Strangers
Page 34
Erik takes my hand. “Diamonds.”
“Exactly. But it’s not Diamond, because I’m also—what?”
Erik frowns again. “Difficult? Exhausting? A danger to the public?”
“Unique, silly.” He pulls me close to him, strokes my back. I can’t see his face, but I feel him nodding. And I know that he’s going to guess right.
“Solitaire.”
Epilogue
The conversation in the room falls silent as he gets up. All of them have gathered here today; he wouldn’t have expected any less. Only two of the eldest are absent—Zedwitz, who is pushing ninety, and Habeck, who is older still, and from whom dementia has robbed nearly everything, even his love for the fatherland.
He waits until all eyes are fixed on him, until he can be certain that all those present are paying him their utmost attention. Only then does he begin to speak.
“My brothers-in-arms. I thank you for your trust, and value greatly that you are entrusting me with the leadership of the squadron in these difficult times. My predecessor is a very tough act to follow—we all know what Heinrich von Ritteck achieved for our cause. Staffel 444 was his life, a life he decided, at the very end, to take himself. He chose an honorable death, and thus avoided the shame of being arrested by a corrupt police force. All of you know just how much filth the lying press have poured onto him these past weeks—and so we shall honor his memory all the more.” He reaches for his glass and raises it up high. The others get to their feet—the younger men swiftly, the old men slowly and with difficulty. Again, he waits until everyone is ready, then he clicks his heels. “To Heinrich von Ritteck!”
“To Heinrich von Ritteck!”
They drink, and only sit back down when he sets his glass onto the table.
“I would like to welcome three newcomers to our ranks. Ulrich Herfurth, Max Jauner, Albert Puch—welcome!”
The men he named all bow their heads. Each of them is a man of influence, each in a different area.
“You are joining a fellowship of great tradition.” He feels there is no harm in emphasizing this to the new inductions. “Our parent organization was Gladio, the clandestine army brought into being after the war, as a defense in the event that Communism should overrun Europe. Today, this threat is no longer to be feared. Staffel 444 has by no means taken up the cause of supporting the diseased pan-European construct in which we are regrettably trapped. We fight only for Germany, against foes who threaten our home from the inside and out.” His lets his gaze sweep over the faces of the others, slowly, poignantly. “When Gladio blew up Bologna central station in 1980, the number of casualties came to eighty-five. Our operation in Munich was almost twice as effective; we exceeded by far our target of at least one hundred casualties. And unlike how it was for our predecessors, now the anger of the people will be permanently directed at those who it is our duty to fight. This is what Heinrich von Ritteck gave his life for, and it was not in vain.”
He allows himself a slight smile, the first of the day. “Despite the painful loss of our leader, we have reason to be joyful,” he continues. “The German people have taken action. At the elections two weeks ago, they have shown what they think of weakness, tolerance, and leniency toward the subhumans who threaten and overpopulate us. From the ashes of our magnificent explosion, the German spirit is rising to new heights, just like a phoenix.”
Everyone present raps their knuckles on the tabletop in approval. He nods, waits until they have quieted down again.
“We have achieved a great deal, but much still lies ahead of us. I found out yesterday that Hans Gabor will take full responsibility for everything we could otherwise be charged with, due to the witnesses he didn’t manage to get rid of. Gabor failed, but he is prepared to atone for his failure and exonerate the others who were arrested.”
They listen, although some of them are frowning warily. He puts more emphasis into his voice. “There is no cause for concern. If Gabor should change his mind, we have members of Staffel 444 on location who we can trust to act swiftly.”
He raises his glass again. “The next project will run without error, I personally vouch for that. Germany has a future, a grand future, and it lies in our hands.”
ALSO BY URSULA ARCHER
Five
ALSO BY ARNO STROBEL
The Script
The Coffin
The Village
The Flood
About the Authors
URSULA ARCHER was born in Vienna, Austria. She is a science journalist and the internationally bestselling, award-winning author of Five, her first adult book, as well as books for young readers. She lives in Vienna, Austria, with her family. You can sign up for email updates here.
ARNO STROBEL was born in Saarlouis, Germany. He studied information technology and worked at a German bank in Luxembourg until he ventured to write novels. He is the author of several internationally bestselling novels, including The Script, The Coffin, The Village, and The Flood. He lives with his family near Trier, Germany. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Epilogue
Also by Ursula Archer and Arno Strobel
About the Authors
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
STRANGERS. Copyright © 2015 by Rowohlt Verlay GmbH, Reinbek bei Hamburg. Translation copyright © 2017 by Jamie Searle Romanelli and Stefan Scholtz. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.minotaurbooks.com
Cover design: Nikolaas Eickelbeck
Cover photograph: people © Wojciech Zwolinski/Arcangel; Tree © Marta Orlowska/Arcangel
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Poznanski, Ursula, 1968– author. | Strobel, Arno, 1962– author. | Romanelli, Jamie Searle, translator. | Scholtz, Stefan, translator.
Title: Strangers: a novel / Ursula Archer and Arno Strobel; translated by Jamie Searle Romanelli and Stefan Scholtz.
Other titles: Fremd. English
Description: First U.S. edition. | New York: Minotaur Books, 2018. | “First published in Germany by Wunderlich in October 2015”—Verso title page.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017036262 | ISBN 9781250113061 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781250113078 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Fianc‚ees—Fiction. | Fianc‚es—Fiction. | Danger perception—Fiction. | GSAFD: Mystery fiction. | Suspense fiction.
Classification: LCC PT2716.O98 F8613 2014 | DDC 833/.92—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017036262
eISBN 9781250113078
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact your local bookseller or the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
First published in Germany by Wunderlich: October 2015
First U.S. Edition: January 2018