Felix took over when the birds were fat enough, drowning them in Armagnac and leaving them there to marinate. The blindness caused the buntings to gorge themselves, doubling their size to that of two thumbs instead of one. Selma blinded each of the tiny songbirds with a quilting needle before putting them in a cage with all the millet they could eat. They’d caught the ortolan buntings themselves that fall, with nets on their farm in southern France. “We should eat these birds while they are hot.” Fuchs poured wine and Becker dished each of them three birds as they took their places at the table. “ Well?” Felix Becker held a metal tray aloft. Selma Kraus brandished a large metal serving spoon. They kill four of ours, I will kill ten of theirs!” Schneider looked up and down the block for Fuchs, who would beĭagger through the man’s ear. They would PNG every Soviet diplomat in the United States. “Officers! Are! Not! Touched! What do you think they would do if I gunned down four employees of the CIA? They would weep and wail and threaten sanctions.” He jabbed a fat index finger at Schneider. Both sides do it.” He pounded his fist against an open palm to punctuate each word. But they are here to discuss a defection.” “Americans!” Zima spat. You say the Americans are involved in this?” “This?” Schneider said. “That one is Major Popov,” Zima whispered. The bodies were stacked, as if they’d been standing bunched together when they were murdered. The other three looked to have been shot only in the chest, center mass.

A nine-millimeter Luger often did this kind of damage. The smaller Makarovs were not quite so destructive. Schneider had seen wounds like that before- pistol executions from close range.

If he’d been attempting to push himself to his knees.

Marc cameron red winter