by Ward Wagher
“Of course, Mein Herr.”
He called the party headquarters.
“Rainer.”
“Schloss. There has been an incident. Three blocks up. My driver and guard are dead.”
“Are you injured?” Rainer's voice was clipped and had lost its normal politeness.
“We are fine. The chase car is here, but we need to clean up the mess.”
“Five minutes.”
“Right.” And Schloss hung up.
He turned to Renate. “Are you okay? Not cut anywhere?”
“I am fine.” she said.
He noticed she was shivering. “We need to get you home.”
“And you will have to go out again,” she said. It was a statement.
“Somebody got careless,” he said.
“Careless? We were nearly killed!”
“Exactly.”
She lowered her voice. “Peter told me you were the only hope for Germany. I am beginning to believe he was correct.”
He shook his head and nodded towards the shopkeeper. She jumped slightly and nodded in return. Schloss decided the sister he had grown up with, and yet never knew, was probably smarter than he was.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
July 2, 1941, 6:45 PM
Schloss home, Berlin
“Ach du lieber Himmel,” Frau Marsden said when she saw the glittering shards of glass in Renate's hair and on her clothes. “We must get this off of you before you get cut.”
“Perhaps I should help you, Herr Partieleiter,” Rainer said. “If the glass works it way into your skin, you will have the Devil's time getting it out.”
Frau Marsden led Renate down the hallway, clucking as she went.
Hans-Friedrich trotted around the corner. “Poppa, what happened? You are covered in glass.”
“There was a little accident, Hans. Herr Rainer is going to help me get the glass removed.”
“May I watch, Poppa?”
Schloss shrugged. “Why not? I have not seen you for a while. Where is your sister?”
“She is with Frau Marsden and Tante Rennie.”
Schloss turned and walked up the stairs to his bedroom. As he looked around the room upon entry, he noted it still bore the influence of Hannelore. The boy looked around as well.
“I miss Mother,” he said simply.
And how do I answer something like that? he asked himself. “I really hurts, doesn't it, Hans-Friedrich?”
“Yes, Poppa. Not as bad as a month ago. I thought I would die too.”
“The pain will go away, my son. But you do not ever want to forget your mother.”
“Step over here, Herr Partieleiter, where the floor is clear” Rainer said. “I think we should comb the glass out of your hair first. Then you can change clothes.”
“I place myself in your capable hands, Karl.”
Rainer snorted. “It seems I cannot let you out of my sight without you getting into trouble.”
“Was the accident very bad?” Hans-Friedrich asked.
“Another car hit us, and we ran into a pole,” Schloss said. “Fortunately your aunt and I were not injured.”
“Frau Marsden says the drivers in Berlin are insane.”
“Frau Marsden has the right of it, I think.”
“Bend over, Herr Partieleiter,” Rainer said. He took the comb and began working it though Schloss's hair. “There. That's got most of it, I think. Once you get out of those clothes, I would suggest you take a shower. Use a lot of soap.”
“Yes, Mama.” Schloss winked at the boy, who giggled.
Rainer immediately replied, “Perhaps I should send Frau Marsden in to give you a bath.”
Hans-Friedrich laughed delightedly. Schloss pointed his finger at Rainer. “And you can be replaced.”
“That would be a relief.”
They continued the back and forth, which entertained Hans-Friedrich, until Schloss stood in his underwear.
“I will take these down to the laundry,” Rainer said, as he gathered up the clothes.
“Hans, please go with Herr Rainer.”
“Of course, Poppa.”
Schloss looked at Rainer. “I've been thinking about Hess's speech tonight. Perhaps we should have some additional... resources available.”
Rainer looked at the boy, then at Schloss. “I see what you're thinking. Very well, Herr Partieleiter.”
Schloss gathered up some clean underwear, and stepped down the hall to the bathroom. He had been working through the attack in his mind, and tried to put the pieces together. Rainer had commented to him that the SS was the only group in Berlin to have been given the MP-40 submachine gun. On the other hand, Himmler preferred subtlety to direct violence. But Schloss had surrounded himself with security to the point where being abducted off the street was unworkable for the SS or Gestapo thugs.
The water was hot. The other Schloss apparently liked his showers. The Steibel Eltron device hanging on the wall of the bathroom provided all the hot water he could use. Schloss continued meditating upon the day's events as he lathered up. The fact that someone had decided to take a run at him was a clear indication the game was escalating. He would have to be more alert and probably much more ruthless.
When he re-entered the bedroom after his shower, the glittering pieces of glass on the floor were gone. Frau Marsden had apparently swept the room. He picked up his watch off the dresser and looked at it. He then quickly dressed and went downstairs to the dining room.
The children were already eating their supper as Schloss slipped into his chair. Frau Marsden bustled into the room and slid a plate in front of him. “Here you go, Herr Schloss. It would not do for you to miss your supper.”
“Thank you, Frau Marsden.”
“You would be wise to just stay home tonight,” she continued. “An accident takes a lot out of a person.”
“I understand what you are saying,” he replied. “But, unfortunately I do not have a choice.”
“One always has a choice.”
He glanced at the two children. They were paying careful attention to the conversation, as children are wont to do. “We'll discuss this another time, Frau Marsden.”
She apparently accepted his implied rebuke and marched out of the room. Schloss noticed how the floor quivered slightly whenever she walked through. The old lady was getting to be annoying.
Renate swept into the room. She was in a fresh dress of deep maroon, and it set off the highlights in her dark brown hair. Schloss had studied her surreptitiously and concluded she was a striking woman – not really beautiful, but she would age well. In their conversations she had confided in him her deep pleasure at what a good man Peter was, and her frustrations with his annoying habits.
Schloss found himself confiding in her as well. She was becoming a good friend to him. The Alter-Schloss had grown up with her, and they had been, apparently, very close friends. He was comfortable around her.
“And how are my favorite niece and nephew tonight?” she asked.
They brightened up as one of their favorite people paid attention to them. Schloss felt guilty that he was relying upon her to love the children. He didn't understand children and wasn't sure how to react around them, although Hans-Friedrich had seemed to enjoy the time he spent in the room while Rainer cleaned the glass off of him.
Renate was able to pick up the conversation and begin entertaining the children. Schloss focused on eating his supper. It was liable to be a long night. At eight o'clock Rainer stepped into the dining room. Schloss had finished eating and was talking to the children. He stood up.
“And now, children, I must go.”
After a chorus of good night poppas, he slipped into the foyer. Renate smiled sadly at him as he left.
“How is security?” he asked Rainer.
“I have increased it around the Deputy Fuhrer. The SS Captain was not happy with me. And there will be two cars accompanying you from now on.”
“I can stand to have the SS unhappy with me if it p
rotects our people. Any news on the people in the car that attacked us?”
“No, Herr Partieleiter.”
“I must talk to Goering about maybe seconding an Army battalion to us for security. I don't think Colonel Meinhaus could arrange that without raising eyebrows.”
“Himmler will not like that,” Rainer said.
“What you are saying is that we would risk civil war, right?”
“There is always that potential. I have heard it said that Herr Himmler is not happy about keeping Hess in his position.”
“I am not happy about it either. But every alternative is worse right now.”
“I understand,” Rainer said.
“Keep developing your contacts in the SS, Karl. We are probably going to need them.”
Hearing the heavy footfalls behind him, Schloss turned.
“So you are going out tonight, anyway, Herr Schloss?”
“Yes, Frau Marsden, I am.”
“You should let Herr Hess take care of himself, tonight.”
“You should not talk to the partieleiter in such a fashion,” Rainer barked.
Schloss held up a hand, and Rainer subsided.
“Why is it so important that I stay home tonight?” he asked her.
She looked back and forth between the two men.
“Wait outside for me, Karl,” Schloss said.
She waited until the door clicked shut, and then spoke softly. “There are forces in motion tonight, Herr Schloss. You are expected at the rally. Himmler has arranged for your assassination.”
“How can you know this?” he asked.
She gazed at him for a few moments. “Your life has changed dramatically this summer.”
“Yes, yes. No one expected the Fuhrer's death.”
“And your wife?” she asked.
“And that too. What are you trying to say?”
“I am saying you should remain at home tonight. It is very dangerous.”
“It has been dangerous since I landed...” he caught himself. “Since I landed in this job. I am not going to succeed by hiding from every threat.”
She studied him carefully. “Yes, I suppose you are correct. Only be very careful, Herr Schloss.”
“I'm always careful.” And he turned and opened the door.
The rally was held at a downtown movie theater. Goebbels had carefully selected a group of party members to attend Hess's speech. The propaganda minister had arranged for the speech to be recorded on both movie film and audio records. This was Hess's first speech following Hitler's death, and Schloss wanted it to go well. Hess was a good speaker, but Schloss was concerned he might run off the rails at some point and start spouting nonsense.
In the place of the Opel a Mercedes waited at the curb. Two other cars accompanied them, although Schloss couldn't identify what kind they were. He climbed in the back seat, and Rainer followed him. A guard and a driver were in front.
“This car is supposed to armored,” Rainer said. “I know you didn't want something this showy, but it was all that was available on short notice.”
“Supposed to be armored?”
“It should stop small arms fire.”
“Should stop?”
Rainer gave him a helpless look and Schloss patted him on the shoulder. “I suppose I should not tease someone who is as dedicated to my survival as you.”
“Herr Partieleiter, all our hopes are with you.”
Schloss leaned back in his seat and faced the front. The old lady at the house was correct. There were forces in movement tonight, and he couldn't discern them. Rainer seemed to represent a group of people who had high expectations for him. Frau Marsden was an enigma. It seemed she knew much more than she ought. She carefully phrased her speech to encompass normal meanings. But it seemed she was talking about things that only Schloss knew about. He knew he was going to require a long conversation with her at some point and he was at a loss as to how to approach her. She still intimidated him.
The theater was full and heavily guarded. The SS guards glared at Schloss's security as he entered the building. They walked down a side aisle and up to the stage. He stepped behind the curtain and his guards followed. Hess was sitting in a chair reading the typewritten copy of his speech.
“Let me see that, please, Rudolph,” Schloss said.
“I do not have a lot of time before I give it,” he replied.
“Just let me look at it for a moment.”
Hess sighed and handed the papers to Schloss. Schloss began scanning the speech. He and Goebbels had spent an hour going over it, and he wanted to make sure Hess hadn't modified it. As he finished the first page he handed it back to Hess. He continued reading and passing the pages back to the Deputy Fuhrer. Finally, he handed the last page over.
“Make sure you give the speech exactly as it is written, Rudolph.”
Hess gave him a sly look. “Of course, Herr Partieleiter.”
Schloss suddenly grabbed Hess by the lapels and yanked him out of the chair. He slammed the other man against the wall. The pages of the speech scattered across the floor.
“Understand me, now, Herr Hess,” Schloss said, with his face two inches from Hess. “If you try to insert your own material into this speech you will be dead before the night is over.”
“Would you kill me too, Herr Partieleiter?”
“I probably would not have to. Do you understand why you are still alive right now?”
“What are you saying?” he asked, finally losing his composure.
“You are alive because you do not pose a threat to either me or Himmler. You are not the Deputy Fuhrer because everybody loves you, Rudolf.”
“I... I... I do not know what to say.”
“That is why you will read the speech exactly as it is written. Have I made myself clear?”
“I don't know why you are suddenly so belligerent, Herr Partieleiter...”
Schloss pulled his gun from under his coat and shoved it up under Hess's chin. “Have I made myself clear?”
“Yes! Yes. I will do as you have told me.”
Schloss released the hapless man, who stumbled over and collapsed into the chair.
“Rainer, make sure he has the speech lined up. If he gets the pages out of order, we will be well and truly screwed.”
Schloss slipped the gun back in its holster, then stalked over to the wall next to the curtains and leaned back, folding his arms. He tried to quietly take deep breaths to control his temper. He had never suffered fools gladly while in academia. Some people always brought out the worst in him, and Hess was a perfect example. He watched as Rainer picked up the scattered pages of the speech and carefully arranged them. Hess was white-faced and trembling.
Rainer stepped over to stand next to Schloss.
“I suppose you are going to tell me I shouldn't be so hard on Hess.”
“I would be very tempted to shoot him, myself,” Rainer murmured. “However your timing left something to be desired.”
“I just realized that,” Schloss said, “after I had lost my temper. It would not do us any good to have Herr Hess wet his pants in front of six hundred people.”
Rainer snorted. “They probably would not be surprised.”
Schloss smiled at his adjutant. “Friend Rudolf has been known to give a good speech in the past. Let us hope he comes through for us again tonight.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
July 2, 1941, 9 PM
Henpheg Auditorium, Berlin
The representatives of the Nazi party thought themselves the stars of the show that evening. Schloss stood backstage and endured forty-five minutes of their self-congratulatory introductions. Hess paced back and forth backstage mouthing the words of the speech. At least he was treating it seriously, Schloss thought.
At last the Deputy Fuhrer marched on stage to polite applause. Then the prepared speech came alive in his hands. Schloss stared at Rainer, who also looked surprised. The audience repeatedly interrupted the speech with cheers and applause.
Goebbels had arrived at the start of the festivities and he looked shocked.
The speech simply was not that good, Schloss thought. Oh, it was workmanlike. But Hess had the party members swinging from the chandeliers – figuratively speaking. On the one hand he was delighted to have things go well for a change. But he was concerned about what this would do to Hess’s ego.
Goebbels slipped over to where the other two men were standing. “What is Hess doing?” he hissed.
Schloss raised his hands, palms up. “I am as surprised as you, Herr Goebbels.”
“Hess was difficult before. He will be impossible now.”
Schloss nodded. “I cannot argue about that.”
Schloss caught a slight smirk on Rainer’s face. His adjutant clearly thought it was funny. But Goebbels and Schloss were concerned about how this changed the political equation. And that meant things were becoming even more dangerous. Schloss briefly forgot about the attempt on his life.
He thought about the potential effects of the speech and turned back to Goebbels. “This may not be a bad thing.”
“Surely you jest.”
“No, no. With Hitler gone, the people are not quite sure what to think of us.”
“Ja, that is so,” Goebbels replied.
“If we can unite the country around Hess we will achieve some stability, anyway.”
“But if he opens his mouth without a script we throw it all away again.”
Schloss thought about it. Out on the stage Hess had completed his speech and was apparently basking in the tumult. The people in the audience were now stamping their feet in cadence along with their clapping. Conversation was impossible at that point. He leaned over to where he could speak in Goebbels' ear.
“Let's talk about this tomorrow.”
Goebbels nodded emphatically. He didn't attempt further speech.
The two men watched from the side of the stage. When the applause started to die down, Hess raised his hands in benediction.
“Thank you! Thank you!” he called out. He then turned and marched off the stage to redoubled applause.
His eyes were glowing when he stepped close to Schloss and Goebbels. “That went well, I think.”
