“He would face the guillotine. An innocent man. Could you live with that?”
“No.”
“This is Zugzwang,” said Saxon, gloomily.
“Zugzwang, Boss?”
“It’s a chess term. It means we are obliged to move, but whatever move we make will lose us the game.
#
Saxon shivered as he entered SS headquarters clutching a briefcase. Entry to the building was through a courtyard at the rear of Schellingstrasse 50. Up until 1931 this had been the Nazi Party’s national headquarters, and all the signs were there – the eagle over the lintel, the shrine in the vestibule where the bloodflag used to hang, and swastikas everywhere you looked.
He was made to wait the customary 20 minutes before being shown into the office of SS-Standartenführer Karl Kratschik.
“Take a seat, Kommissar.” It was an order, not an invitation.
The office was spacious enough to accommodate a small table and four chairs. Saxon took one of those.
Kratschik joined him at the table. “Why has Bart Freudl not been charged?” said the SS man as he settled his behind into a chair.
“I believe Herr Freudl is innocent, Herr Standartenführer. We now have compelling evidence against another man.” Saxon opened his briefcase, took out the school photograph and placed it on the table in front of the SS man. “This individual, here. He calls himself ‘Heinrich’.”
Kratschik took one look at the face in the picture and blanched.
Saxon continued, “We have yet to identify the young man, but anyone present at the school when this photograph was taken should be able to name him.”
Kratschik picked up the photograph and took it to his desk. “Join me here.” An invitation, not an order this time. Saxon took the chair facing the desk.
Kratschik opened a silver cigarette box and offered it to Saxon. “What evidence do you have against this man?”
Saxon took a cigarette, but the lighter was out of reach on Kratschik’s desk.
“He was Maria Kazinski’s last customer on the night she was killed, and he has a reputation for violence. It shouldn’t be difficult to break him down once we have him under lock and key.”
“You can connect him to the other two victims?”
“The teacher, Frau Limburg, is there in the photograph.”
“Ah, but can you link him to the third victim?”
“As I said, Herr Standartenführer, once we have him under interrogation…”
“What of the blood-stained clothing you found? That clearly linked the schoolmaster to the three killings.”
“That evidence was false. The killer broke in to Herr Freudl’s home and placed it there.”
Kratschik sat forward in his chair and put his hands together, his fingertips to his lips.
“You are married, Kommissar?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Children?”
“Just one child, a boy, three weeks old.”
“I have one son. He leaves today to join the Reichswehr, his grandfather’s regiment, based in the north.”
“Congratulations, sir.”
Kratschik stood. He slid the school photograph into a desk drawer. “You have done a remarkable job, Saxon, and I thank you. But you need do nothing more. Send me the entire file. The Schutzstaffel will take over the investigation from here.”
Saxon placed his unlit cigarette in his breast pocket. He closed the clasp on his briefcase and got to his feet. “I have never abandoned an investigation before completing it, Herr Standartenführer.”
“You wife’s name is Ruth?”
An icy finger touched the back of Saxon’s neck.
“Yes, sir.”
“Isn’t that a Jewish name?”
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JJ Toner is a full time writer. He lives in Ireland. Look for his Black Orchestra series of WW2 spy stories.
His official website: https://www.JJToner.net/
To subscribe to JJ’s newsletter click here
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends