Cold Lonely Courage (Madeleine toche Series Book 2) (9 page)

.

CHAPTER
TWENTY

Stenger sat back at a wooden desk, feet up, hands behind his head, smoking and staring at the ceiling. Willi sat in a chair on the other side of the desk, resting his ankles on the corner nearest him. Stenger smiled and thought, these Aryans think they look German? Hah! Willi looked German. Strong features, dark hair and a rugged build. He always looked relaxed. People were often mistaken about Willi until they saw him in action. Then, they were wary of him, and rightfully so. He was from a tough old farm family that was passionate about boxing. Willi grew up sparring with his older, bigger brothers. They had shown him no mercy. So he improved his own skills until he could turn the tables on them, which he did enthusiastically.

Stenger looked around the orderly little room. Once they removed the dead Gestapo agents he moved right in. Most of the blood had been cleaned up, but it didn’t matter to Stenger and Willi. They were past that. Yes, he liked this police station; not too much clutter and only one phone which to his great joy rarely worked. He preferred to do his investigations alone with Willi. They came at the problem from different directions, but when necessary, they could anticipate one another’s thoughts.

“Well Horsty, how are you going to catch this femme fatale?” Willi said, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

“I’m not so sure I really want to, Willi, but I’d deny it.”

“I think your secret is safe with me, Horsty. I’ve been keeping them for years now.” Willi said, lighting his cigarette, a twinkle in his eye.

“That you have, Willi. How is it possible that you and I find ourselves in another damn war?”

“Our soaring national pride, I guess. At least this time we’re out of the trench and away from the front.”

“Before this is over Willi, the same countries that fought before will be back here again.”

“Just think of the poor bastards that are our ages, pulled back onto the line trying to hold back the Allies again,” Willi said.

“Well, when they come through, I’m staying on this side,” Stenger said. “I’ve already moved my family to Switzerland. My wife and daughters are there now, permanently visiting my wife’s sister. There’s no way we’re going to hold back the pissed off Russian Bear and the Allies forever. The invasion will be the beginning of the end for Germany.”

“That’s why bachelorhood is so desirable, Horsty. My brothers are scattered all over and my parents are far away from the cities on the farm. So don’t worry, I’ll be right behind you when the Americans come,” Willi said with a wry grin.

Stenger laughed. Willi was the furthest thing from a coward a man could be. He remembered going over the top of the trench with Willi countless times. Each time he would shrug, clap him on the shoulder, and say, “Who knows Horsty, maybe they got a four star trench over there.” Stenger knew Willi felt the horror. How couldn’t he? Often times their dead were stacked up like cord wood, used to shore up the trench. A frozen body makes pretty good timber. Willi dealt with things with humor. He came from a hard farm life, his father stern but caring. Other members of his family were hard working brew masters. One side grew the hops and the other processed them into one of the tastiest beers around. Willi learned how to cope and squeeze some measure of happiness out of any situation. When Horst left the military, he encouraged Willi to go into the police force with him. Willi was smart but not ambitious. He didn’t need to be, Horst thought. He’s with me and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Well, Willi, I have to get her out of circulation. When the invasion comes and the French are left to their own devices, there will be a lot of killing of collaborators and folks people think collaborated. To her, killing is like tying your shoes. We can’t have her as judge, jury, and executioner. People will take revenge, they’re good that way. You’ll see, the ranks of the Resistance will grow once the danger passes by. Everyone will claim to have been fighting us all along. The real fighters, like our friend here, will want to go home and forget about war,” Stenger said, tapping on the thick file he kept of the assassins’ known activities.

“Do you think this one will? She’s killed a lot of people.”

“Bad people and traitors exclusively, it seems. Gestapo, SS, you know, Hitler’s henchmen. Who would have thought one Bohemian corporal could cause so much trouble?”

“I’d like to shoot a few of them myself,” Willi said, wistfully blowing a smoke ring towards the ceiling.

“We’ll leave that to the professionals. We’re just policemen trying to catch a killer.”

“So how do we do that,
Mon commandant
?” Willi asked, with an exaggerated French accent.

“We use Von Schmelling as bait, of course,” Horst said with a huge smile.

“Maybe she’ll get him in the process,” Willi chuckled.

“That’s what I love about you, my friend, always the optimist.”

Suddenly there was shouting in the street and the sound of several vehicles stopping abruptly in front of the police station.

“Now, what?” Stenger said, walking to the front room. He pulled the curtain aside, and looked out into the street. There were a dozen or so people being herded into the back of a waiting truck. At least two families with small children were being forced by SS soldiers into the vehicle.

“Jews being arrested?” Willi said.

“Yes, I think so. Let’s go see.”

Stenger and Willi walked out into the street and approached one of the soldiers standing to the side shouting orders.

“What’s going on, sergeant?” Stenger asked.

The sergeant turned in annoyance. His attitude changed when he saw that Stenger was a Major in the military police. He almost fell over himself snapping to attention and saluting.

“Heil Hitler!”
were the first words out of the sergeant’s mouth.

“Yes, good, right,” Stenger said, returning his salute halfheartedly. “Now I asked you a question soldier. Why are these people being arrested?”

“Jews, sir. They are being transported out of the country.”

“No criminal offense aside from that? Surely the children haven’t committed any crime,” Stenger asked evenly, already fully aware of the answer.

“No, sir,” the sergeant answered looking at Stenger a little quizzically. To the SS, being a Jew was as significant a crime as one could commit.

“Of course, but you never know with these people,” Stenger said in a conspiratorial tone putting the man at ease. “Where is the truck headed?”

It worked. The sergeant didn’t appear to be uneasy in the least. “Down to the train station,
Herr Major.
We are rounding up several hundred from throughout the area.”

“Good, good,” Stenger said encouragingly. He patted the sergeant on the back and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, offering him one. “We can’t have them running around loose, now can we?”

The sergeant smiled, enjoying the praise of a major. Stenger looked as Aryan as a man could. He was tall and blue eyed, a poster boy for the master race. Willi stood to the side expressionless. The only thing that gave away any hint that he was silently enjoying Stenger’s charade was the merriment dancing in his eyes. He knew Stenger was about as far from being a willing member of the master race as a rabbi.

The truck was loaded and the sergeant and his detail jumped in the back with the families. Stenger caught the stare of one father as he held his young children close. There was panic in his eyes. As Stenger watched, the canvas was dropped over the back of the truck. He gave the father the slightest of nods. A flash of surprise showed on the man’s face, unsure of what Stenger’s gesture meant.

As the truck pulled away, Willi walked over to Stenger. “Now what, Horsty? You have that look in your eye,” Willi teased, wagging a finger at him.

“Now I’m going down to the train station and figure out how to get those people off that train and onto another one headed some place safe.”

“Good, let’s go. I’ll drive,” Willi said, gesturing to their military sedan parked in front of the station.

“I can’t ask you to follow me every time I go crusading, Willi,” Stenger replied.

“What, and miss some real fun? How unsporting of you, Horsty. By the way, what’s your plan?”

“No plan. I’ll make one up as I go along.”

“Well, for once, I have a plan.”

“I’m all ears, Willi.”

“We’ll join the Gestapo for an hour or so.”

Stenger looked at Willi quizzically. “How, my friend?”

“With these,” Willi said, opening the trunk of their car, pulling out the two leather Gestapo coats that had been hanging in the hallway when they arrived at the crime scene.

“Tell me you have their hats, too, Willi?” Stenger said reaching for one of the coats.

“In a drawer in the kitchen,” Willi said, smiling.

“Any particular reason you grabbed these, Willi?”

“Do you have any idea how easy it is to pick up women on leave when I’m back home in one of these?” Willi said, sliding into one of the long leather coats as the two walked over towards the police station.

“Willi, Willi, what am I going to do with you?” Stenger chuckled.

An hour later Stenger and Willi arrived at the train station in time to see the last of a group of Jewish families being loaded into boxcars.

Stenger walked over to one of the conductors wearing a French railway uniform, holding a clipboard. He was perusing a schedule as Stenger walked up.

“Good afternoon. Are you the stationmaster here?” Stenger asked in his most authoritarian tone. He threw in a little contempt for good measure.

The second the stationmaster saw Stenger’s searing blue eyes burning into him, he blanched. Stenger snapped a pair of leather gloves he found in the coat pocket into his hand for effect.

“Yes,” was all the terrified stationmaster could manage as he took in the rest of Stenger’s costume, the leather coat complimenting the officious sneering expression.

“Where is that train headed?” Stenger said, gesturing to the train on the opposite track from the one loaded with the Jewish families.

“Spain, sir.”

“When do the Jews depart?”

“Not for several hours sir.”

Stenger bit back his initial inclination to explode. The families crammed into the locked boxcars would be trapped in the heat as the sun beat down for the remainder of the day while other unfortunate souls were being collected. Stenger knew the people wouldn’t be given water or food, much less any facilities for relieving themselves.

“And that one?” Stenger said, gesturing to the train bound for Spain.

“One hour sir,” the man replied, shakily checking his clipboard.

“No. It leaves when I say it leaves.”

“But sir, the schedule,” the man replied without thinking.

Stenger took two steps closer to the stationmaster and backed him into a nearby wall.

“I want to go to Spain, my French friend. Perhaps you would like to join me for a little ride. We can enjoy the sights together for a while,” Stenger hissed through clenched teeth, his eyes wild, as if his grip on sanity was just for show.

The stationmaster could barely breathe. He had visions of Stenger tossing him from the train and shooting him as he ran. Stenger thought the man might actually wet his pants as he stood and shook.

“When you say so. Yes sir.”

“Excellent!” Stenger said, stepping back from the man, reaching over to straightening his lapels and patting him affectionately on the cheek. He was all smiles and handshakes for the terrified stationmaster.

“May I go and see to it, sir?” The man said, sliding towards his office.

“Yes, go. But I warn you this is top-secret Gestapo business. We are following strict orders from Berlin. I wouldn’t make any phone calls just yet,” Stenger said, as if scolding a young child.

“Oh, no sir. No sir.”

“Fine then, off with you,” Stenger said, dismissing the man with a wave of his gloves.

“Nice work,” Willi said walking up to Stenger.

“What do you think, Willi? You take the guards on this side on a wild goose chase. How about some vital Gestapo business while I move the people onto the train bound for Spain.”

“Maybe I should take the guards down to the bar and buy them some drinks?” Willi said, gesturing around the corner.

“Don’t let them see your face too much, Willi.”

“Nobody ever looks the Gestapo in the face. All they see are black coats and Jackboots. Don’t worry. I’ll excuse myself right after I get them seated and set a couple rounds of drinks in front of them. So be fast, Horsty.”

“I’ll move them the second I see you go.”

“What about the stationmaster?”

“Oh, he gets a bump on the head.”

“Once a cop, always a cop,” Willi said as he turned and walked towards the two regular army soldiers guarding the boxcars.

Hours later, Willi and Stenger were two hundred kilometers away from the train station, riding in a
Kubelwagen
taking an impromptu temporary leave of absence.

“So how does this little side trip fit into our current investigation, Horsty?” Willi asked, his feet up on the dash as he leaned back, enjoying the last rays of sunlight.

“We are following leads, Willi. You know that. The game is afoot, as old Sherlock would say.”

Both men laughed as they drove west into the sunset.

Several hundred kilometers away, Joseph Hassan peered through the open door of the train headed for Spain, looking for an opportunity to get off.

“We have to jump,” he said, scanning the terrain for a safe landing spot. “Right after we cross the Spanish frontier.” Hassan was the man who had seen Stenger at the police station. “Get everyone ready. Hold onto the children and roll when you land,” he said. The train was an express, coming from Italy. It won’t stop now until it gets to Barcelona, he thought.

From every car, people flung themselves out into the twilight, flying momentarily and then landing on the grass-covered embankment.

Once he landed, Hassan joined his wife and children.

“Who set us free?” his youngest son asked.

“A policeman,
mon fils,”
he answered, smiling at his son and silently thanking Stenger as he and his little family stole away into the night.