The Chaos Loop by Peter Lerangis

Author:Peter Lerangis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2020-03-23T00:00:00+00:00

17

Corey had experienced Central Park concerts where you couldn’t see the grass beneath your feet. He’d been on the 42nd Street subway platform during a rush-hour train delay. He’d even managed to endure a New Year’s Eve at Times Square.

But he had never seen a crowd like the one at the Bürgerbräukeller on November 8, 1939. Outside the archway, people had camped overnight to view Hitler’s entrance. They were lined up Rosenheimer Street and into the center of town. All day long, people had tried to sneak onto the grounds of the restaurant. Now, close to opening time, the bridges were closed, traffic had been halted on Rosenheimer and Wiener Streets, and the din of the city had given way to a dull roar of voices, shouting, laughter, and even occasional fighting. Customers lucky enough to have gotten reservations were already inside the restaurant, drinking beer and feasting.

Corey and Leila stood at the front entrance with a bouncer named Gustav. He had a walrus-like mustache and held a thick wooden truncheon. That would have been scary enough for Corey, but it didn’t seem to faze the citizens of Munich. Out of the corner of Corey’s eye, he spotted three silhouettes scaling the eight-foot-high stone-and-steel fence that surrounded the restaurant grounds. As they hid behind a thicket of rosebushes that lined the restaurant, Gustav let out a soft, exasperated groan.

He muttered a stream of German to Leila, as they all headed toward the bush. “He is saying it’s always the same, every year,” Leila translated. “They come from all over. They drink beer like it’s water. They eat like pigs. They listen to Hitler and he makes them feel good. Powerful. Then they don’t pay their bills.”

With a sharp swing of his truncheon, Gustav whacked the rosebush. On the other side, two teenage boys and a girl screamed and jumped out from behind. “Grrrr . . .” the guard growled, holding the wooden cylinder aloft.

As they ran off, squealing, Corey could hear the distant sound of music. It was tinny and muffled, like a brass band underwater. The din of voices from the streets grew louder. “Herr Schmuckler!” Gustav shouted into the restaurant. “Sie kommen!”

“Raus! Raus!” barked Herr Schmuckler’s voice from inside. Right away, a team of waiters poured out of the restaurant, forming lines on either side of the door. Each held out an arm at ninety degrees, with a white napkin folded over the forearm. They stood with backs straight, looking out toward the archway.

Maria nodded hello to Corey and Leila as she took her place. “The insanity begins,” she murmured under her breath.

As the music got louder, the crowd outside immediately quieted. Herr Schmuckler stood by the closed archway gate, waiting. In a moment the crowd began to part, clearing the road and squeezing onto the sidewalks. They fell silent, their faces growing grim.

Down the center of the street walked a small squadron of brown-suited soldiers, marching in a stiff goose step. Their boots struck the pavement together in a rhythm that didn’t quite match the music.

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