The Timor Man (89 page)

A small but effective explosive device would be delivered to the diplomat's office. When they were absolutely certain that the former General was alone, Coleman would detonate the plastique. Anderson had informed him that he had arranged for a courier to deliver the explosives.

Stephen had considered this aspect as being the one real weakness in Anderson's plan. Accessing the Embassy and ensuring that only the General would receive the deadly consignment would be extremely difficult to accomplish, requiring the services of someone whom the Ambassador could not only trust but also permit into his inner sanctum. It wasn't until all aspects of the plan were ready for execution that he finally understood.

Anderson
had been very clever indeed as he continued to manipulate all the players in his game with the skill he had developed as an intelligence master.

The deadly briefcase would be delivered by none other than Albert Seda.

 

Albert had been given an assignment he could not refuse. It had taken very little to coerce Seruni's father. The suggestion of his being repatriated to Indonesia was sufficient for the badly shaken man to accept the task. They had never approved his application to become a citizen and he had given up submitting the forms further back in time than he cared to remember.

There was even the suggestion that they would, if necessary, look into the legality of his daughter's citizenship as her father was not a citizen at the time of her birth. Also, the girl's mother had been an alien living in Australia as the wife of an Australian citizen but was, in fact, the de facto wife of another foreigner. It was all very confusing. Although he believed that it was most unlikely that she could be deported, having been born in the country, Albert also considered the more personal issues involved, which would become very public in the event of any inquiry. He just didn't want Seruni to be harmed in any way.

At first Anderson had merely implied that perhaps Albert had erred when registering his daughter's birth as her mother was still, at that time, Stephen Coleman's legal wife and had been staying with her husband prior to her collapse. Hospital records indicated that there was every possibility of this being so. Should they inform Coleman?

He never questioned the absurd innuendo. He was frightened of the government man and even more terrified of having to return to his former country which, in his mind, no longer represented his home. He had given all of that up many years before. He was terrified that they could separate him from his daughter. She was all he had left in this world. And besides, what he had been asked to do was not such a difficult task.

And he would be paid! Heavens knows, he thought when the offer had been made, he lived frugally on the pension and still there never seemed to be enough. When he had first retired it had not been too difficult but now everything was just so expensive! And Seruni. She was at college now and although his daughter never demanded anything of him, there were always costs to be met, fees to be paid. He had agreed. What other choice did he have? Albert thought.

Anderson
had been concerned that this man would refuse his request and decided to go in tough from the outset. Albert Seda's file was complete with detail of his interviews over the years when he worked part time for the government agency without knowing to whom he was really reporting. There were many like Albert living in Australia who had been tapped by the Intelligence Services as an easy access into their respective ethnic communities. He had never known of one to refuse to assist maintain a listening brief over their own former countrymen. Most did it out of fear of officialdom while others merely wanted to ingratiate themselves hoping for future favours. Having established that the Timorese was definitely under his control, Anderson then put the man at relative ease by explaining the nature of his errand.

The Intelligence Chief had concocted a simple story and one which Albert easily accepted considering the principles involved. Anderson had explained that Albert was to deliver a large sum of cash to the Ambassador. He had not elaborated to any great extent, merely intimating that the new Ambassador was no different than most, and that the Australian Government wished to convince him of its good intentions. They needed to send someone the Ambassador would trust.

Albert understood. The two countries were locked in dispute and he believed that the gesture would be appreciated. But would Nathan receive him after all of these years? Anderson went on to explain that they had considered various means whereby the delivery could be effected and had come to the conclusion that the senior foreign dignitary would be unlikely to accept such a gift unless he knew the courier personally. Albert had considered these premises and was obliged to accept Anderson's logic.

He had been advised that delivery was to be made at precisely six o'clock in the evening on the seventeenth of August. Albert expressed surprise as to the timing of the hand over. Anderson had merely smiled and suggested that the delivery was to be his stepbrother's Independence Day gift.

 

Anderson
had easily arranged for the invitation. The Air Attaché had sent this out almost immediately only too eager to assist knowing that his services would warrant another fat envelope at some later date.

Albert was to arrive half-an-hour earlier than the other guests and insist on meeting directly with the Ambassador, who would be expecting him. Anderson would arrange that.

His instructions were to then proceed with the Ambassador who would, undoubtedly, have his step-brother escorted to a place of privacy. They knew from their sources that this could be the Ambassador's private office. There he was to surrender the briefcase personally and then take his leave.

It was relatively simple. Albert accepted the role of courier. He would deliver the gift for Nathan. And then they would leave him alone.

Canberra

 

The Indonesian Embassy had provided the sombre-faced Javanese Security Attaché with the means to move equipment into the country without question. He had arrived almost four months before the retired General, and soon demonstrated his ability by establishing the new security systems. The staff had been impressed with the quiet and dedicated officer. Several had commented, however, that they found him rather impersonal and uncommunicative. Others were surprised that he never attended functions or private parties, electing instead to remain on duty for more hours than the position demanded, arriving very early each morning and returning to his quarters late into the evening after the other staff had departed.

He must be very competent, they had thought, as this was the first occasion any of them could remember, even from their other postings, that the head of security held a diplomatic position and was accommodated in the official residence along with their Ambassador. Even though his quarters were out to the side from the main house, they still found the arrangement unusual.

After two months in the country they had become accustomed to his brusque responses and demands. Soon the other members of the legation accepted his manner as normal and practically ignored his presence within their circle without further comment. They no longer offered the new Attaché invitations knowing that he would refuse or ignore any of these courtesies extended to him.

Often he would just vanish for days on end, only to return as if there was nothing unusual with these sudden disappearances. They didn't ask and he never offered to explain. Someone in the secretarial pool started the rumour that the reason for the secret break away from them all was perhaps a woman, hidden outside somewhere and he was too embarrassed to be seen with her. After all, she couldn't be much to look at, the young girl had suggested, just look at him!

The new Ambassador had signed the instruction, to the surprise of the Consul, demanding that the maintenance section rearrange the lobby access rooms as an additional security measure. They obeyed and within two weeks the rooms internal layout had been changed to the specifications given to them, with only two exterior doors having to be relocated as part of the renovations. One of these now opened in a sliding action from the inside, permitting delivery vans and small trucks to back up to the building immediately in front, almost hard up against the door. The vehicles' rear doors could then be opened directly from the security room and the contents moved in and out undetected by inquisitive eyes.

Umar had decided that his very special stores should remain below on the Embassy's ground floor to avoid compromise. The lifts were impractical due to their size, designed to accommodate only four passengers, and even that was a squeeze.

Lugging the secret consignments up and down steps, could easily lead to discovery. His arsenal now contained the remainder of the stores required for dispersal to the strike teams. These special consignments would pass through Australian Customs unopened, as the lead-lined cases were endorsed as diplomatic cargo and protocol demanded that such luggage could not be checked by the authorities.

Umar's armoury had been constructed immediately adjacent to the main lobby reception area. The second set of external doors was also re-enforced with steel bars welded vertically and horizontally at twenty-centimetre intervals. These opened to permit access into the embassy gardens, which were pleasantly landscaped up to the dividing wall separating the delivery and storage areas from the colourful view. Usually, Umar would enter his stronghold via the embassy mail and registry room, which was located alongside the common interior wall.

Only he was permitted access to this area. Other embassy officers had correctly speculated that it contained weapons to be used if their building came under siege. They were not uncomfortable with these thoughts, as many had seen other legations destroyed over the years when demonstrators could not be prevented from entering the main buildings, burning, looting and on occasion, injuring the staff. Many even looked on Umar as their protector in the event their Embassy came under attack and, considering the current political climate, anything was possible. The mood in Australia was becoming tense.

The specially selected van had been repainted with the appropriate colours to comply with their needs. Umar had decided to wait before adding the delivery company's logos and other identification markings, as moving the van between the Embassy and its locked parking bay behind the Ambassador's residence increased the risk of discovery with each journey. He planned to complete the installations and leave the van locked where it was until two or three days prior to the target date. Umar felt safer knowing that it was within the compound where he could keep his eyes on it during the day. The rear of the van had been left hard up against the sliding door now for two weeks and the Embassy personnel had become accustomed to its almost permanent presence.

Inside the delivery van he had stacked layer upon layer of plastic lined bags around the open drum of diesel oil. Whenever the van was moved, he would re-attach the container's lid for these short journeys, removing the cover again once the vehicle was parked. He had finished storing the ammonium nitrate bags and had completed the finishing touches to the hydrogen canisters which would act as a ‘kicker'to increase the impact of the huge bomb. The extra ingredient would give the explosives far more cutting power, allowing it to slice through the structure of the building.

Umar had checked the detonators behind the sliding doors. He had a choice of using the powerful industrial detonators or the PETN explosive sitting in the corner, separated from the rest of his volatile hoard. He considered the latter and agreed that the pentaerythoritol tetranitrate would probably be better, knowing that this explosive could generate a very powerful shockwave. Having made his final decision Umar completed his checks then locked and sealed the van's doors first, checking them once again to be absolutely certain that he had not missed anything before locking the sliding door securely. Satisfied that the important tasks had been completed, he returned to his rounds of the chancery and other areas frequented by the public.

As he passed through the registry room, he heard one of the typists whisper something to her friend. He couldn't hear what was said but knew they would be curious as to what kept him for so many hours each day inside the adjacent room. Umar Suharjo enjoyed the intrigue. He smiled to himself. Wouldn't they be surprised if they knew just what he had stored under their lazy little bottoms!

He was not overly concerned that one of the staff might-