“We do have him associated with that old Jew lover, Stephan Johanstall.”
“The tailor?” Lt. Kriederman had heard and seen the reports concerning Johanstall, who was at one time vehemently anti-Nazi, until the Nazis convinced him to be otherwise. His past views had kept him on the files as a possible danger to the Third Reich, but his old age and meager lifestyle had always put him on the bottom of the priority lists for any future dangers to be investigated.
“Yes, that old fool is still around, and his every move is being noted now.” The General finished his cigarette. “Lieutenant, what do you see in all this with Huber?”
“I see Bettina Meyer, undocumented, who being close to Goebbels could learn anything on the Ministry level.” Kriederman accepted a cigarette being offered by the General. “I see a radio specialist, Herr Huber, close to Bettina, who we know nothing about before 1935, who has the knowledge to send such information any of our enemies in the world.”
Both men lit their cigarettes themselves. Kriederman exhaled last.
“This cousin, what was her name again, Elka? Anything unusual from her since these calls were made?”
“Very unusual. In fact, her trip to Hamburg immediately afterwards is what set off many of the red flags on this matter.”
“What did she do there?”
“Spent a lot of time with prostitutes, learned how to do make-up, and from what the photos show, became a very beautiful.”
“Prostitutes. Sounds like a very strong possibility of following the pattern Commander Fleming has set with his girls,” Kriederman looked out the window, “who he seems to have everywhere.”
“We think alike, Lieutenant. I want you on this right away.”
“Jawohl, Her General!”
“You will have Sargent Martens at your disposal, and here are your papers for your car and living quarters in Berlin. You will have Captain Redder in Hamburg. Any problem that?”
It could be a big problem indeed, but Kriederman did not allow his and Redder’s dreaded history come up at the beginning of an assignment.
“No, Herr General, not at all.”
“Good, fine. Now, find any rats in any this.”
“Jawohl, Herr General.”
Chapter 16 – The Dispersion
“You were saying?” The Baron said when only the slaps of the waves on the bow could be heard.
“I, uh, well, when a Gestapo Captain and one of his friends came by to ask me if I knew Natalia Hildebraudt, of course I had to say ‘yes’. Then they asked if I knew about any evidence she had that her husband was a spy.”
“What a shock it must have been!”
Von Wohl’s tone turned to humor. “I told them she was one of my astrology clients, and according to her horoscope she was a bit crazy, so I didn’t’ take anything she said seriously.”
The Baron burst laughing. “You didn’t!”
“I did.” Von Wohl took out his pipe and pouch and began the ritual of preparing for a smoke. “They still wanted me to come to their office the next day, so that’s when I called you.”
“Actually, it’s a good thing you did, thirty minutes later and I would have been on my plane to Munich. You would have never reached me after that.” The Baron took a deep breath of the salt air. “What made you aware their office would mean trouble?”
“For one, the General would there, and Natalia.”
“Ohh…” The Baron’s mind pictured the scene. “Were you sleeping with her?”
“Baron!” Von Wohl’s tone in his protest was a meant to convey a ‘yes’.
“So if the Gestapo didn’t get you for something…”
“Then the General would have…”
“If the Gestapo didn’t kill him first. Well, von Wohl, it’s not the first husband that wanted to do that.”
Both men laughed. When von Wohl found his breath, he lit his pipe. After throwing the smoldering match over the side, he listened, as if waiting to hear the sizzle of the hot ember hitting the water.
“Where to after we arrive in Portugal?”
“We have not made plans yet, father’s main concern was simply to get us out of Germany first. We will see there, he said things will change drastically by the time we get there.”
Von Wohl noticed this was the first time the Baron had referred to the Count as his father. He wondered what could have caused the thaw, but did not ask. He would wait for the Baron to bring it up, should he wish to.
From below deck there was a lot of commotion and excited voices. The hatch opened and out of the dim light appeared Fa, who climbed up to the Baron and von Wohl.
“It’s started! It’s on the radio! Germany is bombing French and British positions and have already has tanks and troops in Holland and Belgian!”
“Would you like to steer for a while, von Wohl?” The Baron asked while stepping back away from the wheel and reaching for some cigarettes in his coat pocket.
“Certainly. Baron?” Von Wohl asked, knowing the Baron was about to go below.
The Baron turned towards von Wohl and waited for the question.
“I thought your family was well connected in Germany… did you really have to leave?
“We were connected, but Hitler’s people are creating a different kind of regime, one that does not respect power, law, or even money.”
“What do they respect?”
The Baron thought for a moment, then answered in a tone with no inflection: “Death.”
“Heil Hitler!” A chorus of arms raised and voices cheered in unison, as if rehearsed, but of course was not the case, since no one was expecting their leader.
Hitler gave a casual Nazi salute with his free hand and then walked over to Goebbels and his wife.
“Herr Minister, I was given these reconnaissance photographs by the Luftwaffe and thought you and Frau Goebbels might be interested in seeing them.”
“Thank-you, mein Führer!”
As quickly as he appeared, the master of the Third Reich turned and left. At the door, the turned and looked to Goebbels.
“Good work, Herr Minister.”
Before Goebbels could open his mouth to answer the compliment, the Führer disappeared.
“Heil Hitler!” A chorus of voices filled the room.
The buzz of conversation immediately returned within the room, but with a more fervent excitement. Everyone was looking at Goebbels out of the corner of their eyes, wondering what was on the large photographs.
“Bettina, will you bring me the magnifying glass out of the desk?” Goebbels sounded as ordinary as when speaking to his other employees. Frau Goebbels did not know the young girl bringing the requested item heard all the other tones from her husband’s voice. The same tones of voice she herself heard of giving and receiving pain and pleasure over years of marriage.
“What is it?” Frau Goebbels asked her husband after he had studied one of the photographs for about 40 seconds.
“Our Führer is showing us your plan worked, my dear.” Goebbels said quietly. He handed the magnifying glass and photograph to Magda.
On the bottom right of the photograph, written in white ink, was a date, location and other details. The photograph was a segment of the Strasbourg to Nancy road that was taken at 8,000 meters at 10:42 in the morning.
As Frau Goebbels looked at this segment of highway she began to smile, and turned to her husband.
“Who else would have believed it?” Joseph Goebbels said happily. “Just the vision I had in mind when you suggested this. Look at this, an entire column of tanks blocked by a jammed highway of fleeing carts, trucks, and peasants!”