The Charlemagne Murders

by Douglass, Carl;

  Even his car shouted his affluence. He had a chauffeur-driven Citroën DS estate wagon—a front-engine, front-wheel-drive executive car manufactured and marketed by the French company Citroën. The automobile had a most definite artistic flair and was de rigor among the very rich of Argentina. The vehicle was designed by sculptor and industrial designer Flaminio Bertoni. French aeronautical engineer André Lefèbvre styled and engineered the car. The Citroën DS was one of the few cars in the world to have the modern hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension which provided a pillow-smooth ride. The work of the designers guaranteed that Manriquez-Huelsmann’s car would be appreciated and envied for its aerodynamic, futuristic body design and innovative technology. It served Manriquez-Huelsmann’s need for subtle austentation, and in addition to its baby cheek soft ride; his car was the first mass production car to have disc brakes.

  It was a measure of his importance and his wide circle of fawning associates that Daniel Urquiza, Heinrich Stracher, and Gunther Horn—the three important Argentinians—greeted Attorney Manriquez-Huelsmann—with the most respectful French etiquette. Social class distinctions imported into Argentina from the haughty French determined the importance of certain time-honored forms of correct social behavior. The classes below the rich and powerful in general greet each other by shaking hands. An embrace with a kiss on both cheeks—called the faire la bise—is reserved for two people who are close friends or relatives and of the same social class. Manriquez-Huelsmann was particularly sensitive to such nuances; so, he ignored the other lesser mortals in the room. The embrace shared among the four men took place only the first time they entered the room together and again when they parted. The men maintained their formality in their verbal greetings, so that Manriquez-Huelsmann was always Monsieur and never referred to by his given name. The men were in a public space; so, it was neither unusual nor rude that none of the four smiled or made eye contact with them. Antoine was all too aware of this set of affectations of the French, and it had chaffed him all the years he spent in France.

  “Thank you for traveling all the way to my humble delicatessen in Bariloche,” Erich said when everyone was seated and enjoying some of his regionally famous delicacies—onion, cheese, and corn empanadas, Spanish sausage, Italian bruschetta, hot sweet Chilean crab cakes, torta de merengue con calafate berry frutilla, and pisco sours. “Your time is very valuable; so, I will ask Heinrich Stracher to make the formal presentation of the project.”

  Stracher did so with a flair. He had fine water color renditions of the Pueblo Parque National Nahuel Huapi drawn to scale and showing—with almost breathtaking flair—the artistic conception of an attractive wedding of Bavarian and Andean mountain lodge leitmotifs—sturdy tuff stone, slate, and fitzroya structures. He showed large color photographs of the Civic Center, the Edificio Movilidad, Plaza Perito Moreno, the Neo-Gothic San Carlos de Bariloche Cathedral, the Llao Llao Hotel, the Domingo Sarmiento Library, the Francisco Moreno Museum of Patagonia, the City Hall, the handsome and quaint Post Office, the Police Station, and the Customs Buildings. He spread the elaborate plans around tables in the office showing skiing, trekking, mountaineering, golfing, and swimming facilities, hotels and restaurants, and of course, chocolate shops for which Bariloche was famous—all yet to be developed. The proposed streets were wide and left space for outdoor cafes and boutique shops. He included plans for a large casino, a shopping mal, a business center, and a diversity of churches, synagogues, and even a small mosque.

  Stracher’s concepts and the flair with which he presented them received approbation from the serious men in the room which was unprecedented. They applauded. Daniel Urquiza provided a concise but detailed discussion of the practical elements of construction of the development and was greeted with similar enthusiasm.

  Erich stood again and introduced Xavier Manriquez-Huelsmann, Evert Williams, Gunther Horn, Liert Beili Amstutz, Benedettu Paganucci, and Don Pedro Altenhofen—the financial might of the project. In the interests of brevity, the assembled financiers had elected Don Pedro to be their spokesman since he and his Gebirgsjägers were slated to be the major shareholders by virtue of their dominant financial contribution.

  Antoine [aka Don Pedro] was brief. He gave a listing of the agreed-upon financial makeup of the project. Each financial institution’s contribution and percentage profit share was listed in order of amount. The list contained the signatures of the men in the room. The project’s estimated cost was to be eight billion US dollars over a ten-year period. The estimated profits were forty-five billion dollars over twenty to twenty-five years. The number of full-time employees of the corporation was expected to be between three and four thousand.

  Xavier then stood and explained tersely how the government would be involved and how it would be rewarded. He omitted names and his personal trade secrets. The measure of his status was such that such details were not expected, and his guarantee of success was accepted by all of the powerful men without demurrer. The Pueblo Parque National Nahuel Huapi development was officially underway, and Antoine and his Gebirgsjägers breathed mutual sighs of relief and pleasure at the prospect that—at last—they would be truly free: free of the gulags, the crime syndicates, the world’s law enforcement authorities, the Nazi hunters, and of the fear of financial want.

  They were unaware of the forces marshalled against them, headed by INTERPOL.

  Recipes for Lunch in “The Little Switzerland or Little Bavaria of South America”

  Steamed Chilean Crab—Serves 1 per Crab

  Ingredients

  -4 Chilean crabs, one loaf fresh warm bread, 4 garlic cloves, assorted fresh herbs (especially fresh dill), 1 cube salted butter, 1 red chili pepper.

  Preparation

  -Steaming crabs—add about 2 in. salted water in the bottom of a large steam pot. Place crabs into boiling water in a steamer basket to ensure even cooking—otherwise the bottom crabs will be boiled and not steamed. Allow~15–20 min. to cook through.

  -Cleaning cooked crabs—As soon as the crabs are cooled, clean by removing the triangular panel on the back of the crab (easy to lift, remove, and discard). Hold crab body firmly and remove or crack open the top shell and use the open cavity as a bowl. Chilean crabs have copious meat in that space. Discard the so-called “crab butter” which is bitter. Remove the gray gills and discard. Clean interior with copious amounts of cools water. An alternative is to break the crab in half and set halves on a platter for serving.

  -Preparation of Red Chile butter:

  Ingredients

  -1 cube melted, salted butter, 4 minced garlic cloves (1–4 as preferred), 8 tbsps fresh chopped dill, 1 finely diced red chili pepper

  -Mix ingredients, warm, and pour over crab.

  -Serving crab—forget about potatoes or rice, etc. Include a simple fresh garden salad with lots of herbs and garlicky Red Chile butter with fresh dill.

  Schweinshaxe

  Zutaten

  -Salz, Pfeffer, Paprika,1–2 Zwiebeln, 1 Karotte, 1 Lauch, 1 Stange Sellerie, 1 Stück Brotrinde, 3/8 to 1/2 Liter kochende Flüssigkeit.

  Zubereitung

  Schweinshaxe mit Salz, Pfeffer und etwas Paprika einreiben, zunächst mit wenig kochendem Wasser in geschlossenem Bräter dämpfen. Gemüse grob schneiden. Nach etwa 15–20 Minuten Schwarte karoartig einschneiden. Dann Bratzutaten zugeben und bei guter Mittelhitze (220-200° C) unter öfterem Begießen etwas 1 1/2 Stunden braten, bei Bedarf etwas kochende Flüssigkeit seitlich nachgießen. Kurz vor beendeter Garzeit mehrmals mit Bier bestreichen und kurz überbraten, wodurch Schwarte schön knusprig wird.

  Hasenpfeffer

  Zutaten

  -1 Kaninchen ca 500 g, 1 Karotte, 2 Stangen Sellerie, 3 Zehen Knoblauch, 1 Zweig Rosmarin, 3 Lorblattblätter, 500 ml Rotwein, 250 ml Fleischbrühe, 6 Esslöffel Olivenöl

  Ham hocks

  Ingredients

  -salt, pepper, paprika, 1-2 onions, 1 carrot, 1 leek, 1 celery stalk, bread crust, 3/8 to 1/2 liter boiling liquid.

  Preparation


  -Rub the ham hocks with salt, pepper, and some paprika. Steam them with a little boiling water in a covered pan. Chop the vegetables in large chunks. After 15–20 minutes, make diagonal cuts in the ham hock rind. Add the vegetables and roast uncovered at 220–200° Celsius for about 1 1/2 hours while basting frequently. Add boiling liquid as needed. Before it is done, brush well with beer and turn the heat up briefly until the rind is nice and crisp.

  Rabbit Stew

  Ingredients

  -1 young~½ lb. rabbit, 1 carrot, 2 stalks celery, 3 cloves garlic, 1 sprig rosemary, 3 bay leaves, 500 ml red wine, 250 ml meat stock, 6 tbsps olive oil.

  Zubereitung

  -Zerteiles Kaninchen waschen und abtrocknen. Sehnen entfernen. Karotte und Selleriestangen grob zerkleinern. Knoblauchzehen halbieren. Rosmarinzweig mit den Lorbeerblättern zusammenbinden. Alles mit dem Fleisch zusammen in eine Schüssel geben und mit dem Rotwein angießen. Diese Marinade abgedeckt an einem kühlen Ort 24 Stunden stehen lassen.

  -Das Fleisch dann herausnehmen, abtrocknen und mit Mehl bestäuben. Die Marinade durchsieben, Wein und Gemüse bereitstellen. In einem Bräter das Olivenöl erhitzen, das Fleisch rundum kräftig anbraten, salzen und pfeffern. Temperatur verringern. Gemüse, Knoblauch und Kräuter mit andünsten, Rotwein und 250 ml Brühe angießen. Den Bräter zudecken und das Fleisch bei geringer Hitze etwas 2,5 Stunden weichschmoren. Das Fleisch und den Kräuterbund herausnehmen, die Sauce pürieren, abschmecken und mit dem Fleisch servieren.

  Preparation

  -Cut up, trim, wash and dry meat. Chop carrot and celery. Halve garlic cloves. Tie rosemary and bay leaves together. Put all in a bowl with meat and add wine. Cover marinade and set in a cool place for 24 hours.

  -Take meat out and strain marinade. Put liquid and vegetables aside. Heat olive oil in roasting pan. Sear meat and add salt and pepper. Lower temp. Braise vegetables and herbs. Add wine and meat stock. Cover pan and stew meat on low heat for about 2½ hrs. Remove meat and bundled herbs, puree remaining sauce, season to taste, and serve with meat.

  CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO

  Le Bureau Central National (BCN) d’INTERPOL pour la France [The International Criminal Police Organization, or INTERPOL], Office of Senior Detective Chief Superintendent Eugène Léon Dentremont, 200 Quai Charles de Gaulle, 69006 Lyon, France, June 12, 1963

  In the Lyon office of INTERPOL, mountains of evidence were accumulating, set aside for the task force investigating the serial killings of senior military officers in the few months since the formal investigation was instigated. The names and whereabouts of many of the mid-level gangsters who were associated with the Gebirgsjägers, some ODESSA agents, a few Nazis shipped by the underground railroad to South America, and two close lieutenants of the presumed head of the criminal enforcer outfit. The general consensus at this point was that the criminals had escaped to Paraguay, Argentina, or perhaps, even somewhere in Italy. Most of the money in the bet was on Argentina, but no real direct evidence was available. But it looked like the stalemate was about to shift in favor of INTERPOL and the rest of the international force working on the case.

  Three days previously, DCS Dentremont met with Levi Appleman ben Cohen, Hoypt [Yiddish for chief] Director of the Mossad—known in the intelligence world only as “C”—in an undisclosed location.

  “Dark in here, Levi—or ‘C,’ if you prefer,” Eugène said. “Certainly adds to the cloak and dagger character of our meeting.”

  Levi laughed, “And the abandoned warehouse décor fits the scene perfectly.”

  Eugène shrugged, knowing that it was always like this with the Mossad.

  “With all of this secrecy, I’m sure that you have something earthshattering to offer up, my friend.”

  “Maybe not earth-shattering, but I am hoping it will be helpful in your investigation into the ODESSA fugitives. As you know, we have a mutual interest. We have learned something that has piqued our interest from one of our Sayanim in Argentina.”

  “Our people have considerable interest in that Nazi country, but we have not been able to make much progress through official channels as you might imagine. What have you got?” Eugène asked.

  “Eugène, you realize that this might turn out to be nothing; so, don’t get your hopes up too high.”

  Eugène nodded his understanding.

  “Our woman—as it turns out—works in a small exclusive chocolate shop on General San Martin Avenue in a very German city located within Nahuel Huapi National Park. She is one of our people, but has kept her religion a strict secret, even though Jews suffer very little prejudice or harassment there. She is blond and blue-eyed—as Aryan as they get in looks; so, the locals talk freely around her assuming that she is one of them. She informed our resident agent in Córdoba that until the last few months, Bariloche has been a rather sleepy Bavarian or Swiss Alpine town—whichever you prefer. About nine months ago, a group of obviously rich men—bankers, developers, and planners—came into town. They all bought some of the region’s fine chocolate from our girl and ignored her presence as they talked business in hushed tones. She learned that they were there for a meeting with the local ODESSA leader—a man known as Erich Walther Boehme, whom we know to be a former SS Hauptsturmführer—in his delicatessen. A number of the men were hard-looking and militaristic, with Aryan features and Argentine names.”

  “Phony?”

  “Presumably. Since that time, those militaristic men have settled in and are doing business. That business is to begin the construction of a multibillion-dollar development which will be known as Pueblo Parque National Nahuel Huapi and will likely make all of those already rich men a good deal richer and more securely entrenched in the community. The militarists she described are already fitting in very nicely, apparently. Their obvious leader—a man called Don Pedro Altenhofen—is being touted to take over the position as the vice president of the town’s German Argentinian Cultural Association as soon as the current officer’s term expires. That man is Erich Walther Boehme.

  “Perhaps this would all be nothing more than mundane local goings-on were it not for our investigation into the past of the newcomers. In brief, they have no past. There is no credible record of their having ever existed before October of last year. More damning potentially is that my agents from the Institute were able to find obviously forged documents used to allow them to pass through customs, to be known as previous home and business owners in the capital, Buenos Aires, etc.”

  “Sounds like transplants facilitated by ODESSA.”

  “That’s our take. The head of our Nazi hunter teams, Moises Silverman, is bringing a team into Argentina to try and find out who they really are and the extent—if any—of crimes they have committed against the children of Israel. You have informed us that you are searching for a man or a few men who may be fugitives after having committed several murders of prominent military officers. Since a man fitting that description recently admitted to the killings and has since died of a lung disease in the American state of Texas, there has been this spate of hyperactivity there in Argentina. We think that is more than mere coincidence.”

  On the strength of that information, Dentremont informed the closed circle of investigators working on the murder cases that it was time for them to meet in Lyon for an important strategy session. As indication of the high value they all placed on the importance of their ongoing cooperative investigation, all of them dropped what they were doing and booked flights to Lyon.

  The investigators included: Kriminalkommissar Schäfer and Oberwachtmeister Zimmermann from Ludwigshafen; police chief von der Lippe, Kriminalpolitzei forensics sciences senior secretary Weiss-Krüger, Kriminalkommissar Boehme, head of the FIU [Financial Intelligence Unit] of the Bundespolitzei, and INTERPOL special secretary Hertzog—the individual assigned to gather and collate every piece of information available from both official and unofficial sources about the German/Nazi/ODESSA connection, from Wiesbaden; Major Higgins, Chief Officer MCU, Alaska State Police, in Juneau and SAC, 83rd MP Det CID
, Nicholsen, Fort Richardson, Alaska; Superintendent Baird, INTERPOL agent-in-charge, New York City; FBI Special Agent Gonzales-Soto from Washington DC; Texas Ranger Captain Cutler from Austin, Texas; Enquêteur De Vincent, Senior INTERPOL technician, Forensic Specialist and Research Unit Officer de la Reynie, and Gendarmerie Lieutenant Piétri from Paris; Lieutenant of militsiya Stepanovich and Uchastkovyi Lebedinsky from Moscow; Teniente Policía de la Provincia de Policía de Córdoba, PPC de Corsos and Sargentopolicíaprovbsas Policía de la Provincia de Córdoba, PPC de Jesus, from Córdoba; and DCI Crandall-White and DI Snowden, New Scotland Yard, London.

  They were all tired but keyed up enough to pay full attention to Eugène, whose first communication, by way of greeting was, “Thank you for coming on such short notice. Let us have two rules today: first, let one of us speak at a time. Second, let us all use first names only. The titles and some of the last names are different enough to cause a little confusion and distraction.”

  Everyone nodded approval.

  “Now, let me tell you what ‘C’ communicated to me three days ago. To be very brief, his Mossad agents have been tracking Nazis all around the world since the end of the war, and especially in Argentina, as you all know. That concentration may have paid off for us. There are newly hatched Argentinians—heretofore unknown to history—who arrived four months ago in a little mountain town in Argentina called Bariloche. They brought with them hundreds of millions of dollars which will eventually be billions of dollars and are creating a tourist housing and facilities development in the area. Work is already underway. Why we should be interested is that several men came bearing fully Argentinian names but fully Aryan faces? The Mossad hazarded the none-too-wild a guess that their appearance was that of ex-military men. The name of the development is Pueblo Parque National Nahuel Huapi. Our contact person in Bariloche is named Davido Parades. He is in fact Jewish, and a top-notch Mossad agent.