Lieutenant Emil Basayev wasn’t just one of her father’s officers. He was also one of her friends. And he worked in the intelligence division of the Ministry of Defense. Perhaps he could identify the man.
But that would mean that Yakov truly was Russian. She also hoped that the man was something else. An American CIA agent would not be so bad. Americans made good villains these days, with their heavy-handed approach to national politics, in the views of many.
But her father might also know who Yakov was. She had not asked for any favors in a long time.
She answered the phone. “Hello, Father.”
“Hello, Anna. I hear you are well.”
“I am, thankfully.”
“Your mother tells me you have had close calls that have not yet been reported on the television news or in your own news stories.”
Anna paced the floor, suddenly filled with nervous energy. “Yes. Several close calls.”
“You are still traveling with the American?”
“Professor Lourds. Yes. I have found him to be a brave man. He has saved my life during this endeavor. And his friends saved us today when we were pursued.”
The general was silent for a moment. “Someone is pursuing you?”
“Yes.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes. I have seen him with my own eyes.” Anna caught herself, feeling excited and guilty at the same time as she prepared to put out the bait for her father. She had done this kind of manipulation many times while pursuing a story. “I have even taken a picture of the man.”
“You must have been very close to him.” Her father did sound worried in that moment.
Anna clamped down on the guilt she felt. She couldn’t afford that emotion if she was going to be successful. “I took the picture of him before he murdered Boris Glukov. At the time, I did not know the man was bad.”
“Your mother is very worried about you.” Her father hesitated. “I am very concerned about you too.”
“Well, I thank you for your concern.” Anna started pacing again, suddenly angry with her father for not taking the bait. Then she sighed inwardly as she realized if anyone had ever been subjected to manipulation on a regular basis, it would be a Russian general. He was far more experienced than anyone she’d dealt with before. She felt foolish now for having tried in the first place.
“Your mother–and I–would like for you to come home. I can arrange safe passage from Afghanistan to Moscow for you.”
“Thank you, but no. My work is here.”
The general growled. “What story has the paper assigned you to? Surely there is nothing more to be gained by staying in Afghanistan. The dig was attacked by the Taliban. Several people died. You have written that story.”
“That story, yes, but not all the stories that are to come.” Anna strove to bottle her anger. Getting into a shouting match with him, as she so often had in the past, would do no good and would only leave her exhausted and stressed. “Boris Glukov was murdered.”
“According to the American professor.”
“It happened.”
“Anna, did you see it happen?”
He had her there and she knew it. She also resented it. Her editor at The Moscow Times had challenged her with the exact same question. “No.”
“Then Lourds may have been mistaken.”
“It’s hard to mistake seeing a friend get shot to death in front of you, don’t you think?”
Her father sighed. He sounded more tired than she had ever heard him. He was getting older, and that worried her, especially given the constant stress of his job and the politics surrounding it.
“Perhaps the American professor had his own reasons for telling this story.”
“Why would he do that?” Anna felt protective of Lourds. He was a good man. She liked that he was carrying around the engagement ring for his lover and that he wasn’t sure when he could ask her to marry him with everything else going on.
“The man seeks attention, Anna. His career depends on it.”
“No. He is not that kind of man. I know that much.”
“Just from meeting him yesterday?”
“Yes.”
“Ridiculous.”
“Really, Father? How many men have you met who have risked their lives the very first time you met them to save someone else? How many men have you met who, on the very first day, have risked their lives to save yours?”
“Several.”
She realized then that had been the wrong question to ask. His job focused on men ready to lay down their lives. Her father had risked laying down his life for others more than once. Rodion had shown her the news stories.