The Russia House Page #5

You're a fool to use me.

I let people down.

Abercrombie and Blair.

Is it the office of...

Mr Bartholomew Scott Blair?

Yes. But he isn't in at the moment.

Can I help, or would you

like to leave a message?

No, thank you. It is a publishing matter.

I will telephone again. Thank you.

Crowds are good,

if you keep moving.

Open spaces are good.

Talking in the street is OK, if you have to.

Never, never talk in a car

or in your hotel room,

except for the benefit

of their microphones.

If you've read anything about playing

the radio or running the taps, forget it.

That's right. The source

is the star of the show.

And the star decides

whether to make the meeting or abort.

This is fun. Is that why you keep it secret?

Did you spot our watchers?

The tramp raiding the dustbin,

the woman with the white shoes,

and, of course, the man with the tracksuit.

You scored nil. Out of a possible 1 2.

The lesson is

you'll never know who they are.

If you need to write something down, use

a single sheet of paper on a hard surface.

That leaves no impression.

How many such surfaces

can you see in this room?

Well, including the windowsill... four.

Seven.

This is often easiest.

Then wipe it clean - rubbing hard.

The issue is why.

That's what you're looking for all the time.

If we trust the motive, we trust the man.

Then we can trust the material.

Why did Dante pick on Katya?

Why does he put her life at risk?

Why does she let him?

Is she a spy?

- It's voice-activated, sir. You switch...

- I know all this. I've had it up to here.

I just want to get it done.

What's the hold-up?

It's everything we ever wanted to know

about Russia and were afraid to ask.

- Sounds like the pot of gold.

- Sounds like a crock of sh*t.

Some unidentified walk-in is telling us

the Russians are way behind,

they can't hurt us,

we can pull in our horns.

Who the hell is gonna

sell that story on the Hill?

Russell?

It could turn around

and bite us right in the ass.

Let the Brits run with it for a while.

Dante is their source,

and, uh... Scott Blair is their problem.

I'll go with that, Russell. But I want

Joe and Larry with him in London.

Friendly observers, OK?

You'll do us proud, Barley.

I've brought you a present.

It's not to keep. It's just to sniff.

- Am I supposed to offer to publish it?

- Offer him anything he wants.

Say anything you need to say

to keep him with us.

Except the truth?

Bon voyage, Barley.

Come back with the goods on Dante,

starting with his real name,

and I'll get you a knighthood for literature.

The Russia House.

Barley Scott Blair.

Abercrombie and Blair?

London. The publishers.

I believe you know Niki Landau.

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