Betz then held up what looked like a melted piece of plastic with wires running from it. “This was what confirmed it all,” he said rolling the object by the wires. “This is a receiver which detonated both charges. It was hooked up to the battery and sat along one side of the firewall. When it was triggered, both the steering and the brakes were cut. I doubt Mantz even knew what happened until he was halfway over the edge. My men told me the sound would sound almost like a backfire. Nothing would be transmitted to the driver except a loud pop,” Betz said as he handed the small part to Dresner.
Dresner examined the part carefully. He could see the remains of a circuit board and some metal pieces, but not much else. “And you’re sure this is not just a part from the car. With many extras you can purchase to go on one, the question will be asked.”
Betz feigned a hurt look. “I took the piece to the local quarry. The manager said he used some of the same things on occasion when they blast out a new layer. He recognized it immediately.”
Dresner grinned. “I should know better.”
“Yes, you should Herr Major,” said Betz with a grin.
“How far away could someone be to set something like this off?”
“According to the manager, anywhere within 500 meters.”
“Then the man could have been sitting along the road watching us as we stared down at the wreck and we wouldn’t even have known,” said Dresner a little disgusted at the thought.
“Quite possible. But he did say the closer you got the better chance to set it off. He said that’s why they don’t like using them. Too much can interfere and sometimes even someone on a radio can set something off prematurely.”
“Yes, but this one they had to use a radio. A timer would be no good and there’s no way to wire it. That means we have someone who is an expert on explosives,” said Dresner. “What kind of explosive did they use?”
“Probably plastic. Dynamite would be too big and too unstable with the heat of the engine. With the fire from the crash most everything was burned beyond recognition. The wires melted and by itself we would not have been able to get any evidence. The brake fluid and coolant helped us find the one piece of the ball joint and this radio was protected when a piece of metal folded up against it. But now we can say without question it was a murder.”
Murder was becoming a common word in Dresner’s office. They were becoming too commonplace for mere coincidence. But each was leading to more information. Eventually they would find the one clew to unravel it all. “I agree. I want people out to locate everyone from Munich to Salzburg who has experience with explosives. I want them all checked out and their alibis checked. I also want to find out where someone can get plastic explosive. Let’s see if anyone is missing some. Also check the manufacturer of that remote detonator. Let’s find out who has purchased those recently. Then let’s start seeing if there are ties between the suspects and any of the recent happenings. Let’s start closing the loop. Somewhere, someone pushed a button last night. I want the person who did it,” Dresner said.
Betz stood straight as in the old days. “Jawohl, Herr Major.”
“And Sergeant, you might want to alert the men. We might need them on short notice,” he said in a more subdues tone while looking Betz straight in the eye.
Betz’s eyes widened. Dresner was alerting the troops, and he didn’t mean those in the police force.
Hanz Mahler was perplexed. Upon receiving the request from Sergeant Betz, he began a search of the old records to try and find out anything he could about Joaquin Mantz. He had found his initial enlistment papers. Mantz had joined the SS when they were still the very elite. He had once even been assigned to the Führer’s detail at Berchtesgaden. Then in late 1944 he appeared to have dropped off the face of the earth. Searches through the various combat units turned up nothing. He searched hospital records, injury lists, official correspondence, anything which could lead to a unit. Mahler was just about to call it off when he found an old paymaster’s record from March, 1945. There were no markings listing the unit or command. Skimming through the pages, he found pay records for a group of about 50 men which ran from January through March listing each man and their monthly pay. Two thirds of the way through was a page for J. Mantz. Next to the name was the notation “Special Unit 4.”
Mahler hadn’t seen that unit before so he launched a search in that direction. Again, nothing was found until he ran up on a supply requisition for a supply of light machine oil, drill bits, air hammers, and high capacity pumps. Although not typed into the order, someone had written down “fill immediately, Special Unit 4.” A further search turned up a supply of hand held weapons, ammunition and medical supplies. Mahler decided to look into more mundane things. The payoff came from the commissary supplies. Food was common with all troops and often the security there would not be as tight as with other items. In this case he found over twenty orders for food supplies, including a train schedule for delivery. On one of the forms was noted, “Deliver, Innsbruck.”
Next came the train schedules, but most of those had been discarded long ago. He was about to close one folder when he found a short message from the Reich Chancellery detailing a shipment of specialized parts from Mittelwerk to Special Unit 4. There was also a “special permission” for the parts to leave Germany. Another three days of looking turned up nothing. He picked up the phone and made a call to his friend.
“Betz! You scoundrel, how is the family?” asked Mahler.
“Very well, Hans. How’s little Gretchen?”
“She is in her fifth year at the Gymnasium. She is already talking about going to the university! I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep up,” Mahler said proudly. “You and your family should visit again. She really has a crush on young Chris.”
“Ah to be young again,” Betz said in a dreamy tone. “Now what have you found for me?”
“This was more difficult than I thought,” Mahler said. “I went for a long time without finding anything, but I finally found some old pay records and some supply requisitions. That’s about all. But there were a couple of things interesting. First was a consignment of supplies and food to a special unit four. I found one request for food with a hand written note for delivery in Innsbruck. But the other was an order of supplies from a place called Mittelwerk. It was ordered by the Reich Chancellery.”
“That’s pretty high level,” said Betz.
“I agree. It doesn’t make out what kind of supplies, but it did give authorization for shipment outside Germany.”
“Hold on. That kind of order only happened for very specialized and secret equipment. So you’re saying Mantz was in this special unit?” asked Betz.
“Yes. I found his pay records and it was noted, special unit four.”
There was a slight pause on the phone. “Hans, I can’t tell you how important this is. Can you find out the names of the other men in special unit four? Mantz was murdered last night and the major and I think there is something terribly wrong here,” said Betz.
The phone suddenly got icy in Mahler’s hand. The major had almost a sixth sense on things. If he said it was a problem, it must be monumental. “Michael, I will get on it right away. Tell the major I will contact him every few days until this is all tracked down.”