A Crying Shame (169 page)

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. Mike broke it with the question Tammy wanted to ask but did not. Everyone else present except Linda knew both the question and the answer.

Did your father fight in the Second World War, Karl?”

A quick flash of sadness washed over the big man's face, vanishing as quickly as it came.
In a manner of speaking, yes. My father was half-Jew. My mother Gentile ... a Catholic. That marriage saved his life ... at the beginning. Then—all this is from my mother, I was far too young to remember much except the bombings—my father learned of the horrors taking place in the concentration camps. He began a system of transporting Jews out of the country. An underground lifeline, Mother called it. Well ... of course, the Nazis caught him; sent him to Auschwitz. He never returned. Filthy bastards! The world must never again allow that horror to rise out of the ruins of Hitler's demented mind. It was and is a disgrace that Germany will have to endure—and, I believe, rightly so—forever! But we must take special care to never allow that dark blot on history to repeat itself.”

Hear, hear!” Walter lifted his coffee cup in salute of his friend.

Oh, be still,” Karl groused.
Bloody ruddy-cheeked, ham-handed, bog walker.”

Walter laughed and slapped the German on the knee.
Come, old friend, we still have too much work before us to be dilly-dallying about.”

They strapped on pistols and fetched their rifles. As they left the room, Walter's pipe spewed great clouds of fragrant smoke. The men were arguing before they reached the back door.

. . . And I say you're wrong, you mammoth hunk of
Schweinebraten!
” Walter said.
The instant we get to a proper laboratory, you'll see I'm right.”

My God, you can't even pronounce laboratory correctly, you ... you puffing smokestack. How do you dare contradict me? And when are you going to change that abominable tobacco?”

The back door slammed. They stood on the back porch, in heated argument, as usual, more insults thrown than anything else.

Never!” Walter's shout carried into the house.
This is the finest blend in all of England.”

I wish you'd left it there. You people should have given some of it to Cornwall; probably he'd have asphyxiated Washington's troops.”