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
