Greg Iles - The Spandau Phoenix

barely, within the realm of human perception, the vibration of

accelerated electrons focused into a beam that, even when guided by

healing hands, poured deadly poison into living cells. The sound came

again and again, until finally, in a silence made deeper by Ilse's utter

despair, Smuts stepped around the shield, the cable trigger in his hand,

and began to speak.

. "Frau Apfel," he said. "I don't believe in messing aboutnOt where my

job is concerned. You have certain information I need, and.you are

going to provide it."

Ilse tried to nod beneath the head strap.

"During the past several minutes, I have exposed you to the maximum

allowable three-year dosage of radiation for a nuclear plant worker. In

an hour or so, you will probably experience some nausea and vomiting,

but let us hope that is all you must endure. Far worse outcomes are

still possible.

Blindness, burns ... other things." Smuts held a finger in Ilse's face.

"What happens next, Frau Apfel, is up to you."

@le Ilse stared with wild eyes, the Afrikaner crouched and laid the

cable trigger on the floor. Then he stood, loosened a bolt on the

housing above Ilse, an . d lowered the hammerhead ban-el to a position

six inches above her abdomen.

He tightened the bolt again, locking it in place.

"Frau Apfel, I ain going to remove the gag now, and you will cooperate

fully. I have focused the X-ray beam on the approximate area of yottr

ovaries. Radiation has an enhanced effect on such cells@ells that are

still dividing, as it were.

Exposure in this region could seriously jeopardize your chances of ever

having children." Smuts grinned. "Are you ready to talk?"

Ilse's eyes ' widened in horror. Her baby! She began to shiver

uncontrollably. Her urinary sphincter let go, flooding both her dress

and the table. Smuts drew back from the pungent smell. As he reached

for the handkerchief gag, tears welled up in Ilse's eyes and streamed

down onto the table.

r.

"Listen," said the Afrikaner, his voice slightly softer "As of this

moment you are still all right. Only if you refuse to answer will you

be injured. The dosage you have received so far would only be excessive

for a woman alre#dy pregnant."

Ilse's body convulsed against the straps. She fought like gn animal,

expending every ounce of her remaining strength.

Smuts-who had used this interrogation technique on many previous

occasions-could not recall anyone resisting so fiercely once the

prospect of escape had been offered. One never knew who the tough ones

would be, he reflected.

When Ilse finally went limp, he loosened the. strap at her head and

carefully removed the gag.

"Now," he said. "I need to know some things about your husband.

Can you hear me?"

Ilse's eyes opened. Slowly she focused on Smuts's face.

"Good. Your husband did not take the plane he was instructed to take to

Johannesburg. Nor has he checked into the hotel he was ordered to stay

in. By the terms of the agreement, he has already forfeited your life.

Why would he do that? Doesn't he want to save you?"

Ilse closed her eyes. More tears dribbled out. When she opened her

eyes again, Smuts was shaking the cable trigger in her face. "Does your

husband have any Jewish blood in his family?"

Ilse shook her head, her eyes blank in despair. Smuts stepped

momentarily out of her field of vision, then reappeared with a damp rag.

He squeezed a few drops of water into her mouth.

"Now," he said. "No Jewish blood?"

"No," Ilse coughed.

"What about friends? Does he have any Jewish friends?

Has Hans ever been to Israel?"

Ilse shook her head.

"You're sure? What about England? Or anywhere else in Britain?"

"What is your husband's connection with Captain Dieter Hauer?"

Ilse hesitated. "Fr-friend," she rasped. It was difficult to

concentrate hard enough to lie, but she sensed that to reveal Hans's

blood relationship to Hauer might somehow be dangerous.

"Are you aware that Captain Hauer works with the German counterterror

unit GSG-9?"

Ilse silently mouthed the word no.

"Undoubtedly your husband is." Smuts clucked his tongue thoughtfully.

"I want you to tell me -about the Spandau papers. Did your husband show

them to anyone before you gave them to your grandfather?"

Ilse shook her head again.

"Do you understand these questions?"

She nodded.

"Think carefully, Frau Apfel. Think about the names you saw in the

Spandau papers. Did you see the name Al@ Horn?"

"You didn't recognize the name when Herr Horn introduced himself last

night?"

"You were staring at his eye-his artificial eye. Why were you so

interested in that? Did you come here expecting to find a man with one

eye?"

"I couldn't help staring."

"What names were in the Spandau papers?"

Ilse's voice cracked as she spoke. "Hess, of course. Hitler.

Hermann Goring. Reinhard Heydrich, I think."

Smuts nodded. "Did you see the name Zinoviev?" he asked softly.

"It's a Russian name."

Ilse thought a momen@ shook her head.

"Helmut? Did you see that name?" Smuts shook the trigger in her face.

"Did you?"

'No "Frau Apfel," he said coldly, "if you're thinking of informing Herr

Horn of what happened here this morning, I tell you now to abandon the

idea. Whatever his reaction might be, I assure you that it.is within my

power to have you back on this table before anything could be done to

me. Do you understand?"

"Oh God!" Ilse wailed, her voice choking into a sob.

"You bastard! You've hurt my baby! You've killed my baby!"

Smuts's eyes widened. "You are pregnant now?"

"You know that! I said so on the tape!" Ilse squeezed her swollen eyes

shut in anguish. She did not feel Smuts unbuckling the leather straps;

only when she felt herself lifted from the table did she look again. The

Afrikaner carried her over to the lead shield, then behind it to where

the tall, rectangular X-ray machine stood with its glowing dials and

meters.

"Look!" he said angrily. "Look here!" I4is tanned hand pointed to a

scalloped black knob. "This displays MAmilliamperes. It's the measure

of radiation." He moved his bind to another dial. '7Ws is KV-Elovolts.

It's the measure of power driving the tube. Look, woman!"

Ilse looked. Both dials were set at zero. She coughed and rubbed her

eyes, fighting down waves of nausea.

"Do you understand?" Smuts asked. "I never heard the tape you made,

but it doesn't matter. You have received no radiation! You are all

right. Your child is unhurt!"

Ilse looked into the Afrikaner's eyes for deception, but saw none.

"Why?" she stammered.

"I protect Herr Horn, Frau Apfel. At any cost. I had to know that you

would tell the truth. And you did, didn't you?"

Ilse nodded, wiping her face on her blouse.

"Good. Now get back to your room and clean yourself up.

Herr Horn is not to see you like this." His eyes fixed Ilse with

frightening intensity. "But you remember what that table felt like.

When Herr Horn asks you to do something, you do it, no matter how crazy

it might sound. Especially at tonight's meeting. Remember your child,

Frau Apfel. I can have you back on that table any time I decide. Any

time!"

Unable to restrain herself any longer, Ilse clenched her stomach with

both hands, double@ over, and vomited on the Afrikaner's boots.

Shaking with rage, Smuts stormed out and went in search of his Zulu

driver, leaving Ilse coughing on the floor. He could not believe he had