by Jack Higgins
“I feel overdressed.”
“I was ordered to make this as low-key as possible. Get in.”
The Baron did, sitting in the rear, Aroun in front beside the driver. As they drove away, the thunder rumbled again and rain erupted, deluging the slow-moving traffic, a scene of chaos, horns honking, the sidewalks crowded with people, most of them seemingly oblivious to the rain.
“This is the main throughfare through the old town. Al Rashid Street. It’s not too far to the palace.”
Al Rashid Street. It made von Berger think of Kate. She hadn’t rung back. The car braked behind a truck close to the curb, where several young men were sheltered under the awning of a cafe, smoking cigarettes and talking. As the Mercedes paused, they noticed it and stared, very much aware of von Berger’s Western clothes. They began talking excitedly in Arabic, youths of a kind to be found in any great city in the world and intent on mischief. Suddenly, they approached the car, and someone wrenched open the rear door of the Mercedes.
“American, eh? We don’t like Americans.”
“No, I’m German.”
“You lie – American.” Hands reached in for him.
Aroun got out on the other side and pulled a pistol, but three men jumped on him from behind, wrestled him to the ground and started kicking him. His driver was pulled out and received the same treatment. Von Berger thought his last hour had come, as many hands grabbed at him, pulling him into the middle of the crowd. A tall, young, bearded man, incongruously in a baseball cap and T-shirt, seemed to be the leader. He brandished Aroun’s pistol and shouted to the crowd, then advanced on von Berger as they held him.
“Americans we kill,” the man said.
But just then came a squeal of brakes as two Land Rovers came to a halt, the sound of a shot fired into the air, and a woman calling in Arabic. The men turned, pulling von Berger with them, and he saw Kate Rashid standing by one of the Land Rovers in headcloth, khaki bush shirt and slacks. She was holding a Browning Hi-Power and the six Bedu guards with her had AK47s at the ready.
“Let him go,” she said in English to the man in the baseball cap.
“He is American and Americans we kill,” he shouted. “And who are you, woman, to tell us what do?”
He grabbed von Berger by the hair and rammed the muzzle of his pistol against the Baron’s skull. “I say he dies.”
Her hand swung up, and she fired, shooting him through the mouth, the back of his skull fragmenting, blood and bone spraying over the crowd. He dropped the pistol and fell, and the crowd scattered and ran. The Baron had fallen to the ground and two of the Bedu picked him up.
“Kate,” he said, dumbfounded.
She smiled and turned to Aroun, who had picked himself up and leaned on the Mercedes. “Major Aroun, I think you know who I am.”
“Yes, Lady Kate.”
“I don’t know what’s been going on here. No uniforms, no military escort?”
“He said it had to be low-profile.”
“Really? Well, you’d better see to the scum on the pavement, then clean yourself up and I’ll take the Baron to the Presidential Palace.” She turned to von Berger. “Come on, get in and tidy yourself up. Your hair is all over the place.”
Sitting in the back of one of the Land Rovers as they drove away, he said, “Where in the hell did you spring from?”
“Oh, I was in the region and heard a whisper relating to your meeting with the great man. For various reasons, I wasn’t happy. Saddam can do strange things. He’s a man of uncertainties. He sends a junior officer to greet you, leaves you kicking your heels for three days, a man as important as you? That means he’s in another manic phase.”
“How do you know this?”
“Because I know him well. He’s a good friend of mine. No, that’s not quite right. He thinks he’s a good friend of mine.”
“And you?”
“Oh, I think he’s a madman who’d be better off dead. Achieving that would be difficult, however.”
They paused at the gates of the Presidential Palace, were checked through instantly when the guards saw Kate, and drove inside, stopping at the bottom of the huge steps leading up to the entrance.
Kate turned and said calmly, “Well, here we go, Max. This should be interesting.”
An army colonel, who had presumably been waiting to greet the Baron, rushed forward to kiss Kate’s hand and spoke to her in English.
“Lady Kate, I’ve heard what happened. It shames us all. Are you all right?”
It was so strange how English the Iraqi military sounded, the Baron thought. This was another one who’d probably gone to Sandhurst Military Academy.
“The only problem is the man I had to leave on the pavement, Colonel.”
“He was a dog who deserved to die for his insult to you. Pavements, Lady Kate, are easily cleaned.”
“Is he aware of what happened?”
“His rage was terrible. He has ordered instant police reprisals in Al Rashid Street. Please follow me.”
There was a sudden wailing of sirens outside, and the lights dimmed at once. The colonel waved a hand and a soldier ran forward with a large hand lamp.
“It’s an air-raid practice only,” the colonel said. “Our American friends are not giving us much trouble at the moment. This way.”
They followed him along corridors of marbled splendor. It was an eerie feeling, the darkness closing in, statues on each side seemingly floating out of the gloom, the pool of light from the lamp, the echo of their feet on the marble.
“Are you all right?” Kate whispered.
Von Berger said, “I think you might say it’s one of the more remarkable experiences I’ve ever had – and considering I’m the only man you know who was in the Führer Bunker, that’s quite a statement.”
She laughed. “Oh, I like you, Max. If only-”
“I was fifty years younger,” he cut in. “But I’m not, so behave yourself.”
They halted at an ornate door, sentries on either side. The colonel opened it and went in. They waited and a voice rumbled. The colonel was back in a moment.
“He will see you now.”
Saddam Hussein was seated alone in uniform at a large desk, the only light a shaded lamp. He was signing documents, but looked up and put down his pen, got up and came round the desk to embrace Kate, kissed her on each cheek.
She said in English, “Baron von Berger doesn’t speak Arabic.”
Saddam never advertised the fact that he spoke English well, but he turned now. “Baron, I’m outraged that you should be treated in such a fashion.”
“It was an unfortunate misunderstanding. They thought me an American. I think I was wearing the wrong clothes.”
Saddam roared with laughter. “I like that. I can understand that.” It was strange how volatile he was, for just as suddenly he frowned and looked down at Kate. “But the insult to you. That is unforgivable. I’ve ordered reprisals. The military police will teach the scum on Al Rashid Street a lesson.”
“But I did teach them a lesson,” Kate said. “I shot the leader of the mob.”
“Excellent. That was your lesson, and now I teach them mine. Come – sit.”
Which she did and nodded to von Berger, who took the next chair. Saddam passed across to a window and opened the shutters to a terrace. An “All Clear” sounded and he looked across the city. Lights started to come on.
“We had the Americans and the Brits in the Gulf War, interfering, sticking their nose in Arab business. They fly over the so-called exclusion zones, bomb our installations. War, perhaps, will come again.” He turned. “Which is why you are here, Baron.”
Max von Berger turned to Kate, and the look on her face said it all. He took a deep breath. “In what way can I help?”
Kate cut in. “Baron von Berger has access to most armaments. What are you looking for? Stinger missiles?”
He paced back into the room. “That kind of thing I can get from many resources. What I really need is plutonium.
” He turned to von Berger. “My nuclear program is well advanced, but we do need plutonium. Can you supply me?”
Kate turned and nodded slightly. Von Berger said, “I am aware of sources.”
“Excellent.” Saddam sat behind his desk again. “If the Americans come, at the end I must have a weapon, a special weapon to stop them dead in their tracks. People talk of biological weapons, but this is not enough. Only a nuclear device will suffice.”
Max von Berger could have pointed out the catastrophic results of American retaliation, cited the fate of Japan at the end of the Second World War, but didn’t. There was no point. He now realized, at first hand, that Saddam Hussein was a madman.
“So, what do you want from me?” he asked.
“I told you. Plutonium, Baron, plutonium.” Saddam stood up and his head was shaking. “Don’t waste my time. Go away and get me plutonium.”
Von Berger was aware of Kate’s hand on his arm and stood up. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Saddam picked up his pen and started to sign more documents. Kate pulled von Berger away and he had the good sense to go with her.
In the Land Rover, he said, “He’s a raving lunatic.”
“Of course, but that’s not what’s important now. I had my other Land Rover retrieve your belongings from the Al Bustan. I’ve also arranged a departure slot for your plane. You should get out while you can. His manic moods are terrible. You never know what he’ll do.”
“I’ll take your advice.”
“Will you try to find him plutonium?”
And Max von Berger, a major in the SS, once Hitler’s aide, said, “Not in a thousand years.”
“Good,” she said. “You’re a lovely man, Max, so let’s get you to the airport and out of this place.”
Germany
4.
IT WAS THE following year and von Berger was in Brazil on business when he heard of the appalling tragedy that had befallen the Rashid family, the deaths of the brothers George and Michael and Paul. The news came too late for him to fly back for the funeral, and what would have been the point?
Because of the particular nature of the peerage, Kate Rashid inherited, and was now Countess of Loch Dhu. But the rule still held: There was no public connection between the Baron and the Rashid empire.
At that stage, von Berger knew nothing of the reasons for the deaths or of the Rashid feud with Western interests or the cause for it. It was only later that he would hear of the failed assassination attempt on the life of President Jake Cazalet at his weekend retreat on Nantucket by Irish mercenaries, instigated by Paul Rashid. Then there was the successful assassination of the Sultan of Hazar himself, followed by the failed attempt on the lives of the entire Council of Elders in Hazar, again, by Irish mercenaries.
It was only later that von Berger realized how important in all this had been Blake Johnson, who ran the Basement at the White House. And then there was General Charles Ferguson, who did the same thing for the British Prime Minister, seconded by his right-hand man, Sean Dillon. Dillon, who had personally killed Paul Rashid and his two brothers.
But all this knowledge was in the future. For the present, Max von Berger had to be content to follow Kate Rashid’s activities from afar. He was aware of the arrival in her life of Rupert Dauncey, an American cousin of some kind, once a major in the Marine Corps, and was also aware of a certain jealousy. But life went on and he busied himself in business as usual, until that evening, staying for a few days at the Schloss, when on a whim, he decided to have supper at the inn, the Eagle.
It was crowded, a Friday night, snow falling, winter beginning. When he went in, he received his usual welcome, and the innkeeper, Meyer, hurried to meet him. “Baron, are you dining with us tonight?”
“I think so. I’ll take your special hotpot with potatoes and dumplings. How could I do better?”
“You honor us.”
He led the way to a booth in the far corner and nodded to the two men sitting there, who jumped up and ducked their heads.
“Thank you, my friends.” The Baron took off his hat, and Meyer helped with the heavy coat and seated him. “It’s a bad night, so I’ll have champagne. It’ll liven things up a little.”
Meyer departed, and the Baron took out his case, selected a cigarette and lit it, aware of the man standing at the bar drinking beer and scowling at him. This was one Hans Klein, a huge brute, a local farmer and drunkard. He was seriously in arrears with his rent, had failed to pay again and again. At the town appeals court the previous month, the Baron had given him three months until eviction.
As Meyer brought the champagne in a bucket and a glass, Klein said loudly, “That’s all right for the high and bloody mighty.” He turned to the barmaid and slammed his hand on the bar. “Schnapps, and be quick about it, or do we all have to stand in line for him?”
Conversation faltered and Meyer, thumbing off the cork, looked agitated. “Baron, I’m so sorry.”
“Just pour.”
It was at that moment the door opened, snow whirled in, and the stranger appeared.
He was wearing a hunting jacket with a fur collar, and a tweed cap covered with snow, which he took off and beat against his thigh. Strangers were not usual in Neustadt and he attracted immediate attention. He had black hair, not quite to his shoulders, but long enough, and a handsome wedge-shaped face with a broken nose, with the look of some medieval brave about him. He unbuttoned his coat.
“Good evening,” he said. “A bad night for it.”
His German was almost flawless, but as von Berger recognized, there was a hint of Italian there.
Meyer said, “Welcome, Mein Herr, you’ve come far?”
“You could say that. All the way from Sicily.”
Klein turned to those nearest him. “Italian,” and there was contempt in his voice.
The stranger ignored him and said to Meyer, “I need something to warm me up. You look as if you’ve got every drink in the world back there. Would you have grappa?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.” Meyer took a bottle down from the shelf and held it up.
The stranger read the label aloud. “‘Grappa Di Brunello di Montalcino.’ Jesus, that stuff is firewater. Pour me one now.” He took it straight down and coughed. “Wonderful. I’ll hang on to it.”
He turned, saw a small table vacant and, in the same glance, the Baron in his booth, amused. The stranger stopped smiling and almost stepped back, as if recoiling physically. He paused, then went to the vacant table, sat down, opened the bottle and poured another one. He glanced at the Baron again, then lowered his eyes.
The Baron frowned, strangely uncomfortable. There was something familiar there. It was as if he knew him, but how could that be? Not that it mattered, for it was at that moment that Klein, drunker than ever, erupted. He reached over the bar, grabbed the bottle of schnapps, pulled the cork with his teeth and drank deeply, then he slammed the bottle down and turned.
“You think you’re God Almighty, Baron, but I’ll tell you what you are. You’re a bastard.” He was so drunk he didn’t know what he was saying. “And I know how to treat bastards like you. Try to come onto my farm, I’ll take my shotgun to you.”
There was total silence from everyone there. The Baron stayed quite calm, sat there, his hands folded over his cane.
“Go home, Klein, you are not yourself.”
Klein lurched forward and swept the champagne from the Baron’s table. “You old swine. I’ll show you.”
“You’ll show no one,” the stranger said, and poured another glass of grappa. “And I suggest you apologize to a great man for insulting him so.”
The Baron glanced up at him, a slight frown on his face, and Klein turned, lurched across and leaned on the table. “Italian pretty boy, eh? I’m going to break both your arms.”
“Really?” The stranger reversed his grip on the bottle and smacked it across the side of Klein’s skull. The big man fell to one knee, and the stranger stood, picked up his chair and
smashed it across Klein’s shoulders.
He backed away and Klein reached for the table and hauled himself up slowly. He turned, blood on his face, and the stranger said, “You are an animal, my friend. Someone should have taught you this a long time ago.”
Klein roared with anger and staggered forward, the great hands reaching to destroy. The stranger swayed to one side, tripped him expertly, then kicked him in the side of the head. Klein rolled over, groaned and passed out.
There was an excited murmur and Meyer rushed from behind the bar. “Baron, all this is terrible. What can I say?”
“Very little. Just get him to the police station. They can hold him in a cell overnight.”
Half a dozen men carried Klein out, while the crowd discussed the events excitedly, turning to look at the stranger, who watched as the barmaid brought a broom and cleaned up. He poured another glass of grappa and drank it down in another single swallow. The girl went away.
The Baron said, “You handle yourself well. Brutal and effective.”
“I was raised in Palermo.”
“You speak excellent German.”
“My mother raised me to.”
“I see. You looked at me as if you knew me.”
“Your photo, yes. I would have searched you out at the Schloss tomorrow. This meeting is by chance.”
“And to what purpose? We could start with your name.”
“Rossi – Marco Rossi. My mother was Maria Rossi. She was once in your employ.”
Max von Berger was aware of a slight trembling, a faintness. “Sit down and give me some of that firewater.” Rossi filled the glass again and gave it to him and sat. “Why are you here?”
“She died after a losing fight with cancer. I was a captain in the Italian air force until six months ago. A Tornado pilot. I resigned so that I could be close to her. We lived with my uncle in Palermo, but he died a year ago, so she was alone.”