Heroes by David Hagberg

Author:David Hagberg [Hagberg, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tom Doherty
Published: 2012-08-05T18:38:44+00:00

*”*&..

“Shall I remain, Herr Admiral?” his driver asked at the office building.

“No, you may return home. I shall call when I am ready.”

Liidecke nodded. But he did not immediately drive off. Instead, he remained there for a long moment. Canaris looked at him with impatience. There was a lot to do tonight. Many decisions to be made. All before dark.

“What is it, Hans?” he asked.

“Is it true, Herr Admiral? About our Fuhrer?”

“I don’t know,” Canaris said. At that moment he had a very sharply defined sense of history. In one sense he felt somewhat melodramatic, but in another he felt that he was in the midst of a great historical event in the making. Chroniclers would be marking his words, even the simplest of his pronouncements. “We can only pray to God that the right thing for Germany has occurred.”

“Yes, meiner Admiral,” Liidecke said. He drove off.

Canaris turned and went into the building, the guard saluting.

Lights shown from all the Hwk offices, and just inside, Lieutenant Bender was holding court with about three-quarters of the staff. They all jumped to attention when he came in.

He returned their salute, then charged directly through to his office, Bender right on his heels.

“We just heard an hour ago,” the lieutenant said.

“Who told you?”

“Colonel Schrader telephoned, asking for you. He told me. I told the others … naturally.”

“Naturally,” Canaris said dryly. “Get me Major Meitner on the telephone. I imagine he will be at Maybach II.”

“Yes, sir,” Bender said.

Canaris left the office as Bender was on the phone. He stepped next door to the office of Economic Adjustments, and went in.

Captain Marks, whom he had gotten to know quite well over the past weeks, was there with his secretary.

“Herr Admiral,” the captain said.

“Donni, I need to use your telephone for just a single important call. All my lines are tied up just now.”

“Of course, Herr Admiral, of course,” Marks said. He jumped up and went into the outer office. Canaris dialed the Zossen operator. “Major Meitner,” he said when the connection had been made.

“His line is busy.”

“Break in on him; this is a Reich Priority call.”

“Of course, sir.”

Meitner was out of breath. “Yes?” he asked.

“Is it true?” Canaris asked, keeping his voice low.

Meitner sucked his breath. “No. It is not true. Do you understand?”

“You are certain?”

“Yes.”

Canaris hung up. He had had a feeling about it. A hunch, if you will. Again he had curious feelings at cross-purposes; on the one hand, he was sorry that the madman was not dead, while on the other he was deeply relieved.

He thanked Marks, and back in his own office he took the phone from Bender, told Meitner, who was still holding, that his reports would be late this week, and then he hung up.

“We will send a telegram now,” Canaris said to his adjutant.

“Sir?”

“To our Fiihrer. A telegram congratulating him on his miraculous escape.”

“Our Fiihrer is alive?”

“Oh yes,” Canaris said. “Did you ever doubt it?”

Schey knew it was time to leave.

The authorities had evidently picked up the man he was supposed to contact, and they knew that someone would be calling.

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