Honour Among Thieves

unmistakable handwriting: 'Wish you were here.' Scott didn't speak for several moments. 'Notice the date, did you?' Scott looked at the top right-hand corner: 4.7.93. 'So, now we know where it is, and she's also confirmed exactly when Saddam intends to let the rest of the world into his secret.' 'Who's Ethel Rubin?' asked Scott. 'And how did you get your hands on the card?' 'The lady Hannah was billeted with in London. Her husband is Mossad's legal representative in England. He took the card straight to the embassy the moment it -arrived and they sent it overnight in the diplomatic pouch. It reached our embassy in Amman this morning.' Once they had reached the outskirts of the town, Scott began to study the barren terrain as the lorry continued its progress along the oil-covered, potholed roads. 'Sorry to be going so slowly, Professor,' said Cohen, 'but if I throw my brakes on with the road in this condition, Madame Bertha might travel another hundred yards before the wheels even have a chance to lock.' Kratz went over every contingency he could think of as Cohen drove silently towards the border. The Mossad leader ended up by describing the layout of the Ba'ath headquarters once again. 'And the alarm system?' asked Scott when he had come to an end. 'All you have to remember is that the red buttons by the light switches activate the alarm, but at the same time close all the exits.' Scott nodded, but it was some time before he asked his next question. 'And Hannah?' 'Nothing's changed. My first task is to get you in and then back out with the original document. She still remains an unlikely bonus, although she obviously knows what's going on.' Neither of them spoke again until Sergeant Cohen pulled off the highway into a large gravel layby packed with lorries. He parked the vehicle at an angle so that only the most inquisitive could observe what they were up to, then jumped out of the cab, pulled himself over the tailboard and grinned at the Kurd who was lounging against the safe. Between them they removed the tarpaulin that covered the massive structure as Scott and Kratz climbed up to join them in the back of the truck. 'What do you think, Professor?' asked Aziz. 'She hasn't lost any weight, that's for sure,' said Scott, as he tried to remember the nightly homework he had done in preparation for this single exam. He stretched his fingers and smiled. All three bulbs above the white square were red. He first turned all three dials to a code that only he and a man in Sweden were aware of. He then placed his right hand on the white square, and left it there for several seconds. He leaned forward, put his lips up against the square and spoke softly. 'My name is Andreas Bernstrom. When you hear this voice, and only this voice, you will unlock the door.' Scott waited as the other three looked on in bemused silence. He then swivelled the dials. All three bulbs remained red. 'Now we discover if I understood the instructions,' said Scott. He bit his lip and advanced again. Once more he twiddled the dials, but this time to the numbers selected by Saddam, ending with 0-4-0-7-9-3. The first light went from red to green. Aziz smiled. Scott placed the palm of his hand in the white square and left it there for several seconds. The second light switched to green. Scott heard Kratz sigh audibly as he stepped forward again. He put his lips to the white square so they just touched the thin wire mesh. 'My name is Andreas Bernstrom. It's now time for the safe to -' The third light turned green even before he had completed the sentence. Cohen offered up a suppressed cheer. Scott grasped the handle and pulled. The ton of steel eased open. 'Not bad,' said Cohen. 'What do you do for an encore?' 'Use you as a guinea-pig,' said Scott. 'Why don't you try and close the safe, Sergeant?' Cohen took a step forward and with both hands shoved the door closed. The three bulbs immediately began flashing red. 'Easy, once you get the hang of it,' he said. Scott smiled and pulled the door back open with his little finger. Cohen stared open-mouthed as the lights returned to green. 'The lights might flash red,' said Scott, 'but Bertha can only handle one man at a time. No one else can open or close the safe now except me.' 'And I was hoping it was because he was a Jew,' said Aziz. Scott smiled as he pushed the door of the safe closed, swivelled the dials and waited until all three bulbs turned red. 'Let's go,' said Kratz, who Scott felt sounded a little