“One of two things is true,” Cronley said. “Let me back up a little. This is where my epiphany got started anyway. With the CIC, the Russians, the DCI, and even the German police looking for von Dietelburg and Burgdorf, why haven’t we had at least a sighting of either of them?”
When no one answered, Cronley went on. “Because the German people don’t want them caught. They don’t give a damn what they’ve done. All the Kraut population wants is to be able to thumb their nose at the Army of Occupation and the Nuremberg Tribunal. And as long as we don’t have them, that’s what’s happening.”
“Super Spook may be onto something,” Jackson said, thoughtfully.
“So where are they?” Cohen asked.
“Actually,” Cronley replied, “the first question is, where aren’t they? In Hungary? I don’t think so, not with the NKGB looking for them. Vienna? I don’t think they’re there either. That’s where they were bagged. Humiliating the Austrians, who wanted—want—to put them on display on trial in Austria. Have they gone to Prague? Or Croatia? France? Spain? I don’t think so.”
Cohen said, “At the risk of repeating myself, so then where are they?”
“I think in Germany, either Berlin or the American Zone. And I don’t think we’re going to find them. We’re going to have to make them come to us.”
“How are we going to do that?” Cohen asked, dubiously.
“My epiphany is, they’
re still interested in Castle Wewelsburg. When I thought about it, there was something fishy about their attempt to blow it up.”
“But they tried, James,” Serov said.
“And failed.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that if von Dietelburg, head of the Church of Saint Heinrich the Divine, wanted the Vatican of said church to be destroyed, all we would have found was rubble. They wanted—want—us to think that it’s no longer of any real value to them.”
“To what end?” Justice Jackson asked.
“So that after we’ve had our look around, satisfied our curiosity, and left, they can come back.”
“For those golden death’s-head rings?” Jackson asked.
“And for the contents of Saint Heinrich’s safe, which we haven’t found; for the ‘holy relics,’ and almost certainly for God only knows how much money. Now that I think about it, the only reason they were trying to make a withdrawal from the Vatican Bank is because Cohen’s guys are sitting on the castle, where they have day-to-day expenses’ money.”
No one said anything, and then Cronley continued. “I think—hell, I’m sure—that at this very moment one of von Dietelburg’s disciples is watching Wewelsburg to see what we’re up to.”
“Cut to the chase, Jim,” Jackson said.
“I’ve come up with an idea that will bring them back to Wewelsburg. First of all, we have to convince them we’re really leaving. I mean, we can’t just drive away. They know that Cohen’s people have been sitting on the place since he first became involved.”
“Whatever your harebrained epiphany is telling you,” Cohen said, “I am not prepared to give up control of the castle even for thirty seconds. There’s a hell of a lot we don’t know about it.”
“It will be impossible for us to get them to think we have really given up and left the castle until we do, in fact, leave the castle.”
“Did you hear what I just said?” Cohen snapped.
“If we in fact give up and leave the castle, that would make it available to the rest of the European Command, right?”
Cohen repeated: “Did you just hear—”
“Such as the United States Constabulary, right?” Cronley finished.
“What the hell would the Constab want with Wewelsburg?” Cohen demanded.
“Well, after suitable renovation, of course, it would make a lovely home for the Constabulary Non-Commissioned Officer Academy.”
“Oh, Jesus Christ!” Cohen said, disgustedly.