Kobra. Deon Meyer

identify potential terrorist activities. You might have heard of it …”

      “Yes,” sê Nyathi.

      “In June of 2006 The New York Times ran the first media exposé on TFTP, but the project survived, due to the public sentiment at the time, perhaps, but also because TFTP proved extremely useful right off the bat. However, being a US only initiative, it lacked in reach and scope. To be truly effective, it needed to go global. So, the USA invited the European Union to come on board. Of course, Europe was equally concerned about the terrorist threat, and keen to cooperate. But initially the European Parliament rejected an interim EU-US TFTP agreement, because they felt it did not offer EU citizens enough privacy protection. Are we still on the same page?”

      “Yes,” sê Nyathi.

      “Good. This is where David Adair enters our story. He was invited to be a member of the EU evaluation team of the TFTP agreement, because of his expertise in database search algorithms. Adair took a long, hard look at the US system, and came to the conclusion that it could be vastly improved – not only in terms of privacy safeguards, but also in effectiveness. He then proceeded, as geniuses do, to write a vastly superior algorithm on a whim, and offer it to the authorities. Of course, they gratefully accepted, and in 2010 the EU announced their resumption of the TFTP. The so-called Adair Algorithm then became the standard methodology to sniff out terrorists in the international banking system. It has been responsible for the identification and subsequent termination of at least seven terrorist cells, and an impressively large number of senior Al-Qaeda leaders and operatives.”

      Emma Graber leun terug in haar stoel, maak haar hande oop asof sy niks meer het om weg te steek nie.

      “Gentlemen, the Adair Algorithm is one of the best-kept and most vital international security secrets in history. If it falls into the wrong hands …”

      Sy laat die gedagte daar hang, dan sê sy: “Now please tell me about the nature of the kidnapping.”

      * * *

      Griessel hoor hoe Nyathi sekere besonderhede van die ondersoek verswyg.

      Met woorde wat hy noukeurig kies, en in perfekte Engels, vertel Die Giraffe vir Emma Graber van Adair se aanvanklike kontak met Body Armour, sy aankoms en verblyf op La Petite Margaux, die dood van die plaaswerker en twee lyfwagte, en die tekens van struweling in die hoofslaapkamer. Hy verduidelik van die sekuriteitsmaatreëls, en hoe hulle dink die misdaad gebeur het.

      Graber vra Nyathi of sy die e-posadres kan kry vir die Paul Anthony Morris-skuilnaam.

      Hy sê hulle sal hul notas moet gaan raadpleeg, maar hy sal dit aanstuur. Griessel onthou die adres goed, maar bly stil.

      Van die koeëldoppies met die gravering van die slang en die letters NM daarop sprak Nyathi geen sprook nie. Ook nie van die vermiste skootrekenaar, iPad en moontlike selfoon nie – die Valke se enigste leidrade.

      Griessel vermoed dit is met opset, maar hy is nie seker nie.

      Toe die kolonel klaar is, onderhandel hulle oor ’n gesamentlike persverklaring om die honger van die media te stil en die druk op die lyfwag-slagoffers se naasbestaandes en die wynplaaspersoneel te verlig.

      Dit sal sê ’n onbekende man, vermoedelik ’n Europese toeris, word vermis nadat ’n gastehuis-werknemer en twee sekuriteitsbeamptes tydens ’n inbraak doodgeskiet is. Gebrekkige en moontlik foutiewe paspoortbesonderhede het tot dusver die identifisering van die vermiste persoon bemoeilik, maar daar word vermoed dat hy manlik en ’n Britse burger is. Die Direktoraat vir Prioriteitsmisdaadondersoeke is dankbaar vir die diensvaardigheid en samewerking van die Britse konsulaat in dié verband. Sodra ’n positiewe identifikasie met sekerheid gemaak kan word en die sensitiwiteit van die ondersoek dit toelaat, sal die media ten volle ingelig word. Intussen word geen steen onaangeroer gelaat om die boosdoeners aan die man te bring en die vermiste persoon op te spoor nie. Verskeie leidrade word opgevolg.

      Nyathi sê vir Graber hulle sal nog een van hul kollegas móét inlig oor die identiteit en agtergrond van David Adair: majoor Benedict Boshigo, lid van die Statutêre Misdaadgroep van die Valke se Handelsmisdaadtak in die Kaap – hul groot kenner van finansiële sake. Maar hy kan haar die versekering gee dat Boshigo, net soos hulle, die inligting streng vertroulik sal hanteer. “Until such time as we agree otherwise.”

      “Very well,” sê sy ruimhartig en gemoedelik.

      Hulle kom plegtig ooreen om mekaar wedersyds in te lig oor relevante verwikkelinge, so dikwels as wat omstandighede dit toelaat.

      Graber stap saam tot by die hysbak, waar sy hulle groet.

      * * *

      Eers toe hulle in Buitengracht indraai, in die rigting van Bellville, praat Nyathi.

      “I want you to call the Body Armour boss, Bennie, and inform her that the British authorities might contact her. I want you to tell her that divulging any information to anyone other than the SAPS would constitute a crime …”

      “Sir, I think we should … She’s a tough one, it would be better not to …”

      “Threaten her?”

      “Yes.”

      “See what you can do. But above all, ask her not to share Morris’s email address.”

      Hy bel. Sy antwoord vinnig.

      Hy vertel vir haar dat die Valke later vanaand ’n verklaring aan die media sal uitreik wat die druk op die twee vermoorde lyfwagte se naasbestaandes sal verlig. Hy onderneem om dit ook vir haar aan te stuur.

      “Ek waardeer dit,” sê sy.

      “Daar’s ’n moontlikheid dat iemand van die Britse konsulaat jou mag kontak. Ons wil vra of dit dalk moontlik sal wees om al hulle vrae na óns toe te verwys.”

      Sy bly so lank stil dat Griessel dink die oproep het verlore geraak.

      “Hallo?” sê hy.

      “Ek is hier.”

      Hy wag.

      “Hier’s die ooreenkoms,” sê sy. “Ek sal vir hulle niks sê nie. Maar jy gaan my alles vertel.”

      “Dit is nie nou moontlik nie.”

      “Jy gaan vir my alles vertel wanneer dit moontlik ís. Ek wil niks in die media lees wat ek nie weet nie, anders bel ek die konsulaat.”

      “Dis reg,” sê Griessel en lui af.

      “Mission accomplished?” vra Nyathi.

      “Yes, sir.”

      “Well done. You’re pretty good with people, Bennie …”

      Hy weet nie wat om daarop te antwoord nie.

      “The first thing you have to understand about the intelligence community is that they only tell the truth if it serves a purpose. Their purpose, mostly.”

      “Yes, sir.”

      “Graber is most likely MI6. Also known as the Secret Intelligence Service, or SIS. She is probably working closely with MI5, the British national security service, which hunts terrorists inside the UK, amongst other duties.”

      “Sir …” Hy kan dit nie meer onderdruk nie. “You seem to know a lot about all this?”

      Nyathi lag, en Griessel wonder of dit die eerste keer is dat hy die kolonel dit sien doen.

      “Twenty-six years ago I was recruited for MK Intelligence, Bennie. Because I was a schoolteacher, they thought I was intelligent. And I worked in London for a while … What I’m trying to say is that lying is part of that profession. And I think she is lying to us. Or at least not telling the whole truth.”

      “Why, sir?”

      “Two things, Bennie. The first one is that she tried very hard to have us believe that this is about terrorism, but she never actually said it. Her problem is that she is working in a foreign country and she has to tread very carefully not to lie directly.