‘What did Kuttner say to that?’
‘He laughed. Which didn’t exactly defuse the situation. And he made some other remark that I didn’t understand at the time but which relates to the fact that there was already some previous bad blood between them. Apparently they knew each other at university. And they were enemies.’
‘I thought Jacobi was from Munich, sir,’ said Kahlo.
‘He is.’
‘And that he studied law at Tübingen University,’ Kahlo added. ‘At least that’s what it said on his file.’
‘Oh, he did. But he also studied law at the Martin Luther University in Halle. The same as Kuttner. He might not look like it, but Jacobi is only a year or two older than Kuttner was. According to Heydrich, they even fought a duel. While they were students.’
‘A duel?’ Kahlo guffawed. ‘What, with swords?’
‘That’s right.’
‘About what, exactly?’ he asked.
‘They were in a duelling society. It doesn’t have to be about anything at all. That’s the whole point of being in a duelling society.’
‘So it might even have been Jacobi who put the Schmisse on Kuttner’s face?’
‘It’s possible. You should certainly ask him.’
‘Given that Jacobi was Kuttner’s superior,’ I said, ‘then surely Kuttner was being grossly insubordinate when he said what he said. Surely there would be repercussions of saying something like that. Why wasn’t Kuttner put on a charge?’
‘For one thing, this was the mess and it wasn’t a formal occasion. As you may know, there is supposed to be a certain amount of leeway in what officers can say to each other upon these occasions. Up to a point. But beyond that, well, that wasn’t a problem either because Kuttner had vitamin B, of course.’
‘You mean with Heydrich.’
‘Of course with Heydrich.’
Frank lit a cigarette with a handsome gold lighter before crossing his legs nonchalantly, affording us a fine view of his spurs. Maybe his Czech wife, Karola, liked the dashing cavalry-officer look. This was certainly better than Frank’s natural look, which was that of a man recently released from a prison. His bony head, drawn features, strong fingers, sad smile and chain smoking were straight out of a French novel.
‘What you also have to understand,’ said Frank, ‘is that after Kuttner’s breakdown in Latvia, and because it was Heydrich and von Eberstein who saved the young man from being cashiered, his brother officers were already cutting him quite a bit of slack. And for Jacobi to have pressed the matter through official channels would have meant taking on Heydrich. And since Heydrich is now the source of all advancement in Bohemia, you would only do that if you were prepared to park your career in the toilet. Jacobi might be a cunt and a complete waxed moustache but he’s not entirely stupid. No, not entirely.’
‘But is he a killer?’ I said. ‘To shoot a fellow officer in cold blood, that does seem stupid.’
Frank’s tired eyes tightened, and a few seconds after that a smile arrived on his lean face, like a winning card. ‘And I thought you were supposed to be a detective.’
‘It’s Jacobi who’s keen on the occult, sir, not me. And generally, I question witnesses because, more often than not, it turns out to be more reliable than a crystal ball, or a set of Tarot cards.’
Leaning forward in a way that made him seem almost simian, Frank played with a ring on his right hand for a moment and kept on smiling as he enjoyed the superiority of knowing something I didn’t, at least for a few seconds longer; it was obvious to both of us that he was going to tell me, eventually, exactly what this was.
‘Heydrich thinks highly of you, Gunther. But I’m not so sure.’
‘To some coppers that might seem like a crushing blow, sir, but I’m sure I’ll get over it, with a drink or two.’
‘I don’t mind if I do.’
Frank glanced at Kahlo, who went over to the drinks tray.
‘Yes sir? What’ll it be?’
‘Brandy.’
‘Me, too,’ I said. ‘And have one yourself, why don’t you?’
I waited until we were all holding a glass and then toasted the General.
‘Here’s to getting over our superiors not thinking as highly of us as we’d like.’
Frank knew that was meant for him – that of course he might have been the new Reichsprotector of Bohemia and not Heydrich if the Leader had thought more of him. To his credit Frank took the jab on his chin without blinking, but he took the drink even better, like he was swallowing a baby’s cordial. I’d seen men drink like that before and it helped explain how we were both the same sort of age but with different maps on our faces. Mine was all right, I guess, but his looked like the Ganges Delta.
‘I think we’d better have the decanter over here, Kurt,’ I said.
‘Good idea,’ said Frank.
When there was a fresh glassful in his fingers Frank studied it carefully for a moment and said, ‘Usually there’s a payoff for a good informer, isn’t there?’
‘Sometimes,’ I said. ‘But with all due respect, you don’t look like a man who’s going to be happy with five marks and a cigarette.’
‘A favour, Commissar. More than one favour perhaps.’
‘What kind of favour?’
‘Information. You see, since being passed over for the top job here in Bohemia – as you were kind enough to remind me – I don’t hear as well as I used to.’
‘And you’d like us to be your ear-trumpet, is that it?’
Frank looked critically at Kahlo. ‘I don’t know about him. But you’ll do for now.’
‘I see.’
‘I just want to be kept in the loop, that’s all. Right now I’m the last to know everything. It’s Heydrich’s little way of reminding me he’s in charge. You saw the way he dealt with von Neurath the other evening. Well, I get the same treatment.’ He shrugged. ‘It’s not like I’m asking very much, Commissar. After all—’ He poured the second brandy on top of the first and then licked his lips loudly. ‘It’s not like I’m a spy or anything.’
Kahlo and I exchanged a swift look.
Smiling, I poured myself another drink. ‘Are you sure about that, sir?’ I kept on smiling, to make him think I might be joking and to keep him listening without taking offence. ‘Let’s look at it logically. A man with an axe to grind like you. I think you’d make a pretty good spy.’
Frank ignored me. ‘Don’t change the subject. Not now when we’re making progress. Just tell me this: do we have a deal?’
‘To trade information now and in the future? Yes, I think so. I could use a few friends in Prague. Right now I don’t have any. Come to that, I don’t have any at home either.’
Frank nodded, his eyes glistening.
‘All right,’ he said. ‘You first. Some information. A sign of good faith.’
‘Yes. If you like.’
‘What’s the name of this bit of mouse that Henlein has got stashed in the Imperial Hotel? I hear you know all about her.’
‘Her name is Betty Kipsdorf.’
‘Is it now?’
‘Now tell me why you want to know.’
‘Maybe I just wanted to see if you were prepared to keep your end of the bargain before I told you about Lieutenant Colonel Jacobi’s interesting past.’
‘What, more interesting than fighting a duel with my murder victim? And threatening to shoot him?’
‘Oh this is very much more interesting than that, Commissar. That was merely an appetizer. Here is the main dish.
‘Jacobi joined the SA in 1930, while he was still a law student in Tübingen. Nothing unusual about that, of course, but I would suggest that there are not many law students who get themselves arrested for murder in the same week that they graduate.
‘Yes, I thought that would catch your breath. In 1932, Jacobi murdered someone in Stuttgart, which is only twenty kilometres from Tübingen. The victim was a KPD cadre, although it seems that might not be the real reason the boy was killed. There was it seems some suspicion he was queer and that this was the real motive for the murder. Now I don’t have to tell you of all people what things were like in 1932. In some ways von Papen’s government was every bit as right-wing as Hitler’s. The Stuttgart prosecutor’s office was rather slow in putting together a case against Walter Jacobi. So slow, in fact, that the case was never actually brought because, of course, in January 1933 the Nazis were elected and nobody was interested in bringing a case against a loyal Party member like Jacobi any more. All the same it’s no wonder he joined the SS and then the SD soon afterward; it was probably the best way of staying out of jail. And of course one of the very first things he did when he achieved a certain position of authority within the SS was to have the papers in the case destroyed. That almost got him kicked out of the SD, in 1937; but Himmler stepped in and pulled his nuts out of the nosebag.’