pancakes and sent to bed early, don’t you think?”
“I really couldn’t say.”
“Still, his is an inspiring story. To come so far, from nothing. I’ve been to Braunau-on-the-Inn where he was born. It’s completely unremarkable. Which makes his story all the more remarkable when you think about it. Although, to be quite frank with you, as an Austrian I prefer not to think about it at all. It’s true that we Austrians will have to take the blame for giving the world Hitler. But I’m afraid it’s you Germans who must take the blame for giving him absolute power.”
I said nothing.
“Oh, come now,” said Heckholz, “there’s no need to be so coy, Herr Gunther. We both know you’re no more a Nazi than I am. Despite all the evidence to the contrary. I was a member of the Christian Social Party, but never a Nazi. The Nazis are all about show, and a show of loyalty to the leader is usually enough to deflect suspicion. How else can you explain the fact that so many Austrians and Germans who hate the Nazis give the Hitler salute with such alacrity?”
“I usually find that the safer explanation is to believe that they’re Nazis, too.”
Heckholz chuckled. “Yes, I suppose it is. Which probably explains why you’ve stayed alive for so long. You’ll remember Herr Gantner, who used to drive for Friedrich Minoux—he said that when you were working for Herr Minoux, as a private investigator, all those years ago, you told him you’d been a dedicated Social Democrat, right up until the moment that the Nazis gained power in 1933, when you had to leave the police.”
“So, it was him who recommended me to you.”
“Indeed it was. Only, now you’re in the SD.” Dr. Heckholz smiled. “How is that possible? I mean, how does someone who supported the SPD end up as a captain of SD?”
“People change,” I said. “Especially in Germany. If they know what’s good for them.”
“Some people. But not you, I think. Gantner told me what you said to him. In Wannsee. He told me that you virtually apologized for wearing the uniform. Like you were ashamed of it.”
“People see the scary SD badge on my sleeve and become alarmed. It’s a bad habit of mine, that’s all. Trying to put people at their ease.”
“That’s certainly unusual in Germany.”
Heckholz cleared away the plates, removed the apron, and then sat down; it was obvious he didn’t believe a word of what I’d said.
“All the same, Herr Gantner thought your remarks noteworthy enough to mention you to me in the hope that you might be able to provide us with some assistance.”
“What kind of assistance?”
“With a problem that results from what happened to Herr Minoux.”
“You mean the Berlin Gas Company fraud.”
“The Berlin Gas Company fraud. I do mean that, yes.”
“Thank you for the pancakes,” I said, standing up. I tossed the five Albrechts back onto his table. “But whatever you’re selling, I’m not interested.”
“Please don’t go just yet,” he said. “You haven’t heard about my handsome proposition.”
“I’m beginning to believe your handsome proposition is about to turn into a rather ugly frog. Besides, I’m all out of kisses.”
“How would you like to make ten thousand reichsmarks?”
“I’d like it fine just as long as I was able to live to spend it. But if I’ve stayed alive for so long it’s because I’ve learned not to have conversations like this with strangers, especially when it’s next to an open door. If you want me to stay and hear you out, Herr Doctor Heckholz, then you’d better ask your friend wearing the Arabian Nights perfume to come in here and join us.”
Heckholz grinned and stood up. “I should have realized the difficulty of trying to trick a famous detective from the Alex.”
“No, that’s remarkably easy. You just send them a hundred marks in an envelope.”
“Lilly, darling, will you please come in here?”
A minute later the redhead was in the meeting room.
“I really couldn’t say.”
“Still, his is an inspiring story. To come so far, from nothing. I’ve been to Braunau-on-the-Inn where he was born. It’s completely unremarkable. Which makes his story all the more remarkable when you think about it. Although, to be quite frank with you, as an Austrian I prefer not to think about it at all. It’s true that we Austrians will have to take the blame for giving the world Hitler. But I’m afraid it’s you Germans who must take the blame for giving him absolute power.”
I said nothing.
“Oh, come now,” said Heckholz, “there’s no need to be so coy, Herr Gunther. We both know you’re no more a Nazi than I am. Despite all the evidence to the contrary. I was a member of the Christian Social Party, but never a Nazi. The Nazis are all about show, and a show of loyalty to the leader is usually enough to deflect suspicion. How else can you explain the fact that so many Austrians and Germans who hate the Nazis give the Hitler salute with such alacrity?”
“I usually find that the safer explanation is to believe that they’re Nazis, too.”
Heckholz chuckled. “Yes, I suppose it is. Which probably explains why you’ve stayed alive for so long. You’ll remember Herr Gantner, who used to drive for Friedrich Minoux—he said that when you were working for Herr Minoux, as a private investigator, all those years ago, you told him you’d been a dedicated Social Democrat, right up until the moment that the Nazis gained power in 1933, when you had to leave the police.”
“So, it was him who recommended me to you.”
“Indeed it was. Only, now you’re in the SD.” Dr. Heckholz smiled. “How is that possible? I mean, how does someone who supported the SPD end up as a captain of SD?”
“People change,” I said. “Especially in Germany. If they know what’s good for them.”
“Some people. But not you, I think. Gantner told me what you said to him. In Wannsee. He told me that you virtually apologized for wearing the uniform. Like you were ashamed of it.”
“People see the scary SD badge on my sleeve and become alarmed. It’s a bad habit of mine, that’s all. Trying to put people at their ease.”
“That’s certainly unusual in Germany.”
Heckholz cleared away the plates, removed the apron, and then sat down; it was obvious he didn’t believe a word of what I’d said.
“All the same, Herr Gantner thought your remarks noteworthy enough to mention you to me in the hope that you might be able to provide us with some assistance.”
“What kind of assistance?”
“With a problem that results from what happened to Herr Minoux.”
“You mean the Berlin Gas Company fraud.”
“The Berlin Gas Company fraud. I do mean that, yes.”
“Thank you for the pancakes,” I said, standing up. I tossed the five Albrechts back onto his table. “But whatever you’re selling, I’m not interested.”
“Please don’t go just yet,” he said. “You haven’t heard about my handsome proposition.”
“I’m beginning to believe your handsome proposition is about to turn into a rather ugly frog. Besides, I’m all out of kisses.”
“How would you like to make ten thousand reichsmarks?”
“I’d like it fine just as long as I was able to live to spend it. But if I’ve stayed alive for so long it’s because I’ve learned not to have conversations like this with strangers, especially when it’s next to an open door. If you want me to stay and hear you out, Herr Doctor Heckholz, then you’d better ask your friend wearing the Arabian Nights perfume to come in here and join us.”
Heckholz grinned and stood up. “I should have realized the difficulty of trying to trick a famous detective from the Alex.”
“No, that’s remarkably easy. You just send them a hundred marks in an envelope.”
“Lilly, darling, will you please come in here?”
A minute later the redhead was in the meeting room.
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