by Ward Wagher
“When he was at my office, there was no question in my mind I was dealing with Herr Schloss. There was no disguise. It was Heinrich Schloss. But, when I looked in his mouth and saw that broken tooth, the one I removed before, I was shocked. I tell you, Herr Admiral, I have given it a lot of thought.”
“Because his tooth grew back?” Canaris tilted his head and displayed a slight smirk.
“It was the same mouth. The other teeth were the same. The records prove that. Not only was that broken tooth back in place again, but there was evidence of other dental work that I did not do.”
“So, he had gone to another dentist in the meanwhile,” Canaris said.
“He said that he didn’t. If he were trying to present a charade, I think he would have excused the changes as a visit to a different dentist.” Kranz stared down at the area rug in the center of the room. “And you know how sometimes people behave funny when we put them to sleep for a procedure? When Herr Schloss woke up, he asked if Trudy was going to drive him home.”
“Who is Trudy?” Blakesee asked.
“Precisely. As far as I have been able to determine, there is no one close to him named Trudy. And I overheard him comment to Herr Rainer something about getting back to teaching. And he asked me if I had his insurance card. Whatever that is. I tell you, Herr Admiral, it is not the same man.”
“I would not dispute you on that, Herr Doctor Kranz,” Canaris said. “But to say he’s from another planet? Who is going to believe that? Even if it were true.”
“I have to admit,” Brandt commented, “that I have been in close proximity to Herr Schloss for several years. If he were replaced with an impostor, it would have had to be his twin. His lapses, however, were what raised questions in my mind.”
“When did these lapses begin?” Canaris asked.
“It seemed to be right after the Führer was killed.”
“And after his wife died,” Canaris added. “That kind of stress would give any man pause.” He raised a hand to stop Brandt from replying. “I’m not saying I disbelieve you, Herr Doctor Brandt. I simply make the point that Schloss, or his impostor, could legitimately claim the stress from the events in his life. And what you are saying would tend to disprove our entire assumption.”
“I know that,” Brandt replied. “As ridiculous as it is on the face of it, Kranz’s theory makes more sense than anything else I have heard tonight.”
“I have made a careful check of Schloss's family from neighbors and people who knew them,” Canaris said. “The parents are both dead. It is just Herr Schloss and his sister. There were no twins. And if he were an impostor, his sister would have to be in on the plot.”
“That would be reasonable,” Morell said. “She obviously knows him best.”
“Then there was Willi Messerschmitt,” Brandt added. “They have been friends for years. When Willi was introduced to him at Tempelhof, Schloss acted as those he was meeting him for the first time. Willi was shocked.”
“I knew about that,” Canaris nodded. “That was one of the things that convinced me to investigate further.”
“So, you are convinced we are dealing with an impostor, then?” Kranz asked.
“I’m here, aren’t I?” Canaris responded with his trademark smirk.
“You are here because you spouted off in the government council meeting,” Brandt said. “Schloss fired you.”
“I lost my temper. The man’s sense of self-importance and moral rectitude are stifling. I just got tired of him lecturing me. I refuse to make excuses. It was my fault, and it did not help the cause.”
It grew quiet in the room. Blakesee shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
“Very well,” Canaris continued. “We are going to have to make this as ironclad as possible. Schloss always worried about the old-guard Nazis starting a civil war, and I think legitimately, too. We would run the same risk in removing Schloss.”
“Right,” Blakesee replied. “Then let’s settle ourselves down to do some serious planning. I may need to convince Herr Goering we are trying to save the Fatherland.”
§ § §
August 24, 1942; 7 AM
Reich Chancellor’s Apartments
Reich Chancellery
Berlin, Germany
“Are you going to meet with Herr Churchill, Darling?” Gisela asked as she sat across the table from Schloss.
The children had already finished their breakfast and were in the other room. Schloss savored his morning coffee and speared another piece of sausage.
“Yes, absolutely,” Schloss replied.
“I do not trust him.”
“He has not shown himself worthy of trust. We must always remember that he is the most cunning foe we face. However, he faces challenges at home. He has lost a lot of his popularity, and his position within the party is becoming precarious. He is dangerous, although, he has not a lot of maneuvering room. His control of the military means he can initiate actions without the knowledge of the rest of the government, and that also concerns me.”
“What could he do?” she asked.
“I don’t know. But I would not underestimate him.” Schloss stopped to take a bite of his eggs. “What I want to do is to conclude some kind of agreement in a very public fashion. The English press has been critical of Churchill of late. I believe they will put a lot of pressure on him to honor an agreement.”
“And so, you will be going to Lisbon again?”
He shrugged. “We have not decided, but that is probably where it will be held. It is the closest thing to truly neutral territory I can think of, except maybe for Switzerland. And the Swiss have made it clear that they do not care to host a major diplomatic conference. And nobody seems to want to go to Sweden to meet.”
“Do you want me to attend with you?” she asked.
“Much as I would like you with me on that trip, Schatzi, I think I might be more effective if I limit the entourage. I can take either Karl or Peter.”
“When are you going to name Peter foreign minister?”
“If I can dig myself out of last week’s disaster, I plan to do so this week,” Schloss said.
“Renate is excited about Peter taking that position. She thinks he would make a very good foreign minister.”
“I think he would, too,” Schloss replied. “In fact, he is already the foreign minister in all but name.”
“What does Von Ribbentrop think about that?” she asked.
“I sounded him out privately about moving his portfolio to Commerce. He readily agreed. He is very good at putting business deals together.”
“As long as they do not fall apart.”
He laughed. “I do not fault him for what happened in Iraq. He put together a very good deal there. It would have greatly benefited both the Iraqis and us. Unfortunately, there were those with other ideas.”
“What are you going to do about the Iraqis?”
He had picked up the coffee cup and set it down again. “I asked Karl to see if he could influence things from behind the scenes. I do not like leaving the king hanging like that. He seems like a decent fellow. But, there was little we could do without marching an army in there, and you know why we don’t want to do that.”
“Do you think Peter will be able to influence things diplomatically?”
“He’s certainly going to try. Renate may regret her enthusiasm for his new job.”
“What is that, my Darling?” she asked.
Schloss flicked his eyebrows. “Peter will likely be doing a lot of traveling.”
She squirmed in her chair uncomfortably. He noticed it.
“Is something the matter, Schatzi?”
She chewed on the tip of her index finger as she looked at him through lowered eyelids. He once again thought she was absolutely devastating.
“I’m not sure if I should be telling you this, but Renate thinks she is pregnant.”
He rolled his tongue around in his cheek as he considered what she had just said.
“I
think that is good news, my Dear. Peter has mentioned to me on several occasions that he wanted a family. Now that things are relatively stable, it is probably a good idea.”
“You do not think it is too dangerous?”
“What is too dangerous? We have a chance of getting this war stopped with the English. So, I think the bombs have stopped raining out of the sky over Berlin.”
“But people tried to kill us. They could go after Peter and Renate as well,” she argued.
“True. There will always be some nut out there with a gun. I worry about you and the children. But, we are very careful and the security is well trained. We cannot surrender to our fears. Things happened. You remember that poor woman and her children who were run down in the street last month. The driver of the truck got distracted and he never saw them. It was tragic, and she never expected something like that to happen.”
“There are still letters to the editor in the paper talking about that,” she said. “It was just so sad.”
“Exactly. I sent a letter to the father expressing our sorrow. We can give little comfort to someone who has lost a mate. But, I hope it helped.”
“And you are very kind, my Darling. And your wounds are still fresh, are they not?”
He shook his head sadly. And I am sad for that other Schloss who lost a wife, and then was thrust into a different world. What did he find there? Did he survive?
“It’s the human condition, I suppose. We have our griefs. And we have to just pick ourselves up and move on.”
“How did we get on this topic?” she asked.
“I was trying to illustrate the uncertainties of life, Gisela. I would find great joy in Renate and Peter having children. Hans and Anna-Lisa have brought great joy to me. As you have, also.”
She smiled at him and felt like he was falling into her eyes.
“You know,” he said, “I have never met anyone as lovely and desirable as you. And your inner beauty fairly makes you glow.”
She stood up and walked around to his side of the table. He started to push away from the table, and she slid into his lap. She placed her hands on the sides of his face and gazed at him. He thought it was very erotic. She leaned in and kissed him tenderly.
“Have you thought we might have children, Darling?” she asked.
“We have talked about it,” he replied. “But, I have a lot on my schedule this morning.”
“You could call Willem and tell him something has come up,” she replied.
“Yes, I believe it has,” he said with a smile.
She giggled and then leaned in to kiss him deeply. She stood, and pulled him to his feet. Taking his hand, she led him out of the room.
A few moments later, Frau Marsden entered the dining room. She walked over to the phone and dialed Willem Kirche. After telling him Herr Schloss would be delayed, she hummed a contented tune as she cleared the table, and then went to check on Hans-Friedrich and Anna-Lisa
CHAPTER THIRTY
August 24, 1942; 10 AM
Government Council Chamber
Reich Chancellery
Berlin, Germany
Schloss hoped this would be a routine meeting of the governing council. He was making changes to the composition of the government and wanted things to go smoothly. He and the group working with him had made minimal changes over the past year, and this contributed to stability. However, he was aware that, other than bringing the SS to heel, little had changed in the government. It was still a Nazi government and still abused the people.
“First item on the agenda, Willem,” he instructed the secretary.
“The meeting with Churchill, Herr Reich Chancellor.”
“Ah, yes,” Schloss said as he rubbed his hands together. “It seems Herr Churchill is finally considering his best interests.”
There was a chuckle around the table. Everyone had hoped for an accommodation with the English, and this might be the beginning of such.
“Have we agreed upon a location?” Goering asked.
“The English Foreign Office suggested Lisbon again,” Ribbentrop said. “It seems our Portuguese friends enjoy being the hosts.”
“That sounds good to me,” Peter said. “But, not the same hotel, please.”
There was general laughter, now.
“That was a bit of a dump, wasn’t it?” Schloss commented. “I wasn’t impressed either.”
“Please insist on someplace else,” Peter said.
“As I recall, the Americans selected that hotel,” Rainer said.
“They did,” Schloss agreed. “Truman had something to say about it. He told me that an anglophile in the American Embassy in Lisbon had purposely found the worst hotel in the downtown for our meeting.”
“I would have liked to have seen his meeting with that embassy person afterward,” Goering chuckled.
“Truman can be very direct,” Schloss said. “I suspect the meeting was short and terrifying for someone.”
“Is Truman coming to this meeting?” Goering asked. “It seems he might have some influence over the English.”
“Actually, I have invited President Wallace,” Schloss said with a smile.
He watched the reaction of those in the room. Everyone was surprised, except for Ribbentrop and Schreiber. He had discussed this with them Sunday evening after Churchill’s announcement.
“That is a great idea, Herr Reich Chancellor,” Goering stated. “Perhaps he will be able to convince Churchill to see reason.”
“Do we know when the meeting will be held?” Gehlen asked.
“I am going to propose a cease-fire until the meeting,” Schloss said. “It will be a good way to stop us from shooting at each other until we can get things settled.”
“It will also put the English on the spot,” Rainer chuckled. “They would be hard put to back away from this after they have proposed it.”
“May I assume that no one here has objections to my attending this meeting?”
No one did. Schloss looked down at his copy of the agenda and wondered if the next item would fare as well. He looked over at Kirche.
“Very well, Willem. Next item, please?”
“Yes, Herr Reich Chancellor. We will discuss your proposed changes to the structure of the government.”
“What are you talking about?” Goering immediately asked.
“It is simply this,” Schloss replied. “I am going to ask Joachim to create a new office for international commerce. Germany badly needs to develop trading partners to help our economy to stay afloat. Herr Ribbentrop has a proven ability to put together financial deals. Very profitable deals.”
“Like Iraq?” Goering asked. “That didn’t go so well, did it, Joachim? What else are you expecting him to wreck for us, Herr Reich Chancellor?”
“Enough, Hermann,” Schloss said. “I want spirited debate in this room. I will not tolerate the personal insults.”
“I did not mean to insult Herr Ribbentrop,” Goering replied. “But, I am convinced he is incompetent. He managed to gain the confidence of the Führer, how, I do not know. Everything he has touched is verbockt. I do not know why you keep him around.”
“That’s honest enough, I guess,” Schloss said dryly. “Does anyone else have something to add?”
The room grew quiet as everyone looked around the table. Ribbentrop cleared his throat, and everyone looked at him.
“I will freely admit my failings as a diplomat. My recent successes are more because Peter and the Reich Chancellor have coached me.”
“What successes are those?” Goering yelled. “Mein Gott, you haven’t done anything right in the past two years.”
“I might state for the record that Herr Ribbentrop’s work in Iraq was to my complete satisfaction,” Schloss commented. “The change of government there was completely out of his and my control.”
“I wasn’t blaming you, Herr Reich Chancellor,” Goering said. “You have always said we should look at the results, not the effort. I do not dispute that Her
r Ribbentrop works hard.”
“True, as far as it goes. I have had Joachim engaged in several business and trade opportunities recently. Even discounting the Iraq situation, he has been successful. He has even concluded a major purchase of petroleum products from the United States.”
“I suppose you are going to do what you are going to do,” Goering grumped. “I won’t try to stop you.”
“Thank you, Hermann,” Schloss said warmly. The old swine is not giving in gracefully, but at least he is not fighting me on this.
“Does this not conflict with some of the duties of Herr Frick?” Gehlen asked.
Wilhelm Frick was an early supporter of Hitler and had even participated in the Munich Beer Hall Putsch in 1923. Hitler had placed him in the government where he had continually schemed against Himmler and Goering. He was technically Minister of Economics and Trade, although he was rarely seen in the Reich Chancellery.
In Schloss’s other world, he had been convicted and sentenced to death for war crimes by the Nuremberg Tribunals and hanged. As far as Schloss had been able to determine, he was much a criminal in this world as the other. While the Reich Chancellor had taken no action against him here, neither did he work with the man.
“Frick will report to Ribbentrop,” Schloss said. “Joachim will have to work out the details.”
Once action was decided upon in the council, a tradition had developed where the attendees of the meetings around the table would nod indicating their agreement. Everyone nodded.
“Next item, then,” Schloss stated.
“The new Foreign Minister,” Kirche replied.
“Right. I am planning to appoint Peter Schreiber to be the new Foreign Minister.”
“That’s sensible,” Goering immediately said. “He’s been running foreign policy for the past year, anyway.”
Ribbentrop blushed but said nothing.
“I believe that will be a good appointment,” Gehlen said. “Peter seems to do well at anything you assign him.”
“Don’t get a big head, Peter,” Schloss murmured to his left after glancing at his brother-in-law.
“With you around, Herr Reich Chancellor, that should not be a problem,” Peter riposted.