Authors: Alex Gerlis
‘Are these accounts with Bank Leu?’
‘Naturally.’
‘Do you have the account numbers please?’
Hedinger obediently removed a slim black notebook
from his jacket pocket and turned the pages with trembling fingers that had the
appearance of having been manicured. From what Edgar could see, the notebook
was full of numbers, figures, initials and dates. Edgar opened his own notebook
and, turning to a blank page, wrote ‘Reinhart’ then ‘Hedinger’.
‘Write the account numbers underneath each name
please. Don’t forget to put down how much money is in each account. I’m sure we
can resolve this matter in a satisfactory manner. If you co-operate, Herr
Hedinger, there should be no need for us to take further action.’
Hedinger grasped the bait like a hungry fish,
eagerly copying down the account numbers. When he had finished he handed the
notebook with its incriminating lists of bank accounts back to Edgar.
‘Can I ask you sir, are you from the Gestapo?’
Edgar laughed: the outcome to the encounter with
Michael Hedinger had been far better than he could have hoped.
‘Well, that’s where I think I’m going to surprise
you, Herr Hedinger.’
***
‘How
can you be so sure he’ll turn up Edgar?’
‘Because it’s not in his interests not to turn up.’
Basil Remington-Barber shook his head and moved
away from his spot by the window overlooking Basteiplatz, which he had occupied
on and off throughout the afternoon.
‘Well, I wish I were able to share your confidence. In
my experience, things don’t always turn out quite as planned.’
‘Basil, do stop pacing around and sit down quietly,
as Henry’s doing. It’s now five o’clock. At this moment, our visitor will be
leaving his office on Paradeplatz and commencing his short walk here. It will
take him six minutes; I timed it myself earlier this afternoon. In fact, I
walked the route three times and it takes six minutes and 20 seconds, but I wouldn’t
want you to think I’m a pedant. He’ll be with us by 5.10 at the very latest,
mark my words. What is it they say about the Swiss and clockwork? And just one
warning: he may tell us things we’re already aware of – like the boy, Alfred. Pretend
it’s the first time we’ve heard it, eh?
At seven minutes past five a knowing smile crossed
Edgar’s face as the bell rang. He gave Remington-Barber a ‘told you’ look and
went downstairs to let their visitor in. Two minutes later Michael Hedinger had
joined the three Englishmen in the apartment.
For a moment the four of them sat in an
uncomfortable silence. The newcomer was in a state of considerable nervousness.
He had declined offers to remove his coat and had only reluctantly taken off
his gloves and hat. He was clutching a brown briefcase to his chest and was
clearly edgy, jumping at the sound of a car engine backfiring and at a door
slamming in an apartment above. Edgar had placed himself at the head of the
table: Hedinger was sitting to his left, opposite the other two men.
When Edgar began to speak it was initially to Henry and
Remington-Barber.
‘Henry, Basil – this is Michael Hedinger. I will
speak in German by the way: Herr Hedinger’s English is very limited. Herr
Hedinger works for Bank Leu, of which more in due course. Perhaps I should
explain that when Herr Hedinger and I first met, some four hours ago, there was
something of a misunderstanding. It was perhaps a fortunate misunderstanding
from my point of view, less so from Herr Hedinger’s. Is that not correct?’
The banker looked up in an absent-minded manner,
with a ‘what me?’ expression. He nodded meekly in reply to Edgar’s question.
‘Not to put too fine a point on it, it turns out
Herr Hedinger here in Zürich and Herr Reinhart in Berlin have been operating a…
how can one put it… a scheme whereby a proportion of the funds transferred from
the Reichsbank to the safekeeping of Bank Leu have been diverted into private
numbered accounts: one belonging to Herr Reinhart, the other to Herr Hedinger. Is
that correct, Herr Hedinger?’
Hedinger began to speak but was stopped by Edgar. ‘You’ll
have ample opportunity to talk in due course, Herr Hedinger. It’s a very risky
but lucrative scheme. Herr Hedinger tells me that of the millions of
Reichsmarks transferred through Herr Reinhart’s operation at the Reichsbank to
Bank Leu, some 25,000 have ended up in the private accounts – that’s around 2,000
pounds sterling. Is that not correct, Herr Hedinger?’
He nodded, avoiding eye contact with anyone around
the table.
‘And the money is split equally, is it not?’ Again,
Hedinger nodded.
‘Now this is where Herr Hedinger must be kicking
himself. When I approached him earlier today, I knew nothing of this scheme. However,
the private enterprise with Herr Reinhart has obviously been on Herr Hedinger’s
conscience and he assumed I was an official – a
German
official, would
you please – investigating the matter. Before I’d even had an opportunity to
explain what I’d approached him about, he confessed. Have I accurately summed
up what happened, Herr Hedinger?’
The Swiss coughed and spoke in a soft voice. ‘I
never intended to keep the money, but Gunter – Herr Reinhart – is a very
persuasive man: he insisted that with the amounts being transferred and the
fact some of it was obtained from private accounts by the Reichsbank, well… he
said it’d be impossible for our accounts to be traced. He may well have been
correct, but I’ve been terrified I’d be caught and I’d lose my job and my house
– so much so that I’ve been a nervous wreck in recent weeks. I felt it was just
a matter of time before someone came for me. When you approached me on
Bahnhofstrasse I assumed I’d been caught: I was almost relieved, hence my
rather too hasty confession.’
He shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands out
in a ‘so there we are’ manner.
So there we are.
‘As I told you earlier, Herr Hedinger, I couldn’t
care less about the money. Keep it. As far as we’re concerned, it’s better it’s
in your account and that of Herr Reinhart than in one belonging to the
Reichsbank. The money isn’t our concern. Neither Bank Leu nor the Reichsbank
need find out about it: you will keep your job and your fine house. But a happy
outcome of that misunderstanding is our knowledge of it has ensured your
complete co-operation, Herr Hedinger, am I correct?’
‘Indeed.’
‘So now we come to our main business, of which we
spoke briefly and of which Henry here is unaware. Herr Hedinger, for the sake
of my colleagues here, please tell me again about your relationship with Herr
Reinhart.’
The Swiss cleared his throat and paused for a while,
clearly giving careful consideration to what he was about to say. His soft
voice and the careful way in which he spoke reminded Edgar even more of a
country vicar, someone more suited to talking to elderly ladies than spies.
‘Gunter and I have known each other for some five
years. As you’re aware, Gunter occupies a senior position in the foreign
department of the Reichsbank. He’s been involved with the transfer of funds
from the Reichsbank to foreign banks, and Bank Leu is, in this respect, one of
their main clients. I’ve been working in the international division of Bank Leu
for a number of years and I’m currently its deputy head. You should be aware
there is a very close relationship between Germany and the Swiss banks: they’re
an important client for us and we’re very important to them: an efficient and
discreet way of moving funds in and out of the country. Not all their funds, it
has to be acknowledged, have been obtained in entirely legal ways. As part of
my job, I oversee our relationship with the Reichsbank, so over the years I
have visited Berlin on a regular basis and I think it’s reasonable to say
Gunter and I have become good friends. We found we have much in common; it took
us a couple of years to really trust each other but, once we did, we found we
could confide in each other. We’ve been able to talk frankly about our private
lives and our worries. About a year ago, when I was in Berlin, he took me into
his confidence and told me a secret that he said if it came out, would cost him
his job and quite possibly his freedom. What I’m about to say will stay within
these walls?’
Edgar laughed. ‘We’re hardly likely to inform the
Gestapo, are we?’
‘I realise that, but I’m divulging something told to
me in complete confidence. What Gunter told me was this: he had married a woman
called Rosa in 1924, when he was 29. Rosa, I think, was two or three years
younger than him. He describes Rosa as the love of his life. She happened to be
Jewish but was not practising and Gunter said their differences of religion were
simply not an issue, or at least not for them. Their son Alfred was born in
1929, so he’s now 11 or 12. Gunter absolutely dotes on Alfred. He described
their life together as idyllic, but that began to change when the Nazis came to
power in 1933. Until then, not many people knew Rosa was Jewish, but life
became increasingly uncomfortable. Then the Nazis started to bring in all these
anti-Jewish laws and one of them, in 1935 I think it was, banned marriages
between Jews and non-Jews. So they had a choice, either leave the country or
get divorced. May I trouble you for a drink please?’
There was a pause while Remington-Barber disappeared
into the kitchen, emerging a few minutes later with a tray of tea, a jug of
water with glasses and a bottle of whisky. Hedinger poured himself a glass of
water.
‘Gunter told me their original plan was to emigrate:
they’d have had to leave everything behind, pay a hefty tax then find somewhere
that’d give them an entry visa. Nonetheless, they were prepared to do that. But
then it was made very clear to Gunter that unless he divorced Rosa immediately,
he’d lose his job at the Reichsbank. From what I understand, they both still
loved each other and saw the divorce as a temporary measure: Rosa and Alfred
would try to go to England or France then Gunter would join them there and they’d
remarry. But for reasons of which I’m unclear, Rosa delayed leaving Germany: I
think it may have been she really wanted to go to England but she couldn’t get
an entry visa. Gunter, meanwhile, was finding life difficult. He met a woman
called Gudrun and they married – I think he felt that, until he remarried, there’d
always be suspicion about him. He remained in contact with Rosa, but it was
difficult and in 1936 she remarried – a Jewish man called Harald Stern. They
soon had a daughter, Sophia. My understanding is all this was done with
Gunter’s blessing, because Harald’s plan was for them all to move to France,
and Gunter just wanted Rosa and Alfred to be safe. Gunter even helped them
financially and tried to obtain the right papers.’
‘Could he not have had custody of Alfred himself?’ asked
Basil Remington-Barber.
‘A good question: Gunter told me he could have done
and if he had contested custody he’d almost certainly have won, though Alfred’s
status would be a difficult one. The Nazis say that anyone who has three or
more Jewish grandparents is a Jew. Someone like Alfred, who has two Jewish
grandparents, is what the Nazis call a
mischlinge
, which means a
‘crossbreed’ – like a dog. Nonetheless, Gunter felt he could have taken Alfred in
and dealt with that – there are ways, you know. But Gudrun, his second wife,
would have none of it. As far as she was – and is – concerned, he’s to have no
contact whatsoever with his first family.
‘Now what I am about to say is complicated and
highly sensitive: forgive me if I’m unclear as to the exact dates. Essentially,
what I believe happened is that soon after war was declared, Rosa did go to
Paris with the two children and Harald was meant to follow them. But he was
arrested and taken to a camp for Jews and political prisoners, called
Sachsenhausen. For some foolish reason, in an act of utter madness, Rosa
retuned to Berlin with the children in an effort to get Harald freed. She
failed and had to go into hiding, and a few months later she heard Harald was
dead.’
‘And has Gunter been in touch with them?’
‘Yes, since January or February 1940. There’s a
Berlin lawyer called Franz Hermann who’s an old friend of Rosa’s. He’s hiding
Rosa and the children in his mother’s house in the city and Gunter is able to
visit them. They’re trapped there though. Hermann is the connection between
Gunter and Rosa and the children.’
‘And you say that Gunter told you all this last
year?’
‘Yes.’
‘Do you remember when last year?’
‘Maybe March… possibly April. In fact, that was when
he started diverting the money into our private accounts – he said the reason
he was doing this was that he needed the money was to help Rosa and Alfred. I
was last in Berlin at the very end of January, just a couple of weeks ago. It
was a very short visit and I only saw Gunter on his own very briefly. He said
to me that if he were able to arrange for Alfred to be brought out of Germany,
would I promise to look after him in Switzerland? I said yes… What else could I
say? That’s why he told me about the lawyer, Hermann. He also said he may even
need my assistance to help get Alfred out. That was the last I heard – until we
met today.’
Michael Hedinger looked less nervous now, as if he
was pleased to have got things off his chest. His pale head was wet with
perspiration, the strands of hair now plastered to it. Edgar was nodding his
head, taking everything in and thinking, while Henry looked bemused, unsure of
what his role in all this was meant to be. It was Edgar who spoke next.