Page 120 of The Other Woman

“How would you have explained the three dead SVR agents?”

“Very carefully.”

“And Rebecca’s sudden recall to London?”

“A health problem,” suggested Seymour. “A new assignment.”

“A cover-up.”

“Your word,” said Seymour. “Not mine.”

Gabriel made a show of thought. “The Americans would have seen through it.”

“Thanks to you, we’ll never know.”

Gabriel ignored the remark. “In fact, it would have been far better if Rebecca had left Washington with the Russians.” He paused, then added, “Which is what you wanted all along, isn’t it, Graham?”

Seymour said nothing.

“That’s why you sent a text message to her iPhone two minutes before the window opened, warning her not to transmit. That’s why you told her to run.”

“Me?” asked Seymour. “Why would I do something like that?”

“For the same reason MI6 let Kim Philby run in 1963. Better to have the spy in Moscow than a British courtroom.”

Seymour’s smile was condescending. “You seem to have it all figured out. But weren’t you the one who told me that my Vienna Head of Station was a Russian spy?”

“You can do better than that, Graham.”

Seymour’s smile dissolved.

“If I had to guess,” Gabriel continued, “you sent the message from the garden while you were supposedly taking that urgent call from Vauxhall Cross. Or maybe you had Nigel send it for you, so you wouldn’t leave any fingerprints.”

“If anyone told Rebecca to run,” said Seymour, “it was Sasha.”

“It wasn’t Sasha, it was you.”

The silence returned. So this is how it ends, thought Gabriel. He rose to his feet.

“In case you were wondering,” said Seymour suddenly, “the deal has already been made.”

“What deal is that?”

“The deal to send Rebecca to Moscow.”

“Pathetic,” murmured Gabriel.

“She’s a Russian citizen and a colonel in the SVR. It’s where she belongs.”

“Keep telling yourself that, Graham. Even you might believe it.”

Seymour made no reply.

“How much did you get for her?”

“Everyone we asked for.”

“I suppose the Americans got in on the act, too.” Gabriel shook his head slowly. “When will you learn, Graham? How many more elections does the Tsar have to steal? How many more political opponents does he have to assassinate on your soil? When are you going to stand up to him? Do you need his money that badly? Is it the only thing keeping this overvalued city afloat?”