The Old Enemy by Henry Porter (reading a book txt) 📗

cane. ‘Johanna Feldman was accused of crimes against the state. She was imprisoned for five years and has suffered numerous breakdowns since her release. She never married because of her mental-health problems.’ She pointed to Frick, who had come spruced up in a three-piece suit and bow tie. This is Bruno Frick. His wife killed herself a year before the Wall came down.’ She touched the shoulder of a tall man in a checked sports jacket. ‘This is Tobias Nest, a musician who was prosecuted for antisocial activities and imprisoned for four years. His wife divorced him after Mila Daus, in the guise of a social worker, informed her that Herr Nest was a paedophile. And finally, this is Ben Rugal.’ She turned and smiled at a man with a cap mark on his forehead and a deeply tanned faced below. ‘Herr Rugal is a farmer. One night he gave shelter to a young student who was on the run from the Stasi. He was sentenced to three years for aiding and abetting the student. His wife died of cancer while he was in prison, for which reason she was denied all treatment.’

The room had fallen silent. No one moved. The six German citizens looked at each other, slightly at a loss to know what to do. Then all turned to Daus and each spoke the words agreed on beforehand.

‘Ich identifiziere Sie hiermit als die Stasi-Offizierin Mila Daus.’ Ulrike explained to the room that this was a formal identification.

Daus looked up uncomprehendingly and, without the slightest recognition, although she knew exactly who Ulrike was and darted a brief venomous look at her.

‘Okay, that’s enough,’ said Lucas. ‘We will now have our vote on whether to suspend hearing the evidence of this witness. Does anyone want to speak before I take the vote? The issue is simple enough. Does the continuation of Mrs Hisami’s evidence unfairly defame, degrade or incriminate those named in these papers?’

No one spoke and forty-seven representatives voted. Warren Speight was among the first to indicate that he agreed with the motion. It was carried with an overwhelming majority.

‘That seems to settle things,’ said Lucas. ‘Mrs Hisami, we are grateful for your attendance this morning. Thank you. I hereby end the session.’

Anastasia looked round to Samson. He shrugged. There was nothing to be done. Then her eyes came to rest on Naji, who was looking down at his phone with a broad grin, completely unaware of what was going on around him. Daus and Mobius had got up and were moving to the door. Anastasia turned to get her things together then became aware that Warren Speight was speaking.

‘Excuse me, Chairman,’ he was saying. ‘I have a note of what we just voted on. We voted to suspend hearing the evidence of the witness, not to suspend the session.’

The room went silent again. Lucas looked at his notes and glanced at the clerk, who nodded.

‘And at the bottom of the schedule I see that it expressly states that more witnesses may be added.’ He held up the schedule and pointed to the words. ‘And I do have two more witnesses for this session. They have only just emerged, but they are relevant to the subject under discussion.’

Lucas sighed. ‘Very well. We’ll take a vote on the principle of whether we should consider the evidence of two further witnesses. But it will have to be brief. We only have forty-five minutes remaining.’ Seeing that the Ranking Member had been tough on Anastasia and had voted for a cessation of her evidence, his side were inclined to support him, as were a majority of Democrats, who did so out of curiosity, because Speight refused to name the witnesses until he had the endorsement of his colleagues. The motion to hear two more witnesses was carried. Anastasia saw Speight’s aide, Matthew Corner, disappear behind the curtain. She sat down, but Lucas suggested she leave the witness table and, if there weren’t a chair available, an officer would move one of the witness chairs to a suitable position. She saw no reason why she shouldn’t now sit beside Samson on the aisle and pointed to the spot. Before sitting, she smiled at Ulrike, who, like the other five victims, remained standing – a living memorial to the thousands of people who had passed through the Stasi’s prisons, she thought.

In the time it took the man to move the chair and satisfy himself that it would not obstruct the aisle, two men had come through the door on the far-right-hand side of the dais, walked to the table and taken their seats.

As Lucas said, ‘Please state your names,’ Anastasia recognised them from the backs of their heads.

‘Special Agent Edward Harold Reiner.’

‘And I am Frank Toombs.’

‘Mr Reiner, you are a long-standing Federal Agent, serving with the FBI for twenty-five years. And Mr Toombs, you are senior member of the CIA with twenty-two years’ service, both in the field and at Langley. Is that correct for you both?’

‘Yes, sir,’ they both said.

‘Lucas isn’t reading from notes!’ Samson whispered. ‘He knew!’

‘Since this is your idea, Ranking Member,’ continued Lucas, ‘I suggest you proceed, unless of course there are any objections from our colleagues.’ He looked up and down the lines of members. ‘Please go ahead.’

‘Gentlemen, please state your current status,’ said Speight.

They looked at each other. Toombs spoke first. ‘I was given notice of likely termination this morning from my job at the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, though as yet I have received nothing in writing.’

‘I’m glad to hear that last part,’ said Speight. ‘Special Agent Reiner?’

‘I’m on paid leave of absence and I expect to be redeployed to Seattle,’ said Reiner.

‘And can I confirm that you were both working on the matters that we have touched upon this morning before you were threatened with termination and suspended? You have both been watching the live feed – yes?’

They nodded.

‘And have you seen the material that is before us, the distilled version? And before you reply, I want