Page 151 of Cry Havoc

An object was embedded in the tree where Quinn’s head used to be. It was a tomahawk; Quinn’s tomahawk, its blade tarnished with blood. Something dangled from its handle. A rosary. A rosary affixed with the Croix de Lorraine.

PART IIISHAKE THE EARTH

“The American soldiers were brave, but courage is not enough.”

—GENERAL VÕ NGUYÊN GIÁP, COMMANDER IN CHIEF, PEOPLE’S ARMY OF VIETNAM

CHAPTER 54

Moscow, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic

June 1968

ANATOLY PENKOVSKY WAS NEVERcomfortable in these types of settings. Too many eyes. He preferred working alone in his office or sitting in the audience at the opera after the curtain rose to reveal the stage. Even better was being at home with his sheet music and memories.

The Aragvi restaurant was too pretentious. If you could afford to eat here, you weresomebody. Penkovsky thought it a spectacle.

Director Lavrinenko made a habit of eating at Aragvi once or twice a week and always at the same table. Starka vodka and caviar had been delivered as soon as the two men were shown to their seats. The maître d’ knew better than to keep Lavrinenko waiting. Penkovsky ordered achacha.

“Ah,” Lavrinenko said in admiration. “Grape brandy. Georgian. Most politicians, army officers, and intelligence agents I typically dine with here order vodka.”

“Well, that’s to be expected, is it not?”

Lavrinenko conceded the point as he took a sip of his drink, a sip that Penkovsky knew was not his first of the day.

“We have made it to June, Comrade. I expect you to be in my seat before 1968 comes to a close.”

“But Yuri Andropov has been director of the KGB for only slightly over a year,” Penkovsky pointed out.

“True. How long he stays there depends on the outcome in Czechoslovakia.”

“I understand he has Brezhnev’s ear.”

“He does. ‘Thick as thieves’ as the Brits would say. Andropov has political ambitions. The KGB is but a stop along the path. When he vacates, the director’s chair is mine.”

“And Prague?” Penkovsky asked.

“A tinderbox. They should know better than to push for reforms through protest. It makes the Eastern Bloc look weak and divided. There will be consequences. We must be prepared for Andropov to push Brezhnev for an invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact. We will keep a close eye on NATO and the United Nations Security Council. If an invasion is repelled or the situation escalates and there is enough pressure on Brezhnev, then we can expect leadership changes at the KGB. We must be ready.”

“What about the Americans?”

“They are embroiled in Vietnam and have too many problems domestically to do more than denounce and condemn us if we move on Prague. They have enough to worry about.”

“We have given them some of those worries.”

“True. Though one never knows what unintended consequences may arise out of their actions, whether tactical or strategic.”

“Meaning?”

“The quagmire that we helped to create in Vietnam led to President Johnson’s decision not to run for another term.”

“I regret I did not see that coming,” Penkovsky admitted.

“None of us did.”

“Their next president inherits a war.”

“Any predictions?”