Emerald (42 page)

Levi flew to Geneva to meet with Servette after Bruno’s call inviting David and Miriam to Munich because they located Han’s base of operation. Levi asked Servette’s advice. Should he allow the Mossad duo to go to Munich rather than into hiding in Rome?

P
eit, yawning, hair sticking out like a disheveled haystack, walked into his kitchen looking for a cup of coffee to open his eyes, he found Josef reading the morning paper. Josef looked up and with a smile from ear to ear that stretching his scared face, shook the front page at the Inspector and pointed to the lead article. Peit took the paper, spread it out on the counter and began reading. He did not even looking up when Josef placed a steaming cup of coffee beside the paper. The silence in the kitchen was audible.

A loud slap on the counter accompanied by a loud, “WELL, I’LL BE DAMNED” broke the early morning silence and he looked at his dark-skinned warrior friend and exclaimed again, “I’ll be dammed!” Returning to the paper he continued reading the article about an investigation by the
Grenzschutzgruppe 9
of corruption within the Police department of Munich.

“Did you read this, Josef?”

Josef, sitting at the counter turned to Peit and still grinning, nodded his head in the affirmative.

“I can’t believe it! Why all of a sudden are they investigating Chief Bruno and his boys? Levi and I have been saying all along there was something fishy going on in that German can of worms. And the GRS 9? I can’t believe it! Josef, do you know what the GSG 9 is all about?”

Josef shook his head from side to side facing Peit on the other side of the counter.

“Yes you do. Remember after the Palestine terrorist group Black September kidnapped and killed those Israeli athletes at the ‘72 Olympics and there was a loud outcry against the German police in their inability to deal effectively with that situation? As a consequence, German officials created the GSG 9 so that similar situations in the future could be responded to adequately and professionally.”

Josef was shaking his head up and down now. “Yes I thought you would remember.” I wonder why they have gotten involved now with our situation in Munich? If Levi is unaware of this development, I think I’d better give him a call. What time is it now in Tel Aviv?”

Josef pulled his trusty pad from a hidden pocket in his thawb, thought for a moment and wrote:
Just an hour later, Boss - - - 8:00 a.m.

“If I know Levi, he will already be in his second cup of that terrible Turkish coffee he drinks all day, and worrying what might be going wrong in some part of the world.”

Peit dialed a long number on the telephone hanging on the kitchen wall, waited, and then asked, “Are you awake yet, Levi? Have you seen anything interesting in your local paper this morning? That’s right; I just saw that the GSG 9 is cracking down on our friend Bruno and some of his men. You wouldn’t have had anything to do with that would you?”

Josef could just make out the muffled conversation at the other end of the phone and continued making breakfast for himself.

“When did this all happen, Levi?”

Peit looked at Josef and rolled his eyes.

“How does this possibly connect with the emerald case we have been working on? I know it’s pretty early to know, but I think I will try and get hold of someone in the GSG 9 to see what I can find out - - - at least I can fill them in on what has been going on from our perspective. And when either of us finds out anything interesting let’s keep the other informed. I wonder where Hans fits into what is going on in Munich. OK, Levi, I’ll let you get back to that grey mud you call coffee, and have a good day!”

Josef stopped eating a piece of toast and looked at Peit with raised eyebrows. Pouring a second cup of coffee from the large French Press, Peit smelled the surging aroma and said, “I am so glad I don’t have to drink that disgusting brew Levi serves in his office. Thank you so much for your gourmet tastes, Josef. What Levi told me was that he has been trying for several months to get the GSG 9 to look into the corruption, as he called it, in the Munich Police Department, especially in Beinschmidt’s terrorist department. I guess the murders of those two Mossad agents who had gone undercover in the department finally tipped the scale. Levi was able to get some action because about twenty years ago a very good friend of his was the very person who started an organization in Israel called the Sayeret Matkal which became the elite Special Forces unit of the Israeli Defense Force.”

Josef waved his arms trying to get Peit’s attention and raised his eyebrows again.

“Hold on Josef, I’m getting to it! That good friend of Levi’s also provided information and leadership to Germany after the ‘72 Munich Olympic debacle and helped them put together the GSG 9 unit. Levi Just put some gentle pressure, as only Levi can do, on his friend, and the wheels began to turn again in Munich. Now what all this means for David, Miriam, Hans and that damn emerald, I have no idea at this point, but we’d better soon find out. Will you get Max to meet me in my office in about an hour, please?”

“Good morning Max, I suppose you’ve read the morning paper and have seen what is going on in the Munich Police Department?”

“Yes I have. Can you fill me in a little more about the details?”

The Inspector pushed his chair back and put his feet on the edge of the desk. “I just finished talking to Ocar Lindner, the current Commander of the GSG 9 and he filled me in as much as her could on the current situation. It seems that after some pushing from Israel and some inside information from the Police Department itself they started a very discreet undercover investigation and found out a number of disturbing facts. It seems that the good ole Chief Beinschmidt has had a long, hidden, sympathy for Adolph Hitler and the Third Reich.”

“Why wasn’t this known, Peit?”

“It seems, Max, that because of his position in the Police department, pressure on certain people in high positions, and falsifying his dossier he has been able to hide that fact. However, the GSG 9 has uncovered a possible connection between the Chief and a small group of like-minded despots that they call the GRS or Government Retirement Society, but in reality it has been their own attempt to revive the old Nazi Gestapo. The GSG 9 also has reason to believe that directions for this pseudo-Nazi movement originated in Argentina”

“How was all this uncovered?”

“Evidently an anonymous phone call about possible problems within the department started with the Chief’s personal secretary. She was unable to justify all the long distance telephone calls to Argentina during an audit. She later provided enough information to start an internal investigation, even though she was scared to death. Evidently, enough questions about Bruno’s so-called terrorist branch within the Munich Police department that the GSG 9 was called in to continue the investigation. In the course of their investigation, the GSG 9 officers found a member of the chief’s underlings who panicked and spilled everything he knew about the “Government Retirement Society.” He revealed that the group’s purpose was to rid the entire Munich government of anyone with Jewish blood starting with the Police Department. They contracted with a hit-man, known only to them as Mr. Golch, who did their dirty work for them. He didn’t think even the Chief knew the identity of this assassin. This information was enough to conduct a full-blown investigation of the Police Department, starting with the terrorist unit. I understand that Chief Beinschmidt has been charged with murder and criminal conspiracy along with several others in the department. The Chief, at the moment, is being held under very tight security in a secret location outside of Munich.”

“So where does this leave us now in our emerald caper and search for our Nazi, psychopathic killer?”

“It seems to me that I need to contact Levi again and perhaps we need to have a conference with Levi, David and Miriam to coordinate all of this information and plan how we proceed from here.”

Two days later gathered in Inspector Peit Servette’s living room were Levi Benesch, the legendary Mossad Katsa; David Bernstein and Miriam Wagner, Mossad Agents; Max, friend and confident of Servette; Simon, Munich Mossad, Case Officer; and Josef of course, listening and watching over the evening and the needs of the guests in Geneva.

Servette looked around with pride at those gathered in his living room. “Isn’t it interesting that although we have been working this emerald case for several years we have never all gotten together, until today? In spite of that I think we have been an amazing team and I am honored to be part of this quest.

Now, with Levi’s permission and all your help let’s see if we can come up with, first, a plan to put this emerald in its proper place so it will not cause the mayhem it has caused anymore and second take care of “The Dagger,” better known as Hans Huber. I certainly want him out of my city, either on a cold slab somewhere, or at least in prison for the rest of his miserable life. Third, I think we are all aware that the Munich situation with our “friend” Chief Bruno Beinschmidt and his Nazi buddies is pretty well in the hands of the German GSG 9. I have also informed them of the arrival of our friends, the ‘Three Stingers’, and they will be on the watch for them. But just to make sure let me go over all that I know about their particular situation. If you have any questions or any details to add that I am not aware of, just chime in.”

After the discussion of the Munich Police affair, David asked, “I guess that leaves the emerald and Hans!”

Miriam spoke up, “What does Christies want to do with the emerald?”

“Forget the emerald. I want to take care of that bastard, Hans, forever. Forget a trial and prison,” David said as he quickly got up and walked to the window overlooking Geneva.”

“All in good time, David,” Levi said as he looked at Miriam with eyebrows raised. Do you think the GSG 9 will be able to handle the “Three Stingers” for us?

Inspector, that will not be a problem at all.” With a laugh, Simon continued, “I think the GSG 9 boys will arrange a very nice ‘Welcome To Munich’ party for their arrival. They have the approximate arrival time and there aren’t that many flights from Orly to Munich where they might be missed. And besides I have arranged that two of my people with also be part of the welcoming team, just to keep us on the inside, so to speak”