Philip Kerr - The Other Side of Silence

“It’s horrible the way they do that,” said Irmela.

“And yet it is hard to see how else good order is to be maintained in this city,” said Hennig. “Iron discipline is the only way we are going to hold out for any longer.” He shook his head. “Anyway, I’m very glad to have left behind the Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse way of doing things. The Gestapo, I mean, with their torture chambers and knuckle-dusters. To be quite frank, I was never cut out for all that heavy stuff. Even with the law behind you, it’s not for me.”

His eyes glanced momentarily at me and I wondered if he’d forgotten how my partner, Bruno Stahlecker, and I had been obliged by him to fetch Captain von Frisch from Gestapo HQ after Hennig and his thugs had finished beating the old man half to death. But even if he hadn’t forgotten about this and knew that I hadn’t either, it was probably best I didn’t mention it now. No one likes to be told that he’s a loathsome piece of shit in front of a beautiful woman.

Hennig looked perfectly at ease, however, as if he’d been recalling his days with a student society given to displays of unruly behavior. He thrust his hands in the pockets of his riding breeches and pushed his chair back so that it stood on only two legs, rocking to and fro, and continued in this somewhat expansive mode, as if he was someone used to being listened to.

“But whatever you think of summary executions, my dear, I can promise you that the Russians will do much worse than we are capable of. I think it’s only now that it’s beginning to dawn on people just what we’ve been fighting for all along. The decline of the West faced with Slav barbarism. I mean, the historian Oswald Spengler was right. If anyone ever wanted proof of that, it’s right here. Or at least a hundred kilometers east of here. I fear for the whole of European civilization if the Ivans conquer East Prussia.” He chuckled. “I mean, I could take you to my office and show you a Soviet newspaper, the Red Star , with horrifying editorials that you could hardly credit might have been written. One in particular comes to mind now: ‘Kill the Germans. Kill them all and dig them into the earth. We cannot live as long as these green-eyed slugs are alive. Today there are no books, today there are no stars in the sky; today there is only one thought. Kill the Germans.’ That kind of thing. Really, it’s quite shocking just how filled with hate for us these people are. One might almost think that they intended to drink our blood, like vampires. Or worse. I expect you’ve heard the reports about cannibalism. That the Red Army has actually eaten burger meat made of German women.”

After Hennig’s earlier warning about defeatism I wasn’t disposed to argue that the Russians had been provided with good teachers in barbarism. But I did try to moderate his language a little. “I see no point in upsetting Miss Schaper with talk like that,” I said, noticing that she had paled a little at the mention of cannibalism.

“I’m sorry,” said Hennig. “Lieutenant Gunther is absolutely right. Forgive me, Miss Schaper. That was thoughtless and insensitive of me.”

“That’s all right,” she said calmly. “I think it’s best to know exactly what we’re up against.”

“Spoken like a true German,” said Hennig. He turned in his chair and snapped his fingers at a waiter. “Bring us some brandy,” he said. “The good stuff. Immediately.”

A bottle of ten-year-old Asbach Uralt arrived on the table and Hennig threw some banknotes beside it as if money meant nothing; and given that he worked for Koch, it probably didn’t. The splash around Paradeplatz was that, with the help of the institute’s ruthless manager, Dr. Bruno Dzubba, the diminutive Koch had amassed a personal fortune of more than three hundred million marks, and it was clear from the fistful of cash in Hennig’s hand and the expensively tailored uniform he was wearing that some of this money was coming his way, at least in the shape of a generous expense account. Hennig uncorked the bottle and poured three generous glasses.

“Here’s to happier subjects,” he said and toasted Irmela’s eyes. “Your beauty, for instance. I confess I am very jealous of Lieutenant Gunther. You will forgive me if I say I hope you have a friend who’s a lightning maid, Miss Schaper. I should hate to be here for much longer without a charming young lady to spoil like Lieutenant Gunther.”

“It’s she who’s been spoiling me, I’m afraid,” I said.

“The mind reels at the very thought.” Hennig downed his brandy and stood up. “Well, thank you for a delightful evening, but I’m afraid duty calls. The governor has to address the representatives of the People’s Storm Unit here in the city tomorrow morning. Governor Koch has been appointed as their local commander. And I have to write his speech for him. Not that I have the first clue about what to say to them.”

The People’s Storm Unit was the new national militia that Goebbels had just announced-a home guard composed of conscripted men aged between thirteen and sixty who were not already serving in some military capacity. With a keen sense of humor most Germans were already referring to the People’s Storm Unit as the Father and Son Brigade or, sometimes-and even more amusingly-the Victory Weapon.

After he’d gone-but not before Irmela had promised to introduce him to some of her female friends-I breathed a sigh of relief and then downed my own brandy.

“I can’t fault his taste in alcohol,” I said. “But I do hate that man. Then again, I hate so many men these days that I simply can’t remember them all or exactly why I hate them, except to say that they’re Nazis, of course. Which is as good a reason as any, I suppose. It’s so much easier to know why you hate people now.”

“But why do you hate him in particular?”

“Take my word for it, there’s a good reason in his case. It’s a righteous, holy thing to be able to hate a man like that. Love thy neighbor? No. It can’t be done. The fact is I really do believe that Jesus Christ would have made a special exception in the case of Harold Heinz Hennig. And if not, then it’s clear to me that it’s impossible to be a Christian. Just as it’s impossible to believe in a God who would let a hundred children die taking shelter in his church.”

I paused for a moment and she kissed my fingertips again.

“Please, Bernie. Let’s not talk about that anymore. I want to kiss every centimeter of you before I go to sleep tonight. And then I want you to do the same to me.”

But I still had an itch that I needed to scratch. “That’s another thing,” I said. “I hate that he knows about us. That there’s something between us now. It worries me. For a man like that, all knowledge is something to be used like a loaded pistol.”

Irmela sighed and put down my hand. “You’re crazy to worry about him, Bernie. Think about it. What possible harm could he do us? Besides, he’s just a captain.”

“Not just any captain. He’s an extension of Erich Koch. Did you see the way the waiters in here fawned over him? The quality of his uniform? That amber cigarette case? Besides, the man used to be a blackmailer. Possibly still is, for all I know. The leopard doesn’t change his spots. So maybe he’s got something on Koch. Perhaps Erich Koch is the lemon who’s being squeezed now. You know, I wouldn’t be at all surprised. There must be a hell of a lot to get on a bastard like Erich Koch.”

“You’ll have to explain some of that. Why is Koch a lemon? I don’t understand.”

I told her all about the von Frisch case, to which Irmela very sensibly replied:

“But he’s got nothing on you, Bernie Gunther. Or on me. Neither of us has anything to hide. Nor do we have any money to give him. Do we? Besides, there’s a war on and there are more important things to worry about, wouldn’t you say? You’re worrying about nothing. If you’re going to blackmail someone you only do it when there’s a profit in it, surely?”