The Defeated Aristocrat (34 page)

Church of the Holy Family, Haberberg District, Konigsberg, Monday January 13th 1919

‘Dorfman will have you shot the moment you turn up at the front gate,’ Ralf warned.

‘Not if Fraulein Behn accompanies me.’

‘It’s not enough that you want to kill yourself, you want to kill your lawyer as well?’

‘Hopefully, once we’ve taken a few sensible precautions we’ll all live to see the sun set today. Father Matthias, in order to keep this affair within the jurisdiction of the church, can I ask you to confine Sister Ignatius to a secure place?’

‘I won’t be leaving here to run anywhere, Colonel von Mau. I have nowhere to go except the church.’ Sister Ignatius stared at Wolf. ‘You have my word.’

‘Thank you, Sister Ignatius, but I’d still appreciate an assurance from Father Matthias.’

‘You have it, Colonel von Mau.’

‘Will you entrust Sister Ignatius’s confession to Ralf Frank for safekeeping?’

Father Matthias handed it Ralf.

‘Then, if you agree, Fraulein Behn, we’ll walk into the lion’s den.’

‘With me,’ Ralf insisted.

‘You have to safeguard the one thing that will get us out of Police Headquarters if Dorfman tries to keep us there. Sister Ignatius’s confession. We’ll see you in a few hours, Ralf.’

‘Alive I hope,’ Ralf called after Wolf.

Police Headquarters, Konigsberg, Monday January 13th 1919

‘You sure you don’t want to change your mind about walking in there with me?’ Wolf asked Johanna as Baumgarten’s carriage approached the gate.

‘No, but have you thought what will happen if Kriminalrat Dorfman imprisons us with your brother, Georg Hafen, and Lilli Richter? I won’t be in a position to apply to the courts to get us out.’

‘Dorfman can’t imprison all of Konigsberg. The gaol isn’t big enough. That’s why I left Ralf outside.’

‘I had a message from the front gate to say that you’d arrived to surrender, Mau.’ Dorfman smiled when he saw Wolf’s clothes and the false beard. ‘But I didn’t expect you to be in fancy dress or hiding behind a woman’s skirts.’

‘Shall we dispense with the pleasantries, Dorfman?’ Wolf looked at the officers flanking the kriminalrat. ‘We’ll need privacy.’

‘Anything you say to me can be said in front of my officers,’ Dorfman retorted.

‘In that case shall we begin with a full account of what happened in the convent of Our Lady of the Sorrows outside Rheims?’

‘Officers Weiss and Gruber, outside the door and ensure no one enters.’ Dorfman waited until the door closed behind them. ‘You can’t prove anything, Mau.’

‘On the contrary, Kriminalrat Dorfman.’ Johanna opened her briefcase and extracted a file Wolf knew contained none of the documents she’d prepared. They were all safe with either Ralf or Josef. ‘These are copies of legally sworn and accredited documents of eyewitness testimony from Sister John, who survived the rape and attack by German officers.’

‘A whore!’ Dorfman dismissed.

‘A virginal nun until you raped her, Kriminalrat Dorfman. We have eyewitness testimony from Sister Ignatius who was Mother Superior of the convent of Our Lady of the Sorrows, attesting to the rape of three nuns and the murder of Sister Rachel by you and …’

‘Murder! You have no evidence …’

‘We have all the evidence we need, Kriminalrat Dorfman,’ Johanna reiterated. ‘Please don’t interrupt me again. We have a newspaper prepared to publish their accounts including the part you played in the whole sorry affair. The presses are being set up even as we speak.’

‘I have connections …’

‘We have sworn testimony from Emil Grunman who can attest to the attack on the nuns by you and officers under your command and the authenticity of these documents.’

Dorfman sat back in his chair.

‘We also have a signed confession from Sister Ignatius that she, and she alone, murdered Anton von Braunsch, Nils Dresdner, Dedleff Gluck, and Luther Kappel, and attacked and wounded Helmut Norde.’

‘Can you stop the press, Mau?’ Dorfman looked from Johanna to Wolf.

‘At a price.’

‘What price, Mau?’

‘The immediate release of Lilli Richter, Georg Hafen, Martin von Mau, and Peter Plewe, and a public declaration that there is no evidence to implicate them in the murders of the police officers, or the attack on Helmut Norde.’

‘Consider it done.’

‘I haven’t finished. Your immediate resignation as Kriminalrat.’

‘I’ve only just accepted the post.’

‘And now you’re going to resign it.’

‘On what grounds?’

‘Health, personal, you want to spend more time with your family – whatever excuse you choose, Herr Dorfman.’

‘You expect me to give up my post …’

‘Or be unmasked as a rapist and murderer. The choice is yours.’

‘That stupid nun’s death was an accident …’ Dorfman turned aside when he realised what he’d said.

‘I also want the immediate reinstatement of Georg Hafen as Kriminalrat.’

‘The trial …’

‘There will be no trial.’

‘Four officers have been murdered. The people of Konigsberg want to see justice done. A murderer has to be brought to trial before the court …’

Wolf interrupted him. ‘How many unclaimed bodies are in the mortuary?’

‘How should I know?’ Dorfman erupted.

‘Find out because the one you can’t identify will be the murderer the city wants.’

‘You’re insane … I should have you arrested now …’

‘Do I have to remind you that we have a newspaper prepared to publish the account you’ve played in this whole sorry affair?’

‘Damn you …’

‘After the Western Front you can’t damn me any more than I already am, Dorfman.’ Wolf picked up the telephone receiver from its cradle and handed it to him. ‘Shall I telephone the mortuary or will you?’

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Gebaur Strasse, Konigsberg, Saturday January18th 1919

‘ “Chaos engulfed the two armies.

Christian and Pagan.

The battle was brutal, hard fought.

Blood flowed on to the ice. Both heathen and Godly.

Many nobles and sergeants were struck down.

Slain in defeat was good Master Otto

And fifty two good brothers … ” ’

‘The Teutonic Knights lost the battle?’ Heini interrupted Wolf. His blue eyes widened in disbelief.

‘No army can win every battle, Heini.’ Wolf tried not to make the pronouncement sound as though it had come from bitter experience.

‘But the knights couldn’t lose. They were us – our side – this was our fight …’

‘It’s not who wins the fight, Heini, it’s who wins the war and this particular fight happened a long time ago.’

‘So our side won the war?’

‘We’re here, safe, warm and well-fed and -clothed in this lovely house, aren’t we? Tomorrow we’ll find out what happened in the knights’ next battle.’

‘Just one more page. Please?’

Wolf hated refusing his son but he had no choice. ‘Tomorrow’s another day and we have to keep some good things to put in it.’ He closed the book and set it alongside the others on the shelves below the window seat.

‘You promised we’d go to the zoo tomorrow?’

‘And we will.’ Wolf kissed Heini’s forehead. ‘But we have to go to church first.’

‘Church isn’t so bad.’ Heini snuggled down under the bedcovers.

‘Don’t let your Aunt Ludwiga hear you say that.’ Wolf picked up his old teddy bear that Martha had retrieved from the castle and tucked it in beside his son. ‘Good night and sweet dreams.’

‘I’ll dream Otto won the battle and didn’t get killed.’

‘That’s the great thing about dreams; you can make everything turn out the way you want to.’

‘You going out, Papa?’

‘I have to, but I’ll be back in time to take you to church tomorrow.’

‘Promise?’

‘I promise.’

‘And the zoo afterwards?’

‘And the zoo afterwards.’ Wolf dropped another kiss on Heini’s head. His son’s eyes were already closing. He wrapped his small arm around the teddy.

Wolf tucked in the blankets and crept from the room. He closed the door and went downstairs. Martin was poring over a medical textbook in the drawing room. Ludwiga was sitting across the hearth from him mending a tear in one of Martin’s shirts.

‘Heini asleep?’ Ludwiga asked.

‘He will be by now.’ Wolf picked up his cigars and Lucifers from a side table.

‘I’m so glad you moved in, Wolf. Without you, Martha, and Heini this house would have been unbearably quiet after Lotte and the girls moved out.’

‘I’m sure you and Martin would have survived. If you ever feel like adopting two lively orphans you only to look as far as the accommodation over the stables.’

Martin glanced up from his book. ‘Wilhelm and Paul are behaving themselves these days, aren’t they?’

‘As far as I know.’

‘Peter and Georg haven’t said anything to you about them?’

‘Absolutely nothing. Is it too much to hope they’ve given up fighting in favour of studying?’

Martin humphed.

‘They cleared the fresh snow from the paths yesterday, Martin,’ Ludwiga ventured.

‘Because you told them to?’

‘I never said a word …’

‘You expect me to believe that.’

The bell rang downstairs. Wolf went to the door. ‘That will be Georg and Peter. Enjoy your evening.’

‘Do you have to go?’ Martin asked.

‘Georg asked me to accompany them. As the police pay my wages, I’m duty bound to obey my superior.’

‘I still don’t understand why you took the position of Kriminaldirektor, Wolf.’

‘I keep telling you. I took it because Georg offered it to me and it was the only prospect of paying work I’ve received. A man has to put bread on the table to feed his family.’

Ludwiga set her sewing side, and laid her hand on Wolf’s arm as he passed her chair. ‘You’ll be careful?’

‘I always am.’

‘Wolf …’

‘I’ll be back as soon as I can. Look after Heini for me please if he wakes.’

‘We will, if Martha doesn’t get to him first,’ Ludwiga assured him.

Martin set his book aside and followed Wolf into the hall. He watched his brother shrug on his heavy leather coat, don his cap and pull on his gloves. They could hear Martha talking to Peter in the downstairs hall.

Wolf checked his pockets for his keys and wallet.

‘You have your gun?’ Martin asked.

‘I do but I won’t need it where I’m going.’

‘You’ll be out in Haberberg late at night. Close to the soup kitchen and Catholic women and children’s refuge. Who knows who’ll be about? The city is full of destitute hungry people, desperate to feed their children at any cost – even a stranger’s life. There’s no knowing whether you’ll need it or not.’

‘Don’t worry. Georg, Peter, Ralf and I will be fine. We’re there as witnesses not victims.’

‘As long as you’re sure that’s all you’ll be.’ Martin stood at the top of the stairs and watched Wolf walk down to the hall.

Konigsberg, Saturday January18th 1919

Wolf ignored the concern in Martha’s eyes as he kissed her goodbye. Georg was already in the police carriage. Peter was holding the door open for him. He climbed in and took the seat opposite Georg. Peter sat next to him.

The journey to Blucher Strasse took forty-five minutes. Not one of them spoke.

Father Mathias was waiting outside the convent. His hat, cloak, and gloves were crusted with a fine layer of frost.

‘He looks as though he’ll turn into a snowman if he stands there much longer.’ Peter finally broke the silence.

‘Would you be in a hurry to go inside if you were him?’ Georg questioned.

‘I admit I’m loath to walk in there.’ Peter laid his hand on the door handle.

‘We’re five minutes early.’ Georg snapped his watch shut and returned it to his waistcoat pocket.

The driver stopped the carriage, alighted from the box, opened the door and rolled down the steps. Georg went ahead and nodded to the Catholic priest, who tipped his hat. They waited until Wolf and Peter joined them. Only then did the priest turn and pull the bell at the side of the convent gates. A grating slid open and a face framed in a wimple peered out for a few seconds. The grating closed. The door opened revealing the stone-flagged floor and whitewashed walls of a long passageway.

The priest, Georg, Peter, and Wolf entered. A nun moved out from behind the door and closed it behind them. She disappeared into a side room. A second nun, head bowed, materialised in the shadows at the far end. The priest led the way towards her.

The smell was overpowering, carbolic soap, ammonia, the peculiar tang of damp and cold mixed with the stench of rancid oil that emanated from the flickering lamps affixed to the walls.

Before they reached the nun, she turned left and descended a narrow stone staircase. Three dimly lit passages radiated out from the vestibule at the foot of the stairs. The nun continued walking down the right-hand opening. After a few minutes Wolf felt as though they’d left the confines of the building above them and were walking along an ancient thoroughfare beneath the city streets.

Red brick walls, floors, and arched ceilings opened and closed around them. The only relief was an occasional cast iron door with grill and massive padlocks that looked as though they’d been wrought for giants. The air was freezing and fetid, as if it had been stored for centuries. Then suddenly, without warning, they turned a corner and faced a brick wall.

Sister Ignatius stood bolt upright, her back against an arched niche a few inches wider than her body and an inch higher than the top of her head. She stared straight ahead, unblinking, and Wolf couldn’t be certain she even saw them. Next to her was a pile of red bricks, of a brighter shade than those in the walls.

The nun who’d accompanied them closed and locked a high metal-barred gate, caging Sister Ignatius inside the alcove as the bars ran from wall to wall and floor to ceiling. Metal clanged on metal, and the key grated in the lock before the nun removed it. There was no room behind the bars for Sister Ignatius to lie or even sit down, as there was nothing for her to sit on. A metal frame half a metre square and six inches thick was inset in the gate at the height of the nun’s face.