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“It was a tragic accident,”
said Niko, putting a finger to his lips.
Elena turned on all the taps before she whispered, “Is your life also in danger?” Her brother nodded. “Is there nothing I can do about it?”
He shook his head and left the kitchen without another word.
* * *
Elena lay in bed that night thinking about her husband, part of her still unwilling to accept that he wasn’t alive. It didn’t help that Alexander had worshiped his father, and had always tried so hard to live up to his impossible standards. Standards that must have been the reason Konstantin had sacrificed his life, and at the same time condemned his son to spend the rest of his days as a dock laborer.
Elena had hoped their son would join the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and that she would live long enough to see him be appointed an ambassador. But it was not to be. If brave men aren’t willing to take risks for what they believe in, Konstantin had once told her, nothing will ever change. Elena only wished her husband had been more of a coward. But then, if he had been, perhaps she wouldn’t have fallen so helplessly in love with him.
Elena’s brother Niko had been his second in command on the docks, but Polyakov clearly didn’t consider Niko a threat, because he kept his job as chief loader after Karpenko’s “tragic accident.” What Polyakov couldn’t know was that Niko hated the KGB even more than his brother-in-law had, and although he appeared to quickly fall in line, he was already planning his own form of revenge, which wouldn’t involve making impassioned speeches, although it would take every bit as much courage.
* * *
Elena was surprised to see her brother waiting for her outside the dock gates when she clocked off from work on Monday afternoon.
“This is a pleasant surprise,” she said.
“You may not think so when you hear what I’ve got to say,” said Niko.
“Does it concern Alexander?” asked Elena anxiously.
“I’m afraid it does. He’s begun badly. Refuses to take orders, and is openly contemptuous of the KGB. Today he told a junior officer, and they’re always the worst, to fuck off.” Elena shuddered. “You must tell him to knuckle down, because I won’t be able to cover for him much longer.”
“I’m afraid he has his father’s fierce independent streak,” said Elena, “without any of his discretion or wisdom.”
“And it doesn’t help that he’s brighter than everyone else around him, including the KGB,” said Niko, “and they know it.”
“But what can I do about it when he doesn’t listen to me any longer?”
They walked in silence for a while before Niko spoke again, and then not until he was certain no passerby could overhear him. “I may have come up with a solution,” said Niko, “but I can’t hope to pull it off without your full cooperation.” He paused. “And Alexander’s.”
* * *
If Elena’s problems weren’t bad enough at home, they were becoming worse at work, as the major’s advances became less and less subtle. She had considered pouring boiling water over his wandering hands, but the consequences didn’t bear worth thinking about.
It must have been about a week later, as Elena was tidying up the kitchen before returning home, that Polyakov staggered in, clearly drunk. He began to unbutton his trousers as he advanced toward her. Just as he was about to place a sweaty hand on her breast, a junior officer rushed in saying that the commandant needed to see him urgently. Polyakov couldn’t hide his anger, and as he left, hissed at Elena, “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back later.” Elena was so frightened, she didn’t move for over an hour. But the moment the buzzer finally sounded, she pulled on her coat and was among the first to clock off.
When her brother joined Elena for supper that evening, she begged him to go over his plan.
“I thought you said it was far too great a risk?”
“I did,” said Elena, “but that was before I realized I can no longer avoid Polyakov’s advances.”
“You told me you could even bear that as long as Alexander never found out.”
“But if he did,” said Elena quietly, “can you imagine the repercussions? So, tell me what you have in mind, because I’ll consider anything.”
Niko leaned forward and poured himself a shot of vodka before he began to take her slowly through his plan. “As you know, several foreign vessels enter the dock to unload their cargo every week, and we are expected to turn them around as quickly as possible, so any waiting ships can take their place. That’s my job.”
“But how will that help us?” asked Elena.
“Once a ship has unloaded its goods, the loading process begins, and because not everyone wants bags of salt or cases of vodka, several vessels leave the port empty-handed.” Elena remained silent while her brother continued. “There are two ships due in on Friday, which, after they’ve discharged their cargo, will leave on the Saturday afternoon tide with several empty holds. You and Alexander could be hidden in one of them.”
“But if we were caught we could end up on a cattle train to Siberia.”
