Colonel Berry

39. Meeting Prinz Wilhelm Again

As David was escorted along the hall by the Colonel, he said, "Sorry I'm late, Sir. I had been detained and questioned as I approached."

"Detained? I had been told your delay was from a tyre puncture."

David nodded. "Two, actually. I hit a deep rut in the road from Rüppurr, and I decided to walk the last two or three hundred metres to not be late. Guards accosted me, and I was held at gunpoint until a superior arrived."

"Yes, we've increased security and added many new guards. There have been sabotage incidents in the area recently."

"Aha! That's likely why the guard reported having caught one of them."

"One of them?"

"The saboteurs. I was accused of being one, and I was interrogated in the rooms at the rear of the hospital."

The officer pointed to a corner. "Stop here. Too many ears ahead." When they had stopped in a quiet place, he asked. "Which rooms?"

"I was taken to a small windowless one with a bag over my head, then –"

"That's for security. To hide details and layout from suspected enemy."

"If this is the treatment all salesmen must endure, then we'll take our business elsewhere."

"Likely an overreaction. New guards unfamiliar with routine."

"It was in response to the grossly distorted report from one of the guards, so the reaction was correct, though misguided." David blew out a deep breath. "My concern is that my explanation was not checked, but the guard was believed without question."

"That is the nature of the system. Of society in general. We believe those we know, and we are careful with information from strangers."

"True. But this leaves false accusations believed. The accused is confronted by a biased interrogator who seems to have judged before his questioning begins." David shuddered. "The next interrogation room was terrifying."

"The next room?"

"Where I was strapped to a chair and had my male parts stretched and –"

"Surely not. How did it get to that extreme?" Grünewald grimaced and looked down David's front.

"I was interrogated by a young officer who appeared to have already decided on my guilt. Both he and his assistant seemed sadistic."

"This is not the attitude of our interrogators. They are trained to be just and detached. Perhaps you've misinterpreted their behaviour."

"It's likely the Leutnant missed most of that training. He had been placed in the position by his uncle soon after his recent commissioning."

The officer furled his brows. "How do you know this?"

"He told me." David shrugged. "He seemed to be trying to boost his image after he realised his error. His uncle is Baron Langwerth von Simmern, in charge of foreign offices in Berlin."

"He told you?"

"The ways of salesmen are subtle. We need to extract information to learn the wants and weaknesses of our clients, and the art is to do this without being seen as probing."

"We will deal with the young von Simmern."

"Thank you. He needs to be removed. I was cut without reason, and –"

Grünewald winced his eyes closed. "My God! You were cut?"

"Before I convinced him of my identity and mission. Once he realised his error, he called a doctor to come tend to my wounds."

The officer grimaced and looked down David's front. "How seriously?"

"I'm relieved they didn't take the whole thing. When the doctor had finished suturing the flesh closed, he assured me if I can avoid gangrene and other infections, I'll still be able to function as a man."

After David had watched Grünewald's face run a gamut of expressions, he nodded along the corridor. "But we're keeping the Prinz waiting."

"Are you able? I can explain."

"I'm fine. I've made it this far; I may as well continue."

"I will see that the matter is properly dealt with." He pointed. "That's my office. Come see me when you've finished. I need more details. It's best you keep this from the Prinz and the General."

"I shall. My need is to focus on selling artillery fuses and watches, so any mention of this would serve only to distract."

They continued along the corridor, and a short while later, Grünewald knocked on the Commandant's door, and when it was swung open, he announced, "Herr Meier, Sir. He had been detained by our guards, and his lateness was beyond his control, the fault of our tightened security."

"Thank you, Oberst. Please, come in, Herr Meier, I'm Generaloberst von Heeringen." He took David's offered hand and shook. "And you know Prinz Wilhelm."

"Yes, I do." David strode across the room, extending his hand to shake. "Delightful seeing you again, My Prinz."

After greetings, Prinz Wilhelm said, "We are all busy, so we shall get directly to business." He motioned toward the chairs at a table.

David removed two envelopes and a case from his overcoat pockets and laid them on the table, and then he doffed the coat. When they had all seated, Wilhelm continued, "We are in constant need of fuses."

David picked up an envelope, removed its contents and unfolded them. "Here is a selection of designs we can provide, and here are the prices."

Wilhelm passed the drawings to von Heeringen. "Do you understand such things, Josias?"

"No, but I have those who do, Sir."

The Prinz scanned the price list, and then he looked up at David. "And have you the prices if you supply the metals?"

"The war has placed us in a precarious situation. Like you, we depend upon imports of raw materials, so we require the purchasers to supply us with these."

Wilhelm nodded. "Yes, as with all others we've approached, and we're unable to supply sufficient for our own factories." He lifted his left wrist. "So, this means no watches, either. Your visit here has been wasted."

"No, not wasted, Sir. We can supply watches."

"But you require the metals."

"For watches, we don't." He pointed to the drawings on the table. "Those fuse designs each require one to three kilograms of fine metal, and with that quantity, we can make from forty to a hundred and twenty watches, each of them selling for a fair bit more than a fuse." David shrugged. "It's a matter of simple economics. We need to use our limited supplies to employ the largest number of skilled workers and to create items of the highest value."

He watched the two Generals nod, and then he continued, "Twelve thousand watches can be crafted with the materials for three hundred fuses. The watches will keep your officers precisely coordinated for many years; the fuses will be blasted into France within hours."

"So true. Then we shall buy watches." Wilhelm pointed to the bottle in the ice bucket. "Would you care for some Eltviller Eiswein as we negotiate?"

"I would be delighted, My Prinz." A broad smile spread across David's face. "And I trust you will educate me about it."