Mr. Van Dorn smiled. “No, Charlie, you’re not an expert because there are no experts in fighting people like this. Politicians, geniuses, and doctors all fall short because of what you said earlier. None of us knows the kind of man we’re dealing with. But you do. If we have any hope of rooting them out of wherever they are in this country or elsewhere, we’re going to need you with us. I fear if you turn your back on us now, what happened at the hospital will happen again and worse.”
I almost flinched when he held out his hand to me. “I ask for the honor of shaking your hand. If you decide to leave, then it’s goodbye. But I hope you’ll shake my hand in agreement to stay and join our cause to stomp out this evil before it spreads.”
I looked at his hand, and felt the anger that had been building in me all day since Delaware melt away. I’d come to his house angry and spoiling for a fight. I’d wanted to spit in his face and storm out the door. What a difference a speech made.
I shook his hand. “You can count on me, sir.”
Mr. Van Dorn beamed. “I always have, Charlie. Thank you.”
A stupid thought flew into my head. “Did you really offer Hauser a job?”
“We did, but only if you think he can be useful. Even if you don’t think he can be trusted, he can still be useful in a way.”
Mr. Van Dorn had a point there. He went on. “You’ll be working with one of the most important organizations in the country today. One that has the blessing of the president and, soon, will have the authority of Congress thanks to the efforts of Congressman Samuel Dickstein of the House Committee on Immigration. Father Mullins is our resident expert on Germany, and will fill you in on the operational details as we go along. But I strongly I suggest you start by reading that file first. It explains our entire operation, and what we know about the Nazi menace within our borders. It’s an active file that grows larger every day. Reading it may answer a lot of questions before you ask them.”
There was one thing I wanted to get clear before I made anything official. “I want to make the same demands as Mrs. Fairfax, sir. I want to kill Burnitz. That’s not up for discussion.”
“You’ll have no objection from me.” He took my hand in both hands. “It’s good to have you with us, Charlie.”
“I second that,” Father Mullins said, bringing a new match to the bowl of his pipe.
The butler appeared in the doorway and cleared his throat. “Forgive me for interrupting, sir, but that man is on the phone again. He keeps asking for ‘the dean,’ and despite my telling him that there is no dean here, he insists this is the right number. Shall I tell him to stop calling?”
“No, John. That’s for me. I’ll take it.”
Mr. Van Dorn guided me over to the table, where the bulging leather file sat tied with black ribbon. “We’ll talk more about this after my call. Until then, Father Mullins will handle any questions you might have.”
I looked at the folder but didn’t untie it. I saw gold letters embossed in the leather.
Operational Manual of Nazi Intelligence
O.M.N.I.
As Mr. Van Dorn walked away, I said, “Why is someone calling you ‘dean,’ sir?”
He stopped just outside the sliding doors. “Because I’m head of the University Club. Happy reading, Charlie. I’ll be back soon.”
He slid the doors closed, leaving Father Mullins and me alone in the study.
The Jesuit puffed on his pipe. “Get yourself some Cognac and a cigar, my boy. You’ve got a lot to learn about our Nazi enemy.”
I pulled apart the knot on the file. “I think we all do.”
THE END
About the Author
Terrence McCauley is the award-winning author of three James Hicks thrillers: SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL, A MURDER OF CROWS, and A CONSPIRACY OF RAVENS, as well as the historical crime thrillers PROHIBITION and SLOW BURN (all available from Polis Books. He is also the author of the World War I novella THE DEVIL DOGS OF BELLEAU WOOD, the proceeds of which go directly to benefit the Semper Fi Fund. His story El Cambalache was nominated for the Thriller Award by International Thriller Writers.
Terrence has had short stories featured in Thuglit, Spintetingler Magazine, Shotgun Honey, Big Pulp and other publications. He is a member of the New York City chapter of the Mystery Writers of America, the International Thriller Writers and the International Crime Writers Association.
A proud native of The Bronx, NY, he is currently writing his next work of fiction. Please visit his website at terrencemccauley.com or follow him at @terrencepmccauley.
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