by Ward Wagher
Ignatz laughed. “You do not need to worry, Dieter. Rolf has assured me the Colonel’s bite is every bit as bad as his bark.”
“Was that intended to reassure me?” Dieter asked. “If so, it didn’t work.’
Ignatz laughed again and then returned to his office.
“You know,” Florian said, “if we are going to be ready with this for tomorrow night, we are going to have to work tonight.”
It seemed like a ray of sunshine penetrated Dieter’s mind. If they worked into the evening, he would surely be able to come up with an opportunity to slip into the manufactory and liberate a couple of sets of magician gear.
“I can work tonight,” he said. “You are right. We do not want to waste tomorrow night by having to fiddle with the thing. I think we can mostly get it dialed in tonight.”
“I knew you would see reason. You are not the dimwit everyone believes.”
“Oh, thank you, Florian. I’m surprised your mother didn’t drown you when you were a child.”
“Nonsense. I constantly amazed Mutti with my tremendous intellect.”
“Let’s get busy before you make me throw up.”
“Right.”
And so, they busied themselves on the whirlwind device, and Dieter also thought about the best way to slip in and out of the manufactory without being caught. He felt like he could talk his way out of a problem if he got caught on the way in, but carrying the gear out and having someone stop him would be another story.
It seemed like the progression of time itself slowed down during the afternoon. So, he was in disbelief when Florian commented, “Where has the time gone. It’s five o’clock already.”
Dieter didn’t know where the time went, but he was sure it wasn’t in any hurry to let the afternoon pass. He felt like he had seen every minute on the big wall clock. He noticed Jette packing up to leave on the bus, and the other lab workers began drifting away. Ignatz walked over to where Dieter and Florian worked.
“Make sure you tie up all the loose ends, meine Herren. I think Rolf is bringing some of his SS friends to the Sporthalle tomorrow night for the show. I do not want to disappoint him.”
“I do not want to disappoint him, either,” Dieter said.
The two continued working into the evening. Despite the tension, he experienced better clarity than anytime recently, and they made good progress. At eight o’clock, Dieter turned to Florian.
“The base commissary is closing soon. If you will run over and pick up a couple of bratwursts for us, I’ll buy.”
“You just don’t want to go out in the snow.”
“Is it snowing? I haven’t been out today.”
“It’s really been piling up out there. I think we’ve had more snow this winter than at any time in my memory.”
“Of course, your memory is not that great. We probably had more snow during that storm last week.”
“And you want me to pick up your bratwurst?”
“Okay, okay. Just don’t let it get cold when you come back here.”
“Of course,” Florian said as he reached for his coat.
Dieter watched as Florian walked out the door. He waited another minute in case his coworker returned for something. Then he quickly walked over to the door into the manufactory. He knew it was never locked. And the workers there always went home at dinner time. Karl believed in working hard for ten hours and then relaxing at home in the evening. He encouraged his workers to follow the same practice.
Two low-wattage bulbs kept the room from being entirely dark, but the room was in shadows. Dieter thought that was good as he made his way across the floor. There was no future in attracting attention.
The newly assembled magician equipment was stored in wooden shipping crates and stacked in one corner. A hammer and crowbar were conveniently left nearby. He picked two boxes and pried them open. The equipment was neatly arranged inside the boxes. Karl seemed to extend his careful work to even packing the things. Dieter removed the gear and tapped the nails back into place on the lids. It took a few minutes to rearrange the boxes so that the empties were at the bottom of the stack and against the wall behind the others.
In another corner lay a stack of burlap bags that originally contained raw materials used by the craftsmen. He quickly pushed the equipment into two of the bags and made his way back to the lab. He planned to promptly stash the bags in the back of the KdF Wagen and get into the lab before Florian returned. The Commissary was notoriously slow this time of the day, so he had plenty of time.
He had just stepped through the door into the lab and pushed it closed when he turned to see Florian standing with a paper bag in hand and looking puzzled.
“That was quick,” Dieter said.
“The cook had a couple of leftover brats and threw in some roasted potatoes as well. What are you doing?”
“Um. I was working on some experiments at home and needed to borrow some gear. Nobody worries about it.”
Florian walked over to the bench and set the bag down. He then moved over to Dieter and took one of the burlap bags from his unresisting hand. He opened the neck of the bag and gazed at the contents. He looked up at Dieter and stared for a long moment. The pieces fell into place for him.
“You are getting ready to escape Germany, aren’t you?”
“Florian, I know this looks bad, but it’s not really as it seems.”
He stared at Dieter for what seemed like minutes before he spoke.
“Take me with you.”
“What?”
“Take me with you. I have been your lab assistant since we started this project. Wherever you go, you will still need me to help you with your work.”
“Florian, we could all be killed.”
“I overheard Rolf talking to you about Jette. He is going to have her taken away at his first opportunity. And you are taking Jette with you, right? It makes sense. Dieter, I don’t want to live in a land that kills its own citizens. And you and I both know that is what they are doing.”
“Florian… I…”
“Take me with you. You’ve outfitted both yourself and the girl. I’ll go with you to get another.”
Dieter let Florian lead him back into the dark manufactory, where they liberated another set of magician gear. They stuffed the three sets of gear into the back seat of Dieter’s vehicle. They returned to the lab, where they sat down and ate the bratwurst and potatoes.
“Come on, my friend, we need to get this device working properly,” Florian said. “And if we are not here bright and chipper first thing in the morning, Ignatz will have something to say about it.”
“You may be right about that.”
“I am always right,” Florian grinned. “Write that on the palm of your hand. Florian is always right. It will help you remember that.”
“Mein Gott.”
Somehow, they had the device working as well as they could within the confines of the lab. Florian finished writing up the notes, and they were able to leave before midnight. Dieter offered a ride home to Florian, who eagerly accepted. It would have been a long walk in the winter, otherwise.
“So, where do you plan to go?” Florian asked.
“I think the United States.”
“How are you going to get there?”
“I’m still working on it.”
Florian snorted. “Always prepared, that’s you, Dieter.”
“Hey, I only decided last night I was leaving. I am working on a list, though.”
“And how do you expect to get past the hordes of SS troops once they find you missing?”
Dieter hooked a thumb towards the material in the back of the car. “There is not much that can stop us. But I would still like to make the invisibility device work.”
“I can help you with that.”
“And since you so bravely volunteered for this adventure, I humbly accept.”
He flipped an obscene gesture at Dieter, who just laughed.
“Uh, oh,” Florian said, “Checkp
oint ahead.”
“You have your papers, don’t you?”
“Of course. I am not a fool.”
“Then, we are golden.”
“What about the stuff in the back?”
“It’s part of our job. They see the papers, and they won’t look further.”
“Papers,” said the flashlight as it swept around the interior of the car.
Florian and Dieter handed their papers over.
The Gestapo man held the papers up to his flashlight and compared the photo with the faces in the car.
“Sorry to bother you, meine Herren, but we have to check.”
Dieter waved a hand. “Not a problem. You are doing your job.”
“Danke. Have a good evening.”
Dieter eased the little car away from the stop with a slight whine of the electric motor.
“You see, not a problem at all.”
“I don’t know how you do it,” Florian said, wiping his brow.
“I plan to pull around the next corner so I can stop to throw up.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“Hey, listen, Florian, the Beckers have another room open where I stay. Why don’t you move in there? If we spend a lot of time in the evenings in my room with the radio going, people will think we’re just friends. We can build all kinds of stuff.”
“That’s a good idea. I’ll tell my landlord tomorrow. Can you arrange to have the new room held for me?”
“I think so.”
“Good. By the way, Dieter, what we are planning will likely get us all killed. But I’ll be much happier if it allows us to poke a stick in Rolf’s eye.”
“In the Führer’s eye, you mean. Where do you think all this nonsense comes from?”
“You’re right.”
“To quote one of my best friends, I’m always right!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
December 30, 1939
“It’s ten o’clock, Dieter. How long do you want to keep working?”
Dieter looked at Florian. “Getting tired?”
“Honestly? Yes. I don’t want Ignatz glaring at me when I fall asleep at my bench tomorrow.”
Dieter gazed around his small room at the equipment strewn across the floor. “I suppose you are just going to leave me to pick up this mess. After all, that’s what you did last night.”
“That was because you threw me out.”
“It was past midnight, Florian! I suppose we should go ahead and wrap things up for tonight. We haven’t accomplished a lot.”
Florian shrugged. “At least we know what doesn’t work.”
They both jumped at the tapping on the door. Dieter quickly walked over to it.
“Who is it?” he asked quietly.
“It’s me,” came Jette’s voice.
He opened the door slightly and pulled her into the room.
“What do you need, Jette?”
“I want to know when we are going to leave?”
He pointed to the various parts and apparatus on the floor. “Whenever we can get things working. And as soon as we can figure out how to get to where we are going.”
“That’s easy,” she replied. “We take your automobile.”
“My automobile won’t get us to America.”
Florian stepped up to him. “We need to hold our voices down. Your room will only be a good place for us to work if other people don’t get suspicious.”
“Every day, I fear it will be my last at the laboratory. Rolf will snap his fingers, and I will be hauled away. You cannot let that happen, Dieter.”
“We are not going to let that happen,” Florian said. “That’s why I decided to help Dieter with this project.”
“So, I am now a project?”
“You know what I mean. Would it be better if I called it a scheme?”
“Perhaps you could call it a plan. I feel as though I am being treated as an object here and not a person.”
“Jette, I am sorry,” Dieter said. “We are working as fast as we can. But there are some big problems we have to solve.”
The door opened suddenly, and Frau Hohltaube stepped into the room, closing the door behind her.
“I could hear you arguing in my room downstairs.”
Jette put her hand to her neck in dread. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think.”
“You need to return to your room, child,” the old lady said. “Dieter is doing the best he can.”
Jette turned to Dieter. “I’m sorry. I will try to do better.”
“It is not a problem. I’ll see you in the morning.”
She quietly slipped through the door, leaving Frau Hohltaube standing with her hands on her hips, facing Dieter and Florian.
“The girl is terrified of the SS.”
“I am terrified of the SS,” Dieter replied. “And I am terrified for her.”
“What are you going to do about it?” she asked.
“What we are doing right now. Florian and I are trying to put together a few inventions that will protect us when we run.”
“And what about your route. How are you getting to your destination?”
Dieter raised his arms with his hands facing upwards and had a helpless expression on his face.
“I am not able to solve your problems for you, Herr Faust. Herr Goldstein, do you have the solution?”
“To get to America? No, I have not figured that out. Dieter usually has the ideas. I just help him develop them.”
“You must recognize that you do not have a lot of time. I am glad you have volunteered to join this adventure, Herr Goldstein. I would suggest you prepare everything you plan to take with you before working on the more challenging problems. You will reach a moment when you will be forced to make decisions and act on the spur of the moment. You must plan to leave at any moment.”
“I guess you are right. How much time do we have?”
“How am I to know? I am a simple Hausfrau. I have probably said more that was wise, tonight.”
After she left, Florian and Dieter stared at each other.
“That woman is certainly different,” Florian said.
“She is all of that. I have found that she is most often right. When she says something, we must listen.”
“Let me suggest something, then,” Florian said. “We should keep our gear in the car at all times, and only bring in that which we are working on at the moment. That way, we can leave at a moment’s notice.”
“That is a good idea. I should have thought of that myself.”
“That is why you have your intrepid lab assistant. If I didn’t pick up after you, you would get nothing done.”
“Yeah,” Dieter growled, “don’t push it, Florian.”
“Right. I will take two of the bags of magician gear down to the car right now. You should gather up whatever you can carry along with the bag containing the third set of gear.”
“In other words, we will probably be working on our inventions while we are on the run.”
“Isn’t that what it looks like to you?”
With a frown and a headshake, Dieter replied. “I suppose so. I just hate leaving projects undone.”
“I don’t believe that. Look at all the undone projects you have left lying around the lab.”
“Yes, and I may just leave you lying around the lab.”
“Tut, tut. Threats do not bother me.”
During the night, Dieter dreamed of fleeing the SS. His legs felt encased in molasses. He tried to run and could not seem to move his legs fast enough. The formless dread seized him, and he awakened a few minutes before his usual time, sweaty and breathless. He shook his head to try to clear the haze of the dream as he climbed from under the blankets.
Breakfast was an oatmeal mush flavored with raisins. Dieter did not particularly like oatmeal, but there were no other choices. He had tried stopping at a few of the small shops that opened early in the morning, but the selections with thinning out. He was surprised that the blockade of the German ports was
beginning to bite so soon. He wondered if a victory over the French would impact things either way.
Florian also now rode to work with him. He insisted that Jette ride in the front seat, and he squeezed into the back. With the equipment they now carried, it was a tight fit.
“Have you figured out how to get us to America?” Jette asked.
“I’ve been scratching my head over that one,” Dieter said. “I don’t think this would make a very good boat.”
“If the Gestapo comes in today, we are going to have to figure out a way quickly.”
“I understand, Jette. I am doing the best I can.”
“We will figure things out,” Florian said. “We have enough parts and equipment that we can hide and improvise.”
“But how will we stop the Gestapo if they come into the lab for me?”
Dieter glances back at Florian, who looked uncomfortable.
“If we are a team, you are going to have to tell me these things,” she insisted.
“Fine,” Dieter snapped. “If the Gestapo comes into the lab, we will kill them.”
“How will you do that?”
“Dieter and I built a small beam weapon. It is not as powerful as what the Magicians Corps uses, but it will do what we need it to do.”
“You do not need to worry about telling me things like that,” the girl said. “I would happily pull the trigger myself. I have no idea if my parents are alive or dead, but I am certain I will never see them again. And it was those serpents who took them away from me.”
Dieter stared straight ahead as he drove. There were times that he concluded he could add nothing to a conversation and resolved to keep quiet.
“We know how to levitate things,” Florian said suddenly.
“Yes, but we can’t control it once it is off the ground,”
“We have plenty of power. We could put a motor and a propeller on the device. That would move us forward.”
“Yes, I suppose that would work,” Dieter said. “You do realize we would have to cross probably five-thousand kilometers of ocean, don’t you?”
“It was just a thought.”
“No, I think it is a good idea. Certainly better than anything I have come up with. We just need to examine the idea and try to shoot holes in it.”