The executioner had halted at a signal from his chief. Even after this longed-for reprieve was granted, Cousin went on groveling, begging for mercy, blurting out the first thing that came into his head in order to ingratiate himself with them.
“Don’t hurt me. There’s no need for that. I can be extremely useful to you. I have the confidence of my superiors. Think how helpful I can be to you . . .”
The recording went on in this vein for several minutes, punctuated by questions from the Gestapo officer, to which Cousin replied with painstaking accuracy, over and above what was demanded of him. This practical demonstration of his cowardice caused him untold agony. He felt he could not stand it a moment longer. This torture h
ad to be brought to an end one way or another. He was certainly going to faint. But the loss of consciousness for which he prayed with all his might was denied him and he had to listen to the bitter end, unable even to summon up sufficient strength to cover his ears with his hands.
The audition was over. Otto had switched off the machine some time before and was now waiting, motionless, for an order from his chief, who seemed to be in no particular hurry. Gleicher had listened to the tape several times before, but each time it gave him fresh food for thought. He emerged abruptly from his daydream to straighten his back, pull in his stomach, and assume the demeanor of Colonel Count von Gleicher. It was an unconscious reaction of defense against the servility of the person slumped in the armchair, in front of whom he felt it unworthy to force himself to keep up his former role.
“Give him a drink, Otto,” he said contemptuously, “otherwise he'll pass out on us and that wouldn’t do at all. . . . Well, my dear sir, now you’ve heard what we had to tell you. I don’t intend to make any comment. But when you’ve pulled yourself together a little, I'll tell you exactly what I want from you.”
His “my dear sir,” uttered with icy scorn in which there was no longer the slightest trace of irony, sent a shiver even down Otto’s spine. Cousin drained his glass mechanically but made no sign of protest and said nothing in reply. Gleicher paused for a moment, then continued:
“Here are my orders, my dear sir. I’m sure that you appreciate the situation you’re in and that I need not call your attention to the unpleasantness in store for you at the first sign of disobedience. . . . Oh, dear, I can tell from the look in your eyes that you don’t understand. I’m not a complete savage. If our secret police, like the police of any other country, happens to number a few subordinates who debase themselves by the use of torture, I myself scorn these practices and never use them. You have nothing to fear from me on that score; I give you my word of honor as a German officer. No, if you don’t toe the line, my dear sir, I shall merely see that your superiors in London get a copy of this tape recording.”
PART FOUR
23
Austin entered Dr. Fog’s office, as usual admiring the peace and quiet that reigned there. Engaged on more and more absorbing tasks of his own, Dr. Fog had left the Arvers case entirely in Austin’s hands, with the proviso that he was to be notified of any important development. Deciding that at this juncture he needed his advice, Austin had applied for an interview. Dr. Fog greeted him with his usual affability.
“I’ve got some news for you, sir.”
“Really?” Dr. Fog exclaimed, rubbing his hands together.
“First of all, this message that came in last week.”
“From Arvers?”
“Yes. I thought you’d better have a look at it.”
The doctor read it under his breath, pausing now and then for reflection.
“FRESH DEVELOPMENTS FROM GLEICHER. HAS BEEN CONTACTED BY SENIOR ABWEHR OFFICER WHO CLAIMS TO KNOW ABOUT MY ACTIVITY AND HIS. PSEUDONYM OTTO. OTTO AS WELL AS ABWEHR HEADQUARTERS CONVINCED GERMANY HAS LOST WAR SEEKS CONTACT WITH ALLIED SECRET SERVICE AUTHORITIES FOR EXTREMELY IMPORTANT NEGOTIATIONS. CAUTION, BUT GLEICHER APPEARS TRUSTWORTHY. WHAT ACTION SHOULD I TAKE?”
Dr. Fog showed no sign of surprise. Instead of giving advice in reponse to Austin’s tacit request, he simply said:
"I suppose you've answered it already?”
"At once, sir, in the following terms: ‘If you consider offer genuine, establish contact with Otto yourself. Obtain details and guarantees.’ ”
This message met with the doctor’s approval.
"I felt this was the best course to follow, sir. Isolated as he is, there seems nothing against his meeting an enemy agent who in any case knows all about him already. Furthermore ...”
"Furthermore, when a trap has been set, we must always pretend to fall into it. It’s an excellent principle when dealing with mental cases and enemy secret services. . . . But perhaps this isn’t a trap.”
"Perhaps it isn’t, sir,” Austin echoed without much conviction.
"We mustn’t automatically discourage an approach of this kind, however strange it may seem. You realize, of course, who the head of the Abwehr is?”
"Admiral Canaris.”
"That’s right. Now, this may surprise you, but there have already been several rumors that he’s trying to get in touch with us. I mean, with someone of importance in the service,” Dr. Fog corrected himself with a hypocritical smile.
“Really?”
“Furthermore, some people are convinced that he’s only waiting for a sign from us to come over to our side—which seems a little far-fetched, to say the least. . . . Did Arvers answer your message?”