“Yes, of course.”
“And?”
“He came up with the scenario that they had driven the ambulance to a rendezvous point somewhere, either in a forest or near water, and that we should start by finding the ambulance. So, we asked General White to have the Constabulary start looking for it. Which they did, and they came up with nothing.”
“I suggest, sir,” Cronley said, looking at Justice Jackson, “that our only option is to re-interrogate the guards, the German personnel in the prison, and the prisoners. Maybe if we can determine who the AVO was originally intending to break out—”
“You think it was the AVO?” Jackson interrupted.
“Yes, sir. Because of their skill, and because Ivan Serov is a master of covering his ass . . . Sorry . . . And I’d like Wagner to be there. Where is he?”
“In Sonthofen with General White,” Cohen said, then chuckled. “General White is serving as the ad hoc chairman of the German branch of Norwich University’s Scholarship Committee.”
“What’s that all about?”
“The general thinks that Sergeant—excuse me, Special Agent—Wagner would make a fine career officer and the way to do that is for him to graduate from Norwich.”
“And Norwich is the one in Vermont?” Jackson asked.
“Yes, sir, the oldest private military academy. Its graduates are commissioned into the Regular Army the same day as West Point graduates, so they start off with the same date of rank. By coincidence, I’m sure, General White is a 1920 graduate of Norwich. I’ll call over there and let them know we need Wagner here.”
“Are there any objections to Cronley’s ideas how we should proceed?” Jackson asked.
There were none.
“So ordered. This meeting of the Prison Escape Committee is concluded at eight fifty-three on the morning of April fourteenth, 1946,” Jackson said, and then went on. “Mrs. Rogers, as your first priority please type up your notes in disposition form, then have Ken look at them, and, when he has, get on the SIGABA and send it ‘Eyes Only the President’ to the White House.”
“Yes, sir. Shall I copy to Admiral Souers?”
“No. I know the President well enough to know that as soon as he reads the SIGABA, he’ll send for the admiral to get his take on it.”
“Yes, sir,” Mrs. Rodgers said, and left the conference room.
“I would like to make amends to Mrs. Moriarty,” Justice Jackson said.
“Sir?” Cohen asked.
“Ginger, I gave you ten minutes to eat your breakfast and then I took your baby away from you. So, what I’m going to suggest is that you, your baby, and Father McGrath be my guests for lunch. Give us a little break, so to speak. And I really want to hear what Father McGrath thinks of Himmler’s new religion. How about twelve-thirty hours at the Farber Palast? Can you arrange that, Jim?”
“Consider it done, sir,” Cronley said.
“You are also invited, of course. You, Dunwiddie, and Ostrowski.”
III
[ONE]
The Dining Room, Farber Palast
Stein, near Nuremberg, American Zone of Occupation, Germany
1330 15 April 1946
A waiter delivered two bottles of Veuve Clicquot champagne to the table.
“With the compliments, meine Dame und Herren, of Oberst Serov.”
As a second waiter placed champagne flutes before everybody, Cronley saw Serov sitting at the bar, raising a flute toward their table.