and into the gaping maw of the helicopter as it hovered briefly-near the
earth.
As they lifted away from the hurricane below, Stern heard another sound
cutting through the din of the rotors-a higher sound, like the rim of a
crystal goblet singing. Then it came to him-the brief whine punctuated
by the dull thwackbullets! Two more slugs punctured the thin aluminum
skin of the chopper but miraculously missed the vitals of the
machine-the cabling, hydraulics, and precious rotors.
The helicopter yawed at a sickening angle as it climbed, but the Zulu
held Stern fast. Far below, Stern saw the pursuer's headlights,
spinning and shrinking to unreality. The chase car had stopped now.
It merged with the Rover, a tiny bright speck against the rain-swept
veld. Stern thought of Hauer, of how angry he must be at this
unexpected tactic. He pictured the furious German kicking the Rover or
even firing a few slugs into it for good measure. He couldn't help but
smile.
But the man below was not kicking the Range Rover, of stupidly firing
his pistol into the lifeless steel hulk. For the man below was not a
man at all, but a woman. An Englishwoman smelling of powder and
expensive perfume. Cia-re de Lune. And if Jonas Stern had known that,
he would not have been smiling.
4:10 Pm. Room 604 The Protea Hof Hotel, Pretoria
Hauer and Schneider sat facing each other across the narrow space
between the two double beds. Hauer held his Walther loosely in his
hand; Schneider's hands were empty. Gadi sat by the window, hands
clenched around his Uzi. After piling the dead Russians in the
bathroom, he had gone over to the Stanley House to try to capture
Borodin's sniper, but the sniper had disappeared. Professor Natterman
lay asleep on the bed, his thigh and his side wrapped in gauze. Aaron
Haber guarded the door. There would be no more surprise entries.
'Do you believe me now?' Schneider asked.
Hauer had spent five minutes on the phone with Colonel Rose. 'I believe
you,' he said. 'But not because of what the American said.'
'Why, then?'
'Your father. He was an investigator during the student riots in the
sixties. Back then a lot of police officers would just as soon have
shot a student as talked to one. Your father was different.'
Schneider nodded.
'Unless the acorn fell a long way from the tree, you're not part of
Phoenix. Besides, why would Funk need to send you? Phoenix must have
an army here in South Africa.'
'Will you come back to Berlin with me?'
Hauer shook his head. 'Right now I care about only one thing-saving my
son's life. After that's done, I'll remember that I need to care about
cleaning Funk and his stortntroopers out of Berlin.
But by then it may be too late.'
Hauer stood. 'I've got a feeling I may not be coming back from this
trip, Detective. So I'm going to trust you to handle, Berlin. I have
to trust you.'
Hauer felt every eye in the room upon him.
'Here is the situation as I see it: The British want to suppress the
Spandau diary, and the Hess story with it. The Americans-at least in
the past-have been willing to go ;along with the British. The Russians
want to expose the papers and force the British to accept partial blame
for what the Nazis did in the war. It's political one-upmanship.'
Hauer turned his head. 'Have I got that right, Professor?'
'Succinctly put, Captain.'
'From the Russian point of view, one would think the Spandau papers are
a minor consideration compared to the very real danger of Phoenix. If
the Russians learn that a secret, extremely nationalistic group exists
within the police and political hierarchies in both East and West
Germany, a group bent on breaking the DDR away from Russia and uniting
with West Germany, a group that has infiltrated the Stasi, there'is
really no telling what they might do.'
'What are you saying, Captain?'
'I'm saying that the Russians need to learn about Phoenix. In the right
way, of course. I didn't tell Colonel Rose any of this, so it will all
be up to you. You heard Professor Natterman. In Berlin there is a
photocopy of the Spandau papers. Also in Berlin-in the house of a dead
policeman named Josef Steuben-there is a fireproof safe. In that safe
is a year's accumulation of evidence of drug crimes against Funk and his
men. But more importantly'-Hauer paused, reluctant to reveal something
that a friend had died to protect-'there is a list of every member of
Bruderschaft der Phoenix whose name I could learn. The list names
members on both sides of the Wall. Once the Russians know what Phoenix
is, Schneider, they will give anything for that list.'
The light of admiration dawned in Schneider's eyes.
'We want Phoenix crushed, yet we can't trust our own countrymen to do
the job. So, as painful as it may be, we must turn to the Allies.
That means the Americans. When YOU get to Berlin, retrieve the
photocopy and the list, then bide them. Then tell Colonel Rose what you
have, and what YOU want. at y want is c an American supervision of a
German urge of Phoenix. When the Americans agree to that, let them
present the Russians with their ..own offer. I suspect it will run
something like this: In exchange for continued silence about the Hess
@r-which is what the British and Americans want-the Russians will be
given the names of Phoenix members in the East. They can purge the
Stasi at their leisure, and get the higher-ups by interrogating the
Stasi members.' Hauer cracked his knuckles.
'As far as I can see, everybody should be happy with that arrangement.'
A strange smile flickered across Schneider's face. 'I think you're in
the wrong line of work, Captain. You should have been a negotiator.'
'I am,' Hauer told him. 'A hostage negotiator.'
'I thought you were a sharpshooter.'
Hauer sighed. 'Sometimes negotiations fail.'
Schneider stood. 'I'd better go. Colonel Rose said there's a plane
leaving for Cairo in forty minutes, and there'll be an Army jet waiting
for me there.'
Hauer offered his hand. 'Good luck, Detective.'
