Colonel Berry

Chapter Thirteen

After they had finished eating and the dishes had been cleared away, Maria smiled at the men as they all resumed their seats at the table. "Now, let's get to the other good stuff. I thought it might help if you had more insight into what motivates women."

She watched the nods and the rapt attention. "Women crave emotional connection and intimacy, which is why we value friendships so much. We love to talk and to share. This is why it's common to see us in pairs or groups, but seldom alone."

"We saw that in Germany," Dolf said. "Walking in twos or threes and gabbing away."

"Maybe gabbing, but it's how we get to know others and form bonds with them. Men bond through physical activity, work, sports, whatever, but women bond through talking and sharing personal experiences, emotions and thoughts."

"But physical too," Hans said. "We saw many holding hands or linking arms."

"That's from the need to feel connected. Wanted. Think of it as wanting to touch and be touched. The talk is from that as well, and women are often uncomfortable with silence, fearing the bond has been broken."

"We seem to enjoy silence." Dolf swept his arm past the other men at the table. "Our bonding is in doing things together, not distracting our focus by discussing how we feel about them — or about each other."

"Exactly!" Maria applauded. "That is one of the primary behavioural differences. Another, a vital one, is that women aren't as direct as men. They don't always come out and say what they're thinking."

Dolf nodded. "Re-examining the relationship, I now see that was my big problem with Gillian." He paused and looked at Maria. "My girl back home. She broke it off with me last year. Said I didn't understand her. She'd say everything is fine, then she'd get mad because I didn't sense that everything wasn't fine at all."

"Fortunately, I grew up in a family with very direct women." Maria winced as she looked at David. "I try to always make my concerns clear. But generally, it's best to try to sense a woman's emotions, listen to the tone of her voice, watch her body language. This will help you interpret the meaning of her words, her intentions, her desires."

The discussion continued for another forty minutes as Maria and the men exchanged questions and answers. Then at a lull, she said, "I think you have a better understanding of it now, and I've gained new insights into what motivates men and shapes their behaviour."

After a round of thanks from the men, Hans stood and tapped Greg's shoulder. "Let's be on our way. We've plenty of research to do."

David laughed as he rose. "Remember which of your research projects has priority."

<><><>

Two hours later, David sat in the withdrawing room sipping from his mug of coffee as he listened to Karl outline past activities and current projects. "We're not doing anything as spectacular as your December trio, and we've put the Rhein bridges on hold for the moment. They're too heavily guarded, so we've left them to the aeroplanes."

"That was our assessment from our January reconnaissance. So, what are you doing?"

"Mainly supplying explosives to the Elsässer teams. They've been blowing random sections of rail, causing derailments, so now the trains move at little more than a walking pace. The Germans now have repair cars at the front of their trains on most of the lines, so the interruptions are of only short duration."

"But the supply to the Front has been slowed."

"True. But with two of the Schwarzwald lines now open again, there are more frequent trains. Smaller ones now."

"Possibly to not risk so much to sabotage."

"That's what we've thought. You completely destroyed three large trains in December." Karl tilted his head as he peered into David's eyes. "That was brilliant — the Biesenbach. Derailing the train and sending it into the viaduct pier."

"That was Georg's idea. With all the viaducts, bridges and tunnels so heavily guarded, we saw no other way to close that line."

"We've heard that it should reopen at the end of the month."

The two carried on their discussion, examining the situation and their resources, and considering a range of possibilities. David finally brought up the tunnel. "The risky part is moving away from the tool shed in the German vineyard. We've used pruning the vines as a mask to cover this, but that is now done for the year."

"There are other vineyard activities which can be used. When risk of frost has passed, we inspect the vines for winter damage, grub-out dead and ailing vines, and prepare the soil for replacements." Karl shrugged. "There can be work in the vineyards year round if we wish, though with my small vineyard, none takes long."

"So, your main work is as the Municipal Registrar."

"It used to be much more, but I've now stepped back from other civic duties. I've retained that to remain in contact and to be aware of happenings. Takes me only a few hours per week to maintain the records."

David smiled "And to perform weddings."

"We get few. You were among only six in December."

"On the records — what access do you have?"

"I maintain the local ones, and I have access to the kantonal and the national records. Why do you ask?"

"Both Georg and I have Swiss passports, and three of the team have genuine Swiss birth certificates. The others have forged papers, and I'm uncomfortable sending those into Germany. We lost two in February, and I fear they were apprehended and interrogated."

Karl winced. "Not good. Compromised?"

"No, they would have chosen death over talking."

"Yes, we all know death will come even if we talk. So, how may I help?"

"To maintain our identity, we need to report for Army indoctrination. Georg did his in 1891, and I'm now four weeks through mine at the Zeughaus in Schaffhausen. One of the men turned twenty last month, and two will be twenty this summer."

"Karl nodded. "Each kanton supplies transcripts of the birth records to Bern, and from these, they compile national service lists."

"Does the training have to be done in the kanton of their birth?"

"Originally, but now it's conducted in the region in which they reside. They register at their local rathaus." He tilted his head, giving David a puzzled look. "You're now in training? Didn't they question why you were so late in registering?"

"We — my grandfather found a plausible explanation and he smoothed the way. He was a Colonel, and he knows the Commandant from his own service."

"Yes, that's one of the benefits of our system. Over the years we get to work with many people from all over the country. Have you met the Commandant?"

"Major Frankenthal? Yes, in an interview when I arrived, and then in a few casual conversations, the last one yesterday as I was leaving to come here."

Karl nodded, then hesitated as he steepled his fingers to his lips before he spoke. "He's one of us."

"Us?"

"The team. He told us this morning during our meeting that he's been investigating a potential recruit. A bright young salesman in the new intake." He chuckled. "Peddling watches and wine."

David pursed his lips, bobbing his head as he absorbed the information. "He had asked me to meet with him tomorrow."

Karl wrote a brief note to Horst Frankenthal, tore it in half vertically and gave a piece to David before he folded the other. "I'll post this part from town tomorrow morning, and he'll have it mid-morning on Tuesday."