Secret in the Clouds

by Christopher Cummings

  “If it was him,” added Willy.

  “It was!” Graham snapped. “I don’t know who else it could have been.”

  Once again ugly suspicions swirled in Stephen’s mind. To quell them he asked, “Did you tell your big brother Alex, or Kylie?”

  “No,” Graham replied, “And they were both pretty put out that I didn’t.”

  “So were we,” Roger added in an accusing tone.

  “I’m sorry,” Graham said. “We thought it best.”

  “It was my decision,” Stephen added. “I didn’t want the bodies of the dead German airmen desecrated by ghouls or thieves.”

  “Were there really dead bodies?” Willy asked. “Tell us about it.”

  “Not yet, not till the people from the German Embassy have been,” Stephen replied.

  “Then tell us about the other plane crash, the Cessna,” Willy asked. He had his pilots licence and was intensely interested in all things to do with flying.

  Graham proceeded to describe, sometimes in gruesome detail, exactly how they found the wreck and what they saw. Stephen was upset but let him talk because it took everyone’s mind off the German plane. It had now come to dominate his thoughts.

  The story of the plane crash made the boys celebrities throughout the school and several times Stephen found himself drawn into discussing it. He did not want to do so but managed. One person who did get him to talk fairly freely was Judy. She sat with him at morning tea and quietly coaxed him into telling her about it, including how he now felt. That was difficult as it brought him close to tears but she seemed to understand and even patted his hand soothingly.

  Classes followed. Only two of Stephen’s teachers asked about the plane crashes: Capt Conkey who taught History, and Mr Ritter, his Maths B teacher. Stephen and Graham had to describe how they had discovered the wrecks. To Stephen’s relief Graham did most of the talking and he was able to sit quietly beside him. Then the routines of class work soon claimed their attention.

  At morning break the story had to be told again to other friends and members of the school’s cadet unit. Once again Graham did most of the talking, appearing to relish the limelight. To Stephen’s mild annoyance Judy came and sat beside him during this.

  School then dragged on its usual course. Stephen tried to concentrate on the work to take his mind off the horrible memories but they kept intruding every few minutes, causing him to break into cold sweats. He also found himself becoming more and more tense at the knowledge that the people from the German Embassy would be coming to interview him.

  This happened sooner than he expected. Just before lunch the principal appeared at the classroom door and asked for him and Graham. Stephen was glad of that because the subject was Economics and he had developed a distinct dislike for their new teacher, Mr Watts.

  As he stood up to leave Stephen experienced a twinge of nervousness. That annoyed him as he liked to think he was brave and ‘cool’. Graham’s eager appearance added to the feeling of annoyance and helped to calm him. ‘He is enjoying every minute of this, the bugger!’ he thought.

  Graham extracted a map from his school bag and the boys walked along to the office with the principal. In the office Stephen was relieved to find his parents. Also there were two men and a woman. Both men were middle aged and well-dressed in grey suits. One was introduced as Mr Sherbrooke from the Commonwealth Department of Aviation. He was a gloomy looking man with a square face and short grey hair. The other was tubby and had a ruddy, cheerful face and was Herr Dettweiler. The woman was in her twenties and had auburn hair and sparkling eyes. She was very well dressed and had what Stephen could only call ‘a touch of class’. She was introduced as Miss Bernstein and she flashed a smile which made Graham stammer and goggle and which immediately set Stephen at ease.

  After the introductions they seated themselves in the conference room. Mr Croswell remained to act for Graham’s parents and Stephen was glad of that. Herr Dettweiler opened by asking them to tell their story.

  Stephen’s father spoke first, saying, “I have the photos here.”

  “Thank you Mr Bell. Can we save them till the appropriate time please?” Herr Dettweiler asked.

  Stephen’s father agreed and placed the packet of photos on the table. Graham unfolded his map and began by describing their hike. As he was the better story teller Stephen was happy to let him take the lead, only adding the occasional comment. It was only when they reached the part describing how they had found the crashed Cessna that Stephen became the narrator.

  To his dismay Stephen found his consciousness being swamped by sickening images of the dead bodies and he had to breathe deeply as nausea threatened to overwhelm him. He found himself breathing rapidly and breaking into a cold sweat. At this point his father helped by suggesting they look at the photos.

  This was agreed to and the photos were spread out on the table and the better ones handed around. To Stephen’s horror and disgust several were of the Cessna wreck and included some gruesome details. “Oh Graham!” he cried. “How could you?”

  Graham shrugged and made no answer but was clearly embarrassed. Stephen took the next photo, the wing of the Arado with its distinctive black cross. This was passed to Herr Dettweiler, who studied it minutely with fascinated interest. Next was the photo of the remains of the dead pilot. Seeing it caused Stephen to shiver and he experienced a feeling of intense dread.

  “These appear to be authentic,” Mr Sherbrooke commented as he passed on the one of the tail fin with its swastika outline.

  “Yes they do,” Herr Dettweiler agreed. He looked at Graham. “You took these?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Can you tell me how they came into the hands of the news people?” Herr Dettweiler asked.

  Graham shook his head but Stephen’s father answered for him. “I can. I went to the photo shop this morning with Mrs Kirk and my solicitor. The photos were on a digital camera. You appreciate that with digital photos you have to download the information file to a computer and then print it. It seems that a young assistant, a man in his twenties named David Collier, recognized them for what they were and realised their importance. He called a reporter who was a family friend and offered them to him. Money changed hands along with copies of the photos.”

  “I see. So you had nothing to do with this?” Herr Dettweiler asked.

  “Certainly not!” Stephen’s father replied indignantly. “I didn’t even know the photos existed till this morning.”

  “What about Mrs Kirk?”

  Stephen’s father shook his head emphatically. “No. Anyway, the matter is now in the hands of my solicitors, Bolton, North and Bolton.”

  “Yes, thank you. It is a great pity, that’s all, as their release has given us a few problems,” Herr Dettweiler replied.

  “Will you be able to look after the bodies of the dead aircrew?” Stephen asked anxiously. “I don’t want them disturbed by ghouls or treasure hunters.”

  “Nor do we,” Herr Dettweiler replied. “We are taking steps right now to secure the area.”

  “We have a crash investigation team at the site now,” Mr Sherbrooke added.

  “So our next step is to go there,” Herr Dettweiler said.

  That caused Stephen some severe anxiety. He had no desire to go near the wrecks again. “Do we have to go?” he asked.

  To his relief Herr Dettweiler shook his head. “I think not. The aviation people are there and can show us.” He turned to Mr Sherbrooke. “You have a helicopter ready for us?”

  “Yes we do,” Mr Sherbrooke replied.

  “Then we will bid farewell and go to our hotel to change into something more suitable,” Herr Dettweiler said. He then turned to Stephen again. “Oh, one more thing. Did you remove anything from the wreck?”

  At that Stephen felt a twinge of guilt. For an instant he was tempted to lie but then nodded. “Yes, a briefcase and a couple of loose coins, but I didn’t take any personal possessions.”

  “The coins we are not co
ncerned with but the briefcase is another matter. Where is the case now?” Herr Dettweiler asked.

  “At home,” Stephen replied.

  “May we collect it?”

  Stephen nodded. “Yes, of course.”

  “Thank you. We will collect it after we come back from seeing the crash site. Don’t worry. You are not in any trouble. Would you like a souvenir?”

  “Yes please,” Stephen agreed.

  “I will see what can be arranged,” Herr Dettweiler said. He stood up and put out his hand to Stephen. “I must thank you, on behalf of my country and particularly on behalf of the families of the dead airmen.”

  “Do we know who they were sir?” Stephen asked, self-consciously shaking hands.

  “Not yet, but only a few of our ships came into this area during World War Two so it should not take long to find out which ship and which aircrew,” Herr Dettweiler replied.

  “It might have been a raider called the Pinguin sir,” Graham put in.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because during the Christmas holidays some of the navy cadets from this school had some trouble with a mine which she laid,” Graham replied.

  “Tell me more,” Herr Dettweiler asked.

  Graham quickly outlined the story of How Andrew Collins and his girlfriend Tina had discovered the old mine on a coral island on the Great Barrier Reef and how it had later gone off, sinking a ship (See ‘Cooktown Christmas’ by C. R. Cummings).

  “How do you know it was from the Pinguin?” Herr Dettweiler asked.

  “We don’t really, but apparently one of the naval people from the patrol boat the cadets were on identified it as German in origin and we guessed it most likely came from the Pinguin as she laid several minefields and the ocean current patterns seemed to fit that best,” Graham replied.

  “I see. Most interesting. I might also speak to these young people later,” Herr Dettweiler replied. He held out his hand to the principal.

  As the group made to leave Stephen spoke up. “Excuse me sir, could you please let us know who the people in the plane were?”

  “Of course. I am sure their families will want to thank you. We will be in touch,” Herr Dettweiler replied.

  “What about the photos?” Stephen’s father asked.

  “We would appreciate a set,” Herr Dettweiler answered.

  “Of course. Here you are. We got copies made,” Stephen’s father replied, “but I meant about their being published.”

  Herr Dettweiler shrugged. “The damage has been done. They are your photos to do with as you wish. But we would prefer none that show any human remains out of consideration for the relatives.”

  “Thank you,” Stephen’s father said. He handed Herr Dettweiler a set of prints and they shook hands. The visitors then took their leave.

  As they walked to the front entrance Graham said, “Oh well, that is that. It was interesting while it lasted.”

  “Yes, back to boring old school,” Stephen agreed.

  CHAPTER 9

  CRUISE OF THE KONDOR

  A wave of dizziness swept over Stephen and he staggered. Mr Fitzgerald grabbed at his arm and held him up. “Are you alright boy?” he asked.

  “Yes, sir, sorry sir,” Stephen replied.

  With an effort he steadied himself and looked at the picture again. ‘No doubt about it. It could be one of me without glasses!’ he thought in astonishment. Lurking at the back of his mind was the idea that he was seeing a ghost and the concept profoundly troubled him.

  Graham obviously thought the same thing. “That bloke looks like you Steve. Which side did you say your Grandad was on during the war?”

  “Very funny!” Stephen snapped. “What about the pilot? He could be your brother.”

  Graham studied the photo and shook his head. “Nah! Not good looking enough.”

  “Oh get real!” Stephen snorted, trying to joke. He now read the name under the second photo: Leutnant Ernst Schmidel. The man had different collar tabs, displaying a propeller instead of two wings. ‘He might have been a flight engineer or something,’ he thought, being unfamiliar with the badges and rank insignia.

  Mr Croswell shook his head sadly. “They look very young,” he commented.

  “Yes, only about twenty when they died,” Mr Fitzgerald agreed.

  That was a depressing and sobering thought. To change the subject Stephen asked if they could both have photocopies of the papers. Mr Croswell agreed and took them to the General Office to have this done. Five minutes later he came back and handed each a set.

  “Thank you sir,” Stephen said.

  “Think nothing of it. You boys have done a great job,” Mr Croswell replied.

  Stephen and Graham made their way downstairs to where their group of friends was now seated having their lunch. As Stephen sat down Andrew Collins indicated the papers. “What have you got there?” he asked.

  “Stuff from the German Embassy,” Stephen replied.

  Graham held them up. “Pictures of the two dead aircrew,” he added.

  That required the photos to be passed around. To Stephen’s relief nobody made any comment on the Leutnant looking like him but Judy did think the Oberleutnant looked a lot like Graham. Marjorie commented on how sad it was they died so young.

  “They wouldn’t have even had a chance to live,” she added. “Wars are so stupid!”

  While they talked Stephen read through the sheets of paper. One was the letter of thanks from the German Government. Another was letter from the family of Ernst Schmidel thanking them. The writer was his sister and she said that it was such a relief to finally know what had happened and to be able to give her brother a proper burial. That made Stephen feel very emotional and he had to use willpower to hold back a tear. It also made him very glad they had made sure the remains weren’t defiled.

  ‘Maybe Ernst won’t haunt me now?’ he wondered.

  “What did you say Steve?” Peter asked.

  Stephen wasn’t aware he had spoken aloud and was embarrassed. “Eh? Oh nothing. Look, here is a summary of the ship’s voyage. You will like this Andrew.”

  “Can I read it?” Andrew asked.

  “Sure, read it aloud,” Stephen said. He pushed the papers over to Andrew and settled to open his lunch. As he did Judy squeezed herself onto the end of the seat next to him. In doing so she pressed her side against his, causing his body and emotions to react. His annoyance at her ‘pushiness’ was counterbalanced by the pleasant feelings of arousal he began to experience. ‘Maybe?’ he speculated.

  Andrew quickly sorted the papers and scanned them, then placed some black and white photos on the table. Stephen saw that one photo was of a ship, the other of a group of naval officers.

  “This is a picture of the ship,” Andrew said. “She was a nine thousand ton cargo-liner built in nineteen thirty eight. Her original name was Ramingstein but she was converted to an Auxiliary Cruiser in nineteen forty and renamed Kondor,” he explained.

  “That’s a big bird isn’t it?” Judy asked.

  “I thought it was a type of plane,” Willy said, “A big four-engine job for maritime reconnaissance.”

  “It was both,” Peter said. “The bird lives in the Andes Mountains of South America and the plane was a German Long Range Bomber of World War Two.”

  As they talked they all leaned forward to study the photos and Stephen noted that Marjorie was leaning over Willy’s shoulder so that her boobs were pressing against him. That made him aware that Judy was also pressing against his side, that her right breast was touching his arm. His body reacted quickly to that, an erection developing despite all his mental efforts to prevent it.

  Marjorie leaned forward so that Stephen could see right down the front of her blouse. The sight of her large breasts increased his arousal. She pointed at the ship photo. “I thought they made it into a battleship. Where are the guns?”

  “Hidden,” Andrew replied. “It says here that they had six 15 centimetre, that is six inch calibre, guns.
Two were hidden under the forecastle and two under the poop. The steel screens could be dropped in a few seconds and the guns swung out to fire. They had two more hidden in the cargo holds but they had to be raised hydraulically and that took longer.”

  As he spoke Andrew used his hands to mimic this. He then muttered while he skipped over the more technical details- angles and arcs of fire. “It says here that they also had five two centimetre anti-aircraft guns which were hidden at various points and two three point seven cm anti-aircraft guns which were mounted in the main superstructure behind the bridge, one facing to port and one to starboard. They had screens which could be dropped to expose them. There were also five machine guns.”

  “That’s a lot of guns isn’t it?” Judy asked.

  “No, not really, not compared to a proper warship of that era,” Andrew replied. As he did he looked Judy in the eyes and smiled. To Stephen’s surprise he was nettled by that. ‘I must like her,’ he conjectured.

  Andrew then read on, “The ship had six torpedo tubes, two underwater, one facing to port and one to starboard, plus four more on two double swivel mountings on the upper deck beneath the lifeboats. They carried fifteen torpedoes for these.”

  “Torpedoes!” Marjorie said. “I thought only submarines had them.”

  That comment caused all the boys to look at her. Stephen shook his head in disbelief. Willy answered for them, turning his head to look at her as he did. In doing so his cheek brushed against her right breast although neither seemed to notice. “No, they mount them on torpedo boats and destroyers and also drop them from aircraft.”

  Marjorie coloured and nodded. “Oh yes, I have seen pictures of that.”

  Graham nodded. “It was a torpedo from the Kormoran that first hit the HMAS Sydney,” he added.

  “When was that?” Judy asked.

  “Not sure,” Graham replied. “My grandad was big on it. He had a theory that the Germans had played some trick to get the Sydney to come up alongside and that they had fired a torpedo without warning, then opened fire with their guns.”