'But that's what I don't understand. What does it matter what happened
fifty years ago?'
'Nations have very long memories,' Horn said.
'What happened to Rudolf Hess?' Ilse suddenly asked.
,The real Hess.'
'He died,' Horn said. 'In Resistencia, Paraguay, in 1947.
I knew him well, and he died a bitter man, less than two years after his
beloved Fuhrer.'
'Beloved?' Ilse echoed, horrified. 'But the man in Spandau-who was
he?'
'No one,' Horn said. 'Anyone. The poor fool was part of a failed
gambit in foreign policy, that's all. But the result of that failure
was that he had to remain in prisons Hess for the rest of his life.
That is all in the past.
Unfortunately, your husband reopened this sticky little case, and now it
must be closed again. For me it is a small annoyance, but one cannot
ignore details. 'For want of a nail . . .' '
' 'For want of a nail,' ' Ilse said thoughtfully, ' 'the kingdom was
lost.' What is the 'kingdom' in this case?'
Horn smiled. 'My company, of course. Phoenix AG.'
Ilse looked thoughtful. 'I don't recall seeing that name listed on any
stock exchange.'
'I'm sure you don't. It's a private holding company. If I were to
furnish you with a list of my worldwide subsidiaries, however, I'm sure
you would recognize quite a few.'
Smuts smiled at Horn's understatement.
Ilse was genuinely curious. 'So you're multinational, then. How big
are you? Two, three hundred million in revenues?'
The young Englishman snickered.
'Three hundred million in assets,' Horn corrected softly.
Ilse stared, incredulous. 'But that would put your revenues at over a
billion dollars.'
There was silence until Horn gracefully resumed the conversation.
'I see you have a keen interest in business. Why don't we excuse Pieter
and Lord Granville? You and I can continue our discussion without
boring them. Gentlemen?'
'But I find this discussion extremely interesting,' the Englishman
protested.
'Nevertheless, ' Horn said icily.
'How about some billiards, Smuts?' the Englishman asked gamely, trying
to preserve some illusion of free will.
Horn's stare commanded the reluctant Afrikaner to accept the invitation.
'Don't suppose I'd mind taking a few rand off you,' Smuts said,
chuckling. He had a brittle laugh, like a man who finds humor only at
others' expense. He gave Horn a shallow bow as they went out.
'That man seems quite devoted to you,' Ilse observed.
'Herr Smuts is my chief of security. His loyalty is absolute.'
'Are you in danger?'
Horn smiled. 'A man in my position makes enemies, Frau Apfel.'
Suddenly Ilse's eyes glistened with moisture. The plea she had pressed
down deep in her heart welled up into her throat at last. 'Sir, please,
isn't there some way that you could give my husband? He meant no harm!
If you only ew him, you would see-'
'Frau Apfel! Control yourself! We will not discuss the matter again
until your husband arrives. At that time I shall decide what is to be
done-not before. Is that clear?'
Ilse wiped her eyes with her linen napkin. 'Yes ... yes, I'm sorry.'
'There's no need to be sorry. Women are at the mercy of their emotions;
it's their biological flaw. If it weren't for that regrettable fact,
who knows what they might have aceomplished throughout history.'
Ilse remained silent. She saw nothing to be gained by antagonizing her
captor further.
'Frau Apfel,' Horn said, 'the reason I excused the others was to invite
you to attend a business meeting with me tomorrow evening. :rhe
gentlemen I'm meeting have a rather medieval attitude toward your sex,
I'm afraid, so you would have to pose as my secretary. But I'm certain
you would find the negotiations extremely interesting.' Horn raised his
chin.
'It will be the first meeting of its kind in history.'
'It sounds bmin6us,' Ilse said, trying to regain her composure.
'Let us say 'momentous' instead. It's only business, after all.
I'm sure the experience would prove invaluable to a young woman who
plans a career in the world of finance.'
In spite of her perilous situation@r perhaps because of it-Ilse accepted
the invitation.
'Linah?' Horn called.
The tall Bantu woman appeared instantly.
'Escort Frau Apfel to the billiards room.'
Ilse rose to go.
'And Frau Apfel,' Horn said, 'would you ask Pieter to join me when he
has finished his game?'
Ilse nodded.
'You won't see me until tomorrow afternoon, possibly not until tomorrow
evening. Pieter will show you around the estate in the morning. Certain
rooms are locked, but you have the run of the house and grounds
otherwise. Please refrain from using the telephone until the matter of
the papers has been resolved.'
With the touch of a button Horn wheeled his chair around the table.
'May I see your hand?'
Puzzled, Ilse slowly extended her hand. Before she knew what was
happening, the wizened old man had bent his head and lightly kissed it.
She felt a sudden chill, but whether from physical revulsion or some
deeper fear, she could not tell.
'I apologize for the young Englishman's rudeness,' Horn said. 'I
shouldn't tolerate it, but his grandfather and I worked together during
the war.' Horn smiled wistfully.
'His grandfather was a very special man, and I feel some responsibility
for his their. Gute Nacht, my dear.'
The tall Bantu housekeeper took Ilse's elbow and led her into the hall,
