Robert Ludlum - Aquatain Progression.txt
Page 47
. was insane, thought the Navy lawyer as a legal
phrase crept slowly into his consciousness, suddenly
taking on a blurred viability. Trade-o~: It was a
daily occurrence in pretrial examinations, both
civilian and military. We'll drop this if you accept that
We'll stay out of this area if you stay out of that one.
Standard practice. Trade-off. Was it possible? Could
it even be considered? It was crazy and it was
desperate, but then nothing was sane, nothing held
much hope. Since force was out of the question,
could an exchange be made? LeifLelm for
Converse. A general for a lieutenant.
Connal did not dare analyze; there were too
many negatives. He had to act on instinct because
there was nothing else left, nowhere he could turn
that did not lead to a blank wall or a bullet. He got
up from the couch, went to the table with the
telephone and and reached for the directory on the
floor. What he had in mind was insane, but he could
not think about that. He found the name. Fishbein,
rise. The illegitimate daughter of Hermann Goring.
The rendezvous was set: a back table at the
Hansa-Keller cafe on the Kaiserplatz, the
reservation in the name of Parnell. Fitzpatrick had
had the presence of mind in California to pack a
conservative civilian suit; he wore it now as the
American attorney, Mr. Parnell, who was fluent in
German and sent by his firm in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, to make contact with one use Fishbein in
Bonn, West Germany. He also had the presence of
mind in Bonn, West Germany, to have managed a
single room at the Schlosspark on the
Venusbergweg and placed Converse's attache case
where it would be safe for a considerable length of
time, a trail left for Converse should everything
blow apart. A trail he would recognize if Joel was
alive and able to hunt.
Connal arrived ten minutes early, not merely to
secure the table but to familiarise himself with the
surroundings and silently practice his approach. He
had done the same thing many times before,
walking into military courtrooms before a trial,
testing the chairs, the height of the tables, the scan
of vision of the tribunal on the dais. It all helped.
He knew it was she when the woman arrived and
spoke to the mau^tre d' at his lectern. She was tall
and heavy, not
THE AQUITAINE PROGRESSION 301
obese but fleshy in a statuesque way, conscious of
her mature sensuality but smart enough not to
parade it. She was dressed in a light-grey summer
suit, the jacket buttoned above her generous breasts,
a wide white collar demurely angled over the fabric.
Her face, too, was full but not soft, the high cheek-
bones lending an appearance of character that might
not otherwise have been there, her hair was dark
and shoulder-length, with slight streaks of premature
gray. She was escorted to the table by the dining
room's captain. Fitzpatrick rose as she approached.
"Guten Tag, Frau Fishhein, " he said, extending
his hand. "Bitte, setzen Sie sich. "
' It's not necessary for you to speak German,
Herr Parnell," said the woman, releasing his hand
and sliding into the chair under the guidance of the
captain, who bowed and left. "I make my living as a
translator."
"Whatever you feel most comfortable with," said
Connal.
"I think under the circumstances I should prefer
English, and spoken softly, if you please. Now, what
is this incredible thing you alluded to over the
telephone, Mr. Parnell?"
"Quite simply an inheritance, Mrs. Fishbein,"
replied Fitzpatrick, his expression sincere, his eyes
steady. "If a few technical questions can be settled,
and I'm sure they can be, as a rightful legatee you
will receive a substantial sum of money."
"From someone in America I never knew?"
"He knew your father."
"I did not," said use fishbein quickly, her eyes
darting about at the adjacent tables. "Who is this
man?"
"He was a member of your father's staff during
the war," answered Connal, lowering his voice still
further. "With your father's help certain contacts in
Holland he got out of Germany before the
Nuremberg trials with a great deal of money. He
came to the United States by way of London, his
funds intact, and started a business in the Midwest.
It became enormously successful. He died recently,
leaving sealed instructions with my firm, his
attorneys."
"But why me?"
"A debt. Without your father's influence and
assistance our client would probably have withered
for years in jail instead of flourishing as he did in
America. As far as anyone was concerned, he was a
Dutch immigrant from the Netherlands whose family
business was destroyed in the war and who
302 ROBERT LUDLUM
sought his future in America. That future included
considerable real estate holdings and a very
successful meat-packing plant all in the process of
being sold. Your inheritance is in excess of two
million American dollars. Would you care for an
aperitif, Mrs. Fishbein?"
The woman could not at first reply. Her eyes
had grown wide, her full jaw slackened, her stare
was trancelike."I believe I will, Herr Parnell," she
said in a monotone, finding her voice. "A large
whisky, if you please."
Fitzpatrick signaled the waiter, ordered drinks
and tried several times to make idle conversation,
commenting on the beautiful weather and asking
what sites he should see while in Bonn. It was no
use. Ilse Fishbein was as close to being in a
catatonic state as Connal could imagine. She had
gripped his wrist, clutching it in silence with
extremely strong fingers, her lips parted, her eyes
two blank glass orbs. The drinks came, the waiter
left, and still she would not let go of him. Instead,
she drank somewhat awkwardly, lifting the glass
with her left hand.
'~What are these questions to be settled? Ask
anything, demand anything. Do you have a place to
stay? Things are so crowded in Bonn."
"You're very kind; yes, I do. Try to understand,
Mrs. Fishbein, this is an extremely sensitive matter
for my firm. As you can well imagine, it's not the
sort of legal work American attorneys are too happy
with, and, frankly, had our client not made certain
provisos connecting the successful completion of
this aspect of his last will and testament to the full
execution of other aspects, we might have "
'.The questions! What are the questions?"
Fitzpatrick paused before answering, the
thoughtful lawyer permitting the interruption but
still intent on making his point. 'everything will be
handled con
fidentially, the probate court operating
in camera "
'~With photographs?"
'fin private, Mrs. Fishbein. For the good of the
community, in exchange for specific state and local
taxes that might not be paid in the event of
confiscation. You see, the higher courts might
decide the entire estate is open to question."
"Yes, the questions! What are they?"
"Really quite simple. I've prepared certain
statements, which you will sign and to which I can
swear to your signature. They establish your
bloodline. Then there is a short de
- THE AQUITAINE
PROGRESSION 303
position required substantiating the claim. We need
only one, but it must be given by a former
high-ranking member of the Cerman forces,
preferably a man whose name is recognizable, whom
the recent history books or war accounts establish as
a working colleague of your natural father. Of course,
it would be advantageous to have someone known to
the American military in the event the judge decides
to call the Pentagon and ask Who is this fellow?' '
"I know the maul" whispered use Fishbein. "He
was a field marshal, a brilliant General!"
"Who is he?" asked the Navy lawyer, then
instantly shrugging, dispensing with the question of
identity as irrelevant. "Never mind. Just tell me why
you think he's the right man, this field marshal."
"He is greatly respected, although not everyone
agrees with him. He was one of the grossmachtigen
young commanders, once decorated by my father
himself for his brilliancel"
"But would anyone in the American military
establishment know him?"
"Mein Gott! He worked for the Allies in Berlin
and Vienna after the war!"
"Yes?"
"And at SHAPE Headquarters in Brussels!"
Yes, thought Connal, we're talking aloout the same
man "Fine," said Fitzpatrick casually but seriously.
"Don't bother giving me his name. It doesn't matter,
and I probably wouldn't know it anyway. Can you
reach him quickly?"
"In minutes! He's here in Bonn."
"Splendid. I should catch the plane back to
Milwaukee by tomorrow noon."
"You will come to his house and he will dictate
what you need to his secretary."
"I'm sorry I can't do that. The deposition must be
countersigned by a notary. I understand you have the
same rules over here -- and why not, you invented
them and the Schlosspark Hotel has both typing and
notary services. Say this evening, or perhaps early in
the morning? I should be more than happy to send a
taxi for your friend. I don't want this to cost him a
pfennig. Any expenses he incurs my firm will be
happy to repay."
use Fishbein giggled a slightly hysterical giggle.
"You do not know my friend, main Herr."
304 ROBERT LUDLUM
"I'm sure we'll get along. Now, how about lunch?"
'.Ihave to go to the toilet," said the German
woman, her eyes glass orbs again. As she rose,
Connal rising with her, she whispered, "Mein Gott!
Zwei Millionen Dollar!"
"He does not even care to know your namer"
cried Ilse Fishbein into the phone. "He's from a
place called Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is offering
me two million dollarsAmerican!"
"He did not ask who I was?"
"He said it didn't matter! He probably wouldn't
know you, in any event. Can you imagine? He
offered to send a taxi for you! He said you should
not spend a penny!"
"It's true Goring was excessively generous during
the last weeks," mused Leimelm. "Of course, he was
more often drugged than not, and those who
supplied him with narcotics which were difficult to
obtain, were rewarded with the whereabouts of
priceless art treasures. The one who later smuggled
him the poisoned suppositories still lives like a
Roman emperor in Luxembourg."
"So you see, it's true! Goring did these things!"
"Rarely knowing what he was doing, however,"
agreed the general reluctantly. "This is really most
unusual and very inconvenient, Ilse. Did this man
show you any documents, any proof of his
assignment?"
"Naturally!" lied Fishbein, close to panic, picking
remembered words out of the air. "There was a
formal page of legal statements and a . . .
deposition all to be handled by the courts
confidentially! In private! You see, there is a ques-
tion of taxes, which would not be paid if the estate
was confiscated "
"I've heard it all before, Ilse," Leifhelm broke in
wearily. "There are no statutes for so-called war
criminals and expatriated funds. So the hypocrites
choke on their hypocritical rules the instant they
cost money, and abandon them."
"You are always so perceptive, my general, and
I have always been so loyal. I've never refused you
a single request whether it was professional in
nature or far more intimate. Please. Two million
American! It will take but ten or fifteen minutes!"
"You've been like a good niece, I can't deny it,
Ilse. And there is no way anyone could know about
you in other matters.... Very well, this evening then.
I'm dining at the Stei
THE AQUITAINE PROGRESSION 305
genberger at nine o'clock. I'll stop at the Schlosspark
at eight-fifteen or thereabouts. You can buy me a
gift with your shall we say ill-conceived new
riches."
"I'll meet you in the lobby.'
"My driver will accompany me."
"Ach, bring twenty men!"
'He's worth twenty-five," Leifhelm said.
Fitzpatrick sat in the chair in the small
conference room on the second floor of the hotel
and examined the gun, the manual of instructions on
his lap. He tried to match what the clerk had told
him to the diagrams and instructions, and was
satisfied that he knew enough. There were basic
similarities to the standard Navy issue Colt .45, the
only handgun he was familiar with, and the technical
information was extraneous to his needs. The
weapon he had purchased was a Heckler & Koch
PGS auto pistol, about six inches long its caliber
nine millimeters, and with a nine-shell magazine clip.
The instructions emphasized such points as
"polygonal rifling" and "sliding roller lock functions';
he let the manual slip to the floor, and practiced
removing the clip and slapping it back into place. He
could load the weapon, aim it and fire it; those were
all that was necessary and he trusted the last would
not be necessary.
He glanced at his watch) it was almost eight
o'clock. He shoved the automatic into his belt,
reached down for the instructions and stood up,
looking around the room, mentally checking off the
movements and the locations he had designated for
/> himself. As he had expected, the Fishbein woman
had told him Leifhelm would be accompanied by
someone, a "driver" in this case, and it could be
assumed the man had other functions. If so, he
would have no chance to perform them.
The room one of twenty-odd conference rooms
in the hotel that he had reserved under the name
of a fictitious company was not large, but there were
structural arrangements that could be put to
advantage. The usual rectangular table was in the
center, three chairs on each side and two at the
ends, one with a telephone. There were additional
chairs against the walls for stenographers and
observers all this was normal. However, in the center
of the left wall was a doorway that led to a very
small room apparently used for private con-
versations. Inside was another telephone, which
when off the
306 ROBERT LUDIUM
hook caused a button on the first telephone on the
conference table to light up; confidentiality had its
limits in Bonn. The hallway door opened onto a
small foyer, thus prohibiting those entering from
scanning the room while standing in the corridor.
Connalfolded the Heckler & Koch instructions,
put them in his jacket pocket, and walked over to
the table to survey his set pieces. He had gone to an
oflfice-supply store and purchased the appropriate
items. On the far end of the table by the
telephone which was placed perpendicular to the
edge, the buttons in clear view were several file
folders next to an open briefcase (from a distance
its dark plastic looked like expensive leather).