Page 40 of The Collector
“And what about our misadventure in Afghanistan?”
“The Red Army withdrew in May 1988, and three years later the Soviet Union was gone.”
“The greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the twentieth century, according to Vladimir Vladimirovich. He won’t lose the war in Ukraine because hecan’tlose it. Which is why I’m so worried about what comes next. As are you, I imagine.”
“Worried, yes. But I’m retired now, Sergei.”
“In that case, why are you here?”
“I was wondering whether you would be kind enough to have a look at a photograph.” Gabriel handed Morosov his phone. “Recognize him?”
“Sure, Allon. I know him. His name is Grigori Toporov.”
“What kind of work does Grigori do?”
“The kind of work that involves bullets and blood.”
“SVR?”
“At last check. But it’s been a while.”
Gabriel reclaimed his phone. “Grigori said something interesting last night after he tried to kill me in Denmark. I was hoping you might be able to explain it.”
“What did he say?”
“‘The collector.’”
Morosov peered thoughtfully into his wineglass. “It’s possible that he was giving you the code name of an asset. A Danish asset,” added the Russian. “A very important one.”
“The collector?”
“His actual code name is Collector. One word.”
“How did he acquire it?”
“Rare books. Hecollectsthem ravenously. Nominally, he’s an SVR asset, but the SVR doesn’t really handle him.”
“Who does?”
“The boss of bosses.”
“Vladimir Vladimirovich?”
Morosov nodded. “Peace be upon him.”
22
Biriya Forest
In the summer of 2003, the British oil-and-gas conglomerate BP paid $6.75 billion to acquire a fifty percent stake in the Russian energy company TNK. So monumental was the deal that the British prime minister attended the signing ceremony in London, as did the president of the Russian Federation. On his way back to Moscow, the Russian leader stopped in Copenhagen, where he presided over a similar corporate marriage, this time between Denmark’s DanskOil and Russia’s RuzNeft. The investment was smaller, a mere $3 billion, but it came with a pledge to assist Russia in exploiting its massive untapped reserves in the Arctic Sea.
The final details of the deal were hashed out during weeks of sometimes torturous negotiations in Moscow. DanskOil CEO Magnus Larsen, a student of Russian history who spoke the language fluently, was often present. His hosts treated him to lavish dinners and showered him with expensive gifts, including several rare books. They also tempted him with beautiful young women, including one who spent a night in his suite at the Hotel Metropol. The FSB had the suite wired for sound and video, and recorded everything.
“I assume the FSB made Magnus aware of what it had in its possession,” said Gabriel.
“It is my understanding the director hosted a proper screening party at Lubyanka, complete with cocktails and canapés. After that, Magnus signed his name to perhaps the most lopsided deal in the history of the petroleum industry. He also agreed to deposit one hundred million dollars in an account controlled by a close associate of Vladimir Vladimirovich.”
“Which compromised him further still.”
