The Helsinki Pact (41 page)

He paused for a moment, lost in
his thoughts and mulling over the problem. Suddenly his expression
changed.

“But wait, no, there's an even
better reason for backdating things. Sure, it hides malfeasance but
more importantly it secures ownership. After five years from when
an act of sale is registered it’s no longer open to raise
objections to that sale. Any rights of creditors or those with
title, whatever they happen to be, are automatically annulled. It’s
as if they never existed.”

“You mean the sale becomes
irreversible.”

“Exactly. Whoever did this is
probably understands the law well enough to know this. So when the
country is unified they’ll be able to avoid any risk of West German
politicians investigating, maybe to support past private owners of
the propertly, and getting the sale overturned. No one will be able
to do that.”

“Not unless they can prove that
the sale was fraudulent and the supporting records
falsified.”

“Sure, but how do you do that? If
they filed all the documents correctly, there is no way to tell the
fact occurred at a different date. You would have to get someone
who signed the document to testify to its falsity. Or persuade
Wolfgang to speak out - if he's still alive that is.”

“And who would the signatories
be?”

“In this case, we have no idea
who the buyer is but if you are correct the selling entity must be
the state. They would both sign - that's easy here, of course. Then
later, as I mentioned, the document gets signed by the President of
the Court and by the state notary. We don't know if these have been
forged or if those officials are also involved.”

“But it looks as if the Party is
involved as well. Given the risks it’s probably someone high up in
the chain.” Bettina said. “No wonder Wolfgang told you to stay out
of it.”

“If they’ve done everything by
the book then even if you found the document - and at this point it
could be registered any time prior to now, or before January 1985
if my theory is correct, which means finding it will be almost
impossible - then you would have to prove ... ”

“At least we’ll be able to know
who’s involved. I think we’re too deep into this to simply pull
back.”

There was a long silence and then
Georg sighed.

“Information can be very
dangerous Bettina, and you should understand that better than most.
I need a little time to think this thing through. Right now I’m not
sure I want to risk my life to discover which of the crooks stole
some asset from the state.”

Bettina stared at him for a
moment, her initial shock turning to anger.

“Georg, you’re the one who used
to rant at home against the injustices of this regime, the
hypocrisies, the low-level dealings. You started a newspaper to
expose them, for God’s sake! When I was a kid, I was scared but
secretly I really admired your courage." She stopped for breath.
"Just the other day, you get on your high horse and tear strips off
me for being in the Stasi. But I’m ready to take risks for the sake
of justice, in defence of our laws and country. What’s happened to
you?”

There was a long, awkward
silence. Georg looked at the ground, unable to hold her
gaze.

“I’m sorry.” he said finally. “It
was a long time ago and there were different reasons. And now,
after all these years, I'm tired. I want to help, I know I should
help, but that's what a surveillance state does to you, I'm tired.
I thought I could fight the state. I don't think I can. I’m very
sorry.”

“At least tell me where I’d need
to search for the document.”

“It would have to be in the
Archive building, in Lothringerallee, assuming they’ve backdated
it.”

“Do you go there often? Couldn’t
you try to find the document while officially doing something
else?”

“I used to go there a lot, but
these days hardly ever. So if I went now, after having mentioned
this to my colleagues, it would look very suspicious. Who knows
who's in on the scheme. You know how the Stasi works - little bits
of information here and there fitting together and making a bigger
picture. I'd be arrested. And anyway, it’s going to be almost
impossible to find. We don’t know the false date, only that it’s
1984 or earlier, and there’s thousands of documents. Each archive
room holds only a few months of each given year and I couldn’t just
wander around the place. I would need lots of time to do this
properly.”

"We don't have time. The state is
about to collapse and that's what these crooks are counting on.
Georg, we've got to do what we can to stop them."

She moved close to him, put her
arms around his shoulders and laid her head on his
chest.

"Georg. Please. Please help me."
As she looked up at him he looked away, unable to meet her gaze.
"Remember the paper Georg. Remember what you thought was so
important to fight. This is important. Remember what you fought
for. Please Georg."

Gently he opened her arms and
stepped back out of them. "I'm so sorry Bettina but that will has
gone. I'm tired of being watched. Tired of always being careful
about what I do. I've done nothing wrong and I've nothing to hide
but knowing the state's watching you just makes you fearful. You
always start to wonder. What's it going to be like if I really do
dodo something illegal? I can't face that. I'm just too tired. Too
tired. I've got to look after myself."

He turned and walked away and as
he did she watched his stooped shoulders and dragging walk, and
feltfeeling a wave of immense pity for him and anger at what how
her country had so damaged the man she’d knowndone to this
honourable man and admired for his ferocious integrity.

Chapter 34

Wednesday January 17
1990, afternoon

SITTING alone in his office, his
colleague Ussolzev then away briefly in Leipzig, KGB agent Putin
reflected on the recording he had first listened to the day before.
The kneipe known simply as Egon's, just a few streets away from the
KGB office in Angelikastrasse, was favoured by senior officers of
both the SED-PDS, as the East German Party had now become, and of
the Stasi as a discreet location in which to discuss sensitive
matters.

With the Stasi now officially
disbanded on the previous Saturday and with the DDR in a state of
near-anarchy places like Egon's had grown in importance. Trust
between colleagues had become fragile and taking care not to be
overhead had become even more of a priority than usual. Böhm was
still nominally in charge of whatever was left of the Dresden Stasi
though in practice Herbert Kohler had taken over. Dresden's Party
secretary, Hans Modrow, had become Prime Minister in December and
although nominally retaining his position had conceded authority to
Roehrberg.

Although the Stasi and the KGB
had worked closely together Böhm had become increasingly irritated
with Putin's activities. Seeking to build a network of spies for
his own use in targeting students and foreigners in East Germany
Putin had successfully turned several who had already been active
as Stasi informers. A complaint to Mielke had led to a reprimand to
Putin but although Putin promised to scale back his activities, at
least where existing Stasi agents were concerned, he had in fact
ramped them up as the political turmoil increased and the
dissolution of the East German state became imminent. "My loyalty
is to Russia and Russia's interest," he'd said "not to the
DDR."

No one realised, however, that
Egon - sound, reliable Egon who had been loyal to the Stasi for
many years - was now also one of Putin's and that there was built
into the fabric of the kneipe a sophisticated and highly sensitive
directional and noise cancelling recording system that meant that
everything said there was always fully open to Putin. Every morning
one of three assistants would collect the previous days recordings.
Then between them they would copy the tape for security, listen to
everything and mark for Putin's attention items of interest,
typically delivering a tape and notes to him the following morning,
but occasionally rushing urgent matters over. A planned
assassination didn't really fit into the urgent category unless
Russia's interests seemed to be affected.

Putin glanced at the notes on
Sunday's recording, saw the reference to Roehrberg, moved to the
marked point on the tape, and pressed play.

"Where is the money now?" he
heard Roehrberg asking and then Henkel explaining that he'd moved
it initially to his office in small batches and then discreetly to
a deposit private section in a local storage facility as they had
earlier discussed and agreed. He'd passed the key over to Roehrberg
as he spoke.

"The problem now" he added "is
this investigation. We'd counted on longer, a couple of weeks or
so, to muddy the trail, lose the cash through these foreign trips,
but when Dieter called Böhm and had him check with me on some
pretext or other I had to call him back and say the money had
mysteriously vanished."

"Did Böhm believe you at the
time? And what about Dieter?" asked Spitze.

"I don't know for sure. I think
Böhm swallowed it or in any case decided he'd no choice but to go
along with it. Maybe we ned to pay him off. Dieter's something
different. You know what he's like, keeps digging at things till he
gets the answer, won't be bribed or threatened so he's
difficult."

"I spoke with Dieter yesterday"
said Roehrberg "and he told me he's sending down an assistant of
his to look around and check things out, Bettina, Bettina
something, List, I think. We're meeting tomorrow though how Dieter
thinks someone junior like that can find out answers I don't
know."

"Sounds like we shouldn't have
much to worry about, then." said Henkel. "You can work your famous
charm on her, Rudi, you'll have her lapping it up, tell her
anything she wants to hear and she'll swallow it!"

"Maybe." said Spitze. "But my
guess is not. Dieter's no fool and I'd doubt his assistants are
either. She'll be talking with you Gerd and you need to be careful.
What's our story going to be? Well, your story Gerd. You signed for
it and it's your responsibility. You can't just say, Duh, it's
vanished, must have been the tooth fairy took it. You, we, need a
proper, watertight story that's going to convince Dieter, or at
least hold him off for a few weeks. We need to work that
out."

"OK, OK. You're right. Look, I've
got to go. I'm meeting someone. But I should be home by seven -
give me a ring just after that, Rudi, or call round if you want,
and we can finalise things then and sort any minor loose ends out
in the office tomorrow. Don't worry. We're not going to trip up
now. That money's ours. We've got it and we can hang on it,
whatever Dieter think or tries."

Putin fast forwarded over the
sounds of Henkel leaving, of the remaining two collecting beers
from Egon, and of a short discussion with one of Roehberg's junior
staff who had called in with some papers to sign. Reaching the next
trigger point he pressed Play and leant back, listening
intently.

"Damn right we're not going to
trip up now!" The voice was Roehrberg's. "Sponden can lean on
Dieter but you know what's Dieter's like. He'll just go his own way
irrespective. He's like a fucking dachshund after a badger once
he's picked up the scent, and he'll just keep at it - unless
someone kills him first."

The tape went quiet and Putin
imagined the two men, alone in the café, looking at each
other.

"Unless someone kills him first."
said Spitze slowly. "Unless someone kills Gerd first."

"Think about it." he added. "Gerd
kills himself. Leaves a note admitting his theft. Money's gone. No
one knows where. We're clear."

"Yeah, sure. But Gerd's an old
friend. I like Gerd. Why not you? Why don't we have you steal it,
you confess, you commit suicide. Same result. I could fix
that."

Spitze laughed. "I'm sure you
could! And the same goes for you, Rudolf. You could have done it,
better than me given your position. But Gerd, as Treasurer, is the
most obvious candidate. He had the opportunity. All we need to do
is construct a plausible motive."

"And get someone reliable to do
it. Don't forget that bit. Or are you offering?"

There was another silence and
then Roerhrberg spoke again. "I don't know. It's a good suggestion,
but Gerd? I don't think so." He sighed heavily.

"Ten million's a lot of money."
said Spitze softly. "The expenses may go up a little, sure, but
it'll now be shared two ways, not three. Think about it." There was
the sound of a chair being scraped back and then further silence
for several minutes until there were the sound of returning
footsteps and of Spitze sitting down again. "Well?" he
said.

"I've thought of someone." said
Roehrberg. "And at least Gerd hasn't any family, not like you, not
even girlfriends like I have. God, I can't do that to him,
though."

"He brought it on himself." said
Spitze, suddenly and harshly. "You don't know this but it wasn't
really a proper investigative visit from Böhm at all. Gerd freaked
out. I know because we talked, he was really nervous after he'd
moved the money, said he was going to call Dieter and report it
stolen. He said Böhm was suspicious, asking questions, and it would
be better that way. I thought I'd calmed him, persuaded him just to
hang on till the foreign trips when we'd be clear. Obviously
not."