needed it.'
Canning and Birr slopped forward. 'Very civil of you,' Birr said.
Canning grinned and raised his glass. 'Prosit.'
'And now to business.' Hesser went back to his desk and sat down. 'This is a nonsense, gentlemen. It must stop.'
'The duty of an officer to make every attempt to achieve his liberty and rejoin his unit,' Canning said. 'You know that.'
'Yes, under other circumstances I would agree with you, but not now. Not on the 26th of April, 1945. Gentlemen, after five and a half years, the war draws to a close. It's almost over - any day now. All we have to do is wait.'
'What for - an SS execution squad?' Canning said. 'We know what the Fuhrer told Berger when he asked about the prominenti. He said shoot them. Shoot all of them. Last I heard, Himmler agreed with him.'
'You are in my charge, gentlemen. I have tried to make this plain many times before.'
'Great,' Canning said. 'And what happens if they drive up to the front door with a directive from the Fuhrer? Will you pull up the drawbridge or order us to be shot? You took the soldier's oath, didn't you, just like everyone else in the German armed forces?'
Hesser stared up at him, very white, the great scar glowing angrily. Birr said gently, 'He does have a point, Colonel.'
Hesser said, 'I could put you gentlemen on short rations and confine you to your cells, but I won't. Under the circumstances and considering the point in time at which we all stand, I shall have you returned to prisoners' section and your friends. I hope you will respond in kind to this gesture.'
Schenck placed a hand on Canning's arm and the general pulled himself free. 'For God's sake, Max.' He leaned across the desk, voice urgent. 'There's only one way out for you. Send Schenck here in search of an Allied unit while there's still time. Someone you can surrender to legally, saving your own honour and our skins.'
Hesser stared at him for a long moment, then said, 'Have the general and Lord Dundrum returned to their quarters now, Schenck.'
'Herr Oberst.' Schenck clicked his heels and turned to the two men. 'General?'
'Oh, go to hell,' Canning told him, turned and walked out.
Birr paused. For a moment it was as if he intended to say something. Instead, he shrugged and followed. Schenck and Schneider went after them. Hesser went back to the cabinet and poured himself another drink. As he was replacing the bottle, there was a knock on the door and Schenck came back in.
'Would you care for one?' Hesser asked.
'No thank you, Herr Oberst. My stomach takes kindly only to beer these days.'
He waited patiently. Hesser walked across to the fire. 'You think he's right, don't you?' Schenck hesitated and Hesser said, 'Come on, man. Speak your mind.'
'Very well, Herr Oberst. Yes, I must say I do. Let's get it over and done with, that's my attitude. If we don't then I greatly fear that something terrible may take place here, the results of which may drag us all down.'
'You know something?' Hesser kicked a log that rolled forward back into place in a shower of sparks. 'I'm inclined to agree with you.'
Canning and Birr, followed by Schneider, two soldiers with Schmeissers and Magda, crossed the main hall and mounted the staircase, so wide that a company of soldiers could have marched up line abreast.
'I was once shown over MGM studios by Clark Gable,' Birr said. 'This place often reminds me of Stage Six. Did I ever tell you that?'
'Frequently,' Canning told him.
They crossed the smaller, upper landing and paused at an oaken, iron-bound door outside of which stood an armed sentry. Schneider produced a key about a foot long, inserted it in the massive lock and turned. He pushed open the door and stood back.
'Gentlemen.' As they moved in he added, 'Oh, by the way, the upper section of the north tower is out of bounds and, in future, there will be two guards in the water garden at all times.'
'That's really very considerate of you,' Birr said. 'Don't you agree, General?'
'You can play that
Canning and Birr slopped forward. 'Very civil of you,' Birr said.
Canning grinned and raised his glass. 'Prosit.'
'And now to business.' Hesser went back to his desk and sat down. 'This is a nonsense, gentlemen. It must stop.'
'The duty of an officer to make every attempt to achieve his liberty and rejoin his unit,' Canning said. 'You know that.'
'Yes, under other circumstances I would agree with you, but not now. Not on the 26th of April, 1945. Gentlemen, after five and a half years, the war draws to a close. It's almost over - any day now. All we have to do is wait.'
'What for - an SS execution squad?' Canning said. 'We know what the Fuhrer told Berger when he asked about the prominenti. He said shoot them. Shoot all of them. Last I heard, Himmler agreed with him.'
'You are in my charge, gentlemen. I have tried to make this plain many times before.'
'Great,' Canning said. 'And what happens if they drive up to the front door with a directive from the Fuhrer? Will you pull up the drawbridge or order us to be shot? You took the soldier's oath, didn't you, just like everyone else in the German armed forces?'
Hesser stared up at him, very white, the great scar glowing angrily. Birr said gently, 'He does have a point, Colonel.'
Hesser said, 'I could put you gentlemen on short rations and confine you to your cells, but I won't. Under the circumstances and considering the point in time at which we all stand, I shall have you returned to prisoners' section and your friends. I hope you will respond in kind to this gesture.'
Schenck placed a hand on Canning's arm and the general pulled himself free. 'For God's sake, Max.' He leaned across the desk, voice urgent. 'There's only one way out for you. Send Schenck here in search of an Allied unit while there's still time. Someone you can surrender to legally, saving your own honour and our skins.'
Hesser stared at him for a long moment, then said, 'Have the general and Lord Dundrum returned to their quarters now, Schenck.'
'Herr Oberst.' Schenck clicked his heels and turned to the two men. 'General?'
'Oh, go to hell,' Canning told him, turned and walked out.
Birr paused. For a moment it was as if he intended to say something. Instead, he shrugged and followed. Schenck and Schneider went after them. Hesser went back to the cabinet and poured himself another drink. As he was replacing the bottle, there was a knock on the door and Schenck came back in.
'Would you care for one?' Hesser asked.
'No thank you, Herr Oberst. My stomach takes kindly only to beer these days.'
He waited patiently. Hesser walked across to the fire. 'You think he's right, don't you?' Schenck hesitated and Hesser said, 'Come on, man. Speak your mind.'
'Very well, Herr Oberst. Yes, I must say I do. Let's get it over and done with, that's my attitude. If we don't then I greatly fear that something terrible may take place here, the results of which may drag us all down.'
'You know something?' Hesser kicked a log that rolled forward back into place in a shower of sparks. 'I'm inclined to agree with you.'
Canning and Birr, followed by Schneider, two soldiers with Schmeissers and Magda, crossed the main hall and mounted the staircase, so wide that a company of soldiers could have marched up line abreast.
'I was once shown over MGM studios by Clark Gable,' Birr said. 'This place often reminds me of Stage Six. Did I ever tell you that?'
'Frequently,' Canning told him.
They crossed the smaller, upper landing and paused at an oaken, iron-bound door outside of which stood an armed sentry. Schneider produced a key about a foot long, inserted it in the massive lock and turned. He pushed open the door and stood back.
'Gentlemen.' As they moved in he added, 'Oh, by the way, the upper section of the north tower is out of bounds and, in future, there will be two guards in the water garden at all times.'
'That's really very considerate of you,' Birr said. 'Don't you agree, General?'
'You can play that
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