Greg Iles - The Spandau Phoenix

chances of taking the sentry before the man could pull the trigger.

The officer seemed to sense Gadi's intentions; he took a quick step

backward.

"Which embassy would that be?" Captain Barnard asked.

"The Israeli embassy."

"You'd best not," said the Afrikaner. "Let's everyone just have a seat,

shall weT' Hauer sat still and tried to remain calm. To be forced to

sit here while Hans and Ilse waited for a bullet, while Stern sweated

out his deception, and while Schneider flew toward Berlin was maddening.

Yet things could be worse. They had not yet contacted the right South

African, but they had not run into the wrong one, either.

Hauer studied the office. It was the twin of a hundred offices in

Berlin. Outside, the Union Building was a massive colonnaded block

built of ocher sandstone and crowned with twin domes. It sat high atop

a ridge over the capital city, dominating the halogen-lit valley below.

Yet inside, the building was as monotonously official as the Police

Presidium in Berlin.

"I say there," Captain Barnard said suddenly. 'You wouldn't be meaning

Thomas Horn, would you? Thomas Horn the industrialist?"

"We might," Hauer said, cutting his eyes at Gadi.

"Thomas Horn has several houses throughout the country.

I'm not sure about one near the Kruger Park, though."

Barnard's face clouded. "Here now, is Thomas Horn in danger?

He's a very important man in this country."

"He may be," Hauer said carefully.

Captain Barnard frowned. "Someone had better speak up about all this,"

he said. "And damned quickly." , "Captain Barnard," Hauer implored,

"you must see how important this is. How often do foreign law

enforcement officers come in here in the middle of the night and tell

you that your country is in danger?"

"Not very often," Barnard admitted. "And I've half a mind to let you

and your rude companion wait for the general in a police holding cell."

"For God's sake!" Hauer pleaded, coming to his feet.

"There's no time for that!", Without warning, the door to Captain

Barnard's office banged open and a short, heavy-set Afrikaner with

carrot hair and lobster-red skin marched in. The sounds of early

morning office traffic filtered through the doorway until the newcomer

slammed it shut. He looked quizzically at Hauer, then at Gadi, and

finally at Captain Barnard. Hauer was struck with a strange certainty

that the red-haired man had been summoned by the duty officer, for the

guard took up position in a corner with one hand on his holstered

pistol.

"What's all this then, Bernard?" the red-haired man asked sharply.

Captain Barnard stood. "Major Graaff, this is Captain Dieter Hauer of

the West Berlin police. Captain Hauer, this is Ma . or Graaff, General

Steyn's senior staff officer. Major, Captain Hauer claims to have very

important information for General Steyn. He refused to discuss it with

me, so I decided to wait until seven and call the general. As a matter

of fact, I was just about to call-" "Wake the general?" Graaff looked

as if he were being asked to arrange a papal audience. "What the devil

are you men doing here? Out with it!"

Hauer eyed Major Graaff uncomfortably. "Our message is for General

Steyn," he said. "I'm sorry, Major, but that's the way it has to be."

Graaff's skin grew even redder. "You've got some bloody nerve, Jerry."

He turned to Barnard. "I'm surprised you didn't throw these characters

into a cell!"

"They mentioned Thomas Horn, sir," Captain Barnard said, surprised by

Graaff's vehemence. "I think he may be in danger."

"Thomas Horn?" Graaff's eyes narrowed. "What's he got to do with

this?"

"They won't say, sir."

"They won't. We'll see about that."

"They also mentioned what they said was a code, Major.

What was it, Captain Hauer?"

Hauer didn't like the look of Major Graaff at all, but he'd already

given the code to Captain Bernard. Maybe it would light a fire under

Graaff. "The code is Aliyah Beth," he said Graaff's eyes narrowed.

"Means nothing to me, Barnard."

Gadi flushed with anger.

"Why don't I call the general?" Captain Barnard suggested. "It's

almost seven."

"Nonsense!" scoffed Major Graaff. "Not until we've found out what

these characters are up to. Send them over to Visagie police station.

Let the interrogators have a go at them. We'll soon get to the bottom

of this. Call Visagie, Bernard. Have them send over a van." While

Bernard made the call, Major Graaff glanced disapprovingly at Gadi.

"Who's this dark one then? I don't like the look of him."

Captain Barnard tried once more. "You don't think perhaps I should call

the general?"

"Don't be an idiot, Bernard. We'll know everything about this lot by

lunchtime. I'll speak to the general then if it's worth bothering him

about. They're probably journalists, trying to poke their noses where

they don't belong."

Hauer considered telling Major Graaff about Aaron Haber-the "insurance"

they had waiting at the Protea Hof-but something told him to keep

silent, at least for the time being.

Major Graaff's police escort arrived in less than fifteen minutes.

They brought handcuffs, but Gtaaff waved them aside. "These buggers

won't be making any trouble." He laughed. "They're fellow police

officers, after all. Where are their papers, Barnard?"

Captain Barnard looked sheepish.

Graaff shook his head. "Damn it, man, it's a wonder they didn't kill

you and take the place over."

"It wouldn't have mattered," Hauer told him. "We're traveling under

false papers."

"Are you, now?" Graaff said. "Well, let's just toddle down to the

police station, shall we?" The major shoved his prisoners through the

door.

Captain Barnard got up and closed the door. He was strangely irritated

by Graaff's remarks. Why didn't I ask to see their passports? he

wondered. But he knew why. Because the longer he had stared into the

earnest eyes of the German policeman, the more convinced he'd become

that the man was telling the truth. There was some kind of crisis going

on. And what was the harm in calling the general, anyway? Jaap Steyn

prided himself on keeping a hand in evy.case that directly affected his

office. And if two foreigners asking to speak to the general on a

matter of national security didn't directly affect his office, what did?

Barnard reached for the phone and dialed General Steyn's home number. He

listened to it ring three times, then hung up with an oath.

Graaff was probably right. Better to wait until they knew they had a

problem before bothering the general. The- Visagie interrogators would

know everything about the strangers in a few hours, and South Africa's

political battles kept General Steyn busy enough without jerking him

away from his morning coffee to deal with a non-event.

Captain Barnard took his car keys from his desk and wrote a note to his

secretary. He'd been working all night. He was going home to shower,

shave, and have a bite of breakfast.

He would be back around ten A.M. It will all be sorted out by then, he

thought as he slipped out of the office. But then he remembered the

German policeman's sober gaze. And he wondered.

CHAPTER FORTY

605 A. M. mI-5 Headquarters. Charles Street, Loodon Sir Neville Shaw

looked up as Wilson rushed into his dim office. His deputy shook a thin

piece of paper in his right hand.

"Cable, Sir Neville!"

"Well read it, man! What's the bloody rush?"