Document Excerpt

• Got it, N.

N. was one of Madeleine Albright's advisors on Russia.

• You know N.? That's great. Call him.

• Bye, - I said. - Good luck in the elections!

N. was in a meeting. He only called me back towards evening. I briefly explained the situation to him and asked for permission to call in case of an emergency development of events in Turkey.

• Call, of course, at any time, - he said and gave me his home phone number.

My next visit was to the CBS television company in New York, where I had another good acquaintance, producer Harry; at one time I had helped them make a program about a tuberculosis colony in Tomsk.

• A defector in Turkey?! - Harry started pacing the room in excitement. - I'll send a camera to the embassy! Will he give us an interview before he goes in? But it has to be an exclusive! Oh, how great! Will he expose the whole Russian network to our guys?

• Wait, wait, Harry, not so fast. He won't expose any network, he's not a spy, he's a cop [ment]. And no cameras are needed. I just wanted to warn you just in case. You never know what might happen. Now, if the Russians kidnap him or the Turks start extraditing him, then send a camera. But for now, not a word to anyone about this.

• Okay, okay, I promise. But couldn't you take a portable camera with you and film him before you go in there—an exclusive, okay? God forbid he gets shot there—that would be a story! I'm joking, I'm joking.

• Some jokes you have. I'll take the camera, just teach me how to use it.

The next task was to explain my plans at home. My wife Svetlana was not thrilled with the idea of going to Turkey to hand over a fugitive Russian lieutenant colonel to the American embassy.

• You've lost your mind, - she said. - The Turks will put you in prison—how will I bring you packages there?

• Why would they put me in prison?

• You don't even know this man. Maybe he's a bandit, or a murderer, or he was sent himself to kill Berezovsky. Then you'll end up being the one to blame.

• Svetlana, have you heard of the presumption of innocence? Doubts are interpreted in favor of the victim. What if he's not a bandit or a murderer—if he's returned to Russia, they'll twist his head off.

• Let Boris get him out himself. Have you read "The Big Ration"? It's all written there. Everyone around got shot, while the oligarch is somehow uninvolved.

• "The Big Ration" is creative fiction, a dramatization so people buy the book better. By the way, Boris didn't ask me for anything. This is my own idea—to go to Turkey.

• But explain anyway, why on earth are you rushing there?

• To be honest, I don't know, I just can't help myself. I feel that if I don't go, I'll regret it later. Unspent adventurism.