The Shadowboxer (7 page)

“Preposterous!” Platt shouted, again jumping to his feet. “Spangler murdered Tramont to silence him.”

“Then you admit it was Spangler who killed him, and not the Rag Man?” Webber demanded.

“I admit nothing, but I will not allow this charlatan to say it was a
mercy
killing. Tramont could identify him—the Rag Man. All we needed was a day or two more. That's why Tramont was murdered.”

“If the slaying had been premeditated, Standartenfuehrer,” Tebet offered cautiously, “wouldn't a weapon have been brought and employed? A knife? A wire? A rope? Why would Spangler use his hands if he had planned—”

“We don't know it was Spangler,” Platt erupted, as he spun toward von Schleiben. “Obergruppenfuehrer, I protest this Jew's wild, unsubstantiated claims!”

“Sit down,” von Schleiben warned.

“But—”

“If you persist in playing the dunce, you will be treated like the dunce. One more outburst and you will be sent to the corner. Now sit down.”

“Certainly, Obergruppenfuehrer.”

“Let the prisoner continue—without interruption,” the General commanded.

Tebet tugged at his collar button. “Tramont—Tramont is murdered, and the next night Ben … Menk … Obergruppenfuehrer, is it possible that I might have a dossier to refresh my memory?”

“Get him a dossier.”

Webber looked to his aides, who shook their heads. “All copies are classified and assigned, Obergruppenfuehrer. There are no extras.”

“Platt,” called von Schleiben, “give him yours.”

“Mine, Obergruppenfuehrer?”

“Yours.”

Platt's dossier was passed up to the pulpit-balcony. Tebet leafed to the Chronology of Events. His finger trailed down the desired page. “The next night Spangler waits in the office of Benke, the Gestapo officer who was Tramont's main interrogator. Benke is murdered and then savagely beaten. This is Spangler's first premeditated slaying; also the first mutilation of a corpse. The acuteness of his emotional response is reflected by the fact that more than
eighty
days elapsed before his next escape attempt.

“Which murder is he responding to,” von Schleiben interjected, “Tramont's or Benke's—or both?”

“I would think Tramont's death would have the greatest effect, Obergruppenfuehrer. It is the murder of someone he knows, someone he is very close to. It is quite possible that Spangler has few friends. I think Spangler felt not only the guilt of murdering a friend—even at the friend's request—but the added guilt of having involved him in underground activities in the first place. The extent of his emotions toward Tramont is seen in the rage with which he murders and mutilates Benke.”

“And after these double killings,” von Schleiben asked, “Spangler waits his eighty-odd days and then returns to test his number and location theories?”

“I would say so, Obergruppenfuehrer. We see that he frees two—”

“What other patterns?” von Schleiben interjected.

“Obergruppenfuehrer?”

“What other patterns in the dossier make you think we are dealing with one man?”

“His methodology of assassination, Obergruppenfuehrer. Tramont and the prisoners were killed by having their necks snapped
backward
—a quick, easy way to inflict death. Gestapo, SS guards and Kripo had their necks snapped
forward
, a longer, more painful way to die. This second method also tells us of Spangler's extreme strength. Few men are powerful enough to snap the human neck forward.”

“Will he always kill by one of these two methods?”

“I would think so, Obergruppenfuehrer. He may do other things to the corpse afterward, but the killing must be done with his own hands in one of the two ways already described. Might I have a glass of water?”

Von Schleiben's fingers drummed on the table top. “Do you think Spangler is coming for the Tolan woman?” he finally asked.

“It is my opinion that he will, Obergruppenfuehrer.”

“Why?”

“There are two possible explanations, Herr Obergruppenfuehrer. First, Spangler has joined forces with an organization which is interested in both Vetter and the Tolan girl. Spangler probably began his underground career working with a small religious resistance group, the group for which he freed his first three prisoners, the three priests. From that point forward he operated independently or with a few close associates at most. From that point forward his primary motivation was an all-consuming obsession with concentration camps. That is why, with the exception of Ebansee, he never raided the same camp twice. That is why, except for the three priests, he has never freed prisoners with similar occupations.

“The one thing the dossier shows us quite clearly is that never once has Spangler brought out a political prisoner. Now not only does he free Vetter, but he lets it be known he will come after Hilka Tolan, both of them convicted of political crimes. I therefore conclude that Spangler still is not interested in political prisoners—but someone else is.”

“You said there were two possible explanations for Spangler's coming for the girl. What is the second?”

“It is more speculation than deduction, Herr Obergruppenfuehrer.”

“I will be the judge of that. Proceed.”

“It is conceivable that Spangler is intentionally telling you when and where and whom he is after.”

“Are you saying that Spangler is assisting in his own capture?”

“It is possible he has always been doing so, Herr Obergruppenfuehrer.”

“Explain.”

“Spangler's dominant characteristic is his intelligence, quite an amazing intelligence. It is displayed everywhere we look. We see his ability to enter and leave concentration camps at will, to penetrate Gestapo headquarters, to deal with explosives, to devise communications. Another proof of this intelligence is the fact that not only has Spangler not been
caught
after all these years, he hasn't even been
identified
.”

“Doesn't it seem odd that after all this time you should suddenly be inundated with information? Doesn't it appear somewhat coincidental that with the capture of one prisoner at Gusen you are able to solve Spangler's communications systems, cross-reference them to link Spangler with several of his aliases, find messages indicating the pending escape of Hilka Tolan? Doesn't it seem curious that Spangler should attempt to contact Hilka Tolan through the open concentration-camp smuggling circuits—circuits he knows are watched by security guards? And what of that mysterious phone call in Frankfurt? Who was that unknown informant who led you to the apartment where you found the black book verifying the names in the dossier?”

Von Schleiben scowled and pinched his neck. “If we follow your logic,” he finally began, “Spangler must have anticipated our locating you so that the dates could be established.”

“If you will excuse me, Herr Obergruppenfuehrer, might it not be possible that you have reversed the order of events? Might it not be conceivable that Spangler had expected your men to uncover his various aliases and to interpret the Chronology long before now? Couldn't it be possible that when this
didn't
occur, he helped by allowing his messages to be intercepted and by planting the list in Frankfurt?”

“Why would he go to such lengths to have himself caught?”

“Perhaps to make it more exciting, Herr Obergruppenfuehrer. Perhaps to end it all. When intellect dominates psychopathic urges we are never sure of the ultimate motivation. Neither is Spangler. Perhaps that is what he is searching for.”

“What other dominant characteristics are evident to you?”

“Loyalty to friends, Herr Obergruppenfuehrer. I doubt if Spangler is close to many people, but when he is, he is savagely loyal. We see this when he penetrates a Gestapo prison in an attempt to save Tramont.”

“What else?”

Tebet gripped the railing and leaned slightly forward. “The Chronology indicates something quite intriguing, Herr Obergruppenfuehrer. As we have seen before, the seventeenth and the twenty-sixth of the eight–seventeen–twenty-six pattern add up to eight. Eight is Spangler's dominant
safe
number. But eight also has another possible interpretation. If we take the figure 8 rather than the number eight, we find it is composed of two zeros placed one on top of the other. The double zero set in this order was once the symbol of a medieval cult of Satan worshipers. Add to this the fact that the first three prisoners Spangler ever freed were Catholic priests, and we have a most intriguing situation: Spangler the black ritualist coming to save three priests on the traditional days of Satan worship and blood sacrifice. Throughout the Chronology we see that the eights, the devil days meant for death, are the only days on which Spangler will not kill.”

“What do you interpret this to mean?”

“I am not certain, Herr Obergruppenfuehrer. Perhaps he has confused salvation with destruction.” Tebet replied with a trace of glee.

5

Von Schleiben was exasperated. To begin with, there was no one to whom he could report the theft except himself. As director of the Council for Extreme Security, the Reichssicherheitshauptamt, better known as R. S. H. A., he was as much the German police force as anyone in Germany. Not that the loss was important. It was only a clothing locker, but it had been built to the General's personal specifications in Finland less than half a year before. It was made of a lightweight burnished metal and had the uncommon dimensions of two and three-quarter meters in length, a meter in width and one and a quarter meters in height. Three brass clasps, two combination locks and four leather straps secured the exterior. The lining consisted of triple layers of thick burgundy velvet. The locker was sprayed a deep vermilion. It was also waterpoof.

A far graver point of irritation was the attention the Spangler case was receiving. Even though the Council sessions were under strictest security, word was out that a supercriminal existed, had operated for years without being identified. If the Tolan girl were freed, the entire political detention system would have to be revised. Prisoners would be shuttled around like chess pieces. If the Tolan girl were freed, von Schleiben would suffer great embarrassment—or worse.

Another issue of concern was Zieff, the Abwehr representative. Zieff was too quiet, too noncommittal. He was up to something. Von Schleiben knew that military intelligence had been covertly watching the camps—but why? What were they after? What did they know? Hadn't the change of command from Canaris to Schellenberg made any difference?

Von Schleiben had never liked Munich. He had always felt it was a city of thieves. Now one of them had confirmed his suspicions, had had the audacity, not to mention the skill, to elude the SS guards, penetrate the General's private railroad car and make off with his vermilion locker.

Von Schleiben searched his compartment one last time, reluctantly notified the provost of his loss, climbed into the limousine and began his trip back to the Council session.

Debate was cut short. The issue was clearly defined. The vote would be either for or against the Webber Proposition, the detailed forty-four-page SD-Ausland–Kripo blueprint to capture Erik Spangler at Oranienburg. The combined operation would require men and material from every organization represented on the Council.

“SS?” the provost called out.

“SS for,” the delegate responded.

“Sipo?”

“For.”

“Kripo?”

“For the Webber Proposition,” the Kripo representative said enthusiastically.

“Totenkopf?”

“For.”

“Gestapo?”

“… For.”

“Abwehr?”

“The Abwehr,” Zieff began quietly, “requests permission to be released from all activities of the Council in matters concerning the alleged Erik Spangler.”

“No agency can withdraw from this body,” von Schleiben thundered.

“We do not ask withdrawal, our request is for temporary release, Herr Obergruppenfuehrer.”

“On whose authority?”

“By direct command of Obergruppenfuehrer Schellenberg.”

“Schellenberg heads SD-Ausland as well as Abwehr,” von Schleiben barked. “How can he let one of his groups undertake an operation and order the other not to participate?”

“Obergruppenfuehrer Schellenberg will most certainly provide the details.”

“Schellenberg is not here. You are. I demand the specifications.”

“It is beyond my authority to discuss it.”

“Your authority has just been extended—by my order.”

Zieff gazed calmly at the General. “We believe, Herr Obergruppenfuehrer, that a security leak exists within this body.”

Von Schleiben eased back into his chair. His hands tented under his chin. “Would it be too much to ask who the traitor is, and to whom his information is going?”

“We believe the information is traveling east, to the Russians.”

“And the traitor—are we privy to this fact?”

“All that we can say is that we believe it is one of two organizations.”

“Two organizations represented in this room, I suppose?”

“Yes.”

“And can I assume that were I to inquire which organizations are suspect, you would plead security?”

“You are correct in your assumption, Obergruppenfuehrer.”

“Request for temporary release granted,” von Schleiben said. He watched Zieff rise and leave the room. “The Webber Proposition,” the General ordained, “is accepted and approved. Implementation will proceed at the conclusion of this meeting. Provost, what other matters are on the agenda?”

“Intelligence concerning reception of high-frequency radio test signals believed to be coming from a new Anglo-American espionage communications center somewhere in northern England. A proposal just received for exchange of captured agents. Detection of Egyptian instal—”