Impasse (The Red Gambit Series) (40 page)

“
Where? Do they know where?”

Nazarbayeva was normally softer in her dealings with her staff, especially Poboshkin, but the nature of the report had unsettled her.

“Not for certain, but there are German ground formations involved. That places it on or either side of the Ruhr area. The NKVD have discounted Italy, I’m assuming because of the source of their information.”

She took a drink from her glass, the cool water bringing the moment
’s pause she needed to gather her thoughts.

“
We'll deal with how we’ve missed this later. For now, re-examine every report we’ve had for the last two weeks... and reassess on the basis of what we now know, or what our comrades of the NKVD believe we now know. Find me something, Andrey. My flight’s at 1725 hrs, and I want everything we can put together to brief the General Secretary.”

Alone in her office, Nazarbayeva
’s mind went through everything she could remember, occasionally picking up a piece of paper, or making a note of her own on a pad.

After nearly an hour, she was no closer to making any meaningful discovery.

The knock on the door both broke her concentration and intrigued her, for it carried with it a sense of urgency that, in present conditions, could only mean progress.

Her aide almost ran to the desk, the Captain that followed behind slower and more wary of the new commander.

“Comrade General. This is Kapitan Ivashutin. He has been monitoring information regarding our field agents, with my permission, of course.”

From that,
Nazarbayeva clearly understood that Ivashutin had been freelancing something in his department, undoubtedly outside of his normal duties, but that Lieutenant Colonel Poboshkin intended to stand by the man, in spite of the serious indiscretion.

That told her much before another word was spoken.

“Kapitan.”

At Poboshkin
’s invitation, the nervous man laid a handmade map on the desk.

The annotations were meaningless to the uncoached eye, which in this case was everyone but Ivashutin.

Clearing his throat, he repeated what he had told Poboshkin ten minutes beforehand.

“
Comrade General, this is something that I was doing in my own time as a monitoring exercise. This map records matters between the 1st and 31st of October.”

He tapped the hand written legend, meaningless words and numbers that clearly meant something to him.

“Sir, you’ll note that I took security seriously and encrypted my results.”

“
Comrade Kapitan, please. PodPolkovnik Poboshkin’s already vouched for you and further discussion on your... personal project will take place under his authority. Just give it to me straight and to hell with the ass covering!”

“
As you command, Comrade General. Each of these marks is a message that originates from one of our field agents as best as can be interpreted on the basis of tasking and known operating base...”

Ivashutin
’s voice trailed away and he coughed deeply. Nazarbayeva gestured towards the carafe and Poboshkin filled three glasses quickly, setting one on the desk for each of them.

“
Thank you, Sir.”

Ivashutin
’s glass emptied and his dry throat was refreshed.

“
Excuse me, Comrade General.”

He produced a second map and laid it next to the first so that the two were easily compared. Tapping the legend, he continued.

“This covers the same group of agents from 1st to 30th November.

Nazarbayeva could not help but be shocked.

“Go on, Comrade Kapitan.”

As she
spoke, she shared a look with Poboshkin who aired his thoughts.

“
He’s sold me, Comrade General.”

Picking up in confidence, Ivashutin tallied off the reasons why normal procedures did not reveal the issue. He was stating the obvious
, but Nazarbayeva let him have his moment.

“
Agents in the field cannot always contact us on a given schedule, and we are used to them dropping out for weeks at a time without problems. Because of recent events, the volume of work has been maintained as some agents have become prolific in their reporting. Because of the way we assign control of our agents, the lack of central monitoring has counted against us this time, Comrade General.”

Normally, criticism of the system was not acceptable
, but he had a point.

“
So, Comrade Kapitan, translate this for me.”

“
Comrade General, what you see here is an area, from Venlo down to Luxembourg, where agent reports have greatly reduced, compared to October.”

He sought eye contact with Poboshkin
, and was rewarded with silent encouragement.

“
Comrade General, in October we had thirteen agents, possibly as many as sixteen, at work within this area.”

Checking the pad in front of him, he dropped his bombshell.

“For certain, twelve, possibly fourteen of those have made no reports in November, whereas here...and here,” he indicated the military zones above and below the virginal white paper, “The reports are flowing thickly.”

Her eye examined the two maps, acknowledging the void created south of the Ruhr
, through the Hürtgenwald, and into the Ardennes.

“
And your opinion and interpretation, Comrade Kapitan?”

Ivashutin was momentarily confused. The number of times that a general officer
had sought his view on anything could be counted on the fingers of a hand with no fingers.

Nazarbayeva decided to put him at his ease as best she could.

“Speak freely, Comrade Ivashutin.”

“
Sir... Comrade General... I believe that this area has been created by the Allies counter-intelligence forces removing or displacing our agents as they have built up a large assault force. I have no proof, but PodPolkovnik Poboshkin has ordered a review of agent’s reports from November, which might help us understand better, especially if we look at them in the context of this suspicion... Comrade General....Sir...”

The quiet unnerved Ivashutin, both senior officers fixed upon and absorbed by his map work.

“What is your job, Comrade Kapitan?”

“
Comrade General, I head the logging section. All reports come through us for logging and filing.”

“
Not any more. You’ll be allocated four men and a second officer to create a new section specifically to officially undertake,” she spared a wry look for her aide, “The task that Comrade PodPolkovnik Poboshkin wisely asked you to commence... in October?”

Again, Ivashutin looked uncomfortable

“Err, September, Comrade General.”

“
September?”

“
Yes, Comrade General.”

The man had been wrong to do what he did but his efforts, ones that could easily earn him a place in a Gulag, had highlighted a problem long before it would have been found.

Her mind was made up.

“
PodPolkovnik Poboshkin will sort out your new personnel and a suitable place of work. You will keep him informed at all times, understand?”

One nod was enough.

“Thank you for taking the risk and bringing this information to us, Comrade Ivashutin. You could easily have said nothing.”

Nazarbayeva picked up an official letterhead and wrote a formal
note, which she passed, to her aide.

Sharing his smile, she concluded the session.

“Now, go with Comrade Poboshkin and report back to me once you have settled into your new office. 1900 hrs on Saturday should give us both sufficient time. Make sure he’s properly dressed please, Comrade Poboshkin. Dismissed.”

The two officers saluted formally, one knowing everything
, the other knowing nothing, at least until he was shown Nazarbayeva’s written order promoting Ivashutin to Major, effective immediately.

Tatiana looked at the closed door, her mind working hard on how she would present the information and
conclusion to the General Secretary.

But first, a warning to Konev.

She picked up the phone.

Konev was listening to the latest planning direct from Marshal Kirill Meretskov, the man who replaced him as commander of the 2nd Red Banner.

Transferred in from Manchuria, where his services in the scaled down Far
East force were not required, Meretskov had spent a lifetime soldiering, making Marshal despite having been arrested in the early days of the Patriotic War.

Quietly briefing his commander, Meretskov was interrupted by Petrov, still in place as CoS for the 2nd Red Banner.

“Comrade Marshal, GRU General Nazarbayeva for you. She states it is extremely urgent.”

Konev snorted.

“I’ve heard of this Nazarbayeva, Comrade. Efficient woman, by the rumours.”

“
Well, you’ve heard wrong, Comrade Meretskov. She’s a meddling cow who seems to have attracted the sponsorship of the General Secretary. I don’t know why, especially as she was close to that fool Pekunin.”

The bald Marshal leant forward and whispered.

“Maybe he’s sticking it up her arse, eh?”

Konev laughed loudly, failing to notice that Meretskov did not join in.

“I heard from Georgy Zhukov that she’s efficient, honest, and without side.”

“
Well there you have it then! Support from Zhukov is to be trusted as much as a shed full of sex-starved Cossacks!”

The phone rang.

“Meretskov... yes, good day to you Comrade General... yes, he is.”

The receiver was held out to Konev.

Nazarbayeva screamed in anger.

“
Idiot! Fucking useless idiot! Prick of a man!”

The door burst open and Nazarbayeva was temporarily alarmed as Poboshkin materialised behind the Tokarev that had
been the first thing to make an appearance.

“
I’m sorry, Comrade General. I though you... err... sorry.”

“
Come in and shut the door, Comrade PodPolkovnik.”

When the two were alone, Tatiana again gave vent to her anger.
”

“
That man’s an idiot!”

Poboshkin could attach that label to a number of people so ventured the question.

“Who, Comrade General?”

“
Konev. He tells me that air reconnaissance has reported nothing in that area for weeks, patrols have taken prisoners from second-rate units, and that I am panicking unnecessarily. Prick!”

Poboshkin, Nazarbayeva
’s confidante, decided to remain silent.

Regaining her composure, Tatiana moved on.

“I must go shortly. Do you have the files ready for me?”

“
Yes, Comrade General. The last copies of agent’s reports are being made. I must point out these two particularly.”

He passed a piece of paper bearing the notations that marked it as coming from a highly placed agent and requiring sensitive handling.

“I remember this report well. Our man in their Air Ministry. Central European mainland on Wednesday at 1000, so he believed. Yet another opportunity for GRU to look bad, sending out warnings for non-events. The man’s normally so reliable too!”

“
Yes, Comrade General. Now this one.”

The second report had only arrived an hour ago
, so was new to the GRU commander.

“
Wheat? Who is Wheat? Remind me, Andrey.”

“
Wheat is a Portuguese officer in their London Embassy, Comrade General.”

In her right hand, a report from a low-level source relayed
very firm rumours of a forty-eight hour delay to a large Allied operation.

In her left hand, a report from a high-level source stating that an Allied attack would commence on Wednesday at 1000.

“Tomorrow, at 10 then.”

“
It would seem so, Comrade General.”

“
I’m sure the Comrade General Secretary will agree.”

Her own aircraft had made a precarious landing at Vnukovo. Despite the best efforts of clearing crews, the snow and ice combined to make her aircraft slide dangerously off the runway and onto a grassy area.

As she stood waiting for her car to pick her up from the point that the aircraft had come to rest, she was a full witness to the tragedy that befell the next aircraft to land.