Chapter Four
"Do you know who I am?"
"Yes, sir, your friend indentified you. You are Erik von Straus, youngest son of Baron von Straus, bank robber, and shooter of unarmed bank tellers."
The inspector turned to Wilhelm and spoke as he roughly guided Erik to the front door.
"Thank you sir, sorry for the intrusion."
Erik could not believe what was happening to him. As they approached the front the butler opened the door and bid the inspector good day. The inspector roughly pulled Erik down the steps to a horse-drawn police wagon. Another officer was standing by the back holding the door open. The inspector roughly tossed Erik in the back and the other officer slammed the door shut.
Erik fell on his face and chest. He struggled to his knees just as the wagon started forward with a jolt, dropping him on his face again. He struggled back to his knees and then onto the narrow bench that ran down the side of the wagon. He sat on the bench, hunched over so his head would not bump the roof. Erik began to go over the past couple of days in his head.
He was kidnapped and beaten up, disowned by his family, almost robbed at knife point, all of his money taken and his accounts closed, and wrongly arrested for robbing a bank. If that was not bad enough, it was his own friend who turned him over to the police! This was all a bad nightmare. That was the only plausible explanation. It had to be. Tomorrow he would wake up in his own bed and tell his mother about the horrible dream he had.
The wagon stopped with a jolt. Erik was just struggling to his knees when the door opened and the second police officer grabbed him by his ankle and yanked him out of the wagon. He fell on the ground, only to be grabbed by his arm and roughly yanked to his feet.
"This way Herr Straus," said the inspector.
They entered the police station where Erik was chained to a bench. The inspector began processing paperwork on Erik's arrest and incarceration. When he was finished he walked around a big wooden desk to Erik. He unchained him from the bench and took him down a long hallway of jail cells. The inmates of the other cells whistled and yelled catcalls at Erik as he was led past them. The inspector pushed Erik into an empty cell, spun him around, and took the handcuffs off. Then he pushed Erik back into the cell where he fell on his back. The inspector slammed the door shut and clasped the bars in both hands.
"Don't think you are getting special treatment, because you are not. If I put you in with those other animals you will never make it to trial, that's all, and nothing more. You young kids with the silver spoons in your mouths think everyone owes you. We owe you time in prison for what you did, or a rope around your neck if that bank teller dies."
Then the inspector was gone. He sat up on the floor, pulled his knees up and sat with his head on his knees. He felt like crying, but he could not do that in front of the scum in the cells around him. They were still calling out to him. They would not shut up and leave him alone. There were no windows in his cell. There were bars on one side of his cell and the other sides were grimy bricks. The only light came from a kerosene lantern hanging from the ceiling of the hallway.
Erik had no friends, no family, and no money. He had no idea what he was going to do. His life was over and he was not even twenty-three years old yet. He kept trying to think of some way to defend himself against the charges. But, the only way he could defend himself was with the testimony of the people at the bank. They already said he robbed the bank, so he would have to get them to change their testimony or go to prison. He could not even bribe them, he had no money. With the right lawyer he could get out, but again, he had no money.
While Erik was trying desperately to find some way of getting himself out of the fix he was in Wilhelm was with the inspector. The two men were in the inspector's cramped office. The office was small, one table that served as a desk, two chairs a trash can, paperwork everywhere, and one dirty window. Wilhelm stood, reached across the table and took back the business card he had given the inspector earlier. Emblazoned across the top of the card was a doubled-headed eagle. The only other thing on the card were Wilhelm's full name and an address and office room number at a government office building with a phone number.
The inspector rose and the two men began to walk to the door that led to the cells.
"You are absolutely sure, sir?"
"Yes, Inspector, even as we speak everything is being handled in the prosecutor's office. This is of the utmost importance to His Majesty the Kaiser. As such I must ask you to speak not a word of it to anyone. Later today a man similar to young Herr Straus will be transferred here and you shall hold him for the robbery. You will list Herr Straus's imprisonment as a case of mistaken identity."
"And the bank teller? We will not be able to keep that a secret."
"I will handle it. You have nothing to fear, my good man."
At that Wilhelm reached his hand out to shake hands with the inspector. When he pulled his hand back there was a roll of bills in the inspector's hand, which he quickly put into his pocket. The inspector opened the door and the two men walked down the hallway leading to Erik's cell.
"It is always an honor and pleasure to be of service to the Kaiser."
"The Kaiser appreciates that, and your secrecy in this whole matter as well."
The two men stopped in front of Erik's cell. Erik was sitting against the wall on the floor, knees up head down on his knees.
"On your feet. You have a visitor, Straus," the inspector yelled.
Erik stood up and saw Wilhelm. He said nothing. He had no idea what Wilhelm wanted, but Wilhelm was the reason he was in this cell. He did not know what he wanted but he was sure it was not good. He stepped back and placed his back against the wall, watching Wilhelm enter his cell. The inspector shut the door behind him.
"I will be back in five minutes, sir, and you behave yourself Straus. We know how to handle inmates who misbehave."
With that the inspector was gone. Wilhelm walked over to the bed. He could see why Straus chose the dirty floor to sit on. The bed was worse, but Wilhelm sat down anyway.
"I am afraid I have some bad news, my friend. The bank teller died."
Erik just stood in shocked disbelief. Now he would be on trial for his very life.
"They are going to hang me and you put the noose around my neck!"
"I understand why you think that. But you need to listen to me. I can take care of all of this and you can walk out of here with me – a free man."
"What's the catch?"
Erik was catching on quick, the money his father spent on his education was not totally wasted.
"The British are starting problems again. Your government, your Kaiser, is in need of someone who can move around in affluent circles without causing suspicion, but who will not be taken seriously by the British, or anyone else for that matter."
"You want a playboy to spy for the Kaiser. Is that it?"
"Well – that is not exactly the way I would put it, but something along those lines. The choice is yours."
Erik looked down at Wilhelm for a moment before he replied, he liked the idea. His government was going to pay him to be exactly what his parents detested.
"It's nice to be needed."
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About Joe C Combs 2nd
Joe started life in a small town in Florida, not far from St Augustine. He has many interests in life: music (was in the Florida All Star Marching Band), art, scuba diver, world traveler, woodcarving, reading, history, chess, and writing. He has worked many jobs, from field hand to field service engineer. Along the way spent almost nine years as a submarine sailor, but his favorite hat to wear is that of father to his daughter Elizabeth. He currently lives in Wichita, Kansas (subject to change).
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FORWARD
History is something that really is quite simple. A simple thing we manage to complicate way out of proportions. History is simply a record of what happened, that's all. History has no agenda and takes no sides. The evidence is there for all to se
e. The problem is when people have opinions about happened and why, and THEN look at the evidence. To really understand what happened and why, you need to go forth with an open mind, collect the evidence, all of the evidence, and then analyze the data and see where it leads you. History is also written by the victor and influences historical fiction.
Most historical spy stories are told from the view of the hero being on the winning side. But that is only half the story. Often my stories are the stories I would like to read, and so it is with The Judas Effect series.
A young Victorian German aristocrat, Erik, the black sheep of the family, is disowned by his family. Erik finds himself broke, without family, and with few friends. Lost and looking for a place to belong (and an income), Erik finds himself in the service of the Kaiser. At a time of colonial wars with "The War to End All Wars" looming in the future, Erik becomes a spy at a very dangerous time in his country's history. What will become of this young playboy? Will he live long enough to see his thirtieth birthday? Will he spend most of his life rotting in a jail cell on espionage charges? Or, will he be brave enough and lucky enough to survive and die an old man in obscurity? Only time will tell.
Thank you,
Joe
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Other Books & Short Stories By Joe
A Grandfather's Legacy
The Christmas Angel
I am A Submariner
The Art Teacher
Titanic, A Search For Answers
On Going Series By Joe
The Cartaphilus Saga
The Judas Effect
COMING SOON
The Judas Effect: book #1 Son of a Baron December 2015
The Judas Effect: book #2 Ship Bound January 2016
The Judas Effect: book#3 Shipwrecked February 2016
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