Page 44

“Colonel,” McGrath said, “I absolutely have to see this place.”

“I understand. And I want—”

Cohen’s telephone rang. He glared at it.

“And I want your opinion, Father Jack,” Cohen went on, “of where my thinking is going wrong.”

The phone rang again.

He grabbed the receiver and snapped, “Colonel Cohen.”

Moments later, he added, “Good afternoon, Mr. Justice.”

Then he said, “I’m on my way, sir,” and hung up.

He glanced at the others.

“You’ll have to excuse me. I am not sure what’s up, but something damn sure is. And this lecture is obviously over.” Cohen confirmed that by leaning toward the microphone and formally stating, “The Thousand-Year Reich Lecture interrupted at fourteen-forty-five hours, 18 April 1946.”

He looked at the others again.

“It’s quarter to three. I suggest you return to Farber Palast and discuss this among you—in the Duchess Suite, not in the bar. I’ll try to meet you there about half past five.”

He then walked out of his office.

V

[ONE]

International Tribunal Compound Prison

Nuremberg, American Zone of Occupation, Germany

1505 18 April 1946

The two enormous black soldiers leading the German prisoner out of the cellblock dwarfed him. Both were well over six feet tall. Their muscled arms and chests strained the OD Ike jackets. The prisoner was restrained with handcuffs, shackles around his ankles, and a chain around his waist. He had a black bag over his head.

As the soldiers and their prisoner passed the guardhouse, Jim Cronley stepped out of it. He made several gestures, first putting an index finger to his lips to indicate silence.

This made one of the huge men smile, revealing several gold teeth.

Cronley then raised his eyebrows, making a question of his next gesture, a back-and-forth movement of his right hand.

The man, smiling, nodded.

Cronley finally made a thumbs-up gesture and pointed to an Army 6×6 truck that had been backed up to the guardhouse.

The man smiled, saluted, and then prodded his prisoner into movement. He stopped him at the truck.

Another huge man standing on the bed of the truck reached down to take the prisoner’s hands, then pulled him onto the tailgate, causing the prisoner to grunt. Next, he reached down, grabbed the prisoner by his shoulders and lifted him deeper into the truck bed.

The other man, remaining on the ground, put the tailgate in place and then trotted to the cab and climbed in beside the driver.

The truck horn sounded twice, and the 6×6 began to drive away. As it did, a staff car pulled in behind it and followed.

* * *

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