A Time To Every Purpose

by Ian Andrew

  “Basically, yes.”

  “So what did she try and put into the Window, another sandwich?” Heinrich smiled at her.

  “Not quite.” Leigh turned to look at him. “She lay under the formation of the Time Window and then stood up inside the circle.”

  “Oh!” Heinrich said it as flat as he felt for having tried to be funny. “I’m sorry Leigh, I didn’t mean to… I… Was she crazy?”

  “It’s okay Heinrich, and no not crazy, just a bit misguided in her thinking and too young to discuss it properly. So she decided to experiment. Her name was Kristen Zielang, she was twenty-two and we didn’t find enough of her to bury.”

  “The report in the file you gave me said there were deaths. How many?”

  “Six. Kristen, a couple of young soldiers on the security detachment and three cleaners working the night shift.”

  “Seriously? I never even heard about it before today.”

  “No, not many did. It was well and truly hushed up. The investigation was done by the Central Intelligence Office in Berlin. They sent a team over to Toronto. But because someone leaked some stuff to the local press things got quite rough. The Propaganda Ministry handled it and it was eventually spun as a fire in the institute. However, it wasn’t just the deaths. The whole lab was wrecked and half the administration wing with it. It was a big explosion. So we were packed up and shipped out here. Underground, secure and given a budget to get it up and running again.”

  “Why London? Why not Berlin?”

  “They wanted us out of the limelight and literally buried underground. Todt was already here and any similar sites in Berlin couldn’t fit us in. They did seriously consider building a new underground lab complex east of Berlin but it would have taken too long and regardless of PR people tend to notice a six or seven storey hole being dug in their backyard.”

  “I assume moving and getting it all set up again wasn’t that easy?” Heinrich asked.

  “We were back up and authorised as an official project by the October of 2016 but it was nearly two years before we saw any progress. The first task was to rebuild all the equipment and reconstitute the labs. That alone took months. But having done all that we couldn’t get it to work. So we spent a long time checking we had built everything properly and we were doing everything properly and it still didn’t work.”

  She finished her cigarette and put it in the ashtray. She looked at him as she fished another out of the pack. “I don’t chain smoke just before you go on that moral horse again. I fit two in at lunch time and that’s it for the working day.” She poked her tongue out like a child.

  Heinrich merely held his hands up in mock surrender. She smiled at him and lit the cigarette before continuing.

  “In the April of 2018 Franci flew home to see her family in Quebec. It was a family get together weekend and one of her cousin’s little boys was having his tenth birthday. On the afternoon of his party she rang us to say she knew what the problem was.” Leigh paused.

  Heinrich felt like he had got to the last scene in a ‘whodunit’ film. “Well?”

  “Aw come on Heinrich, you’re a tip-top investigator, you tell me?” Leigh teased him.

  “Stop it Leigh, I can barely follow your explanation of how a laser works. Put me out of my misery. “ Heinrich smiled at her and they held each other’s gaze for a fraction longer than they should have. Leigh looked down and spoke again.

  “The kid had been given one of those little horseshoe magnets as a birthday gift. As Franci watched him play with it she realised what our problem was. The location of Toronto in relation to the Magnetic North Pole when compared to the location of London. So we ran a few small scale experiments and it bore up. It eventually took us to the September to properly engineer a false magnetic environment that would replicate the field strengths and displacements, but we did it,” Leigh said it proudly because she really was. She counted the reconstitution of the working portal as one of the defining moments in her career.

  Heinrich looked at her and saw the immense satisfaction that her work gave her. He also saw something else; a resilience and a determination that would never give up. He thought that this woman probably didn’t see setbacks and tragedy as anything but challenges. And in that moment, as the scent of the freshly mown lawns competed with the smoke from her cigarette and the spring sunshine gently warmed him he finally understood why the Wilson family had truly believed they could bring the regime down from the inside.

  She finished her smoke and they began to walk back to the main doors of the complex. Quietly Heinrich asked, “I assume you included the Standard Operating paragraph so I could see why it isn’t that simple just to run the equipment?”

  She nodded, “There’s no chance to run an unscheduled event without all manner of alarms going off. To start an observation the system needs override keys to deactivate the security protocols and has a series of monitoring logs that must be initiated. That’s how serious Berlin were about not having a repeat of Toronto.”

  “Who holds the keys?”

  “I have one, and Konrad has one. Either of those can be used separately to arm the system and carry out routine tests and maintenance but as you saw, they both have to operate in tandem to initiate a TOW.”

  “So to run the demo for me you had to get all that in place?”

  “Yeah. Konrad was a bit naughty in that he leant me his key but I still had to notify Berlin. When we started up that was who I rang. They gave me the numeric code I entered.”

  “Berlin?”

  “They initiate the system logs. Before the TOW is released they need to know who is running the activation, for what purpose and what time coordinates are being visited. The expected duration of the TOW and the actual time expired are also noted as is the financial authorisation and the investigation case number. They then monitor the time and location coordinates on their repeating display panels and will shut the TOW if the logged details do not correspond to what they are seeing on their screens. They don’t actually see the feed from the Window because it was figured that they wouldn’t have the necessary security clearances and the investigation materials will be need-to-know but, they see all the control mechanisms.”

  “Who are they?” Heinrich asked.

  “The Office of the Reichsführer’s J2 staff. They hold the Master key. Without their numeric code sequence we can’t use the system. The Duty Watch Officer has to have their shift up and running and monitoring the TOW. Like I said, they can’t see the output of the Projection but an alarm sounds if the time and coordinates don’t match with what was registered.”

  Heinrich shook his head. None of this had been in his handover briefing by Berlin and he was meant to be head of security. He paused and considered his next question.

  “So you won’t be going back to see your parents?”

  “No I won’t. I decided last night, well the early hours of this morning actually, that I’ll trust you. My promise to my father was there for my protection. I think you trusted my parents and they you. Going back, even if I could, will not help me.”

  He reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. Her heart leapt in her breast. She caught the scent of him and she turned to look into his eyes.

  “Would you like to go to dinner tonight?” he asked.

  As Leigh was about to answer she was interrupted by Heinrich’s ForeFone buzzing. Hers also began to ring.

  They accepted their incoming calls and turned away from each other.

  “Leigh Wilson.” She listened to the caller and her face lost the radiance that had been on it moments before.

  Her only response was, “Okay, I’ll be there,” before ending the call and turning back to face Heinrich. He looked like she felt.

  “Heinrich?”

  “That was my office. I have to call Gestapo Central Office in Whitehall on a secure line. You?”

  “That was Wolfgang. He was just asked by Whitehall to authorise an immediate activation of Thule. He’s called Konrad a
nd he needs to speak to you. He said Department A4 in Berlin had initiated the request. Who are they?”

  Heinrich sighed, “My dinner invitation might have to wait. A4 deal with assassinations. If they want to use Thule, then I think we just lost a high ranking member of the Party.”

  Part Two

  A Time to Seek

  and

  A Time to Love

  Chapter 22

  Konrad, Leigh and Wolfgang stood in the briefing room at the far end of the lab corridor. Heinrich was on one of the secure phones saying little but doing a lot of nodding with the occasional “Ja” or “Nein”. When he hung up he ran both of his hands through his hair and blew out audibly. Leigh wondered what he was about to tell them.

  “Please,” he motioned for them to sit. “Professor Faber, Gestapo Central Office in Whitehall has an authenticated message from 8-Prinz-Albrecht-Straße.” Heinrich didn’t need to tell them anymore than the street address in Berlin for them to know that this set of orders came from Reichsführer-SS Friedrichand himself.

  “We have a direct authority to use Thule to investigate the murder of Reichsminister Uwe Joyce, who was killed last night in the Savoy Hotel.” He didn’t pause but did note the shocked look on the three scientist’s faces. “Formally, as it is the first time the equipment is to be used on a live operation, I need to get you to sign off the authorisation and transfer control to the Project Director and Deputy Director.”

  Wolfgang nodded. Heinrich continued, “I’ll then need Professor Lippisch and Doctor Wilson to accept the delegated power of day-to-day operations for the project. Berlin want us to get all this sorted out as quickly as possible. They’ll take the paperwork straight to the Führer for his final authorisation. As soon as we have it you need to be in a position to start. Any questions?”

  There were none. Heinrich lifted the phone again and punched an internal extension number. He spoke rapidly and issued a set of precise orders before hanging up and turning to them again. “My lads will courier the papers down to you and look after their transmission. As soon as Whitehall get them we just need to await their nod. However, I’ll need to get briefed by the scene of crime team. As soon as I know where and when we need to be looking I’ll get back to you. In the meantime, if there is anything else that you or your team needs to do, then I’d suggest you do it.” He didn’t say it arrogantly or rudely, but there was no doubt who was now in charge.

  Leigh was fascinated by the man at the front of the briefing room. The same sensitive man that she had spoken to at length over the previous evening and much of the morning had been completely replaced by an authoritative, extremely efficient, confident professional. She had known he had to be all of those things given the rank he held but she also realised how much she had begun to think of him as just Heinrich rather than a SS investigator. This other Heinrich was in some ways even more attractive to her than the kind sensitive Heinrich. She instantly knew why this persona struck such a chord with her; he reminded her of her father. She stood up with Konrad and Wolfgang and the three followed Heinrich out of the room. He went on down the corridor to get transport for the trip into the Strand, where he would meet the Scene of Crime Officer. As he headed off Leigh shouted after him, “Heinrich, make sure you pick up a hand held GeoCord station, we’ll need the exact lat and longs and an elevation if it’s in a building.”

  By 15:30 Heinrich was back in the briefing room and the seated audience had swelled. It included Wolfgang and six of the Thule scientific team, Konrad, Leigh, Francine, Jerome, Wilhelm and Claire. They were joined by Sturmbannführer Dietmar Heysburgh the Project Thule Mission Liaison Officer from the British Governor-General’s Office, Kriminalrat Pascal Debouchy, assigned from Gestapo Central Office Whitehall, SS-Untersturmführer Peter Vogel, head of the Prisoner Holding and Interrogation Facility and seated at a small table off to the side of the front row of seats, a female stenographer. Whilst everyone had their allotted tasks to perform she was likely to be the busiest and yet the least visible due to her junior rank.

  Heinrich started by addressing her directly. “Hannah, I’d like you to stand up.”

  Nervously the young private soldier did as she was asked.

  “Everyone, this is SS-Sturmmann Hannah Tensfeld. You won’t have seen her around the labs before but she is someone who you will see a lot more of. Hannah is the official Gestapo stenographer for this use of Thule. Long after we are all gone to our new jobs and even longer after that, it is Hannah’s words and recordings that will stand testimony to what went on here today. Thank you Hannah.”

  The young lady, who had now turned a flushed red, retook her seat.

  Heinrich continued, “Her access is unlimited, her clearances as high as anyone in here. She is to receive the full cooperation of all members of this team. If she’s in a place that is awkward or inconvenient I would request that you politely point her to a more suitable location. But please be under no doubt, she is to be afforded every safe opportunity to be as close to you as possible. She will be using digital video, audio and standard stenography recording equipment and again I need you to allow her to do her job. I would also ask that you look out for her safety in what is an unusual environment for her. I have often seen before in situations like this that a junior soldier gets overlooked due to the rank they wear. I just want to make sure you all realise that Hannah’s authority in this matter outweighs her rank by a vast margin.”

  Leigh looked at the young soldier. She was dressed smartly in her Gestapo uniform as Leigh would have expected of a member of Heinrich’s team. A pleasant faced, young girl with her dark hair caught up in a bun. But Leigh was watching her expression. Hannah Tensfeld had a half-smile on her face and her eyes were wide. Leigh had seen the look on children watching cartoons, or puppets or magicians or anything that enthralled them. Leigh realised Hannah had no warning that Heinrich was going to say what he just had. She also realised that because he had started with her, he had made Hannah feel important as opposed to being the most junior in the room. Finally Leigh realised that she was watching a member of Heinrich’s team become totally loyal to him and his leadership style. Hannah Tensfeld would never forget this boss who had empowered her in front of this team of senior scientists and military Officers. Leigh looked back at Heinrich and understood why he had risen in the ranks so quickly. This man knew how to lead people and the personnel who formed his teams wanted to be led by him.

  Heinrich cleared his throat before starting his briefing. “At some time before 03:30 this morning a fire started in a hotel room in the Savoy Hotel on the Strand in central London. The occupant of the room was listed as Reichsminister Uwe Joyce who is the Justice Minister with Portfolio for all GB Custody Centres. This includes all rehabilitation facilities and Konzentrationslager.”

  Leigh noticed that Heinrich used the official German name for the concentration camps.

  “Initial response was handled by the London Fire Brigade and the intensity of the fire within a modern hotel room was an immediate cause for suspicion. No alarm had activated until the adjoining rooms had become smoke-filled and the in-room sprinkler system had failed to douse the fire effectively. Once the blaze had been controlled and extinguished by the responding fire tenders it was quickly discovered that the smoke alarm in the Minister’s room had been disabled and the in-room sprinkler system had been partially, but effectively, disrupted and a towel had been wedged into the door gap to prevent smoke exiting into the corridor.”

  Heinrich paused and looked over at Hannah, who had stopped typing almost as he had stopped speaking. Happy that the young soldier was keeping up with him, he continued, “A suspicious death investigation was initiated and the local Kriminalpolizei Office in Bow Street was assigned responsibility. Given the intensity of the fire and the fact it had burnt unnoticed for some time, it is unlikely that any useful DNA traces will be recovered. However, even though the Minister’s body was extremely degraded due to the fire, it didn’t take a lot of examining to assess
the likely cause of death. The attending coroner indicated that although he will have to wait for the autopsy, it is probable that the Minister died due to a gunshot to the head. A thorough search of the remains of the room revealed no items indicative of a weapon and at that point the investigation was reclassified as a Murder Inquiry.” He paused and looked around the room. Everyone was intently focussed on him.

  “Given the likelihood that the body was that of a Reichsminister all processing of ID was fast-tracked. A confirmed match of lower jaw teeth records resulted in a positive identification being established at 10:30 this morning. As soon as the ID was confirmed Gestapo Department A4 was informed and the Inquiry was reclassified as an Assassination of Reich Government Personnel. Initial investigations revealed no one had been seen in the company of the Minister since he left an official reception in Vauxhall Bridge yesterday at 16:30. He has stayed in the Savoy many times whilst in London on business and is reportedly a quiet, unassuming guest who stays, has breakfast in the mornings, meets his staff and is never demanding or high profile. However, checks of the Hotel’s security logs show an exit from the rear of the building by an authorised, but unassigned, key-card at 02:20 this morning. The same card was used to gain access to the Savoy last night at 22:35. The key-card is a master key-card for the hotel and has been used on four previous occasions in the last two months. Each use of it coincides with the Minster’s visits to London. Unfortunately the Hotel’s security logs do not go further back than eight weeks.” Heinrich paused again and let what he had said sink in.

  “The preliminary assumption is therefore that the Minister was meeting a person or persons unknown on each visit to London and that on this occasion the meeting resulted in the Minister’s death. These findings were presented to the Führer at approximately 11:30 and he, in consultation with Reichsführer-SS Friedrichand, authorised an immediate activation of Project Thule.” Heinrich drew attention to a single sheet of paper on the lectern.