The Serpent's Egg (36 page)

“I never believed that Framzl or you would stick to your side of that bargain.”

“Why were you attempting to leave the country?”

“The Kripo wanted to charge me with the death of Father Vigo.”

“You are innocent of that killing, of course.”

“Yes.”

“Of course. I know you never killed anyone, Max-Christian. You wouldn’t have the guts. Forgery and lies are your level.” He stood up. “You thought you were so clever, didn’t you? You thought you could outwit that
dummkopf
, Jürgen Traut. Well, let me tell you, I won that contest. I took Anna when you were away on one of your subversive trips.”

“What do you mean?”

“What do you think I mean? I took her. I screwed her. Twice. In your bed. What’s so difficult to understand?”

A wave of anger and revulsion energized Max. He tried to get to his feet but the shackles made that impossible. “You’re lying!”

“Am I? You’ll have to ask your lovely wife the next time you see her. Oh, but I forgot, you won’t be seeing her again – ever – will you?”

Finally, Jürgen balled his fist and delivered a crushing blow to the side of Max’s head.

Chapter 98

June 1940

Jürgen bundled Edmund and Max, both handcuffed, into the back of his car and his driver set out to the north. Max caught a glimpse of the driver. It was Walter Lehmann! Max’s heart lifted. Could Lehmann be here to rescue him? After 5 km the driver turned the car into a forest and switched off the engine.

“What are you doing, man?” said Jürgen.

Walter Lehmann pulled out his gun and shot Jürgen in the head at point blank range. Blood spattered on the car window and windshield. Lehmann got out, opened the passenger door and pulled Jürgen’s body from the car. Then he helped Max and Edmund out and removed their handcuffs.

Edmund was confused. “What’s happening? You don’t mean to shoot us here?”

“I’m letting you go. Max will explain. Now hit me and take the car. Make it look convincing.”

Edmund didn’t need a second invitation. He hammered a fist into Lehmann’s midriff followed by another blow to the head. Lehmann fell, unconscious. Max searched Jürgen’s pockets and found the two cigarette packs, his identity card and money. Then he got into the driver’s seat and started the engine. Edmund tucked Lehmann’s Luger into his belt and got into the back.

“Leave the gun,” said Max.

“We might need it.”

“We won’t. Throw it away.”

Edmund wound down the window and threw the gun away. “Tell me what just happened.”

“The Gestapo driver is a friend.”

“A friend.”

“He knew my father at the Somme.”

Edmund chewed over that information.

“My father saved his life.”

“And we were lucky the Gestapo chose him as the driver?”

Max shook his head. “Luck had nothing to do with it.”

#

Max drove south. They passed through Offenburg without incident and on to Freiburg. There were no buses in the Freiburg bus station, but a small group of people stood around. Obviously, a bus was expected.

Outside Freiburg Max passed a sign that read Basel 70 km. After 10 km a bus passed them on its way north. Another two km down the road, he spotted a group of people standing at a bus stop, obviously waiting for the southbound bus. He drove on around a bend before leaving the road.

“We get out here, Edmund.”

“Why? We’re nowhere near the border.”

“What chance would we have of crossing the border in a Gestapo car covered in blood and brains?”

“Oh, I see, so…”

“There’s a bus stop back there, people waiting for a southbound bus. We’ll join them.”

#

The bus arrived 20 minutes later. Max and Edmund climbed aboard behind the group of locals. Max paid for two tickets to Basel and they sat together near the back of the bus.

The bus carried them across the border into Switzerland without further incident. Edmund had Swiss papers. Max’s cover of a Belgian underwear salesman got him through the checks of the guards on both sides of the border. It helped that the alert for Max had been cancelled as the police all thought he was on his way to Berlin under escort by the Gestapo.

#

At Basel railway station Max and Edmund boarded a train bound for Zurich.

“You don’t need to come any further with me,” Max said. “Thank you for your help.”

Edmund laughed. “You’ll not get rid of me that easily. I have business in Zurich.”

Basel to Zurich was a 90-minute journey through magnificent scenery, with snow-capped mountains in the far-off distance.

They arrived at the Storchen Hotel at 4:00 pm. Max asked for Frau Marten. The receptionist told him his wife and child were in room 103.

Edmund finally shook hands with Max. “This is where we part company, my friend.”

Max was happy to see the big man leave the hotel. He’d been hanging around like a bad smell since they’d crossed the border. Max made his way up the stairs to room 103. He knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” Anna’s voice.

“Room service.”

She opened the door and threw herself into his arms. When they surfaced, Max looked around the suite. They had four luxury rooms. The living area had a balcony overlooking the river. Max opened the bedroom door and found a sleeping Sophie clinging to her doll.

#

The next afternoon, while Anna and Sophie went shopping for clothes, Max treated himself to a well-earned beer in the hotel bar.

A stranger sat beside him at the counter and introduced himself as ‘Stephan.’

“Where were you born?” said Max.

“Windhoek, German South-West Africa,” replied the stranger. “My real name is Hans Bokker. If you need anything while you’re in Switzerland, I’ll be happy to help. You can contact me here at the hotel.”

Max handed him the two cigarette packs. “One of these carries an important message for the Soviets. Our friends in Berlin want the message transmitted as quickly as possible. Also, the next time you contact Berlin, tell them that Bruno is their traitor. He tried to stop me from delivering the message.”

“Where is he now?”

“We left him tied up in a hotel in Erfurt. I expect he’ll have difficulty explaining himself to the local police.”

#

When Anna and Sophie returned from their shopping trip, Sophie was exhausted. Anna put her to bed.

Max closed the bedroom door quietly. “Are you hungry?”

“Famished.”

“We could grab a quick meal in the restaurant.”

“Should we leave Sophie?”

“She’ll be fine. We won’t take too long.”

They took the stairs to the first floor, found the restaurant and ordered. While they waited for their food to arrive, they exchanged stories. Anna’s journey had been tiring, but uneventful. His story took her through a rollercoaster of emotions, shock, fear, surprise, and relief.

They had finished the first course, and the waiter was placing their main course on the table, when the air was split by a piercing scream.

Anna gasped. “Sophie!”

Max leapt to his feet and ran up the stairs. Sophie was standing in the corridor. “Aschenputtel! The man stole my doll.”

Chapter 99

June 1940

“Which way did he go?”

Sophie pointed behind her and Max ran. At the end of the corridor he found a service staircase. He charged down that. At the bottom he came to an exit door. He crashed through the door onto a short pier. At the end of the pier sat a red motorboat with Edmund the Hammer on board, fiddling with the engine. He looked up nervously at Max and pulled the starter cord. The engine failed to start. Max charged down the pier. He was no more than three meters from the boat when Edmund’s motor started. The boat sped away down the river belching black smoke. Max ran back into the hotel and out to the taxi rank at the front of the hotel.

He jumped into a taxi. “There’s a motorboat on the river heading south. Follow him. I’ll give you 30 Reichsmarks if you catch up to him.”

“Make that 50,” said the taxi man.

“Fifty it is.”

The taxi driver set off at speed down the side of the river, weaving around slow-moving traffic. They passed two bridges. Then the river opened up into a wide lake and they cleared the worst of the traffic. Max caught sight of the motorboat, a red dot in the distance.

“There he is!” Max cried. “We’re never going to catch him. Can’t you go any faster?”

“We’ll catch him, don’t worry, sir. Sit back and enjoy the ride.” The taxi accelerated, throwing Max back into his seat.

Meter by meter they gained on the red boat until Max could make out the figure of Edmund in the wheelhouse.

They hit a built-up area with houses along the lake shore obstructing the view of the lake. A lakeside market added to Max’s woes. The taxi had to slow to a crawl as he weaved past obstructing horses and carts. Max bit his tongue.

Clearing the market and the lakeside housing, Max had an interrupted view of the lake again. Edmund was closer than he expected.

The boat slowed and drew in toward the near shore. It stopped 10 meters from the bank. Edmund dropped his anchor.

The taxi man drew up at the quayside directly opposite the boat. “This is a close as I can get, sir.”

Max thanked him, paid him in Reischsmarks, and got out of the car.

Below him a row of boats bobbed in the water at their moorings: Five motorboats, two with their owners tying up for the night, and several rowboats.

Max approached the owner of the first motorboat and asked if he could take him onto the lake. The man appeared not to hear him. Either that or he was stone deaf. Max tried the second motorboat owner.

“Sorry, friend, I’m done for the day. Come back tomorrow and I’ll be happy to take you out.”

Max jumped into a rowboat, cast off, and headed out toward the red motorboat. Little more than a ripple disturbed the surface of the lake. The only sound the creaking of Max’s oars in the rowlocks.

He drew alongside the motorboat. Edmund was in the wheelhouse, his back turned, bending over the doll. Max secured the rowboat to a cleat and climbed aboard the motorboat. His weight rocking the boat alerted Edmund to his presence immediately.

Edmund turned, the doll in one giant paw. He stuck out his chest. “Come on then,” he shouted. “I’m waiting.”

Max stood facing Edmund, his feet planted apart. “Drop the doll, Edmund and step away.”

Edmund laughed. He tossed Aschenputtel behind him and stepped out of the wheelhouse. “You’re going to have to come and get it.”

Max took a step forward. They tussled, Edmund attempting to grab ahold of his younger adversary. Max kept Edmund off balance by rocking the boat from side to side. He increased the rocking motion until Edmund fell over. Then Max slipped past into the wheelhouse and grabbed Aschenputtel. The cameo brooch was still attached to the doll’s clothing. Edmund threw himself at Max, but Max slipped under the big man and retreated to the stern. Edmund advanced again. Using his bulk to hold Max in place he grabbed the doll with one hand and began to push Max backward over the edge with the other.

Max swung a fist that bounced off Edmund’s chest. The big man showed no sign that he’d even noticed the blow. He locked a hand around Max’s throat. Max was instantly paralyzed by the pain, struggling to breathe. They were both now clinging to the doll, Max’s eyes smarting from the pain, neither one prepared to let go.

Edmund laughed. “I’m going to have to crush your windpipe, little man. If I had two hands free I could show you how I break necks.”

Waves of pain swept over Max. He felt the heat of the outboard engine on his back as Edmund exerted more and more downward pressure. He had seconds to act. He knew if he didn’t do something quickly he would be choked to death or fried on the hot engine cowling. He did the only thing he could do. He twisted his body sideways, rocking the boat and unbalancing Edmund, pulling the doll sharply downward at the same time. Edmund toppled forward, losing his grip on Max’s neck. Max tugged Aschenputtel free and tossed her over Edmund’s back toward the wheelhouse.

Max got to his feet and placed himself between the big man and the doll. Edmund shouted something unintelligible. Lowering his head, he charged at Max like a bull. Max sidestepped, but Edmund’s left arm caught him and they crashed down together. Max’s head fell on the doll. Edmund was not so lucky. He hit his head on the gunwale. He struggled to his feet dazed, swinging a couple of wild blows that met nothing but air. Max picked up the doll and Edmund came at him again, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

Max held the doll out over the side of the boat. Edmund stretched for it, but he couldn’t reach. He leaned out some more. Max dropped, twisting his body and throwing himself backwards. As he fell, he kicked out with his right leg, catching Edmund in the groin.

Edmund sailed over Max, executed a somersault worthy of an Olympic gymnast, and hit the water with a resounding splash.

Max tossed a floatation device into the water for Edmund before starting the motorboat engine and returning to the Storchen Hotel to reunite Aschenputtel with Sophie.

Chapter 100

December 1940

Jürgen’s claim that he slept with Anna preyed on Max’s nerves. He suspected that it was true, that it was Jürgen who told her the name of the murdered priest. But he never confronted Anna with the accusation. He reasoned that whichever way she replied, whether she denied it or admitted it, their marriage would suffer.