It wasn’t difficult to find the door to the study. As their captive had told them, it was the only room with a light on. Alex kept watch on the front of the hall, as Teren cautiously and slowly turned the knob and opened the door a fraction of an inch.
As she peeked inside, Teren saw a seated figure with his back to her. The silver haired man appeared to be watching the flames that crackled in the fireplace. Carefully, Teren opened the door a little wider. There was no sound, and the man did not stir.
Alex tapped her shoulder and she froze. From down the hall she could hear a voice raised, and when she glanced back, a figure passed by the entrance to the corridor. He appeared to be holding a conversation over the phone, and didn’t glance their way. Moving as quickly as she dared, Teren took a step into the room, and Alex followed her. The door was pushed quietly into place, and Teren turned the knob slowly so the latch wouldn’t click.
The room they were in had wood paneling, with an oak trim. There was a large stone fireplace on the wall opposite the door, and a roaring fire was filing the room with its heat. There was a comfortable looking desk several steps from the door, without a chair. A lamp on this desk illuminated half the room, while the fire chased the shadows from the other half.
The figure Teren had seen was still sitting peacefully in his chair. Alex noticed that it was, in fact, a wheelchair, which had been pulled up next to a short couch. Cautiously, the two of them made their way further into the room. Teren pulled her gun and was about to cock it, when the figure spoke.
“Good evening. I’ve been expecting you.”
Teren eased herself around in front of the chair, her gun pointed at the man. He didn’t move, merely watching quietly as Alex joined her friend.
“You knew we were coming?” Teren asked.
“Let’s just say I had a feeling.” He smiled. “I’m afraid I do not know your name. According to our Zurich friends, it was Fleming. Of course, another source reported it to me as Frau Olind.”
Alex’s eyes widened. If he knew the name Olind, he would know the name …
“Meinhard. I suppose you had him killed,” she said softly.
“No. If he is dead, it is not because of me.”
Teren snorted. “I find that hard to believe.”
“There was no reason to kill the man. At least I did not see any reason.”
“How did you find out about him?” Alex asked as she lowered herself to the couch.
“Keppelmann was a very nervous figure, and had been getting more so, even before your arrival. Because of that, he was under surveillance. When he appeared so pale and frightened after your visit, our friends in Zurich decided it would be good to follow you, even before they spoke to Keppelmann. They saw you meet with Meinhard, and tapped his office phone very early the next day. Your phone call to him, Frau Olind, was recorded.”
Keeping her gun steady, Teren also sat. It appeared this man wanted to talk to them, and while she didn’t understand why, she was beginning to trust that he wouldn’t suddenly call for the last remaining guard. But she kept the gun on him, just in case.
“Which was also how they found the hotel room. We were followed after the dinner with Meinhard.”
“Correct. However, our Zurich friends have limited manpower, and the two men who were to follow the two of you to the meeting, lost you. They found only you, Miss Reed. They never figured out where your tall friend was.”
“She was in the restaurant.”
Odbert smiled, and nodded. “I suspected as much. But I would not tell them that.” He leaned back in his chair. “Once you left the cafe, they knew you were headed back to your hotel, so they intended to arrive first, and wait for you. Unfortunately,” he turned his attention back to Teren, “they met with a very nasty accident. One of them was killed.”
Teren shrugged. “Better him than me.”
A gentle chuckle came from the old man. He leaned back in his chair, nodding. “Well, after that, they had no idea where you were going. We, of course, knew you would come here. But we did not know how or when. So, there have been guards watching for you, across the city. You were never spotted.”
“And then Gerd Heinrich came to see you.” Teren’s voice had lowered several notches.
“Yes. He wished to speak with me about church finances. I knew, and so did Franz, that he must have been in touch with you. He was here earlier today. I suppose you saw him?”
“I did. What did he tell you?”
“Nothing. As much as Franz tried to ask him about the source of his information, he revealed nothing. However,” he frowned, “I will tell you not to go back to your hotel tonight. The name of Andrea Reed was found, at three different hotels in the area. By the time you leave here, they will have checked all of them, and found which one is yours.”
“Why are you telling us this?” Teren demanded. “You know we’re here to break apart your operation. Why would you want to help us do that?”
The withered face took on a thoughtful look. “Because it is not my operation. Not anymore.” He shook his head. “When I began the Kirche des Heiligen Luther so long ago, I wanted it to be a place where people who had been displaced during the war, could find assistance. The money from the Swiss bank account allowed me to help many people begin new lives.”
“And helped many Nazis like yourself escape,” Alex added.
Odbert sighed, and nodded. “I did do that. Some were just afraid to stay once their Nazi past had been revealed, and others were listed as war criminals.” He looked at Alex. “But you must understand. We were young men when we became involved with the Fuehrer. Hitler made things better than they had been in a long time, and he promised even more. We were ready to follow him anywhere he led.” He stopped, his eyes becoming clouded. “But we were wrong. He was mad. And in the final few years, those of us who saw that, we prepared. I opened a Swiss account, and my friend Josef Kirchner would redirect certain monies into it. By the end of the war, there was a great deal of money waiting for me. But, for a short time, the SS assigned me as a concentration camp guard. Because of that, I was considered a war criminal. I escaped, but it took me a long time to reach Switzerland.”
“And there you created this new identity?” Teren asked.
“I did not create it, Josef did. Josef had slipped out of the Reich months before the war ended. He waited for me in Zurich, knowing that he could not touch the account without my being there. Neither of us could touch the money without the other. He had the account number, and it was my signature. So, when I finally got there, I withdrew a large amount and gave it to him. At the time, he was under an assumed name as well.”
Alex nodded. “That’s the name in the record that we couldn’t place.”
“Correct. He took the money and returned to Germany. Finally, I did the same. It was under Josef’s suggestion that I returned to the seminary, and became a minister. And it was with his help that I opened the doors of the church.”
Unable to sit anymore, Alex stood, shaking her head. “That money wasn’t yours. It should have been returned.”
“Returned to whom? The Jews? I’m sorry, Miss Reed, they were dead. And many of them were German Jews. I had to be quiet about it, but I did give several large donations to Jewish charities, anonymously. I was unaware, until my time in the camp, that the Jews were being so thoroughly annihilated. I had no understanding of it before then. By that time, it was too late.” He grimaced. “I requested a reassignment as soon as possible, even bribing several officers and accepting a position at the front, where I was injured. I would have done anything to get out of that hell!”
Alex stared at him. She took a step closer, and bent slightly to make him look at her. “So would my grandparents.” She straightened and turned away.
There was silence for several minutes. Teren had no idea whether to comfort Alex, or just shoot the man sitting in front of them. “If what you saw in the camp affected you so much, why did you let your church become a haven for neo-Nazis?”