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Harry rose early the followingand decided to take a stroll around Red Square It was impossible to miss Lenin’s mausoleum, which dominated the square and served as a constant reuarded by a massive bronze cannon, another sy the overcoat insisted on by Emma, with the collar turned up, Harry’s ears and nose had quickly turned red with the cold He now understood why the Russians wore thosecoats Locals passed hiave him a second look, despite the fact that he was continually slapping himself

When Harry returned to the hotel, rather earlier than planned, the concierge handed hie Pierre Bouchard, the conference chairman, hoped he would be able to join hi room

“I’ve allocated you the eleven o’clock slot this iven up on so that could never have seen a chicken “It’s always the best attended of the conference s at ten thirty, when I’ll welcoates from seventy-two countries A record number,” he added with Gallic panache “You’ll know I’ve coates that there’s one thing the Russians do better than anyone else on earth” Harry raised an eyebrow “The ballet And we’re all lucky enough to be attending Swan Lake at the Bolshoi this evening After I e to deliver the opening speech”

“I’m flattered,” said Harry, “and better be on my toes”

“You shouldn’t be,” said Bouchard “The committee were unanimous in their choice of you as the keynote speaker We all ad on behalf of Anatoly Babakov The international press are showing considerable interest, and it will amuse you to know that the KGB asked me if they could see an advance copy of your speech”

Bouchard’s words caused Harry a moment of anxiety Until then, he hadn’t realized hoidely his can had been followed abroad, and howthere was still tiain, drained his coffee, apologized to Bouchard, and headed quickly back up to his roo He didn’t need reht never have another opportunity like this to promote Babakov’s cause, and certainly not in Russia’s backyard

He almost ran into his room and pulled open the drawer of the ser there After searching the room, he realized that the KGB were now in possession of the advance copy they’d been so keen to get their hands on

He checked his watch again Forty minutes before the conference opened, when he would be expected to deliver a speech he’d spent the last er had a copy of

When ten chi like a schoolboy who had an appointment with his headmaster to discuss an essay that existed only in his head He’d been left with no choice but to test out just how good his memory was

He walked slowly back downstairs, aware how an actor must feel moments before the curtain is due to rise, and joined a strea their way to the conference center On entering the ballrooht back to his roo authors were evenGermans

Several delegates were searching for seats in a room that was already packed But as instructed by Bouchard, Harry made his way to the front and took his place at the end of the second row As he glanced around the vast hall, his eyes settled on a group of expressionless, heavily built ainst the wall, evenly spaced around the roo in common: none of them looked as if they’d ever read a book in their lives

Bouchard was co

ht Harry’s eye and gave him a warm smile

“And now for thefor,” he said “An address by our distinguished colleague frohly successful crieant William Warwick I only wish that my own French counterpart, Inspector Benoît, was half as popular Perhaps we are about to find out why?”

After the laughter had died down, Bouchard continued: “It is lish PEN, to address the conference”