Greg Iles - The Spandau Phoenix

Fspecially with superiors. Barnard almost jumped out of his skin when

the phone on his desk rang.

"General Steyn's office," he answered.

"Bernard?" boomed a husky voice.

"General Steyn! Where are you?"

"I'm out at the Pretoria office of Phoenix AG. The directors here seem

to think that some type of shenanigans may be going on in their defense

division. I felt I should handle it myself Phoenix works on some very

sensitive projects, you know Captain Barnard felt sweat on the back of

his neck. "Excuse me, General, but how did you learn about this

problem?"

"Gruaff called me at home this morning. He's right on top of this.

Seems he's friendly with the people over here at Phoenix. He was the

one who suggested I handle it personally, in fact."

"Where is Major Graaff now, GeneraIT' "I haven't the foggiest, Bernard."

"General," Captain Barnard said hoarsely, "I think we've got a problem."

2.05 Pm. Visagie Straat, Pretoria When General Jaap Steyn strode

through the doors of the Visagie police station, the desk sergeant knew

that his afternoon had just been shot to hell. The chief of South

Africa's ruthlessly efficient intelligence service was a bluff,

red-faced giant of a man. He stalked straight up to the high desk and

planted himself like an admiral on the prow of a flagship.

'Sergeant!" he bellowed. "I want to see your foreign prisoners

immediately. Where are they?"

"Urn ... yes, sir. Well, one is in the cellblock and the other ... I

believe Major Graaff is supervising his interrogation. 19

"Lead on, Sergeant!"

The desk sergeant wasn't sure if the NIS general had legal authority to

give orders to a municipal police officer, but risking his career to

find out didn't seem like the best of options. He jumped down from his

stool and led General Steyn and Captain Barnard to a heavy steel door at

the back of the station. He nodded once, then fled down the hall.

General Steyn grunted and pushed open the door. Inside he saw two

bull-necked policemen holding-a shirtless, grayhaired man against a

cinder-block wall. The man's face was covered with sweat and blood.

Major Graaff held a rubber truncheon high above his head, poised to

strike.

"That will do, Major," General Steyn said icily.

Graaff whirled. When he saw his furious general filling the door, he

ftoze, the truncheon still above his head. He looked back at his

muscular accomplices, but after one look at General Steyn they released

their bruised captive and came to stiff attention. Hauer slid slowly to

his knees.

"Captain Bernard," General Steyn ordered, "place Major Graaff under

arrest. You men clean the prisoner up and bring him and his companion

to the visiting room" General Steyn stalked out.

Barnard drew a pistol and leveled it at Graaff. "Give me an excuse, you

bloody bastard."

Hauer faced General Steyn across the long wooden table used to separate

prisoners from their visitors. He had a bloody towel wrapped around his

bared shoulders. Captain Barnard stood stiffly behind his superior.

Gadi Abrams sat at Hauer's left. Hauer had brushed aside their concern

over his injuries and immediately gone over to the offensive.

"I simply don't have time to explain everything you want to know,

General," he repeated. "Stern needs your help."

"I'm afraid that's just not good enough," General Steyn said.

"Jonas Stern is a good friend of mine, a damn fine intelligence officer.

He's a friend to this country. But I simply cannot agree to help

without knowing more."

Hauer sighed. Stern had told him to call out the NISin full strength-to

request whatever was necessary to take Alfred Horn's isolated fortress

by storm. But after what he had seen of Major Graaff, Hauer didn't

share Stern's confidence in the South Africans who would be called upon

to carry out that attack.

"General, did Captain Barnard inform you of the code word Stern told me

to repeat to you?"

General Steyn's jaw muscles flexed. "He did."

"And still you won't agree to help me?"

Captain Hauer, the South African government does not yield to blackmail.

If by some remote misfortune Jonas Stern has seen fit to confide in you

the true meaning of that code word-and if you have been trumpefing it

about-I may decide that Major Graaff's tactics were lenient. Do you

understand? Now, do you know the meaning of that code word?"

Hauer nodded slowly. "It's Hebrew. Literally, it means going up to

Zion."' General Steyn's face flushed. "Leave us please, Captain

Barnard."

Barnard reluctantly obeyed.

"General," Hauer said gravely, "Aliyah Beth is a secret contingency plan

that mandates the evacuation by sea and air of South Africa's entire

nuclear weapons arsenal and fuel stocks to Israel in the event of armed

insurrection by the black population. This move will be considered a

redeployment of weapons, as the warheads will remain under the control

of the South African government@' "My God, " General Steyn breathed.

"Stern's gone mad."

"No!" Hauer argued. "General, Stern knew that the dimensions of this

crisis are such that any other consideration pales beside it. I'm

telling you that a nuclear threat exists now-inside this country!"

General Steyn slammed his fist down on the table. "Then I'll have the

bloody -details now, Captain! Even if I have to torture you to get

them!"

"You wouldn't get them in time, General. I'm sorry, but that's the way

it is. Don't you understand? Your men can't be trusted.

Major Graaff was on your personal staff, for God's sake! One phone call

from an informant could bring about the very disaster that Stern is

trying to avert. A nuclear weapon could be detonated before we leave

this building!"

General Steyn came to his feet, knocking his chair to the floor.

Startled, Captain Barnard rushed in with pistol drawn.

"It's all right, Barnard," the general said. The Afrikaner towered over

Hauer. "Tell me something, Captain. What does Stern have to do with

this? How is Israel involvedt' Hauer had been dreading this question.

"General," he said slowly, "all I can tell you is that a madman

possesses a nuclear weapon within the borders of your country.

It could be detonated at any moment. In my opinion, any political

considerations are secondary."

"Political considerations are never secondary, Captain.

More's the pity. What about Thomas Horn? What's he got to do with all

this?"

Hauer knew he had to tread carefully beri. "General, how would you

describe -Herr Horn's ties to the South African government?"

"Well, he's what some would call a power broker, a behind-the-scenes

type. Very reclusive. But I understand he's a force to be reckoned

with in the ultraconservative encloves. Very chummy with the old

Afrikaner stock. It's the military Horn's tied to, you see. As you

probably know, during the last few decades South Africa has been forced

to become self-sufficient in many areas@specially defense. We build

everything from bullets to heavy artillery and aircraft.

We're damned proud of it, too. As you.might imagine, anyone with Thomas

Horn's industrial clout is courted constantly. His money and factories

have produced untold amounts of ordnance for the army. He's involved in

some very sensitive defense projects. I imagine-" General Steyn's voice

faltered. "My God. Horn is the sourre of this nuclear threat? But ...

but he's one of the most patriotic men in the country!"