“How could I forget? The scum who were making millions selling all this war material asked if I wanted a piece. I said no, that it wasn't right to sell the people's property for personal gain. Next thing I know, I was out of the navy on my ass. Nobody would hire me. So here I am.”

The admiral was wandering into a bitter swamp. “The names, please, Admiral.”

“Sorry,” he said, composing himself. “The years haven't been easy. There were five principals in the deal.” He rattled off the names.

“I know all of them,” Petrov said. “They were petty functionaries in the party who have flourished by picking the bones of the Soviet Union.”

“What can I say, my friend? Well, is that enough? It's all I've got. The people who come here don't talk about military secrets. Anyway, it was good to see you. My employers expect me to make the rounds of the tables every few minutes. So excuse me, I must get back to work.”

“Maybe not,” Petrov said. He reached into his suit pocket and extracted a brown envelope. “If you could make a wish, what would it be?”

“Aside from making my wife alive again and persuading my children that it is worth their time to talk to me?” He thought about it for a moment. “I would like to move to the United States. To Florida. I would sit in the sun and talk only to those I wanted to talk to.”

“What a coincidence,” Petrov said. “Within this envelope is a one-way plane ticket to Fort Lauderdale, leaving tomorrow, a passport and visa, and the immigration paperwork that will ensure your stay there. There is also some money to live on and the name of a gentleman who is looking for an investor to buy into his fishing company. He especially wants someone who has experience on the sea It would be a much smaller fleet than you have been used to.”

A defeated expression came onto the admiral's face. “Please don't toy with me. We were once comrades.”

“We still are,” Petrov said, handing over the envelope. “Consider this a delayed payment from your country for past services.”

The admiral took the envelope and examined the contents. When he looked up, tears brimmed in his eyes.

“How did you know?”

“About Florida? Word gets around. It was not hard to find out.”

“I don't know how I can repay you.”

“You already have. Now I must be on my way, and you have to inform your employers of your wish to end your services here.”

“Inform them? I'll leave as soon as I can change my clothes.”

“That might be a good idea, considering the amount of cash you're carrying. Oh, I forgot. One thing.”

The admiral froze, wondering if strings were attached after all. “What's that?”

“Don't forget to use sunscreen when you're out on the water,” Petrov said.