Peter Idone - Red Vengeance

“Upstairs. Elenya and I had our own room each. Valeria lived in a house nearer the workers’ settlement.”

“Very generous of your employers.”

“We had to remain on the premises to oversee the officers’ club and entertain.”

I bet you did , Voss thought. “Very well, Fräulein Glammers, you can begin by searching the cold cellar here. I presume there is one?”

Monika nodded. “In the kitchen, but it would be of no use. I know for a fact it is empty.”

Vogel was passing through on one of his frequent errands to and from the command vehicle. Voss summoned him. “Will you locate Sergeant Reinhardt and have him report to me?”

“Yes, at once, Lieutenant.”

Voss needed someone who would not be either intimidated or easily distracted by the women. Reinhardt would lead the search party, not that Voss could spare his best man for the duty, but the sergeant could be trusted not to behave foolishly or drop his guard. He turned back to Monika. “You are still in the employ of the Wehrmacht, and I expect the three of you to conduct yourselves accordingly under the circumstances. Make sure you stay out of the way, do exactly as you are told, and don’t bring any undue attention to yourselves.”

Monika agreed. “How long do you intend to stay at Veranovka, Lieutenant?”

“That depends on the captain’s mission. Why do you ask?”

“Will you see that we are transported across the river when your work here is completed?”

“That, too, depends entirely on the outcome of the captain’s mission. Enough questions. Find Elenya and the other girl, and wait here for the sergeant.” Voss entered the parlor and placed the documents on the table before the captain. He made a cursory inspection, thumbing through the booklets swiftly. “Does the initial impression of these three have any merit?”

“I believe so, sir. The ladies are designated as ‘entertainers,’ to use a polite form of reference. Veranovka must have proved a comfortable post for the Reichsbahn and Railway kommandos stationed here. Decent accommodations and rather pleasant amenities.” Voss was not speaking out of envy over the matter, only distaste. Falkenstein sensed this, apparently. “Nothing that occurs in the rear area surprises me any longer, Lieutenant.” He looked over Monika Glammers’s identity booklet with more detail. “That starved-looking one is German?”

“Yes, from Hamburg. A university student and something of a Bolshevik.”

“Didn’t manage to get very far with her education, did she?”

“The fräulein inquired what we planned to do with them once we withdrew.”

“If she and the other two wanted to leave, then they shouldn’t have missed the opportunity when the Einsatzgruppen departed.” Falkenstein tossed the identity booklet on the table and added, somewhat breathlessly, “I need to rest. In two hours’ time, I will take a tour of the positions. You will accompany me.”

“Very well, sir,” Voss replied.

His old wounds inflamed, limbs swollen with fatigue, Falkenstein urged his body forward to the storeroom, where the women had made up the cot. Before he reached the door, Voss interrupted the journey. “Captain, I request permission to send a coded message to my battalion and inform them of our position.”

“For what purpose?”

“To inquire if any forward patrols will be operating east of the salient and, should the need arise, if any reinforcements would be forthcoming.”

“That won’t be necessary. I’ve ordered Sergeant Vogel to raise Fortieth Panzer Corps and inform them of our whereabouts and to relay any intelligence on enemy troop movements in the area thus far.”

“Yes, sir, but it is my opinion that it would be more expeditious to raise my battalion, rather than attempt to explain our situation to an unknown entity at Corps.”

“I see your point, but once we have made ourselves clear, Corps will have a greater understanding of the larger picture than your meager battalion, Voss.”

“They know me. Every effort will be made…”

“The transmission to Corps will be the last. All signal activity will consist of monitoring enemy broadcasts and local communications among ourselves. Henceforth radio silence will be maintained with the outside. Is that understood, Lieutenant?”

“Perfectly, sir.” The door to the storeroom closed. Voss could hear the cot groan under the exhausted weight placed upon it, followed by the sound of a boot as it fell to the floor. He wanted to argue the precarious situation the captain had placed them all in, as if he could influence the man’s will any more than he could alter a force of nature. Voices at the front of the house indicated Reinhardt’s arrival. Voss returned to the foyer where Monika, Elenya and Valeria waited expectantly.

“You wanted to see me, Lieutenant?” Reinhardt asked.

“What progress is being made?”

Reinhardt proceeded to give a rundown. Wilms was already established on the water tower, and the radio check was completed. The signalman was a little nervous about exposure to possible snipers. Schroeder and Detwiler, along with four stragglers, were currently fortifying the workers settlement. “An emergency air raid bunker was discovered behind the administration building. There’s a medical orderly among that bunch of ‘tag-alongs’ from last night. I had most of the first aid gear transferred over to the bunker. It appears to be the best location for an aid station.”

“That’s first rate, Sergeant.”

“The orderly is…how should I put it…” and Reinhardt tapped the side of his head with a finger.

“Then he is in good company.”

“And there is something else.” Reinhardt opened the front door and stepped out. Voss followed, and the women crowded around the doorway to see. On the steps of the front stoop, one of the Ukrainian auxiliaries sat with his head in his hands. He looked up for a moment; his expression was one of sheer wretchedness. Flecks of dried vomit clung to his chin. He turned and forlornly supported his head once again.

“He hasn’t fully recovered. All I’ve gotten out of him so far is his name, Yvgeney, and that he passed out dead drunk somewhere.”

“He will be in for something of a shock as soon as he realizes his comrades have left without him.”

“That he’s already aware of. What should I do with him?”

“After he sobers up, he can tear down that gallows and bury the dead. That should keep him busy and out of our way.” Voss nudged the auxiliary with a toe. “Don’t you dare enter this house for any reason whatsoever. Captain’s quarters. Roh-zoo-meetih ?”

With a slight wave of his hand, the Ukrainian indicated that he had understood. “Now, as to why I have summoned you, Sergeant. I want you to accompany these ladies in a search for more food.”

Reinhardt smiled in a lopsided manner. “So they told me.”

“Make them do the work,” Voss said with unusual seriousness, “and don’t let them out of your sight.”

Reinhardt suggested they search the houses near the square and work their way toward the settlement. He slung the MP40 by its strap across his shoulder and followed the women down the street.

The side hatch to the command vehicle was open. Vogel sat in the co-driver’s seat, wearing headphones, and tapped out a message on the radio key. He shook his head when Voss approached him. “No luck yet with Corps, Lieutenant.”

“Keep trying. When you receive a response, give it to me. The captain is resting, and I don’t want him to be disturbed.” He walked across the square to where the Hanomag was parked close beside the assembly hall. Hartmann sat at the radio as well, an earphone to one ear, carefully turning the dial. He nodded to the lieutenant as he sat down in the driver’s seat. “Anything of interest?”