Chapter Nineteen
Johnny and Veronica sat on the British Airways 11:55 am domestic flight to London Heathrow on a rainy Thursday in Aberdeen. As the plane began to taxi to the runway Johnny shook his head.
“What’s up?” Veronica asked.
“The last time I sat here in one of these I was going on a well deserved break. And look how that turned out? The only good thing was meeting you.”
“Well,” said Veronica, grasping his arm, “you’re going on another well deserved break, but this time with me, and we’re going to gather a few facts along the way.”
Johnny felt apprehensive about going to meet the old German as the plane broke through the dark clouds and settled into an azure sky. It could be a waste of time, he thought, but something had to be done and this was the best lead–the only lead! He had covered his work by not only doing one column, but two and then emailing them. He had also phoned Sue and found that Caitlin was well and back at school. Johnny would take his children out for the day when he returned, he mused.
They caught the connecting flight at 15:40 pm and then flew into a hazy Stuttgart at 18:25 pm. A cream Mercedes taxi took them east along an autobahn surrounded by green fields before turning north. They passed through an urban area and eventually entered a leafy suburban area, which revealed a panoramic view of the city of Stuttgart.
The taxi descended into the city centre and passed by the main railway station, a behemoth of a building with a church like tower, before pulling up outside what looked like a sixty’s department store.
The Steigenberger Graf Zeppelin Hotel, chosen by Johnny because of his love for an old rock band, stood on Amulf-Klett-Platz and gazed across at the railway station.
“Mr and Mrs Smith,” whispered Johnny, as they walked through the plush main hall toward the check-in desk.
“Jeez! You’re so last century, but I like it.” Veronica said with a smile.
They checked in and headed up to their twin-bedded room on the third floor, where Johnny flopped onto one of the beds while Veronica started to take things out of her bag.
“What time do we have to meet this guy tomorrow?” she asked.
“Eleven o’clock in the main square, the Schloss Platz, by the Jubilee Column.”
“How about some dinner, mister?”
“Yes my dear.”
They ate a local pasta based dish, Maultaschen, and drank red wine in the intimate atmosphere of a white stucco-walled restaurant. After which the remainder of the evening was spent sitting at the bar where Johnny quaffed wheat beer and Veronica her favourite: vodka and lime juice.
“Maybe we should have a look around Stuttgart,” said Johnny, after his third beer.
“Nah! I’m tired.” Veronica retorted.
“Yeah, you’re right there’s always tomorrow. Let’s go up and test the beds?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” Veronica said with a wide grin.
After a hearty breakfast of ham, cheese and enough dark bread to sink a battle ship Johnny and Veronica strolled along the Koenigstrasse. The tree lined pedestrian precinct had the usual array of shops found in any big city.
The late April day was humid, and the sun hid behind light grey clouds. The buds on the trees, above waves of people washing from one shop to another, showed signs of opening up for the summer.
Johnny’s senses were drawn toward a stall where big sausages were being grilled and sold on rolls with onions. The aroma was enticing, but he had had too much for breakfast, so he gave it a miss and stood with Veronica as she looked in an expensive shoe shop window instead.
“What is it about you women and shoe shops?” Johnny asked with a grin.
“Oh don’t be such a frump, we’ve got the time.”
Eventually they left the throng of shoppers in the Koenigstrasse and entered the spacious Schloss Platz with the baroque New Castle sitting in all its elegance on the far side.
People strolled, cycled and walked dogs along wide pathways as a thunderstorm rolled across the distant hills.
“Well, that’s the Jubilee Column,” said Veronica, pointing toward a big column which dominated the centre of the square. “How are we going to recognise him? Is he going to wear a red carnation?”
“He said he’d find us.”
Large, well-painted houses gazed down from surrounding hills at the pair as they stood at the base of the column and watched people come and go. The thunder seemed to be creeping toward the city.
Johnny looked at his watch after a while. “Well, that’s ten past and no sign of our man.”
Then, a tall man with receding dark hair and a large moustache approached the pair. He was dressed in jeans and a light blue T-shirt. “Mr Duncan?” He asked in perfect English with only a slight trace of a German accent.
“Yes. Mr Wiedemann?”
“Yes I’m Mathias Wiedemann.” The German said as the two men shook hands.
“This is Veronica Cahill–my associate.”
After shaking hands with Veronica, Matthias said: “If you’ll come with me please, I’ll take you to meet my father. I’m sorry for being late, but I had to check it was you; I have a photograph on my mobile phone. Also I wanted to see if anyone was tailing you."
“Where did you get it?”
“From the internet.”
They drove over the green Neckar River on a concrete bridge in Mathias’s blue Mercedes and passed the silver, circular building of the Mercedes museum.
“Mercedes-Benz seems to be everywhere,” said Johnny.
“Porsche and Maybach are also here; this area is known as the cradle of the German automobile. I worked for Mercedes-Benz all my working life and took early retirement last year.”
The road entered a tunnel, and when they emerged at the other end Matthias took a slip road and then took a right and drove half a kilometre along the road before pulling into the kerb.
“Just a precaution to see if we have been followed.” Matthias said, looking in his rear mirror. Satisfied, he reversed the car into a side road and then went back the way they had came and entered the town of Fellbach.
They pulled into the garage driveway of a two-storey detached wooden house. The front garden had two cropped lawns separated by a flagstone path. Manicured bushes ran up either side of the yellow painted building.
“Right here we are,” said Matthias as he opened the driver’s door and walked round the front of the car. “Please come this way,” he said as he followed a path which took him past a large double glazed window. Then, unlocking the dark wood front door, he said: “Please come in.”
The darkened hallway had a pine staircase, which led to the upper level. A deep red wallpaper, which had flowers picked out in cream, decorated the walls.
Matthias led them into a spacious living room where an old man dressed in slacks and a checked shirt stood up from a black leather reclining chair. His skin was pallid and wrinkled and he had large bags under his eyes.
“Papa, this is Mr Duncan and Miss Cahill,” said Matthias, holding out an arm toward the pair.
“Ah yes, it’s nice to meet you.” Günter said as he offered his right hand to Johnny.
“It’s nice to meet you too sir,” said Johnny, shaking the man’s hand.
Matthias strolled over to the large front window and pulled the partially opened blind up allowing more light to flow into the room. “Please sit down. Can I get you a cup of coffee or tea?”
“Coffee will be fine,” answered Veronica.
“Same for me.” Johnny said.
“Papa?”
“Herbal tea, Matthias.” Günter said as he lowered himself back onto his seat.
“I trust you had a pleasant journey and that you find my home city to your liking?”
“Yes it’s a great city–very clean!” Johnny said.
“So, Mr Duncan, I believe you’ve been seeing visions in the Holy Land?”
“Yes. Okay, I’m not a religious person and I didn’t ask for them, if ask is the right word. Now, cutting to the chase; I understand they were shown to me so I would influence politicians and scientists to stop the experiments on opening a gateway to other dimensions.”
Günter leaned back into his chair. “Why you, and not some politician?”
“Because, I’m a journalist who has written some penetrating articles.”
Matthias returned to the living room with a tray of pale, blue china cups on saucers and a jug of milk.
“So Mr Wiedemann,” said Johnny as he accepted a cup of coffee and nodding to milk. “Can you tell me what happened all these years ago?”
“I was a member of the Hitler Youth, gripped by the hysteria sweeping across Germany at the time. I won’t deny it; I thought Hitler was a god. I was at a rally he gave in Stuttgart, and I knew then I had to be part of the new world he talked about. Not that I had any choice you understand.” Günter paused to sip his tea, which Matthias had set on a small table beside him. “In 1940 I was sent to work with Doctor Teubert, a brilliant, young particle physicist well ahead of his time, on the Austrian border. His team were tunnelling under a mountain where they were going to build a powerful cyclotron and centrifuge. And carry out tests in uranium isotope separation and produce a Nazi atomic bomb. The world believed if the Third Reich were carrying out these experiments it was in Berlin. The leaders were happy for this deception to carry on while the main work was to go ahead away from prying eyes in southern Germany and Poland. I was chosen because I had done well in science at school.”
Günter then told the story of the dimensional experiment on the day Hitler and Himmler were present.
Johnny’s jaw dropped when he heard the description of the entity that materialized.
“That’s a description of the Angel of Death. I had a run in with her. She manifested as a little girl who befriended my daughter and then took her astral body to the thirteenth dimension.”
“Did you get her back?” Matthias asked.
“Yes, with the help of a medium.”
Günter nodded and then continued, “whatever it was I was not waiting for it to escape from the force field; so I ran out of the cavern and through a side tunnel to an escape hatch. I then ran through the trees and slipped under the perimeter fence. I ran as far away as I could from that thing!”
He paused and took another sip of his tea. “I took refuge with my family back in Stuttgart. As the days passed I was relieved, but puzzled as to why no one looked for me. Months later I heard the cavern had been sealed up–with the scientists inside!”
“Dear God!” said Veronica. “How barbaric.”
“From then I was no longer a Nazi. I remembered the fear on Hitler’s face when the demon tried to get at him. He was no god!”
“We must stop these tests gentlemen,” stated Veronica. “But we need proof; solid evidence.”
Johnny sipped his coffee and stared at Günter. “The place where the experiments were to take place have you been back to the area?”
“I can see where you’re taking this Mr Duncan. As far as I am concerned the mountain is a war grave.”
“But if we can stop the tests Mr Wiedemann millions, indeed the world could be spared. The Dark Angel is one thing, but Samael, the King of the Demons, and his hordes flying out of some portal is quite another!”
Matthias looked at his father. “Papa maybe it’s time to open the past to save the future.”
“Open the past,” said Günter, shaking his head. “You never lived through these times: the fear and the killings. But yes, it's time to act for the sake of future generations.”
“The place is now an area of woodland walks and mountain climbing,” said Matthias.
“Can we go have a look?” Johnny asked.
“Yes.” Matthias said, looking at his father.
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes. At which hotel are you staying?”
“The Steinberger Graf Zeppelin,” answered Veronica.
“Good, I’ll pick you up there at eight tomorrow morning. It will take about three hours to get there. Oh, and you’ll need good walking shoes.”
Johnny, and then Veronica stood up. “Well until tomorrow, and thank you sir,” he said to Günter.
“Thank you, my boy.”
Matthias stood up and gathered the cups. “I’ll take you back into Stuttgart.”
That night, after dinner, Johnny left Veronica watching a film in their room and slipped out for a cigarette. The night was balmy, and an almost full moon shone down through the orange haze of the street lights. He rolled and then lit his cigarette as he strolled up to the corner of the street. A constant stream of cars and buses flowed by on both sides of the street. Late night shoppers returned to the railway station festooned with plastic bags.
Suddenly a black BMW X5 screeched to halt and two muscled men dressed in black got out and approached him. He turned and walked back toward the hotel entrance, but found his way blocked by a third man dressed in black. The thug had an obvious bulge under the left arm of his jacket.
“Mr Menzel would like a word with you,” one of the two men approaching said, in English with a heavy German accent.
Johnny had no choice but to get into the vehicle which still had its rear nearside door open. He was followed in by one of the men while the other got into the front passengers seat.
“Do not be alarmed Mr Duncan I wish you no harm. I merely want to talk to you,” said a dark-haired man in a grey suit, who Johnny sat next to. “I am Johannes Menzel. The group I belong to are called Progressive Movement Three,” he paused to let the information sink in. “We have followed you and Miss Cahill since you arrived yesterday.”
“But…!”
“Oh yes, that silly old man’s son thought he wasn’t being followed, and we don’t know where he stays!” Menzel said.
The BMW pulled away and merged into traffic. They passed the railway station still busy with shoppers heading home.
“Where are you taking me?” Johnny asked, hoping the fear he felt wasn’t coming across in his speech.
“Just for a drive so we can have a talk.”
The vehicle pulled up at a crossroad, the red traffic light illuminating Menzel’s face.
“These visions, did you actually see them?”
“Why do you need to know Mr Menzel?”
The driver gunned the BMW as the lights changed to green.
“Because the people I deal with Mr Duncan believe Judas to be the first anti-Semite: the man who betrayed the King of the Jews. First, we have these Gnostics with Judas being the beloved disciple of Christ. Now you with a deal made between the two, and Judas a demon who vanishes in a burst of flames.
“I will repeat what I’ve told many people: I never asked for any of this. I am not religious. I went to Israel for a break and was given these visions because I am an incarnation of a shepherd boy present in the Garden of Gethsemane.”
Johnny stared into the man’s light grey eyes which burned with an unnerving ferocity.
“Was it you who burned my house in Scotland?”
“Mr Duncan, there are neo-Nazi fanatics all over the world. As I told the police I had nothing to do with that. The man, Lehmann, murdered in your house, was a fanatic. He was a fringe member of a group affiliated to ours, but again I had nothing to do with his actions.”
The car slowed to a halt, and Johnny gazed out at a well-lit building and realised it was the Steinberger Graf Zeppelin.
“Goodbye Mr Duncan.” Menzel said as the bodyguard on Johnny’s right opened his door and got out to allow Johnny to pass. Then he jumped back in along with the other thug who appeared out of the shadows, and the BMW sped away and merged with the other red taillights.
“Must have been a long cigarette?” Veronica said, as Johnny entered their room.
“I’ve just met Johannes Menzel and other assorted thugs.”
“What? The guy that’s supposed to be descended from Hitler!”
“Yeah, that’s him.”
“What did he want?”
“He wanted to know if I really did see the visions.”
The BMW X5 sped along the autobahn which took the Progressive Movement Three to Munich.
“Well Johannes, what do you make of our Mr Duncan?” Hans Schröder, Menzel’s number two, said, from the front passenger’s seat.
“I think he’s telling the truth.”
“This means we have a problem.”
“Mmm, indeed it could mean that Wiedemann tells the truth and that my Grandfather, our glorious Fuhrer was frightened of something he saw in 1941!”
For a moment there was only the sound of the BMW engine purring as the kilometres passed by then, suddenly, the sound of raucous laughter filled the vehicle.
The next morning the humid weather had gone, and a healthy wind blew along Amulf-Klett-Platz as Johnny and Veronica stood by the front door of the hotel. A man with a yellow bag which had Stuttgarter Zeitung on it in black letters asked them if they would like to buy a newspaper. They declined as the blue Mercedes of Matthias Wiedemann peeled off from the passing traffic and came to a halt next to them.
“Good morning,” said Matthias as he opened the rear nearside door for the pair to enter.
“Good morning,” replied Johnny as he allowed Veronica in before him.
“Miss Cahill, good day,” said Günter from the front passenger’s seat.
“Mr Wiedemann! We weren’t sure if you were coming.”
“I must.”
After Johnny and Matthias settled in they pulled out into the traffic and headed south with Matthias checking his mirrors for any sign of being followed.
“I wouldn’t bother with that Matthias. I was taken for a drive by Johannes Menzel last night, and he knows where you stay. They watch your movements.”
Johnny looked at Veronica with raised eyebrows. “I’m afraid they look on you as a joke.”
“Not so much of a joke now you’re here–ja!” Günter said.
Johnny had to agree with that as he watched the passing buildings.
South of the city they picked up the A8 autobahn and headed east past the bustling airport. They then drove fast through the German countryside as they headed toward Munich. A coffee stop was made just outside Ulm at a roadside service area. The place reminded Johnny of the service stops back home only the coffee was better. His mobile burst into life while he was taking a bite from a chocolate filled pastry.
“Yeah, hello–John Duncan.”
“Mr Duncan its DS Mitchell here I’ve been trying to contact you, we’ve picked up a man called Albert Lehmann. He’s the brother of Rudolf Lehmann, and he’s confessed to setting fire to your flat.”
“That’s interesting, thanks for letting me know.”
“I called by the Harbour View and heard you had checked out.”
“Yes, we’re taking a break for a few days.”
“Okay then sir, we’re going to charge the man with arson and attempted murder. Oh and one more thing, he said the neo-Nazi leader, Johannes Menzel financed Rudolf Lehmann’s trip over to the UK. It seems that he -Albert Lehmann - came over himself to revenge his brother’s murder.”
“Who was that?” Veronica asked after Johnny put his mobile in his pocket.
Johnny updated her on the arrest for the fire as they finished their coffees. The foursome then left the café and resumed the journey.
Matthias negotiated the roads around Munich picking up the road to Rosenheim. As they left the city suburbs, Johnny saw the jagged horizon that was the Alps rise in the distance.
An hour later Günter needed to stop again; so they pulled into a service area beside a large lake surrounded by trees and had an early lunch. The place was empty save for a family of four, who were having a late breakfast, and a couple who sat in a corner with large coffee mugs. They sat at a pine table by a window and ate sausage and bread after which Johnny and Veronica walked through the trees to the lakeside. He rolled a cigarette and sat on a rock and gazed at the mountains.
“What a great spot,” he said, blowing blue smoke out between his teeth.
“Yeah it’s good to get out of the car for a while,” said Veronica as she threw a small pebble into the water, “I don’t know how we’re going to get into this place when we get there; I mean it’s been over sixty years!”
“Yeah, well let’s get there first then we’ll see,” he said, picking a piece of tobacco from his lower lip. “DS Mitchell said it was Menzel who financed that Lehman guy’s trip over to Scotland. Although he denied he had anything to do with it last night.”
“I wouldn’t trust any descendant of Hitler to tell the truth.”
The journey continued through rural countryside until at Rosenheim they turned south and headed into the foothills of the Alps. They followed the River Inn as it flowed out of Austria on its way to the Black Sea passing quaint villages and hamlets.
After the town of Fischbach Matthias took a slip road off the autobahn to the right and followed a country road for a few kilometres until he turned into a car park surrounded by trees.
“Here we are mein freunde,” he said, “Zankel Country Park.”
The mountains rose on either side and made Johnny feel rather small.
“Jeez this country just gets better and better,” he said closing the car door and taking a deep breath. He walked over and studied a board which had a map showing various walking routes.
Matthias opened the boot and retrieved walking boots along with two thin walking sticks for his father. He then grabbed a backpack which he threw over a shoulder.Günter sat on the bench of a wooden picnic table to slip on and lace up his boots.
The quartet then set out along a woodland path led by the sprightly old German who, seemed to be a man half his age.
“What good can we do if half a mountain lies up against these doors?” Veronica asked Johnny when the pair fell behind the other two
“Remember Günter used an escape hatch to get out. I guess that’s what we're looking for.”
After a kilometre walk they arrived at a clearing at the base of a huge cliff which had boulders piled up against the face making a huge slope.
“This was the entrance; under that rubble lies two doors,” announced Günter as he looked at the scene with dismay written across his face
Johnny stared at the rocks, covered in lichens and moss. “It’s hard to believe anything went on here.”
“Believe it Mr Duncan!” Günter said. “Now follow me.”
He walked to the right of the cliff face and followed a path between bushes and shrubs. He then climbed up between two huge rocks where he stopped and started to pant and cough.
“Papa, please rest!” Matthias shouted, putting his arm around the old man’s shoulders.
Günter pointed at a mound of heavy boulders. “The escape hatch is under those rocks.”
Johnny looked at Matthias, and then the two men walked over and began, with some considerable effort, to move the rocks. After half an hour of hard work they faced a basal rock, which they budged with Veronica’s help. Finally a rusty green hatch cover sat and stared up at them. Matthias tried to turn the handle, but it was unrelenting.
“Let me try.” Johnny said.
He grunted as he pulled on the lever, but it refused to move. Matthias picked up a rock and hit the handle which eventually moved a little with every strike. Ten minutes later he had the handle turned through forty five degrees. “That must be it!” Matthias declared. He then opened the hatch and stared into the inky darkness, which was pierced by the top of a rusty ladder. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a flashlight which he gave to Johnny before pulling out another, which he switched on and shone into the opening.
The old ladder groaned as Matthias and then Johnny climbed down, flashlight beams probing the darkness. After a three metre descent the two men stood in a two metre square empty room.
“Okay Veronica, you can come down now if you want!” Johnny shouted.
“Papa, you had better stay where you are!” Matthias shouted.
Günter looked at Veronica. “After all these years I have a chance to see it again, and my son wants me to stay here!”
Two light beams focused on the ladder as Veronica and then Günter descended.
When they were all standing at the bottom, Matthias said: “Well Papa, which way?”
“Only one way – that way,” he said, pointing into the mountain.
Matthias shone his torch in the direction his father had indicated to reveal an opening.
“Give me your torch John; it’ll make me feel safer,” said Veronica
Then, one by one, they headed into what was a narrow passageway. Their torches showed roughly hewn walls and, on the ceiling, defunct lights were connected to one another by a pinned cable. The air was foul and seemed to penetrate their souls and depress their spirits.
An overwhelming sense of claustrophobia had descended on Johnny; the thought of all that rock above his head he reasoned. Then, after a few metres the claustrophobia eased as they entered a large area.
“This is where it all happened,” said Günter, who took Matthias’s hand as they moved further.
Veronica screamed as she held the shaking torch beam on an object on the ground.
“What’s up?” Johnny asked as he stumbled toward her.
He found himself staring along the torch beam at a leering skeletal face. “Must be one of the scientist’s.”
The skeleton was dressed in a lab coat which was once white, but was now dark grey.
“Oh my God!” Günter cried as he approached them.
“There’s another one over here,” said Matthias as he shone his flashlight in front of him.
“My colleague’s.” Günter said mournfully.
Johnny took the torch back from Veronica and shone it around the cavern. “I don’t understand. If this is where it all happened where is the UFO; where is the other equipment?”
Günter raised himself up from praying over the remains of his former friend.“Matthias will you give me your flashlight.”
After receiving the torch, he said: “If you will follow me please.”
They followed the old German as he shone his torch around the walls until it found two massive, rusty-green doors, but he didn’t stop there he kept the beam moving until it found a cleft in the rock.
“Our quarters were in an old cabin outside, but Doctor Teubert kept some scientific papers in here.” Günter said, as he pulled a leather bound diary from the natural fracture in the rock wall.
“Well, well what do we have here?” said a voice familiar to Johnny as powerful flashlight beams shone on them.
“Menzel!” Johnny shouted as he turned
“Very perceptive Mr Duncan.”
Günter, who was standing behind the other three, shoved the diary into Matthais’s backpack.
“You followed us here?” Johnny asked, peering behind the torches making out four maybe five thugs with, he assumed, more than just torches!
“Something like that; so now we’re all here, it's time for a cosy little chat. That’s what you English say isn’t it Mr Duncan?”
“I wouldn’t know, I’m not English!” Johnny retorted. He then watched as the flashlight beams became brighter as the neo-Nazis came closer. “What is it you want to talk about Menzel?”
“The Bell and the other scientific stuff.”
“Where is it?” Johnny asked, shrugging his shoulders.
“What? You mean he hasn’t told you! Come now Günter, it’s time to lay your cards on the table.”
“What does he mean papa?” Matthias asked as Johnny and Veronica looked quizzically at the old man.
“Come on papa tell them.” Menzel said.
Günter looked thoughtfully at his feet. “We all knew the Bell was powered by a small nuclear reactor. There was even a device which enriched uranium–a centrifuge. We realised just what it was we had in our hands. Doctor Teubert and the others, to my astonishment at the time, were Germans not Nazi’s. They wanted to hush the whole thing up, but I was an idealistic youngster; my head was full of dreams–put there by Hitler; I contacted the Furher’s office and told them that something extraordinary had been discovered. When Teubert found out what I had done and Hitler and Himmler were coming, he reprimanded me.
I was for telling them everything. They pleaded with me to stay quiet. Eventually I agreed to remain quiet until after the initial demonstration. An intelligent man, Franz Teubert, he seemed to know what was going to happen.”
“So what happened to the Bell after the place was sealed up?” Johnny asked.
“After almost a year of hiding away and a lot of soul searching, I couldn’t stand it anymore; so I contacted the Americans and convinced them what lay under this mountain. They mounted a daring raid and somehow succeeded in taking the Bell and the equipment back to America.”
Johnny and Veronica were thunderstruck by the revelation.
“So you sold out your country Wiedemann.” Menzel taunted.
Günter raised his head and stared at Menzel with loathing in his eyes. “Sold out my country!” he shouted. “My country had been poisoned by people like you!”
Joh