The Charm School

champagne, and they each took a glass. Salerno held out his glass.
“Na zdorovie.”
    They drank, and Hollis commented, “Your accent is terrible.”
    “Is it? I seem to get by.”
    “Where did you learn your Russian?”
    “Berlitz.”
    “Ask for your money back if you can’t even pronounce a standard toast.”
    Salerno said, “Sam, can I talk to you in private a minute? Nothing to do with the Fisher business. Promise.” He motioned toward two empty seats.
    Hollis replied, “Lisa Rhodes is a representative of the United States government. She has a secret clearance. You can talk right here.”
    Salerno nodded. “No offense. Okay. Listen, I heard something weird. I heard that you guys were holding an American in the embassy. I don’t know if this guy is supposed to be a spy, or if he was somebody who got into trouble in Moscow and made it into the embassy, or both. It was a very strange story.”
    “Sounds strange,” Hollis agreed.
    Lisa took a cigarette from her bag. “Mind if I smoke? Mike, you smoke. Go ahead.”
    “Yeah.” Salerno took a pack of Marlboros from his pocket and lit one. “Come on, guys. Give me a break on this one. You holding someone in the embassy? I know you got underground cells there. Someone, one of the service people, tipped me.” He drew on his cigarette. “Says there’s at least one American in an isolation cell. Maybe two.”
    Hollis studied Salerno a moment. He wondered if Salerno was fishing for the Kellums or for Dodson. He wondered, too, where this man got his information. Salerno didn’t know it yet, but Frankfurt was as far as he was going for a while.
    Lisa said to Salerno, “That’s absurd.”
    Salerno replied, “No, it’s not. And I heard too that this guy in the isolation cell is also wanted by the KGB. He’s either one of theirs or a defector or something like that. But they want him.”
    Hollis noticed that the fingers in which Salerno was holding his cigarette kept moving in a habitual way to straighten the cigarette to keep it from sagging. But since it was an American cigarette, it did not sag, giving Hollis the impression that Mike Salerno sometimes smoked cigarettes that did sag. Hollis said, “You two enjoy your nicotine, don’t you?” He asked Salerno, “You smoke the local brands?”
    “Hell, no.”
    “Did you ever?”
    Salerno glanced at him quickly. “No, why?”
    “Just wondered.”
    Salerno stubbed out his cigarette and picked up his paperback.
    The flight attendant, Jo, came over to them, carrying a brown parcel. “Ms. Rhodes?”
    “Yes?”
    “I was asked to give you this after we got airborne.” She handed the package to Lisa.
    Lisa asked, “Who gave it to you to give to me?”
    “A Russian guy. An airport official.” She added, “It’s usually against regulations to take anything aboard like that, but it was from an airport official, and he said it was x-rayed and all. So it’s okay.” She glanced at Hollis, then said to Lisa, “The Russian said it was a farewell gift.” She smiled and moved away.
    Lisa sat looking at the package on the seat tray. She said to Hollis, “This is the icon, Sam, addressed to USIS in D.C.” She stared at it awhile, then looked at Hollis. “You said it was cleared for the diplomatic pouch.”
    “It was,” Hollis replied. “I told them in the mailroom. What did they say when you brought it there?”
    “I… didn’t. Mrs. Kellum saw it and said she was going to the mailroom, so she took it. I told her it was cleared for the pouch.” She looked at Hollis. “It’s been opened. The tape is broken.” She touched the brown paper. “The foam rubber I used is missing.”
    Hollis didn’t say anything.
    “I’m going to open it.”
    “Don’t.”
    She ripped at the paper, and Hollis held her wrist. She pulled her hand away and tore the paper off, then let out a stifled sob. “Oh… oh, my God… Sam…”
    Hollis looked at the icon lying on the table. Deeply gouged into the painted wood, obscuring the face of the archangel, was a hammer and sickle.
    Lisa looked at him and tried to say something, but no words came out. Tears formed in her eyes.
    Hollis threw a piece of paper over the icon and took her hand.
    Salerno looked up from his book and said, “What’s that? What’s the matter?”
    The PA system crackled, and a voice came over the loudspeakers. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain Johnson speaking. We’re experiencing a minor electrical problem, and we’ve been