The Chemist's Shop

by Richard Brumer

  “It’s true. They were! I don’t want to make an issue of it. You are in control, but companies such as Chase Bank and other financial institutions supported the Nazis. And Ford, old man Henry Ford, was the most notorious anti-Semite of all, along with your hero Charles Lindbergh. They were both awarded medals by the German government. Kodak was another company. They did not just make cameras and film. They made detonators and supplied the German military with them.”

  Michael was silent.

  Why wasn’t the world crying out against these obscene acts? It was an insane time. When Hitler came to power, those who challenged him were the first ones killed. They were the brave ones, the real heroes that we never knew, who now sleep quietly. Where were the voices?

  Damn! Where were the voices?

  Michael sat against his Chevy. Stern was a mess. His eyes bulged with red rivers of broken blood vessels, and he appeared drained. Michael pressed his lips together and stared at him. He had to get into Stern’s head, a head filled with anger and hatred. He had the blood of thousands of innocent human beings on his hands. But, here in Oneonta, he masqueraded as an average man, living a quiet life in a small town. No one would suspect his secrets. His violent crimes were well hidden. He fit in so well.

  If they only knew.

  Michael stared at Stern. He was slumped over. His chest heaved with every deep breath as Michael shook him.

  “Hans, it’s hard for me to believe that a once civilized culture such as Germany, the land of Goethe, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche, could commit these atrocities against human beings.”

  Stern shrugged.

  “Was Germany an enlightened society gone mad?”

  Stern spat out bitterly, “Don’t say that! You must—”

  “I must do what?” Michael said, digging his finger into the tip of Stern’s nose.

  Stern lowered his voice to a whisper. “It was not the way you think. Times were bad for Germany after The Great War. We were humiliated, forced to pay money, and we were only allowed to have one hundred thousand men in our army. When the Führer came to power, he overcame the chaos, created a strong economy, built roadways, reunited a crushed people, and, of course, rearmed the nation’s military to over six hundred thousand men to become the strongest force in the world. Even Hitler was surprised that the formation of his new powerful military was never challenged,” Stern said proudly. “Hitler laughed at Chamberlain after he signed a treaty with Britain stating that Germany would not be involved in any war and laughed again when he saw photos of Chamberlain waving the agreement in front of the British people, exclaiming that now we would have ‘Peace in our time.’”

  Michael shook his head. “Germany did get screwed after World War I. Hitler took advantage of that and hurt the German people even more. Using rhetoric, he made himself the spokesman of German longings and made them feel like victims and they bought it. Millions turned out in droves to cheer him as their savior. After the war ended in 1945, the Allies took a different course than they had taken after the First World War. America helped rebuild Germany and other European nations into thriving economies using the Marshall plan. Think of it, Hans. We won the war. Then we helped Germany get back on its feet. What would have happened if you won?”

  Stern jumped in. “If we won, all the nations of the world would have thriving economies, like we had in Germany. Dictatorships are the most efficient forms of government. Just think of how long it takes to get anything done in your country. It takes forever to get a bill passed in Congress. When Hitler saw the problem, he made a decision and it was done.”

  “Interesting, Hans. You see things in a different way. Well, it didn’t take the United States long to develop the atomic bomb. We saw the problem, made a decision, and it was done. Maybe we’re just smarter than you.”

  “We almost had an atom bomb. If we had it, we would have won. We could also have won if we didn’t invade Russia. It was over for us at Stalingrad. We couldn’t beat the Russians and the Allies at the same time, but I believe that if Hitler could have arranged for the Japanese to invade Russia, we might have had a chance. And England, we should have invaded them. They would have fallen easily, and then there would have been no D-Day.”

  “Those are a lot of what-ifs. The bottom line is that we won and you lost.”

  Stern took a deep breath, clenched his lips, and said nothing. There was silence for a few moments until he uttered a few words.

  “You know, the Third Reich’s policy on Jews was not all bad. There was an SS officer, Leopold Von Mildenstein, who supported the Zionist movement to send the Jews from Germany to Palestine. They would have their own country and freedom. They didn’t have to die and Germany would rid the country of Jews.”

  “Why?” Michael asked. “Because they were sub-human devils with horns?”

  “No!” Hans shouted. “We wanted them out because the Jews had beliefs that were different from German ideas, and because they believed differently, we thought it would be best if the Jews moved to Palestine and shared their common beliefs in their homeland.

  “I read a series of articles written by Mildenstein who praised Zionism, saying it would be a great benefit to Jews and the world.”

  “That’s bullshit. They were different from the Nazis all right. The Jews were smarter and found their own homeland after the war, Israel. They built a civilized nation out of the sand. Your understanding of history leaves a lot to be desired. Let’s talk about someone you really knew, Adolf Eichmann.”

  “Yes, I knew him, but not well, and I never spoke to him in Argentina, even though I knew where he lived,” Stern replied. “Most people do not know that, before the war, Eichmann was in Palestine with Mildenstein. They negotiated with the Hagana leaders to accept Jews from Germany into Palestine. It didn’t work out, but Eichmann was in favor of the Zionist movement.”

  “Yes, for all the wrong reasons. To get rid of Jews. Well, now the Jewish people have their own homeland, Israel, a country that has contributed so much to our civilization in medicine and technology. They have one of the best armies in the world to protect themselves from threats by neighboring countries. If the surrounding countries lay down their arms, there would be peace. If Israel laid down their arms, there would be no Israel.”

  Stern was silent.

  “Since we’re talking about Israel, Hans, what about the Eichmann trial? Did you follow it? I saw him on TV in the bullet-proof glass booth in Israel, chanting the ‘we were only following orders’ bullshit.”

  “I have watched him in that box in Israel, too, with great interest in 1961. He should never have been tried there because Israel wasn’t even a country when Eichmann was accused of crimes. It was an illegal trial.”

  Michael shook his head. “I don’t think that’s an issue. What he did was a crime against humanity. There was nothing that could be done to punish him for his crimes. All Israel could do was hang him.”

  “Michael, did you read what the famous writer and philosopher, Hannah Arendt, thought? And she was a Jew. She said Eichmann was incapable of thinking when he committed the acts he did and was not aware that the consequence of non-thinking was genocidal. Eichmann was not at fault for any killings. He was not in his right mind.”

  “That’s nonsense and a naïve claim. Pure bullshit. Eichmann knew what he was doing. You’re a good follower and you question nothing. You’re a sheep, Hans, a sheep. I read her book. She wanted to sell them and counted on sensationalism as a marketing ploy. She made the animal Eichmann into ‘Mr. Nice Guy’ who she said had no concept of what he was doing. She didn’t understand that the real Eichmann was a fanatical anti-Semite.”

  “Eichmann said that he had to obey the rules of war and his flag. That is what every soldier in the world does,” Stern said steadfastly.

  “Not if the rules of war relate to unjust and illegal orders!” Michael snapped.

  “We never questioned whether our orders were legal or illegal. Soldiers do not do that. We just followed them or we
would be killed,” Stern replied weakly. “Survival comes first.”

  “Tell me, Hans. Do you think that if I was ordered to shoot and kill a group of innocent men, women, and children, that I would do it?”

  Stern took a deep breath and looked down at his knees. He stroked his chin with his right hand as he pondered. “I have come to know you. I do not think you would do it.”

  “I wouldn’t. It would not only be illegal and a crime against humanity, but my personal sense of decency would stop me from even considering it. No amount of force, none, could ever make me do it. You have a family, Hans. What if someone killed them and claimed they were ordered to do it? What would you think?”

  “I wouldn’t think at all. I would track them down and kill them,” he said, lowering his eyes.

  “But that would be an illegal act.” Michael shrugged.

  “I would have to protect the honor of my family. Nazis know the meaning of integrity. Blut und Ehre was inscribed on my boyhood knife. Blood and Honor,” Stern shouted.

  “Calm down. I would understand your need for vengeance.” Michael paused. “Trust me, I do. But your action would still be against the law.”

  “There are some things that are above the law,” Stern said, confidently.

  Michael couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  He has no idea I am going to kill him.

  “Like what? Give me an example,” Michael insisted.

  “It would be a just thing for me to kill the people who killed my family,” Stern said, opening and closing the fingers of his left hand, which were attached to the pipe behind him.

  “What if it was someone of authority who killed them to prove something to himself or was told to do it by a superior?”

  “Michael, there are some things that must be taken care of by a person in their own way. Under circumstances like that, it is the right of a human being to act in his own behalf. It is the right thing to do and is above and beyond the law. I know how you think, always following the law, doing what is right. I know you. That is very commendable, but irreversible acts of revenge ensure justice, which cannot be achieved in any other way. Besides, sometimes the courts are wrong and let the guilty get away. How would you feel if your family was killed and the person who did it was never punished?”

  “You make a good point. I’ll think about what you said.”

  “If you do, you will see the merit in what I say.”

  “So, do you still think the Nazi courts did the right thing by sending people to their deaths because of the anti-Semitic laws they had to follow?”

  “I cannot say this enough. What else could the judges do? What would you do? They just carried out the laws. They had no responsibility for creating them, and they would be killed if they didn’t. Why should judges be punished for following the laws of their country?”

  “So, you’re saying that the judges would be punished if they didn’t adhere to reprehensible laws? What kind of justice is that? Why have trials at all? In America, it took a long time for us to see that certain laws were unjust, especially acts against minorities, but we fixed many of them and are still working at it. I take it that you believe that the anti-Semitic laws relating to Jews in Nazi Germany were just?”

  “They were just because they were created by our Führer for several good reasons.”

  Michael scowled. “Like what?”

  “We know that Germans are an Aryan race. It was proven. We are descended from advanced conquerors and are considered the strongest race in the world, physically and mentally. All blonde hair and blue eyes.”

  “Your Führer didn’t quite fit that description. Your point?”

  “Nazi laws called for only one leader. He would hold all the power, not like the democracy you have here. Democracies may not work in some countries. Some monarchies do good things for the people. But as I said, dictatorships get things done and are the most efficient form of government. No wasting time voting on bills in Congress and having them go back and forth for years. The laws in Germany were created so that we would have a strong economy, but we realized that our wealth would be threatened by Jews and communists. Jewish Bolshevism saw Soviet Communism as a Jewish conspiracy, which had grown since World War I. We did, too, and couldn’t allow it.”

  “So, your dark-haired, brown eyed Führer had the Jews killed!”

  Stern held off a moment. “Michael, since we met, I felt you have suspected me of being a Nazi. You were right. Maybe you took this drastic action against me to prove something to yourself or maybe to learn how a Nazi thinks. I am not sure, but I answered all your questions. I have told you the truth, and you agreed to let me go. You promised you would if I were truthful and I know you are a man of your word. You could have asked me these questions during one of our chess games, and I would have told you who I was. You didn’t have to humiliate me like this. Will you please let me go?”

  “I will, I promise you, but not quite yet. We need a little more time together.”

  “All right. When you release me, would you please allow me to shower in your house?” Stern begged.

  “Yes, of course, after a few more questions. But first, let me ask if you have any questions for me.”

  “Questions, no, but I do have a concern. You said you allowed me to win at chess, and that I am an amateur. I have beaten most of the prisoners at Auschwitz. How could that be?”

  “Ah yes, chess. Maybe it had something to do with your choice of opponents. They may have been fair players, maybe even amateurs like you, but they were already physically beaten, deprived of food and sleep, exhausted and in pain. Even I might have lost to you under those circumstances.” Michael paused. “But I doubt it. Or maybe they, too, let you win for their own reasons.”

  Stern nodded. “I don’t understand any of this. I thought we were friends. We were always so nice to each other. You played well. I thought we were a good match.”

  “You played poorly. You were no match for me. I let you win,” Michael said, stabbing his finger at him.

  Stern shook his head, “Okay, forget chess for a moment. I am trying to understand this. Did Hilda ever say anything about me?”

  Michael took a deep breath and imagined Stern searching for answers to his dilemma, answers he would never find, just as the Jews could never comprehend that the unthinkable was happening to them.

  Michael observed Stern tightening his lips and looking downward. His pants were soaked with urine, his shirt disheveled and wet with sweat, as he sat in his soiled underwear. His face was old and worn, a sharp contrast to the elegant, young SS officer dressed in his clean, pressed uniform and shined boots that Michael remembered at Auschwitz.

  “I think about death too much, Michael,” Stern said in a weak voice. “I do not know why. I don’t want to die and I know it is not your intention to kill me.”

  “I didn’t want to die either, Hans, but I died a long time ago, while you’ve lived.”

  Michael knew there were only a few moves left in this endgame. Things had to come to an end soon. He returned to the house, leaving Stern sweating under the glaring lights, and listened to Swan Lake again. Then he went to bed and fell into a deep sleep.

  Chapter 17

  It was a cool, sunny August morning. Michael showered, dressed in a short-sleeved shirt, and opened all the windows of the house to air it out before he went to the garage.

  Stern’s face was drawn and wrinkled. His eyes blinked rapidly and his hand trembled when Michael handed him a glass of water to take with his heart medication.

  Stern looked up at him.

  “I’m exhausted and can’t last much longer like this. How can you allow me to be this way? It’s inhuman. It humiliates me. I’m not an animal. It is time you let me go. I have told you everything you wanted to know.”

  When Michael didn’t answer, Stern cried out, “Kill me, damn it, but until I know what this is all about, I’m not saying anymore.”

  Michael pressed his lips together. He looked at
Stern and knew he had to begin the end game.

  “Michael, do you have a different name? I think you do,” Stern said weakly.

  “My name is A11328. Take a look.” He pushed his arm in front of Stern’s eyes.

  Stern stared at Michael’s left forearm, wide eyed, then turned away and looked down at his knees. His free hand began to shake and he bit his lips. Stern took a deep breath and appeared to be faking composure.

  Michael saw fear in his eyes as Stern looked up and spoke in a low voice. “I see you have been to Europe.”

  “I was born there and my name was Miklos.”

  “So, you are Hungarian?”

  “Yes, I was born in a small town not far from Budapest.”

  “But you told me you were born here, raised by your European grandparents, and were in the army.”

  “I lied.”

  Stern bit his lips, looked down, and squinted at Michael’s forearm again. He looked away and said nothing.

  Michael sat against his car. He folded his arms in front of himself, breathing deeply. Then he got up and shoved his tattooed arm in front of Stern’s eyes.

  “Take a good look, Hans!”

  Stern turned away. “I understand everything now. You have been to a concentration camp and when we met in the pharmacy, you suspected I was German because of my accent. You grew up in Europe, and it was easy for you to know I was German. It would not be that easy for an American who was born here.” Stern shook his head. “I should have known. Now I understand how you felt. Some things trigger memories. You surmised I might have been a Nazi. You were angry and now you know what you guessed was true.

  “But to do what you are doing now is extreme. I admitted I was a Nazi and told you the truth. I hope you are satisfied with my answers. So, now the game is over. My king is lying on its side. You have won and you have what you want. When it is the right time and you let me go, I will understand that we will no longer be friends.”

  “This is the right time. I told you my name was Miklos.”

  “Yes, Miklos Ross, I assume.”