“I wanted both sides to study Humpty Dumpty. I didn’t want to blow up the world!”

“We also want both sides to study it.” Bronstein steepled his fingers. “No one wants to blow up the world. But what we want to do and what we find ourselves doing, these are not always the same thing. If our interests are flaunted—no, excuse me, flouted—we will defend them.”

Jerry ate some hash browns. He didn’t see anything to say to that. The attendant came by with his coffee pot and raised an eyebrow. Jerry nodded. The man refilled his cup. “Thank you very much,” Jerry told him. He raised the eyebrow again. He might not have been used to getting treated as a person rather than a convenience.

“I have looked at your work and your writing,” Bronstein said. “I understand why your government recruited you for the Hughes Glomar Explorer. I also enjoyed the stories.”

“Flatter me some more,” Jerry said. Major Bronstein laughed, altogether unembarrassed. Jerry was pleased anyway.

“You are welcome to stay at the embassy. Even to request asylum,” Bronstein said. “We recognize the debt we owe you.”

“No. I didn’t do it for you. I did it for everybody. I don’t have any use for Communism myself. Sorry to be rude and everything, but that’s where I’m at.”

“I understand. You may be safer under our roof, though.”

“Ambassador Dobrynin told me the CIA wasn’t after me anymore.” Jerry didn’t mention that John P. had said the same thing. Either the Russians already knew about last night’s visit or they didn’t.

Yakov Bronstein’s sorrowful look told him he was in over his head, and hinted at how far in over his head he was. “I was not talking about the CIA. They are professionals. But sooner or later your name will come out. Your whole country will know you were the one who told Russia about the Midlothian object. What kind of life will you have then?”

“Urk,” Jerry said, most sincerely. He’d thought things through till he got to the Soviet embassy—if he got to the Soviet embassy. Whatever happened next would just happen. But And they lived happily ever after only worked in fairy tales. In real life, things were messier.

A thermonuclear war? His name mud from sea to shining sea? Yeah, quite a bit messier.

“Think about it. You will be received as a friend if you visit us again.” Bronstein set money on the table. He said, “Zei gezint,” and left.

Jerry got up, too. He asked a valet to fetch his car. “I just need to get something out of the trunk. You can put it back again once I’m done,” he said.

“Yes, suh,” the man answered. Jerry tipped him the same as he would have any other time. He was sure nobody ever got rich fetching other people’s cars for them.