The Esther Code

by Michael Danneman

  Next in the file is Ingrid Schwab’s immigration papers to the United States, dated 1948. She was born in Pocking, Germany, in 1922. The next set of papers shows birth records of the two children born to Ingrid’s parents, Gunter and Erma Schwab. The other child is Fritz Schwab, born on January 11, 1923. The date is circled, and a sticky note next to it says, “see visa application for Jules Henning.” It is the same date of birth from the application.

  The next document is a copy of an International Red Cross passport for Jules Henning, again with the same birth date. He left Genoa, Italy, in March of 1946, and he arrived in Argentina. Jamie suspects that he had the Red Cross change his name, then acquired false papers in Argentina claiming he was born there. She turns to see military papers for Fritz Schwab, as part of the Einsatzgruppen. Another sticky note informs Jamie that the Einsatzgruppen was the name for the killing squads that followed a few days behind the advancing German troops and rounded up the Jews for slaughter.

  The evidence indicates that this Fritz Schwab and Jules Henning are one and the same. No wonder he wanted to hide his past, Jamie realizes. With intense curiosity, she begins to go through the files of all of the victims. Each one places the victims in Europe during the Holocaust. She even finds evidence that Stefan Kleiss, a.k.a. Martin Rossi, was at Auschwitz. A few of the victims are documented as being part of the German army, but without identifying in what capacity.

  To Jamie, the most shocking revelation is that many of these Nazis found passage to the United States through Red Cross passports, which were issued in Italy to so-called “stateless” refugees. Those passports were supposed to be for victims of World War II—people in need—not fleeing Nazis. How did this happen?

  Jamie sighs, then tries to process the information through the lens of what Rabbi Silverman told her about the connection between Purim and the Holocaust. Jamie does not know what to make of it, but it might help her find the perp, since he clearly believes it enough to craft his murders around it. The sons of Haman were hung on Purim, and the Nuremberg Nazis were hung on Hoshana Raba. Except for two, all of the victims were either murdered on Purim or Hoshana Raba. The ten sons of Haman and the ten at Nuremberg were hanged, and these victims were strangled. It is clear that the perp knows that Hoshana Raba is a judgment day, which might point to him being of the Jewish religion. Jamie doubts that anyone else would know the significance of this holiday, since it is not well-known, even among some Jews. The only thing that does not work is the August 8 murder. He went to such lengths to have the others occur on Purim and Hoshana Raba. What made him change the pattern and choose August 8th? He even left a note to make sure we knew he did it on August 8th.

  Jamie turns to the Internet and Googles “August 8th.” The results produce no connection to anything Jewish. Instead of wasting her time, Jamie decides to ask her expert. She calls Rabbi Silverman, but it goes straight to voicemail. Leaving a message, she requests another meeting and asks about the significance of August 8th.

  She calls the team together to reveal her latest findings. Before her meeting, she gathers the information and heads to a small conference room that Whitehouse has reserved for her. On the whiteboard, Jamie charts the victim’s names and connects them to their previous names. By the time everyone arrives, Jamie has filled the whole board.

  Fredericks is the first to arrive. He takes a seat at the conference table and stares at the whiteboard, intrigued. Jamie sits in the chair across from him, letting him have a full view of the board. Phil and Joey arrive consecutively and also concentrate on the whiteboard.

  “You weren’t kidding about a Nazi hunter,” Fredericks finally concludes.

  “Wait, so each of your victims is tied to the Holocaust in Germany?” Joey asks.

  “Yes, each one of them has ties to Nazi Germany, and some were even involved with concentration camps. Each one of them escaped into hiding or to the United States and denied their past,” Jamie explains, pointing out each of their different methods on the board.

  “How does the killer know all of this?” Phil asks with a frown.

  “It’s not uncommon for people to search for them. Whether they have a personal vendetta or want justice for those horrific crimes, people will do their own research to find such criminals. Just like Simon Wiesenthal,” Fredericks replies.

  “Our perp actually signed in as ‘Simon W.’ in Illinois. I think he’s a Simon Wiesenthal wannabe, but he is taking matters into his own hands, instead of using the legal system.”

  “Shouldn’t we release this information to the press? It might help us discover the next possible victims and warn them,” Phil suggests after a long, quiet pause in the conversation.

  “If we do that, will the Nazis come out of hiding? I doubt it. They have been hiding for so long, they aren’t just going to give up their secret because we tell them there might be a vigilante targeting them,” Jamie assumes.

  “Take into account that they are fugitives under the law. They might suspect we are only trying to lure them out to convict them for lying on their immigration papers,” Joey muses, scratching his chin.

  “I heard once that over ten-thousand Nazis immigrated to the United States under false pretenses. Not just Germans, but Nazis,” Frederick tells the group.

  “Surely we have files on them,” Joey states inquisitively.

  “I doubt it. Did any of these victims have files before you requested their information, Jamie?” Fredericks wonders, looking at Jamie.

  “Rossi did, but the others didn’t.”

  “It has been so many years since the Holocaust. Most of them are probably dead by now. But how are we supposed to find the ones that are still alive? Didn’t we search for them in the sixties and seventies?” Phil questions with a single eyebrow raised. There is a pause while everyone considers the implications of their information, not just that Nazis are being targeted, but that Nazis are living among them.

  Phil continues, “Either way, we should warn them that they might be in danger. Maybe they will take steps to protect themselves,” he decides, looking at Fredericks. “Maybe one will see someone casing his house and give us a place to look.”

  “Let’s get Research on it and see if they can provide us with a list of people who may have been investigated, and see what they come up with. After that, we will have to narrow down the list and devise a plan. It’s possible that one of them will be cooperative and report something suspicious. In the meanwhile, we will go public with this information and see if it provides a lead,” Fredericks directs, giving a meaningful look to each of the agents in turn.

  Each one present nods in agreement with Fredericks.

  “Anything else, Golding?”

  “I did find another murder, which happened on August 8th. I’m not sure how it connects with the Jewish pattern. Yet I’m also positive that the perp will strike again on Hoshana Raba of this year, which will be September 25th,” Jamie explains, pointing to the pattern on the board.

  “Let’s get moving. We have to make sure no one blames us for not doing enough,” Frederick cautions them. “We’ll go public and issue the warning. If the next victim does not seek us out for help, at least we’ll have tried to warn him.”

  Chapter 37

  Jamie rubs her forehead thoughtfully. Following the chronological sequence of the initials of those hanged at Nuremberg and of Haman’s sons, there is someone missing between the previous two murders. The notes went from “H.F.” – “Adalia” to “F.S.” – “Parmoshta.” According to the chronological sequence, there should have been “W.F.” – “Aridata” between them. We wouldn’t want to skip that great humanitarian Wilhelm Frick. The pattern is Hoshana Raba, Purim, August 8th, Hoshana Raba, Purim, and Purim again.

  Following the pattern of the dates, Hoshana Raba 2012 was skipped, and it coincides with the gap in the sequence of Haman’s sons and of those hanged at Nuremberg.

  Now, it could be that the attack on Hoshana Raba of 2012 was aborted or unsuccessful. Maybe the
re was an assault of an elderly man on that day, but he survived? But, if that was the case, then the next murder would have borne the note “W.F.” – “Aridata”, as it is next in the sequence. Unless the killer actually thinks that the deed was done, and therefore, in his mind, the next murder did get the next initials and name in the sequence. If there was a murder on Hoshana Raba of 2012, then either the FBI was not informed about the murder, or somehow it was never reported or misreported. “I have found others,” Jamie thinks.

  There are close to 7,000 deaths a day in the U.S., with 31% of those, occurring to persons over the age of 85. Finding the correct dead old man will be a challenge. If Jamie narrows the search to males over eighty-five, the number is 782 on that particular Sunday in October. Jamie adds filters: born in Europe (excluding Russia, Great Britain, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Denmark), immigrated after 1945.

  All that information should bring up some sort of match. Indeed, the search this time returns only nine results. That is a number that Jamie can actually research herself. She takes the names and begins to investigate them individually.

  The first three on the list turn out to be Holocaust survivors. Jamie gladly rules them out. She is left with six. One of them has to be the missing Hoshana Raba murder. Looking up the first few names yields nothing significant. Then Jamie does a search for Edward Bayer.

  Jackpot. The name brings up a bunch of Holocaust-related articles. There are pages and pages of results.

  "Businessman Edward Bayer Accused of Being Auschwitz Guard."

  “Man Accused As Former Auschwitz Guard, Edward Bayer, May Go to Court.”

  "Is Edward Bayer Really the Nazi, Eduard Baier?”

  "Millionaire Edward Bayer a Nazi?"

  “Disturbing Secrets of Edward Bayer’s Past.”

  "Edward Bayer Case Dropped."

  Jamie clicks on the first article and begins to read. She discovers that Edward Bayer was a successful businessman who was accused in the eighties of being a Nazi guard at Auschwitz. As Jamie continues to read article after article, she notices that the topic of Edward Bayer as a Nazi was in the news for about a year. In each article, Edward Bayer denies it completely, yet he spent a fortune in legal fees to fight the charges. Eventually, the case was dismissed because there was not enough evidence to prove that Edward Bayer was really Nazi Eduard Baier. Turns out the Justice Department did not want to risk convicting a prominent and upstanding citizen and philanthropist for a crime of which the prosecution had little public support. At least that is what one pundit claimed.

  There are many other editorials as well. Many of the authors suspect that the trial was very costly, which was what caused the case to be dropped. Others pointed out that being stationed at Auschwitz was not a crime. A person cannot always choose where his country forces him to serve. A few brought up the possibility that a soldier could either serve at Auschwitz or become a prisoner there. The Nazi government did not give its people options. Editorials also hash out whether or not soldiers get to pick their detail, and the fact that many soldiers are forced to fight and kill against their personal beliefs. The question does bring with it a lot of controversy, Jamie realizes as she moves forward with her search.

  Her next move is to find an obituary. “Edward Bayer obituary” yields fruitful results. Died October 7, 2012. Age 93. She discovers that the family had a private service and that he is survived by his sons, Mitchell and Stanley Bayer. Jamie scans down the article to find that Edward Bayer had died after a long battle with cancer. The word “cremated” catches Jamie’s eye. Cremated? So much for being able to exhume the body.

  On the whole, Edward Bayer seems to have died of natural causes. Jamie sifts through the information in her mind. Maybe he was not strangled? Or maybe no one noticed. Is that possible? There was the near miss in Harwood Heights. The funeral parlor would have seen the wounds on the neck, right? Did anyone check to see if the cause of death was suspicious? He was ninety-three years old. Is it possible that no one noticed? Unlikely. But he fits the profile perfectly, and he did die on Hoshana Raba of 2012.

  Jamie concludes that there is only one way to find out. Edward Bayer died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Smiling dryly to herself, Jamie realizes that she can drive the three-and-a-half hours to Philadelphia and question the Bayer family.

  Edward Bayer made a fortune building apartment complexes in the sixties. He really raked it in when he converted the nicer complexes into condos during the eighties condo craze. Both sons now run his real estate company, still called Edward Bayer Development Corporation. Or, at least, now his sons cash the checks. She finds the company information and writes down the address and phone number.

  Jamie gathers up her things and leaves her office, locking the door behind her. She needs to get an early start tomorrow to make it to Philly, if she wants to avoid the traffic. As she drives home, her mind wanders. Jamie realizes that she has not heard from her boyfriend in a while.

  “He needs a woman who can hold his purse for him!” Jamie tells the empty road in front of her. That is exactly Chris’s problem. His needs, problems—and everything else—come before her own. Jamie does not like this idea of being shelved. And that is what Chris is asking her to do with her own problems.

  She enters her apartment. It is dark inside, and Jamie is relieved. Although she has not talked to Chris in a few days, Jamie had been worried he might be there anyway.

  She is shocked to see arrows on her floor, leading her into the kitchen. Jamie follows the arrows right up to the fridge. There is a note on the freezer door.

  Jamie,

  I know you have been working hard lately. I thought you deserved a reward. It’s sitting in your freezer. Enjoy!

  Seth

  “No you didn’t,” Jamie says aloud after reading the note.

  She giggles excitedly as she rushes to open the freezer. Her favorite Belgian chocolate ice cream bars greet her with a wave of cold air. Just what she needs with summer on its way. She opens the box and grabs a bar, unsheathes it and throws away the wrapper. Jamie even lets out a sigh as she savors the first bite.

  Jamie smiles. “I owe you big time, Seth.”

  Chapter 38

  The beep of her cell phone brings Jamie out of a deep sleep.

  Instantly, her discovery from yesterday fills her mind. Jamie grabs a yogurt and banana to eat in the car on her way to Philly. She is on the road by 6:15 in the morning.

  While traveling, she keeps track of the time, trying to decide when it will be best to call Seth. After all, she does have to thank him for the ice cream bars. Once the clock shows 8:00 A.M., Jamie makes the call.

  “Hey, Jamie, how are you?”

  “I got your present last night.”

  “Oh, good. I wasn’t sure if you would sleep in your office again,” Seth replies, his voice playful.

  “Oh yeah, I do that all the time,” Jamie teases right back. “But no, really. I wanted to thank you. I really appreciated it. I don’t know how you do it, but I swear you can read my mind sometimes.”

  “I’ve just known you a long time.”

  “Well, you nailed it—that was exactly what I needed.”

  “You women and your chocolate. I’ll never understand,” Seth responds. Then his tone turns serious. “But you’re welcome. Glad I can help you out. I can’t solve your case, but I can surprise you with ice cream bars.”

  “I’ll take the ice cream bars.”

  “So, uh, you want to go out for lunch today?”

  “I’d love to, but I’m driving to Philly right now,” Jamie laments.

  “Philly, huh? What for?”

  “Well, I think I found another murder. I just need to go and confirm it. I’m pretty sure something may have fallen through the cracks.”

  “That’s crazy!”

  “I’ll take a rain check on that lunch though. And I won’t let you forget it.”

  “Sure, sounds great. Okay, I have to get to work.”

  “Lat
er.”

  Jamie hits her Bluetooth, ending the call. Seth could use an ear to unload to about his recent breakup. Too bad she cannot be there for him, like he has been for her.

  Around ten in the morning, Jamie finally arrives at the office of Edward Bayer Development Corporation. Pulling into a parking spot, Jamie notes that the building is hardly impressive. It is a small, free-standing brick building that probably looks exactly the way it did in the sixties, when it was built. Although the building is ugly, it is situated in a good location—a few blocks away from the city government complex, affording easy access for permits and eviction filings.

  Jamie enters the building to find a finely-decorated and well-lit office. The decor helps Jamie to forget the outside of the building. A middle-aged woman sits at a desk, typing on a computer.

  “May I help you?” she inquires politely, looking at Jamie with a smile.

  “I’m here to see Mitchell or Stanley Bayer,” Jamie states kindly.

  “Do you have an appointment?” the receptionist asks, one eyebrow raised skeptically.

  Jamie did not want to have to do this, but sometimes the situation requires it. She flashes her FBI badge and says, “Here’s my appointment.”

  “I see.” The receptionist blinks in surprise. “Mr. Mitchell Bayer is out of town; and Mr. Stanley Bayer is with someone, but I will let him know you are here.”

  The woman scribbles on a sticky note and tells Jamie she will be right back. She then walks down a hallway and disappears from Jamie’s view. A gentle knock echoes back to Jamie, contrasting the quiet of the office. Presently, the receptionist returns to her seat and says, “He will be with you in a couple of minutes.”

  “Thanks,” Jamie answers automatically, then walks around the reception area, looking at the pictures on the walls.