Watching Fritz

Chapter Sixty

David read Hermann Hesse's latest novel, Knulp, as his train rolled northward along the broad, flat valley of the Rhein. He looked up from the book as they slowed for the station in Lahr. So much easier this way. Also, much less suspicious.

He thought back to his first days riding the trains, disguised in a dirty, ill-fitting German uniform, his head and face bandaged, his mind numbed by Heroin and wondering when he would be found out. He chuckled to himself. I thought I'd be seen as a spy and executed. More likely I would have been seen only as an inventive escapee.

As the town's soot-drabbed buildings passed his compartment window, he continued thinking. Now, I'd be seen as a spy. Not executed, though. Tortured for information before being emasculated and left to bleed to death. He shook the thoughts from his head and went back to his book.

The trip passed quickly, and David took a taxi from the Mannheim train station to Engelhorn's shop in Rathausplatz. As he entered, Friedrich greeted him from behind the counter, extending his hand to shake. "I was surprised by this morning's cable. I had expected another week or more." 

"I received a large order from a shop in Worms, and I wanted to provide him with a stock to begin selling."

"And, if I may, to whom did you sell there?"

David paused a moment and thought, What harm in telling? "In the centre of town. Herr Eisenstein. He appears to have a fine trade."

"An excellent choice. He will do well for you there."

"Yes, he said the men are coming back from the Front, and there is an increase in business. That's why I've rushed back with his order. Am I to believe this conflict will soon be over?"

"My son said there is a major thrust into France in the next two weeks, and everyone is confident the war will soon be won."

"Thank God! Our businesses have been severely hurt by the collapse of leisure travel." 

Friedrich pursed his lips and nodded. "I hadn't previously thought about this, but the foreign visitors are a major part of your economy, aren't they?"

"That and the export of precision technical instruments and equipment and fine timepieces. We have few natural resources, so we've developed industries to add value to imported materials, then export them." David bent and lifted the heavy package from his satchel. "Like these. Almost everything in these watches was imported. Their value is in what we've done with the raw materials."

"We were doing that before the Kaiser..." Friedrich trailed off and shook his head. 

When Friedrich had checked off the last item on the list, he signed it, then went to the vault to fetch a heavy leather bag and spilt some of its contents onto the counter. He selected the gold twenties and placed them into stacks of five, then counted the stacks and added a few more. "I look forward to the restoration of trust in paper. This is so awkward." 

"The Mark will rebound in value once you've won."

David counted the forty-three stacks and dropped them into a small cloth-lined tin box and closed the lid. After he had placed the tin in his satchel, he stood and handed a card to Friedrich. "You can now wire your orders directly to our new office in Bienne." 

Friedrich read the card and nodded. "Thank you for your efficient service. I've informed Frau Schneider, and she has a motorcar waiting for you."

A ten-minute walk took David to Frau Schneider's home in Kirchen Straße, and after he had signed the handwritten contract, and had paid her the two hundred Mark deposit, he drove north toward Worms.

Ludwigshafen, Germany — Thursday, 3 February 1916

After David finished his business with Adam Eisenstein in Worms on Wednesday afternoon, he had spent the night in Hotel von Hohenthal and enjoyed a sumptuous dinner. As he stopped the motorcar in front of Wittelsbacher Hof in Ludwigshafen Thursday morning, he thought, Won't enjoy as fine a breakfast here, but a schedule is a schedule.

As David walked across to the corner table, Hans rose to greet him. "I'm relieved you're here. Did Franz and Ernst make it back to Switzerland? We haven't seen them since Tuesday morning. Two days now."

David shook his head. "No. Though I haven't been to Sonnenhang." He furrowed his brow and thought a moment before continuing, "Georg would have telephoned me in Bern. Tell me what happened."

"By Monday afternoon, we had identified three gas sources for the plant. The one with the most tank cars is the line into Kaiserslautern from the southwest. Tuesday morning, we followed the valley..." He paused as Rick, Manny and Dolf arrived, followed by the frau.

After greetings and ordering breakfast, David asked, "Three sources?"

"Yes, two along the river at Rheinau and Speyer. From all the barges, it appears they're making coal gas. But from the few tank cars, they're producing a small volume. Much smaller than the laden trains coming through Kaiserslautern."

Hans shrugged. "We wanted to find the largest, so we followed the tracks up a forested valley to Pirmasens, keeping the rail line in view until it veered off north of the town. We drove around in the large town, trying without luck to locate the tracks again. The streets twist and wind, and they're awkward to navigate through."

He blew out a deep breath. "Franz suggested we go back to where we last saw the tracks about a kilometre north. He and Ernst would follow them on foot." He shook his head. "That's the last I saw of them."

"What time of day was that?"

"About ten thirty. I was to meet them at thirteen thirty where I had dropped them off."

David nodded as he digested the information, and after a long pause, he asked, "And you were there for them at thirteen thirty?"

"Half an hour early." Hans blew out another deep breath. "I had left the car at the edge of town. Walked so I wouldn't arouse suspicion, and I sat in the trees above the tracks and waited. Waited until dark. Watched six heavy trains heading down the valley and seven light ones up."

"How far is that from here?"

"Eighty-four kilometres on the odometer. Rick and I went back yesterday morning, and while Rick waited by the tracks, I went into town to search. I found the gasworks along the broad ridge northwest of the centre. No coal trains. Just huge tanks, stacks and pipes. Earth-gas like we have at home." He washed his face with his hands. "The area is milling with soldiers."

David grimaced. "Fuck!"

"That's what I had said."

"Let's hope they saw them in time, and they have evaded. They could have reached Switzerland yesterday morning after I left."

"That's what we've been hoping," Rick said.

They all paused as the servers brought platters, a bread basket and a pot of coffee, and after they had left, David said, "There's nothing left to do here for the moment. You've located the gas plants. The next step is to work on plans to destroy them."

He stared into his coffee as he planned. "After breakfast, we'll return your cars."

"And then?" Rick asked.

"Drive to Sonnenhang. Satisfy your minds that Franz and Ernst have made it back."