'What would you do with him, Goltz, if you were in command?'
'Kill him. Simplest for all parties concerned.'
Harry felt a tremor of fear.
'You're a cold one,' Rykov observed.
Goltz shrugged.
'What about his intelligence value?'
The Stasi man pulled a wry face. 'I don't think he knows a damned thing
about Spandau.'
'He might.'
'Drug him senseless, then. But he's got to disappear.'
'Goltz is right,' Harry agreed. ']Leave it to the Germans to come up
with the most efficient solution.'
'What the hell does that mean?' Andrei asked from the table.
Now we're getting somewhere, Harry thought. 'Just what it seems to
mean, Corporal. That ever since the Second World War, the East Germans
have run rings around their Russian masters.'
Goltz bowed his head slightly, acknowledging a selfevident truth.
Andrei flushed axid rose from the table.
'Pay no attention to him, Andrei,' R@kov said. 'He's only trying to
provoke us.'
'That's right, Corporal,' Harry taunted. 'Follow your captain's
example. I insult him, and what does he do? Lies back and takes it,
like a good Russian.'
Andrei charged from the table. Harry darted out of the chair and
sidestepped him. 'Now, now, Corporal, I advise you to treat me with
discretion. When Kosov returns, he'll enlighten you as to my privileged
status within your organization.'
'My God!' Goltz cried. 'He's insufferable! He insults your homeland
to your face, then tells,you that he secretly serves it? Are you
complete fools?'
'It's Kosov's responsibility,' Rykov said slowly. 'He'll be back soon.'
The Russian captain squinted at Harry. 'And while we wait, Major
Richardson is going to tell us exactly what was found at Spandau last
night.'
Harry caught a sudden, furtive alertness in Axel Goltz's eyes. 'I just
might do that, Captain,' he @d lightly, his eye on the But German.
Goltz stiffet'.
'Tell you what,' Harry went on, 'get me something to drink, and I'll
tell you boys part of a very interesting story.'
Axel Goltz had compressed his muscles like steel springs.
Harry sensed it like a hunter senses his dog straining to break cover.
He rechecked everyone's position: Goltz stood by the table, Rykov still
blocked the door. But Andrei stood only a single step from Harry's
chair, his eyes smoldering.
He had to be moved.
'I'll take Scotch, if you have it,' Harry said.
'Get him a vodka, Andrei,' Rykov ordered.
Thank you God! Harry flexed his calf muscles. s th Andrei started to
obey his captain, but after two step , e resentment he'd been nursing
since the argument at Klaus's house finally surfaced. He stopped and
turned back to his commander. 'Get it yourself,' he said deflandyRykov
went pale at this public challenge to his authority.
He stood erect and laid a hand on the machine pistol in his belt.
'You mutinous bastard!' he said, stepping forward.
Harry's heart pounded. Jesus, this is it ... Andrei now stood five feet
away from him, facing Rykov in fury. It's now or neverThen Harry saw
something so unexpected that it froze him in his chair. Axel Goltz
silently brought a Heckler & Koch PSP pistol out of his jacket and aimed
it not at Harry, but at Dmitri Rykov's astonished face.
'Back against the wall, you Russian bastard!' he shouted.
'Throw your gun on the floor!'
Andrei whirled, then froze. Rykov dropped his Skorpion on the floor.
'Have you gone mad?' he asked, an incredulous smile on his face.
Goltz grinned scornfully. 'Are you surprised, my little Russian
puppies? Surprised that a German is about to blow your puny brains
out?'
'You crazy fucking German,' said Rykov, still unbelieving.
'You're a dead man. No matter what you do now, Kosov will hunt you
down. That demon Misha will slice your throat like a bratwurst.'
Goltz spoke over his shoulder. 'Stand up, Major. You and I are going
to take a short ride together. You're about to find out what a real
interrogation is like. AGe.nnan interrogation.'
'You won't get away with this,' Rykov said uselessly.
Goltz laughed coldly. 'Of course I will. Corporal Ivanov has already
reasoned out my alibi. I left here to attend to other business, you two
quarreled, and Major Richardson managed to kill you both and escape.
With two idiots like you, Kosov will be the first to believe it.'
'But why?' asked Rykov, fascinated by Goltz's apparently suicidal
impulse. 'Do you work for the Americans?'
I'm afraid he doesn't, Harry thought with a sinking head.
Raising his chin proudly, Goltz spoke his next words in German.
'If I die,' he said softly, 'I die for Germany. For Phoenix.'
His voice dropped still lower. 'Der tag kommt. '
'The day approaches,' Harry echoed softly. What the hell?
At that moment Corporal Andrei Ivanov chose to die a soldier's death.
With no weapon but his hands he charged a man who was pointing a
semi-automatic pistol at him.
Stunned by this display of courage, Goltz hesitated for a split-instant,
then fired. Andrei took a round in the chest, but he kept coming.
Rooted to his chair, Harry watched the doomed charge with hypnotic
fascination. Goltz's third bullet killed the Russian, but the
corporal's furious momentum bowled the Stasi agent over backward.
Shaken to the core, Harry wrenched his mind back to reality. He knew he
couldn't beat a bullet to the door; with a cry he hurled himself from
the chair and crashed headlong through the window, trailing the curtains
after him into the darkness.
Axel Goltz heaved Andrei's bleeding body off him and wmmbled to his
feet. Rykov was nowhere to be seen. Cursing, Goltz darted to the
window and hit a switch that flooded the courtyard with light. He saw
