The Death of Me Yet

Plot

Edward Young's life begins in the seemingly perfect 1950s small town of Middletown. When he returns home one day, he discovers a letter informing him his unit has been activated. He says goodbye to his girlfriend Alice, packs his things, and leaves. It is then revealed that Middletown is actually a KGB training facility for sleeper agents. His final debriefing comes from his KGB superior, Robert Barnes. Over the following years, Young operates in the United States under the assumed name Paul Towers, eventually becoming a newspaper publisher in Redwood Beach, California. While preparing to visit his brother-in-law, Paul goes diving for abalone. His SCUBA tank nearly kills him by feeding him carbon dioxide instead of oxygen, and his wife Sibby dives in to rescue him.

Paul's brother-in-law, Hank Keller, runs a defense contractor. An executive named Vandamm recently committed suicide, drawing FBI attention. Vandamm was homosexual and had been blackmailed by the Soviets into handing over plans for a secret sonar system. Hank wants Paul to take the vacant executive position. At dinner, FBI agent Joe Chalk interrogates Paul harshly and promises a thorough background check for the security clearance, which worries Paul.

Later, at a formal dinner party, Paul is called away because of problems with the newspaper presses. As he gets into his car, a KGB agent named Nylec surprises him from the back seat. Nylec warns, "This time, the obituary will be real." Paul overpowers Nylec and knocks him off the pier, but cannot bring himself to shoot the agent in the water.

Back home, Sybil accuses Paul of keeping secrets and runs out of the room. He finds a positive pregnancy test. Deciding to confess everything, Paul goes to Joe Chalk's hotel room. He reveals his true identity and explains that he assumed Paul Towers' identity after deciding to defect and missing a plane that crashed with no survivors. Chalk is skeptical, but Paul bargains by offering to identify Barnes, whom he believes was Vandamm's KGB contact. Paul returns home, still hiding the truth from Sibby, but tells her he will accept the job.