“Yes, at the old Popenbuttel House north of Hamburg was one.” Otto had rehearsed this story many times. “They spoke of their old theater times often.”
“I see. Tell me, Otto, what do you and this tailor friend of yours talk about when you visit him?” The leader asked mockingly. “I mean, a young, energetic, man like you, with a future in radio and electronics, and an old crippled, hanging on to the old days of vaudeville theater possibly have in common?”
“We play chess.”
“Chess?”
“We like to play. None in my family does, and he has no one.”
“Hmmm.” The leader’s hum continued while looking around the room. “Tell me, Otto. Do you like the theater here in Berlin?”
“Well, I like hearing the stories about it from Stephan.” Otto was grateful he was not being punched anymore.
“And did Stephan ever tell you about his Jewish friends?”
“No, he never mentioned anyone being Jewish.”
“Never?”
“Never.” Otto felt the sickness slowly dissipate from his body. It seemed for now it was the Jewish connection being investigated. But why were the interrogations so brutal? Is this the way every German was treated for having contact with one who once had Jewish friends? Perhaps something of his connection with Johanstall was not being revealed right now.
After a pause while finishing his cigarette, the leader shifted his attention to Bettina.
“And you, my dear. Your name?”
“Bettina Meyer.”
“And this is your husband?”
“We’re engaged.” Otto answered for her.
The leader slowly turned to Otto. “I asked her.” The bull necked man raised his fist as if to strike again. The blow, however, never materialized.
“You are very beautiful, my dear. It would be a shame if such a lovely woman, with such an important job in the Ministry, loses everything for associating with those who wish to destroy the Third Reich.
“Otto is a loyal German, doing very important work for the war effort. What right have you to just come in here and…”
“Right?” The leader became angry at the sound of the word. “I will show you both what right I have to handle enemies of Germany. The leader snapped his fingers and pointed towards the door, where Bettina and Otto were then dragged through. There was another Gestapo agent standing guard in front of the door who simply watched as the two lovers, still naked, were hauled downstairs and out the back courtyard. In the alley both were shoved into separate cars, each one containing a driver and two men in the back with the arrested,
The number of men apparently involved in this arrest surprised Otto. He began to expect the worst, he must have been found out for spying. All this effort and resources are not just to investigate his association with someone who was labeled a “Jew-lover”.
Bettina and Otto stared at each other as their cars drove off. They would never see each other again.
“Ladies, we have a new boarder that will be staying with us for a while, I present to you Elaine Krafft.” Frau Schubert announced as she entered the dinning room with Elaine. Despite the somewhat rundown condition of the house due to the men being off to war and the shortages, Frau Schubert tried to maintain the dignity and class the house once represented.
Frau Schubert showed Elaine to the only empty seat.
“I would like for you all to introduce yourselves while I return to the kitchen to bring out the potatoes.” Schubert said, exiting through the double French doors.
The other women knew the real reason Frau Schubert did not introduce each of the eleven other women seated at the table – she could not remember each of their names. Even when they paid rent she required the money be put in an envelope with their names clearly written on it.
Elaine sat down and looked around into the eyes of the other women, most ignoring her and continued eating the soup Frau Shubert had put out earlier. Three women did, however, smile and bow their heads, as if to welcome Elaine to the table and her newly shared home. Then they went back to eating – hunger was an unseen growing condition among a certain groups now. These three were closer to Elaine’s age, except the one opposite Elaine, who looked only about eighteen. The others were much the same age as Frau Schubert – grandmothers, great-grandmother types who were either too weary or too senile to be interested in anyone. All of the women felt too insecure to speak with an elegantly dressed and naturally beautiful woman.
After Elaine saw this was perhaps not a time to start a conversation, she began eating her soup.
Chapter 23 – The Friend
Admiral Payne put the report gently down on his desk, then took off his reading glasses and placed them on top of the papers. He rubbed his eyes then looked at DeWohl. “So you believe their time table is to be in Moscow by the middle of August?
“Most definitely.”
“And you believe they can really achieve this?”
Most of the men around the room shook their heads in the affirmative.
Admiral Payne seemed to have this worst fears confirmed. The German propaganda machine boasted every day of the huge advances they were making into Russian territory, which was confirmed by the Russians and the few independent neutral observers on the rapidly collapsing front.
“Well, on the bright side, it could be we gain an ally out of this, if the old adage; the enemy of my enemy is my friend holds true with Stalin.” Payne commented, the solemnly added, “However, it doesn’t look like our new ally may last that long.”
DeWohl did not make any further comment, since he had mixed feelings about the German successes. Being born and raised in Germany, there was a sense of pride for his native country, and people, who were now without question the masters of Europe. He secretly wished he could be back in his beloved Berlin, especially now. What excitement and energy that must be flowing over the streets and cafes now!
“Well, let’s change the subject for now, Count DeWohl, Russia is a rather depressing story at the moment.” The Admiral coughed out while going to his liquor cabinet.
“Don’t be depressed, Admiral. It was really to be expected.” DeWohl glanced at the wall map. “The Russians were mostly talk anyway. Despite what Stalin says, they are basically a failed system and third-rate power. It’s in the stars as well.” DeWohl was expressing his own hatred of the Russians from personal experience. A gang of Russian thieves stole the first and only car that DeWohl had ever purchased –a brand new 1936 Mercedes-Benz – from him at gunpoint while he was stopped in Miskoc, a Hungarian city near Ukraine.
“Do you think Krafft saw Stalin really being so weak?”
“Undoubtedly. If someone like me can see something so obvious in a nation’s horoscope, then Krafft certainly would have seen it.”
“How do you see such things in a horoscope, Count DeWohl? How can you get such clear descriptions of a country’s military or economic strengths and weaknesses just by looking at the position of the planets and stars?” The Admiral began to look at his wall map also, focusing on the last reported German positions.
“Admiral, do you remember you ancient Greek philosophy?”
“Well, yes. Vaguely.”
“I think it would be best to describe the workings of astrology by using the ancient Greek ideas of microcosm and macrocosm. Basically we could say cycles occurring on earth – such as a country’s economic cycle – can correspond to cycles seen in the heavens. Astrologers simply find a pattern in the sky that matches the one seen on earth. For example, Jenkins found each of Hitler’s invasions came exactly a day before a certain Moon position in relationship to Saturn and the Sun. All Jenkins had to do is find when that next relationship occurs, and presto, there is your next invasion date!”