Echoes of Silence: A Novel of Nazi Germany by Patrick W. O'Bryon

Author:Patrick W. O'Bryon [O'Bryon, Patrick W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Brantome Press
Published: 2019-07-03T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

Berlin Outskirts

February 1931

Isabel knew what was sure to come. Rumors of Nazi torture and brutal murder were widely shared among foreign correspondents. Her mind raced. No time to mourn Doro for she herself would soon be dead. Or worse still, they make her suffer horribly for hours or days before tiring of it. She remembered Hallinger’s chilling order to make it the last meeting they’d ever attend.

Leaning over the hood of the car, she trembled, tasting bile, her guts churning. How long before her knees buckled? I’m the worst kind of fool, she thought, so self-centered I’ve sacrificed Doro and myself, and all for nothing. Should she reveal her identity as a journalist? Could she bribe this Veidtner who had just murdered Doro? My God, I’ve just killed two of their men! There’s nothing left to trade.

The brute emerged from the darkness, still gripping his pistol as he gave an order to the SA man: “Go bring back what’s left of the little bitch.” The Brownshirt moved off in a hurry, his flashlight retracing the route of the Storm Leader. Veidtner caustically called out after him: “Careful of all the blood!” He turned to Isabel. “Now, what the hell have you done with my men?”

She desperately hoped to buy time, but why even bother? He’d soon find his henchmen’s bodies. She went for broke anyway, weaving a seemingly plausible story: “The older guy wanted to rape us before you got here, but the other said to obey your orders and wait, so he called the young guy an Arschloch and much worse. They threw punches and when the younger one stormed out, the other followed and came back alone.” Isabel couldn’t see Veidtner’s eyes beneath the hat brim, couldn’t tell if he was buying the story, so she plunged on: “The older guy must have killed him—he came back splattered with blood.” The lies came more easily now. “Then he said ‘why should Veidtner be first with the fun?’ and he stripped my friend naked. I managed to break loose while he was raping her, and when he turned on me I hit him with a metal rod. It was self-defense—you must believe me!”

“So both are dead?”

“As far as I know.”

“And this because one of them tried to make a fool of me?”

She saw a glimmer of hope. “Yes, it’s true!”

He slipped the pistol into his pocket and grabbed her by the base of the neck. “Then let’s have a look.” His grip felt like a pincers. “Get moving!” She nearly lost the loose shoes as he shoved her into the sedan. The engine caught and they backed up, then swerved past the Ford and covered the distance quickly. “Raus!” he commanded. She got out, shuffling alongside him as they headed toward the glow of the office.

The scene inside the torture room almost paralyzed her. God, what a horror! When she’d come to Doro’s defense she’d paid no attention to the surroundings, but now they hit her like a brutal blow to the gut.

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