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0805 21 February 1946

“Thank you for seeing us, Colonel,” Cronley said, as he and Augie Ziegler were waved into Colonel Mortimer Cohen’s office by his sergeant major.

“I’ve been expecting you,” Cohen said. “General Greene called to tell me he thought seeing me was high on your list of priorities.”

What the hell?

“He told me about the murder of Lieutenant Moriarty, and suspected you were about to open your own investigation of the incident against orders, and that you would probably come to me for assistance.”

Oh, shit!

Greene almost certainly told him to keep me at arm’s length.

“He also told me you’d stolen a Storch airplane, and asked me to help you conceal it from your outraged commanding officer and the Air Corps.”

Greene asked Cohen to help me hide the Storch?

“I didn’t steal it, Colonel.”

“Actually, General Greene s

aid you’d taken the airplane without asking permission.”

“That’s true.”

“He said that you probably did this following the philosophy of Lieutenant Colonel William W. Wilson.”

“Sir?”

What?

“Hotshot Billy has been quoted as saying if you want to do something you know is right, and you know your superiors don’t want you to do it, then do it and ask permission afterward.”

“I’ve heard that, Colonel.”

“Why do you need that airplane?”

“I’m going to find the bastards who murdered Moriarty, which means I’ll have to go all over Germany. The Storch will be very useful.”

“Where is it now?”

“Out of sight, in a hangar at Soldier’s Field.”

“How long do you think it will be before people start asking questions about it?”

Do I tell him?

Does he already know?

Probably.

“Before Moriarty was killed, I asked Colonel Rasberry if he knew where I could hide it. It’s now being guarded—no one gets in the hangar—by his people.”

“I was about to suggest you bring the subject up to Rasberry. He’s a good man. So tell me how you propose to find the people responsible for your friend’s murder.”

“He was killed either by the NKGB or Odessa. I have no idea right now how to go after the Russians, so I’m going to start with Odessa. The reason I came to see you, Colonel, is that I want to have a chat with Ernst Kaltenbrunner. I’d like you to go with me.”

“You don’t really think Kaltenbrunner is going to tell you anything, do you? Anything you can believe?”