The Charm School

through the earpiece. “
Da. Nechevo.
”
    “Bill, it’s Bert Mills.”
    “Oh… everything okay?”
    “So far. How about there?”
    “I don’t know… .”
    “What’s the problem?”
    “Well, one of the watchtowers turned its spotlight on our chopper for a few seconds. Probably got O’Shea a little nervous. But nothing came of it. I still have radio traffic, but it’s still Greek to me.”
    “Give me the frequencies on the radios.”
    “Hold on.” Brennan came back a few seconds later and gave Mills the frequencies. “They’re quiet now.”
    Mills checked the corresponding radio on the counter and found the frequencies were the same. “Okay, Bill, I’m going to jam both radios, and you do the same. Then I’m going to destroy the switchboard, so this is a final sign-off. We’ll see you later. Stay awake.”
    Brennan chuckled. “
Da.
”
    Mills aimed his automatic at the switchboard and fired into the connectors. Sparks flew, and the smell of burning insulation filled the room. He went to the two radios, which were crackling, and turned up the volume on both of them. He asked Lisa, “What’s he saying?”
    Lisa listened at the speaker of the shortwave radio as a voice spoke in Russian. Lisa said, “Someone identifying themselves as ‘Tower One’ calling the helipad.”
    “That’s what I was afraid of.”
    Mills reached in his pocket and took the roll of tape he’d used to change the helicopter’s identification number. He taped the transmit keys down on both handsets.
    Lisa asked, “The radios are jammed now?”
    “Only on those frequencies.” He studied both radios, then pointed to a metal nameplate. “What’s that say?”
    She read the plate. “Auto search… something like that.”
    “That’s it.” He turned on the toggle switch above the nameplate, and the frequency dial began scanning the band. Mills said, “That’s used to pick up the strongest transmissions in the area, like a car radio scanner. But when the mike is continuously keyed, the radio becomes a broadband jamming device.” Mills did the same to the shortwave radio. “This will play havoc with their radio traffic.”
    “But it might also alert them that something is wrong,” Lisa said.
    Mills had the uneasy feeling that KGB Border Guard detachment already suspected that. “We’re nearly done here.”
    “Are we?”
    “Well, almost nearly.” Mills glanced at his watch, then at Lisa. Neither spoke.
    * * *
    Hollis and Alevy parked the Zil in front of the headquarters building and entered the lobby. Alevy called into the commo room, “Coming in.” Alevy and Hollis entered the commo room, and Lisa ran into Hollis’ arms.
    Alevy knelt beside Dodson and looked him over. His warm-up suit was ripped and stained with blood. His body was filthy, and his hair was matted. Dodson’s unshaven face was bruised and puffy, and his nose looked broken. Alevy pushed back Dodson’s eyelids. “Really bad shape.”
    “Obviously,” Hollis replied. “He’s been in the open country a couple of weeks, and he’s been beaten for a few days. But mostly he’s drugged up. He’ll be fine. He comes with us.”
    Alevy stood. “All right. Let’s go.”
    Lisa asked, “Are we going to the helicopter?”
    “No,” Alevy replied. “We’re going to get Burov.”
    “
Why
, Seth?”
    “Because that’s what I came here for.”
    She grabbed his arm. “Is
that
why you came here?”
    “Well… I came here for you and Sam. But—”
    “Seth, this place is full of
Russians
.” She looked at Hollis. “Sam, how many? Six or seven hundred?”
    Alevy said tersely, “What difference does that make? I don’t plan to get into a firefight with them. I just want to be out of here before they wake up. I have no time to argue.” He looked at Lisa. “Why don’t you and Sam take Dodson in the vehicle and go to the helipad?”
    Hollis said to Alevy, “We’ll stay with you.” He looked at Lisa. “Are you all right?”
    “I’m scared out of my mind.”
    “Well,” Alevy said in an uncharacteristic display of candor, “so am I. So let’s get it over with and get home.”
    Mills helped get Dodson on Hollis’ back, and they moved quickly through the lobby. Alevy opened the front door and looked out. “Clear.” They rushed down the steps of the headquarters, and Mills dropped the tailgate of the Zil and helped Hollis place Dodson in the space behind the rear seats. Mills got in the vehicle beside Alevy, and Hollis and Lisa