galina, “fucking. He forced me. All the political officers—”

“Enough,” said Yuri. “I told you not to talk about the political officers. Now we are going.” He grabbed Niki’s arm. “I should not have brought you here.”

Niki shook loose. “Somebody named Joseph could be my father. Malenkov could be my father.”

 “You are not supposed to mention names,” said Galina.

“My mother tried to suffocate me. My father tried to drown me. For the love of God,” said Niki, “Why couldn’t I have been born to a couple of farmers?”

“I told Victor Malenkov that he wasn’t the father,” Galina said as if Niki hadn’t interrupted. “I said it was Joseph. Victor Malenkov was furious. He said he was going to drain my blood just like Yuri—”

“Shut up.” Yuri pulled Niki to the door, knocking over the teapot.

“What’s the matter with you?” asked Niki.

“This conversation has gone way too far. Galina is obviously crazy. It’s time you go back to Colorado.”

“This isn’t about protecting me,” said Niki. “This is about protecting yourself, but you know what? I don’t care. I don’t care if you drained Hoover Dam. All I want to do is save my son. For god’s sake, let Galina talk. We’re not in Russia; you’re not a political officer any more.”

“All political officers took liberties,” Lana said slowly in Russian.

Niki and Yuri turned again.

“Every woman in this room is crazy,” said Yuri. “This is my house; I make the rules. We are leaving.”

Niki grabbed the door frame. “You don’t scare me anymore.”

“I’ll drag you out if I have to.”

Niki dug in her heels. “You act charming, Mr. Yuri Kolchak, you gain my confidence, you pretend you want to help, and now you want to drag me away. You’ll have to shoot me to get rid of me now, but I guess that’s what you do. Is that what you’re afraid Galina will say?”

“Yuri helps people,” said Galina, “except when—”

“He swore he’d kill the baby,” said Lana in Russian.

“She is stealing my story,” said Galina. “Joseph will come for me. We leave notes in a cave.”

“Alpha Tunnel,” said Lana. “Product 76, leaking pipes.”

Yuri threw up his hands. “I will have to kill all of you.”

“Sit down,” said Niki. “My mother is talking.”

Galina got up, climbed into her bed, and wrapped herself into the fetal position. “Lana is stealing my story,” she whispered. “Not fair, not fair.”

Niki turned her chair to face Lana and sat close. Yuri sat too, arms crossed.

“Joseph Hauser loved me,” Lana said softly in Russian.

Galina sobbed quietly.

Lana continued in a monotone, “I told Victor Malenkov that he could fuck me, but he would never have me. I told him I was pregnant with Joseph’s baby.”

But for Galina’s weeping, the room fell silent for an eternity. Finally, Niki spoke softly in Russian. “You were married to Oleg. Malenkov forced himself on you. You made love with Joseph. How do you really know who my father is?”

Yuri looked toward the door, but did not move.

Very slowly, Lana opened her eyes and turned directly toward Niki, but her eyes looked straight through her. “A mother knows,” she said and then turned back toward the window.