standing alone in the washroom,' it said.
Hauer dived into the space between the bed and the bathroom wall,
clutching his Walther to his chest.
'I'm unarmed, Captain,' said the voice.
'Shut up! Stay where you are!' Hauer jabbed his pistol at the
professor. 'You too, damn you. Don't move.'
Natterman snorted. 'You're being ridiculous, Captain.
Herr Stern is harmless.'
'You couldn't stay away, could you?' Hauer thought furiously for
several seconds. 'All right!' he called finally.
'You in the toilet-walk out slowly- with your hands over your head! I
won't hesitate to shoot!'
'Can I put on the light?'
'No!' Hauer lay pr-one in the'space between the beds with only his head
and his gun hand exposed. When the tall silhouette appeared in the dim
foyer, Hauer trained his Walther on the man's head. 'Start talking,' he
growled. 'And keep your hands up.'
'My name is Jonas Stern,' said the tall shadow. 'I assure you that I
mean you no hartn, Captain. I suspect that my interest in this case is
similar to your own, and I would like to discuss it with you.'
'Who do you work for?'
'For myself. But to give you a frame of reference, my native country is
Israel.' Stern paused. 'May I switch on the light now?'
'The bathroom light. That's enough to talk by.'
Fluorescent light flickered from the small cubicle. The fixture buzzed
softly. Stern stood squarely in the pool of light so that Hauer would
feel at ease, but Hauer kept his Walther trained on him anyway.
As -the silhouette took on human features, Hauer noted the tanned,
angular face with its quick, piercing eyes.
'Captain Hauer,' said Stern, 'would you mind telling me where Sergeant
Apfel is now?'
'I'd rather find out how you arrived on my doorstep.'
Stern's eyes met Hauer's with steady assurance. 'Frankly, that would be
a waste of time. Suffice to say that I have been involved in this
situation since the first night at Spandau. I'm sure the most important
detail from your perspective is that I have the three missing Spandau
pages in my possession.'
Hauer felt his heart stutter. So you're the one. You slashed that
Afrikaner's throat like a suckling pig. 'You still haven't explained
your interest in this matter.'
Stern sighed. 'We're all concerned for the girl, Captain, let's have
that said. But I suspect that your interest, like mine, runs a bit
deeper than simple kidnapping. To the safety and future of Germany,
perhaps?'
Hauer waited.
'I am a Jew, Captain. An Israeli. I believe that the men who want
these Spandau papers pose a very serious threat to my country.
They may pose a different but equally perilous danger to democratic
Germany- I have come to root these men out.'
'How do you propose to find them?'
'With your help.'
Hauer shook his head in amazement. 'You expect me to drag the two of
you along with me? Is that what you think?'
Stern smiled. 'I do bring certain assets to the game.'
Hauer raised a skeptical eyebrow. 'Such as?'
'Superior intelligence experience. The professor tells me that you have
counterterror training, Captain. That is of limited value under the
circumstances. We're not dealing with the Red Army Faction here. This
is the 'big league,' as the Americans say. I've fought in the secret
world for many years. I can keep you from making some very serious
mistakes.'
Hauer shook his head. 'I don't think your experience offsets your age.
This is a hostage situation. Speed and reflexes will be critical.'
Stern suppressed his anger. 'If you see this as rely a hostage
situation, you are fatally mistaken. We are at the edge of a web of
intrigue spun fifty years ago, a web that has grown more complex with
each passing year. Ilse Apfel is but a speck of dust trapped inside
it.' Stern raised his hand and plucked an imaginary mote from the air.
'Every time you take a step toward her, Captain, the entire web shakes.
The spider knows where you are at every moment, and when you finally
make your move, you will find that it is you who are trapped.'
'Interesting metaphor,' said Hauer. 'What lesson should I draw from
it?'
Stern smiled patiently. 'Your attention should be fixed upon the spider
from the start, not the speck of dust. Eliminate the spider, you can
plunder the web at your leisure.'
Hauer said nothing for a while. 'I'll take my chances alone,' he
answered finally. 'I've handled a few spiders in my time.'
Stern's jaw muscles tightened. 'You'd stand a much better chance with
my help.'
Hauer raised his Walther. 'If information is all you have, Stern, you
can give that to me right now.'
In the instant Hauer's finger hesitated on the trigger, Stern slipped
out of the door. He reappeared moments later. Behind him stood three
very fit young men. Their hard faces and burning eyes told Hauer
everything he needed to know about their probable areas of expertise.
'These are my other assets, Captain,' Stern said. 'Sayaret
matkal-Israeli commandos. You may have heard of them.
If you're any judge of men, you will recognize their value vis-A-vis our
particular situation.'
Hauer instantly revised his estimate of Stern's possible contribution.
Even the elite officers of Germany's GSG-9
spoke of the sayaret matkal with respect.
'You!' he cried suddenly, recognizing the bandaged Yose Shamir from the
stairwell of the Burgerspark Hotel. 'You were following me last night!'
Stern quickly interposed himself between Hauer and the young Israeli.
'Yosef was there-at my request,' he explained. 'I had hoped to meet you
at the Burgerspark myself, Captain, but unexpected trouble prevented me.
I'm only thankful you decided to return here this evening. I assume you
