American major is more of a liability than an asset.'
'You're pushing, Schneider.'
The German's voice hardened. 'I want this case, Colonel.'
Rose pursed his lips and leaned back into his seat. 'Okay, Detective,'
he said finally. 'Quid pro quo. You give me everything you've got, and
I'll see you're included in any developments on this side of the Wall.'
Schneider searched out Rose's eyes in the darkness. 'You give me your
word as an American officer and a gentleman?'
Rose eyed the German strangely. 'I didn't think that bought much
overseas anymore.'
'It does from me,' Schneider said solemnly.
Rose felt as if he had somehow stepped back in time. 'As an officer and
a gentleman, then,' he vowed.
'Gut, ' grunted the German. Quickly he told Rose about Lieutenant
Luhr's unusual appearance at the murder scene, and his interest in
Richardson's card. When Schneider revealed that Prefect Funk was
personally directing the Spandau case from Abschnitt 53, Rose looked
very uncomfortable.
'Was Richardson working on something related to the Spandau incident?'
Schneider asked.
Rose nodded slowly.
The German shook his large head. 'Something very big is happening,
Colonel. I can feel it. At 10:20 Pm. the prefect issued an
all-district alert for two police officers who allegedly murdered a
third in a dispute over drugs. And this murder supposedly took place in
that police station.'
'What?'
Schneider nodded. 'One of the 'fugitives' is a decorated officer, a
GSG-9 adviser, no less. And both'-the German smiled thinly-'were on the
team assigned to guard Spandau Prison last night.'
Rose's eyes widened. 'Holy shit!'
Schneider smiled with satisfaction. 'Stasi agents call you 'God, the
All-Knowing,' Colonel. Did you know that?'
'I've heard,' Rose answered, barely listening.
'I guess they exaggerate.'
Rose grabbed the German's beefy shoulder. 'Okay, Schneider, you listen.
Richardson wasn't due to report until 0800 this morning, so technically
he's still on schedule. But I've got a bad feeling about this. My
sphincter's twitching, and that ain't good.' He paused.
'You got any whiskey on you?'
Schneider shook his head, nonplussed by the American's sudden change of
demeanor.
'Okay, here's the deal. Harry was looking into the Spandau thing for
me. He thought there was a lot more to it than your bosses were letting
on, and with the damned State Department and the Brits breathing down my
neck, I was all too willing to give him room to maneuver.' Rose paused
angrily. 'If you're right, and the Soviets have taken my boy over that
Wall .. .'
He smashed his fist against the Ford's dashboard. With an oath he
jerked the car into gear, made a screeching U-turn in the wooded lane,
jammed the accelerator to the floor and bored through the ranks of
frozen trees, making for the forest's edge.
'You gotta be anywhere, Schneider?' he growled.
'Nein. '
'You wanna be temporarily seconded to my command?'
'Jawohl, Herr Oberst!'
'Jesus Christ,' Rose snorted. 'Will you cut out that Kraut lingo?
Makes me nervous. You sound like you're in a goddamn John Wayne movie.'
He glanced suspiciously at the German. 'And on the wrong side.'
Schneider choked off an acid reply.
To the German's astonishment, Rose snatched up a radiotelephone and
began transmitting en clair. Schneider couldn't believe it.
Hundreds of listening devices constantly sampled the ether over Berlin
and fed the intercepted transmissions into tape recorders in every
sector of the city.
Rose's call would be heard by at least a hundred people before morning,
yet he seemed unconcerned'Clary!' he shouted.
'Who's this?' came the sleepy reply.
'Wake up, son!'
'Colonel?'
'Clary, we've got a loose fish tonight, you copy that?'
Schneider heard deep breathing. He imagined the stunned sergeant,
wakened from a dead sleep to crazy code words coming from his telephone.
'Roger that, sir,' Clary mumbled. 'Loose fish. Is the fish still in
the boat?'
'Probable negative on that, Clary. The fish is out, repeat, out of the
boat. Copy?'
'That's a roge, sir.'
Schneider looked bewildered.
'ETA camp ten minutes,' Rose snapped.
'Copy that, sir, I'm outta here.'
'Out.'
Rose pushed the speed limit all the way through the Grunewald.
The American certainly knew his way around, Schneider reflected.
Despite the labyrinth of icy lanes winding through the forest, he burst
out of the trees less than a mile from U.S. Army headquarters.
'Russians,' he muttered.
'Idiots.'
'I beg your pardon, Colonel?'
'The Russians, Schneider. The goddamn Russkies, Reds, Commies,
whatever.'
'What about them?' Schneider bit his lip. He had almost called the
American colonel 'sir.'
'I'll tell you what about them,' Rose grumbled. 'If those sons of
bitches have kidnapped my man and taken him over the Wall, that's a
goddamn act of war, that's what. And they're gonna find out who really
runs this burg, that's what!'
Schneider shifted uncomfortably in his seat. 'And that is?'
'The U.S. Army, by God.'
