Paradox Part 29

Chapter 28
April 27, 2012 – Resort Hotel Jodquellenhof Alpamare - Bad Tölz

“We can be reasonably certain that they know of the importance of Sergeant Jäger’s grave,” Chester leaned over a coffee table to view the rough sketch of the layout of the town of Gaißach. “Bones and Scout had a pleasant afternoon swilling down beer with a couple of Dorbec’s mercenaries.”
“Herr Drechsler said to say hello and he wants you to drop in before you leave,” Bones grinned. “His daughter Heike also said to say hello. They both remember you very well, especially Heike.”
Daria raised an eyebrow in Monday’s direction. “Old friends,” Monday quickly replied. “Just old friends.”
A loud rap sounded at the door. Bones opened it to a reveal a flustered Dr. Prestano, who was carrying a bottle of wine in one hand and a sloshing snifter in the other. “Madre del dio! Almost broke the damn bottle on the door,” he headed towards the coffee table. Gently he sat the bottle down and quickly eased his bulk onto the overstuffed couch. “Did I miss anything?” he casually asked.
“We were discussing the good old days at Gaißach,” Chester snickered. “And the fact that Bones and Scout had a laid back day entertaining two of Dorbec’s men.”
“There is something else of importance we need to discuss,” Mike ‘the Geek’ pulled a few scraps of wrinkled paper from his back pocket. “I got a call from Oddball, who’s in Argentina with Chewey and Taco Bender running those errands for us. They’re in a little town called Villa La Angostura. They were trying to look at the grave you asked them to check on, the one marked Hanna Reitsch. It’s located in a small cemetery at the Chapel of the Virgin of the Ascension, or some name like that. The Monsignor refused to allow them inside the cemetery. They also said several other shady looking characters had approached the Monsignor with the same question. They are staying at a little hotel called the Aldea Bonita and await further instructions.”
Dom looked at Monday with a concerned stare. “So, we have competitors on the trail in South America also. I think Herr Szekler has more pull behind him than we suspected, considerably more.”
“What’s so important about this grave?” the Geek asked.
“The short note Daria’s grandmother left to her advised us to look in the City of Villa La Angostura in a grave marked Hanna Reitsch,” Monday replied. “The note further insinuated that a Nazi miracle had taken place and it mentioned that Daria’s true grandmother was Eva ‘Braun’ Hitler. The note also implied that a treasure far greater than all the gold in the world waited there.”
“Who was this Hanna Reitsch?” Chester addressed his question to Henri who was casually reclining on a corner barstool next to him.
“One hell of a woman,’ Henri replied. “You might say she was the German equivalent of Amelia Earhart and then some. She was one of the world’s most extraordinary test pilots. She flew the Me163, a Rocket Aircraft and climbed to 30,000 feet in 90 seconds. She flew a sailplane into a thundercloud and climbed to 10,500 feet and had the aircraft and controls lock up from icing, and survived. She was the first to fly a sailplane over the Swiss Alps and also set world records in sailplanes, aircraft, and flew the world's first helicopter. She was the first woman to earn the Silver Soaring Medal. She set the Women's World Record for distance and the Women's World Altitude record for gliders. She flew in South America, Finland, Portugal, and even in the U.S. at the National Air races at Cleveland, Ohio in 1938. She achieved 40 altitude and endurance records in Gliders and aircraft in her lifetime. Even the Luftwaffe gave her the Military Flying Medal. In 1945 she flew the last plane out of Berlin hours before the fall of the city. She was also decorated with the Iron Cross with Diamond Clasp.”
“Chester gave a low whistle. “Whew! She sounds like my kind of woman. “Also sounds like you have the hots for her seeing as how you know all that detail about her.”
“She was a cute little thing too,” Henri chuckled. “Just over five feet tall, or petite as we say today, blond hair, sassy, but unfortunately a very devout Nazi.”
“How did she end up in Argentina?” Bones asked.
“Historical records indicate that she did not,’ Dom cut in. “Reitsch died in Frankfurt in 1979 at the age of 67 following a heart attack. It is believed that she never married or had children. She once noted that the love of her life had died in the war.”
“Then why use her name for a grave site which supposedly hides a secret of some kind?” Chester asked.
“That is where another mystery slides in,” Dom warmed up to the subject. “We know that she kept a low profile after the war. She was interviewed and photographed several times in the 1970’s by US photo-journalist Ron Laytner. At the end of her last interview she told Laytner: “And what have we now in Germany? A land of bankers and car-makers. Even our great army has gone soft. Soldiers wear beards and question orders. I am not ashamed to say I believed in National Socialism. I still wear the Iron Cross with diamonds Hitler gave me. But today in all Germany you can't find a single person who voted Adolf Hitler into power... Many Germans feel guilty about the war. But they don't explain the real guilt we share - that we lost.” She was an enthusiastic admirer of Hitler who begged to be allowed to die with him in the Fuhrerbunker at the end of World War II. Reitsch was the only woman ever to be awarded the Iron Cross and Luftwaffe Diamond Clasp. She always wore her awards on her uniform, that she designed herself. She was also given the rank of Flugkapitan by Hitler. Hanna flew in Africa, India, Spain, visited the US and other places after the war and even set a glider record the year before she died, but there is no mention of her having been in Argentina.”
“She did make one strange statement about Hitler’s final end,” Henri returned. “After the war she said, “I was a German, well known as an aviator and as one who cherished an ardent love of her country and had done her duty to the last. Legends formed about my last flight into Berlin. Might I not perhaps have hidden Hitler away somewhere?” No one seriously believes such a thing happened though.”
“One question certainly comes to mind,” Daria stated. “Is Hanna Reitsch buried in Frankfurt or is she buried in Argentina?”
“It’s most likely that had Reitsch been on the Allied side during the war she would have gone down in history as the greatest female aviatrix of all time,” Henri replied. “Surpassing the fame of all other women fliers including Amelia Earhart. The fact that she remained a devout Nazi lost her her rightful place in history. There is no doubt in my mind that she is buried in Frankfurt.”
“Using her name on a tombstone does not necessarily mean she is the occupant therein,” Dom stated. “Obviously this is just another hidden message you were meant to follow and Reitsch’s past as a Nazi heroine may be just a tribute. Although there may be other connotations to the use of her name and in particular. Her war time exploits may reveal more than we know. Of course, we have yet to explore that avenue.”
“Tell Oddball that we need to know what’s in that grave,” Monday addressed the Geek. “If Schafer and Szekler are interested in it and if Dorbec has men on the hunt there then it must be something important. The note did indicate that was the case.” He stopped to take a swig of hot coffee. “Right now we have more pressing concerns,” he continued. “We’ve got to figure out the best way to get the gold and/or prevent Dorbec from getting it.”
“I have the Bundespolizei set up for tomorrow at 9 AM,” Henri sighed. “My friends in SGS9, the Special Operations Section, will have several SEK Teams on the ground and ready for action. One team will accompany us to Gaißach and another will stand by to react to outside diversions. The local police have the cemetery under guard tonight.”
“I have obtained permission from the Church and family to dig up the grave,” Dom added. “I promised the family a generous offering for their somewhat recalcitrant help.” He did not mention that his special connections at the Vatican helped in this regard. “It was through the efforts of one of my associates that this was accomplished so fast. I believe you met him in Berchtesgaden, Brother Cencio Contadino. He is a member of the Teutonic Knights and a distant relation of the Jäger family.”
“Old fish eyes,” Chester muttered under his breath. He looked at Monday with a ‘what’s up’ shrug. “I made arrangements for a very small back hoe,” Chester continued. “Bones said the graves are pretty close in that cemetery so I’m not certain if we can even use it. As a backup, I hired four locals to help dig.”
“Any action from Dorbec’s corner?” Monday asked, glancing at Weps and Scout.
“Not much going on at their hotel,” Weps replied. “They have been sending men all over town like worker bees. Since we don’t have the manpower to cover them all, I have no idea where they went and what they did.”
“We did notice several new faces visiting their dark realm,” Scout stated. “They were not Special Forces types, more like businessmen, or bankers, or even undertakers.”
“Dorbec is a master of deception,” Henri stated. “He cannot be underestimated. He pulled off some operations in Africa that legends are made of. It is said that he once stuffed men into dead crocodile carcasses to kidnap the leader of a rival faction. Poor blokes lay inside those rotting crocks for hours before getting their opportunity to strike. But it worked.”
“Sounds like a man without any weaknesses?” Dom stated. “But, as we all know, everyone has an Achilles Heel somewhere in their makeup.”
“He has his weaknesses,” Henri chuckled. “Dorbec may not appear vain but he is and he has a particular weakness for the opposite sex. He’s also been known to get too close to some of his men at times. Too sentimental one might say.’
“Somewhat of an American trait,” Dom mused, smiling at Monday and his Team. “Although that may not be so much of a weakness as it is a sign of tenacity and dependability.”
“You can bet he’s planning something out of the ordinary,” Monday set his jaw. “Whatever it is, we’ll be ready for him.”