Carnival by J. Robert Janes Page A

time necessary to assess his visitor as cigarettes were found in this detective’s innermost pocket and offered, the packet all but empty, the sacrifice evident.
    â€˜ Danke , Herr Hauptmann Detektiv Aufsichtsbeamter. You’ve seen the notices, have you?’
    â€˜Pardon?’
    â€˜The fire hazard of such practices. Smoking indoors is verboten except in designated areas. The officers’ mess, that of the men, their headquarters also, the—’
    â€˜And here I thought—’
    â€˜That this toilet would be used for such?’
    Dorsche had been leagues ahead of him!
    â€˜It’s not often we get someone such as yourself, Herr Kohler. The stride, the set of the shoulders—one can tell a military man at a glance, a police officer also, just as it’s not hard to tell a Kriegsgefanganer once one has been one, but please don’t trouble yourself. I also was once a prisoner of war in that other conflict, the one we lost, so in their wisdom, the OKW, after much deliberation, put me in charge of this camp.’
    The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, the High Command, and a life behind wire, but this time, his wire!
    Now there were only two cigarettes left in the packet. Dorsche indicated the boys. ‘Good fortune doesn’t often come easily,’ he said to them. ‘Beat it. I can take care of him myself.’
    A match was struck. Dorsche leaned in, and as he lit his cigarette, he said, ‘A Wills Gold Flake? You impress me, Herr Kohler. Did you shoot the aircraft down or only arrest its British pilot and crew after they had bailed out and tried to escape?’
    â€˜Neither, and so much for this not being a designated area. Look, we need your help.’
    â€˜I would have thought that obvious.’
    â€˜Then I’d be grateful if you would go over everything. Who found him, the time as closely as possible, the position of the body, the rope … ’
    â€˜And anything suspicious?’
    â€˜Even the smallest detail.’
    â€˜Like cigarette ashes in a tin cup and a man perhaps taking a contemplative moment at 2207 hours?’
    One of the guards must have reported this but a sigh would be best. ‘Look, I know your eyes are as good as mine, if not better.’
    Ach , how humble of Herr Kohler. ‘This toilet services both the laboratory and the administrative offices on this floor. The secretaries … there are five of them and one other woman, also the Lageroffizier, the Oberstleutnant Rudel and others of his staff, still others too. I tell you this only so that you will realize that they were in the habit of using it as well but normally not at that time of night.’
    But had any of them left something they shouldn’t have? wondered Herr Kohler, unable to prevent himself from glancing up at the cistern.
    â€˜There was nothing but water in it,’ said Dorsche. ‘I checked.’
    â€˜But what led you to do so? Apart, that is, from your normally suspicious nature?’
    A shrug had best be given.
    â€˜Didn’t he have a guard with him?’
    Had there been a note of panic in Herr Kohler’s voice? ‘ Kein Posten . The one who killed himself needed no guard here and was free to come and go. Orders. … Who am I to question the will of my superior officers? Oberstleutnant Rudel is in charge of the Lagerführung .’
    The camp office.
    â€˜It is he who issues the Passierscheine und Ausweise that allow such workers to come and go at all hours.’
    The temporary passes and the more permanent ones and identity papers all such places would demand. ‘And the body?’
    â€˜Was found by Gefreiter Hartmann at 0011 hours Saturday. He touched nothing and immediately notified me.’
    â€˜Who, in turn, notified the Oberstleutnant.’
    â€˜Who then notified Kommandant Rasche, as was his duty.’
    â€˜All right, we’ve got the chain of command. Now tell me exactly what you