The Doomsday Conspiracy. Sidney Sheldon

by the soft buzz of the telephone.

      “Janus here.”

      “Janus. General Hilliard.”

      “Proceed.”

      “Commander Bellamy has located the first two witnesses.”

      “Very good. Have it attended to immediately.”

      “Yes, sir.”

      “Where is the commander now?”

      “On his way to London. He should have number three confirmed shortly.”

      “I will alert the committee as to his progress. Continue to keep me informed. The condition of this operation must remain Nova Red.”

      “Understood, sir. I would suggest—”

      The line was dead.

      

       FLASH MESSAGE

      TOP SECRET ULTRA

      NSA TO DEPUTY DIRECTOR BUNDESANWALTSCHAFT

      EYES ONLY

      COPY ONE OF (ONE) COPIES

      SUBJECT: OPERATION DOOMSDAY

      1. HANS BECKERMAN—KAPPEL

      2. FRITZ MANDEL—BERN

       END OF MESSAGE

       Chapter Thirteen

      At midnight in a small farmhouse fifteen miles from Uetendorf, the Lagenfeld family was disturbed by a series of strange events. The older child was awakened by a shimmering yellow light shining through his bedroom window. When he got up to investigate, the light had disappeared.

      In the yard, Tozzi, their German shepherd, began barking furiously, awakening old man Lagenfeld. Reluctantly, the farmer got out of bed to quiet the animal, and when he stepped outside he heard the sound of frightened sheep crashing against their pen, trying to escape. As Lagenfeld passed the trough, which had been filled to the brim by the recent rainfall, he noticed that it was bone dry.

      Tozzi came running to his side, whimpering. Lagenfeld absently patted the animal on the head. “It's all right, boy. It's all right.”

      And at that moment, every light in the house went out. When the farmer returned to the house and picked up the telephone to call the power company, the phone was dead.

      If the lights had remained on a moment longer, the farmer might have seen a strangely beautiful woman walk out of his barnyard and into the field beyond.

       Chapter Fourteen

       The Bundesanwaltschaft—Geneva

       1300 Hours

      The government minister seated in the inner sanctum of the headquarters of the Swiss intelligence agency watched the deputy director finish reading the message. He put the message in a folder marked Top Secret, placed the folder in the desk drawer, and locked the drawer.

      “Hans Beckerman und Fritz Mandel.”

      “Ja.”

      “No problem, Herr Minister. It shall be taken care of.”

      “Gut.”

      “Wann?”

      “Sofort. Immediately.”

      The following morning on his way to work, Hans Beckerman's ulcers were bothering him. I should have pushed that reporter fellow to pay me for that thing I found on the ground. These magazines are all rich. I probably could have gotten a few hundred marks. Then I could have gone to a decent doctor and had my ulcers taken care of.

      He was driving past Turler Lake, when ahead of him, at the side of the highway, he saw a woman waving, trying to get a lift. Beckerman slowed down to get a better look at her. She was young and attractive. Hans pulled over to the side of the road. The woman approached the car.

      “Guten Tag,” Beckerman said. “Can I help you?” She was even prettier close up.

      “Danke.” She had a Swiss accent. “I had a fight with my boyfriend, and he dropped me here in the middle of nowhere.”

      “Tsk, tsk. That's terrible.”

      “Would you mind giving me a lift into Zurich?”

      “Not at all. Get in, get in.”

      The hitchhiker opened the door and climbed in beside him. “This is very kind of you,” she said. “My name is Karen.”

      “Hans.” He started driving.

      “I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come along, Hans.”

      “Oh, I'm sure someone else would have picked up a pretty woman like you.”

      She moved closer to him. “But I'll bet he wouldn't have been as good looking as you.”

      He glanced over at her. “Ja?”

      “I think you are very handsome.”

      He smiled. “You should tell that to my wife.”

      “Oh, you're married.” She sounded disappointed. “Why is it all the wonderful men are married? You look very intelligent, too.”

      He sat up straighter.

      “To tell you the truth, I'm sorry I ever got involved with my boyfriend.” She shifted around in her seat, and her skirt climbed up her thigh. He tried not to look. “I like older, mature men, Hans. I think they're much more sexy than young men.” She snuggled up against him. “Do you like sex, Hans?”

      He cleared his throat. “Do I—? Well, you know … I'm a man …”

      “I can see that,” she said. She stroked his thigh. “Can I tell you something? That fight with my boyfriend made me very horny. Would you like me to make love to you?”

      He could not believe his luck. She was a beauty, and from what he could see, she had a great body. He swallowed. “I would, but I'm on my way to work and—”

      “It will only take a few minutes.” She smiled. “There's a side road up ahead that leads into the woods. Why don't we stop there?”

      He could feel himself getting excited. Sicher. Wait until I tell the boys at the office about this! They'll never believe it.

      “Sure. Why not?” Hans turned the car off the highway and took the little dirt road that led into a grove where they could not be seen by passing motorists.

      She slowly ran her hand up his thigh. “Mein Gott, you have strong legs.”

      “I was a runner when I was younger,” Beckerman boasted.

      “Let's get your trousers off.” She undid his belt and helped him slide his pants down. He was already tumescent.

      “Ach! Ein grosser!” She began to stroke him.

      He moaned, “Leck mich doch am Schwanz.”

      “You like to be kissed down there?”

      “Ja.” His wife never did that for him.

      “Gut. Now just relax.”

      Beckerman sighed and closed his eyes. Her soft hands were caressing his balls. He felt the sharp sting of a needle in his thigh, and his eyes flew open. “Wie—?”

      His body stiffened, and his eyes