Crossword (11 page)

Gerhard was about to continue when Mallory interrupted,
"Before you go any further, I need to tell you that we'll need some kind
of proof that you can actually deliver. We can't be handing out money and exit
passes to every Kraut that wants to sell out before jumping ship."
Conversation paused as a waiter approached, asking in a solicitous voice if
anything else was needed and, when he was briskly waved off by Kent, withdrew
with a pained expression.

Gerhard Waldman relaxed his fist where it had clenched on
the arm of the chair, his face without expression save for a slight smile as he
replied, "Yes, of course, that is perfectly reasonable. Please, listen to
my explanation, discuss it with your friend and see if you don't think it is a
worthwhile project." Kent acquiesced, enjoying the brief feeling of power
that came with his sense of being in charge. Gerhard continued, leaning forward
slightly, lowering his voice, "The officer of whom I spoke has a, how
shall I say it, 'ward' I believe is the term he uses, a young woman, barely
twenty years old. What the real relationship is I leave to your imagination. He
keeps her in an apartment in Munich and visits her whenever he can, whenever
conditions allow him to leave the front, something that is becoming quite rare
these days. She is the key to the location of the merchandise. My contacts
within his command structure —— officers whom he feels he can
trust, soldiers that he has known for many years but who send useful bits of
information to me because they are more practical, more worldly if you will,
especially now that the outcome of the war is obvious —— well,
these contacts have reported that he has given the information to her. I know
where she lives and troops loyal to me are nearby."

"And you, being an honorable officer, no doubt have
ways to make this young girl talk." Kent paused, staring into the eyes of
the man who sat across from him. "Yes, I'll bet you do."

Gerhard, with more patience than he thought he had, and less
anger than he knew he harbored, replied calmly and softly, "My dear sir,
honor is a word whose definition changes with the expediency of the moment,
regardless of the language or culture. This is a fact that is certainly not
lost on you." And it wasn't, for as Waldman now looked into the eyes of
the man who sat across from him, it was with a genuine look of compassion in
his face for he realized for the first time what Kent was struggling with.
Honor, country, duty; the turmoil that all of these created for Mallory had
been apparent in his face and in his actions this morning now that Gerhard
grasped what he had been seeing. Kent was more of a novice than he had thought.

Mallory swallowed. What Gerhard said hit home and they both
knew it. All his rationalizations were feckless attempts to still his
conscience. Perhaps it was time to simply admit to himself what he was and what
he was doing. However, his inner struggle was, at the moment, still unresolved
and all he could muster in reply was, "Yes." In response to Gerhard's
slightly raised eyebrows, he continued in a matter of fact voice, "So you
get her to tell you where the merchandise is and then what?"

"Ah. The general may be old fashioned, a Prussian of
bygone days, but he is not stupid, perhaps a little rigid in his operational
plans, but certainly not stupid. You see, his ward knows where it is, or at
least has the information on how to find it, but is apparently unaware that she
is the custodian of such vital knowledge."

"How is that possible?"

"Oh, there are various possibilities; a trinket that he
gave her with some hidden compartment, something he told her that he led her to
believe referred to something different. Or, maybe he just hid it in her
apartment. It is of no real consequence, a slight delay perhaps, a minor change
in our plans but that is all; the outcome will not change. I know what to look
for now, and no matter what attempts at concealment have been made, at the end
of the day the information will be mine."

"OK, so you find the location —— I believe
you when you say you can. How do you pick up the merchandise and how do you
deliver it to us?"

"The colonel who is the commander for the city where
she lives once served with me and is in my debt for teaching him some of the
non-military skills one needs to prosper in the military."

And I'll bet you taught him well.

"He will provide the logistic support, really only a
few men and a truck, that I require for the task. Once I have secured the
product, the fulfillment of the terms of the purchase need only be confirmed,
and the delivery will be completed."

"What's to stop the other Prussian from simply doing
what you're proposing?"

"You and me. There will be no logistic support for him.
He cannot come to Munich himself because of the near chaos in the region under
his command; and, in the unlikely event that he does, he will find all military
assistance unavailable. If he tries to acquire the merchandise himself, he will
simply be ... he will be stopped. Your management, I believe, is trying to
arrange for one of its own members to pick up the delivery. Those plans will
have to be modified, but I will leave the details to you and your
partner." Waldman leaned forward again, his elbows on the table.
"But, in my humble opinion, I would suggest that you set your operation in
motion, provide us with the particulars and allow us to, how shall I put it,
cancel it from our end. We can then proceed with the plans that you and I agree
on"

Kent tried to keep a poker face, but mentally he flinched,
and the physical signs, despite his best effort at control, were not lost on
Gerhard or on Eva, who continued to observe from her table. He had been close
to accepting what he and Julian were setting in motion, but this aspect of the
operation would involve killing an American, a very targeted and specific
murder, and this was something he could not allow. Forcing these feelings as
far down as he could, Mallory merely replied, "We'll take care of that
detail ourselves."

"As you wish. We can deliver to a variety of locations;
let me know your thoughts on a site. Also, we must work out guarantees, for both
of our companies. In that regard, perhaps our friends, the Swiss, can be of
assistance."

Without waiting for a formal end to the meeting, Kent stood
up. "Next get together to be arranged through the usual channels."
Not sure if his composure could survive another snub, Gerhard did not offer his
hand, but simply nodded acknowledgement. Kent gave the slightest of nods before
turning and walking down the waterfront promenade toward the taxi stand,
glancing once over his shoulder at the church, as if he was waiting for some
ecclesiastic reprimand from its somber façade, but its silence was the greater
rebuke.

Gerhard watched till he was out of site, then sat down again
as Eva joined him. "That boy is a virgin," he said, "although
not in the way that would usually concern you, my dear. Did you see it?"

"They are so open, these young ones. He tried to hide
it but it showed in the way he held his body, the way he sat in the chair and
if I could have seen his eyes I'm sure they would have also confessed.
Something upset him at the end though; it caused a visible tremor through his
whole tight little virgin body. What was it that you said?"

"I merely suggested that we could eliminate loose ends
for him even if the loose end, so to speak, was a member of his company."

"Ah, yes. I can see how that would be disturbing. He
still thinks in terms of 'we', the same 'public school' mentality of the
English. Cheers for my class at Eton. Rubbish!"

"He will soon understand this world in which we live.
The Americans may be naïve, but they are quick learners. I can see there is a
conflict; his mind wrestles with principles that have become obsolete in these
times but he fears to relinquish them nevertheless. They are deep rooted, but
money and the power it can bring have a way of loosening old ties. I believe he
will come around, but in reality, as long as he does his job, it doesn't
matter; he is only a messenger and the one who controls him has no such
problems."

"As long as he can be controlled and doesn't get
overwhelmed by his scruples to the point where he feels compelled to take some
action."

"That will be the point where we get involved. Why
don't you watch him the rest of the day; he is probably leaving on the evening
train to Bern."

"Until later." Eva quickly stood up, blew Gerhard
a kiss, smiled, delicately flicked her tongue across her upper lip and walked
off briskly in pursuit of her quarry.

Slightly less than five hours later she returned to their
room at the Splendide Royal, tossed her purse on the table and her jacket on
the chair, then walked out on the balcony where Waldman sat reading the
newspaper. The balcony overlooked the lake with an unobstructed view, and Eva
breathed in the clear brisk air as she surveyed the panorama. Gerhard tilted
his head up as she came up behind his chair and placed her hands inside the
front of his open shirt, spreading apart her fingers and absent-mindedly, yet
sensually, caressing the taught muscles of his chest.

"Did you see anything?"

"Only a poor confused boy wandering the streets, staring
at his own reflection in store windows and looking off into space while he had
several beers at the café next to the train station. He spoke to no one."
Her fingers played across his nipples and she bent down to kiss him on the
neck. Gerhard closed his eyes. Her lips and tongue moved as she explored
several areas before straightening and retreating into the room. "I must
get out of these clothes and take a bath."

Gerhard focused his attention once more on the paper,
looking for clues in the articles written by foreign correspondents that might
provide useful information about the impending end of the German Reich, the
Reich of one thousand years that was now on its deathbed after less than a
decade. The information that came down to him through military command was not
always accurate these days and he often had to resort to other sources,
cobbling together bits from here and there to get a more realistic picture. He
was, however, distracted by Eva's lingering scent, which filled his nostrils as
well as his thoughts, and he soon put down the paper and stared out at the
scenery. His eyelids fluttered and a pleasantly soporific state soon evolved to
sleep. He awoke to the sound of Eva talking to him from the room. The sky was
dark, with twinkling lights visible along the lake front, and the air, which
had earlier been soft and warm, now had an edge and a chill about it that spoke
of a winter not yet ready to capitulate to spring. Gerhard turned in his chair
to look into the room.

Eva stood at the door to the balcony, the cool breeze
billowing her silk dressing robe, unfastened and blown back to reveal the most
enticing body he had ever seen. Her breasts captured his gaze first; firm and
uplifted, the nipples erect from the cold, or perhaps from her own excitement.
Next, his eyes tracked downward, admiring a perfectly flat midsection that
disappeared below into shadows, her body outlined from behind by the light from
the room. He had seen her naked many times before but it never failed to ignite
a passion within him, a lust that seemed to know no bounds, one that shut out
all reason, all hope of thinking of anything else but his desire. Gerhard was
obvious in his gaze and he knew that she enjoyed it. After a moment he stood
up, still staring at her, and slowly walked toward her. She smiled with parted
lips, her mouth slightly open as she reached up and slid the robe from her
shoulders. The silk gown floated to the floor and she stood there, naked,
statuesque and proud as he came to her and placed his arms on her waist, their
faces only inches apart. He inhaled deeply wanting to fill himself with all of
her. He moved his hands gently up her sides, caressing her body and feeling the
slightest of trembles as they slowly swept past the lateral bulge of her breasts.
His hands retraced their path then moved over the swell of her hips before
reaching behind her to cup her firm posterior as he pulled her to him, their
mouths meeting slowly, opening, exploring tongues caressing even as their limbs
did. As always happened, an urgency quickly overcame them and Eva pulled off
his shirt as Gerhard undid his trousers. Falling onto the bed they were
immediately entwined and Eva became the aggressor, guiding his hands, his
mouth, his body to satisfy all of her needs. Finally, Gerhard pinned her arms
over her head while she writhed beneath him, Eva struggling in almost a feral
way, not yet ready to relinquish her power. Despite the chill they were soon
drenched in sweat, their bodies sliding against each other. When he finally entered
her it was with a forceful slapping of his pelvis against hers, and as she
enveloped him, holding onto his thrusting penis with powerful contractions as
if to prevent its exit, he let out a holler of pleasure that was almost a
scream, and which blended with the freshening breeze blowing in off the lake.
The sounds of their lovemaking rose up and danced with the wind for a long time
before they were spent and lay panting next to each other.

It had been three days since Larry returned from Zurich where he
had seen a Swiss doctor with connections to the OSS. St. Gallen was closer, but
even though there was a medical facility there, it was not considered safe, and
Larry had to make the trip to Zurich. Dressed in civilian clothes, with his
Swiss "escort" accompanying him, it almost seemed like a pleasant
ride in the country, the war and all his personal problems hidden somewhere out
of sight, left behind at the OSS camp.

Skirting the town of St. Gallen, they drove along river
valleys, sometimes deep ravines with churning white water at their bottoms,
sometimes broad valleys with rolling hills, frequently wooded. Heading
westward, the car hurried along, its occupants staring out the window in
silence. As they approached the environs of Zurich, the driver turned south,
passing Kyburg castle. When it came into view, his escort pointed it out to
Larry, the first words spoken since they left St. Gallen. He turned his head to
look, was about to say something, then reconsidered and let silence engulf them
once more. Thirty minutes later they reached their destination.