T he day had dawned overcast and cold, and von Hei?en’s boots crunched on the fresh spring snow as he returned from his inspection of the camp. Von Hei?en was determined that Reichsfuhrer Himmler’s visit and the celebrations for Hitler’s birthday would go off without a hitch. Reaching his headquarters, he descended the stone steps that led to a large cellar beneath the building. Only two people were allowed into what was effectively a strong room: himself and his batman, the latter charged with melting down Jewish jewellery and the piles of gold fillings that were extracted each time the bodies were cleared from ‘the showers’ beneath the hospital. Von Hei?en felt the side of the small furnace he’d had installed alongside one of the stone walls. It was still warm from the night before. Satisfied, he dialled the combination to the huge safe at the rear of the cellar.
Excellent, he mused, picking up the ten-kilogram ingot his batman had added to the six already stored in the vault. The bars were stamped with the eagle and swastika, giving the impression they were being produced to bolster the coffers of the Reich, but von Hei?en had a very different plan. He’d already invited il Signor Felici to visit. The powerful envoy’s contacts within the Vatican, a nation state outside the jurisdiction of either Hitler’s Reich or Mussolini’s Italy, would, he thought, be very useful. The SS colonel opened one of the vault drawers and extracted the pectoral cross he’d discovered in the Weizman safe, one of a number of items his batman had been instructed to store separately. Other than its possible monetary value, the cross held no particular attraction for von Hei?en, but he’d already determined that it might mean quite a lot to someone like Felici. He returned the cross to its drawer, closed the vault door and headed back to his office.
Sitting behind his large mahogany desk, von Hei?en turned his attention again to the strange piece of paper he’d recovered from the Jewish boy. A child’s drawing? The yellow painted shape might be, but why would a boy of ten draw a series of lines and then assign what looked like bearings to them? Was it worth keeping his miserable father alive to find out? Under normal circumstances it might be, at least to give the usual methods of persuasion time to work, but von Hei?en was very aware of the threat the Jewish archaeologist posed. The longer Weizman was alive, the greater the danger of word leaking out about the discovery of the figurine. There was only one man von Hei?en genuinely feared: if Himmler ever found out, he’d be finished.
Deep in thought, von Hei?en got up from behind his desk and stood at the window, absent-mindedly looking towards the quarry where the Jewish scum were already at work. He was convinced that if Weizman still had the figurine, he would have almost certainly hidden it in his strongbox. It was safe to assume the jade statue was still in the jungles of Guatemala, and therefore – His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.
At five-foot nine, his adjutant, Hauptsturmfuhrer Hans Brandt, only just cleared the SS height restrictions, but Brandt was well-connected and what the fair-haired, oval-faced, olive-skinned Aryan captain lacked in height, he made up for in ambition and naked ruthlessness.
‘Kommen Sie!’
‘The Jew is outside, Herr Kommandant, and I’ve been advised that Reichsfuhrer Himmler’s car is approaching Mauthausen. He will arrive in just under half an hour.’
‘The guard is ready?’
‘Jawohl, Herr Kommandant. I’ve inspected them personally. I’ve also been advised that Doktor Richtoff is accompanying the Reichsfuhrer.’
‘Everything is ready for the doctor?’
Brandt nodded. ‘The technicians have finished installing the equipment, including the high-altitude pressure chamber, and Barrack Block 6 has been refurnished in accordance with Doktor Richtoff’s instructions.’
Von Hei?en grunted. ‘Good. Bring the Jew in.’
‘Jawohl. Heil Hitler!’
‘Herr Professor, I’m told that your apartment has been thoroughly searched and there is no sign of the figurine. So where is it?’ Von Hei?en put his question very slowly, his voice ominously calm.
‘I’ve already told you -’
‘Liar!’ Von Hei?en lashed Levi with his cane. Levi gasped and stifled a cry.
‘Filthy Jewish liar!’ Von Hei?en whipped Levi’s face again, smashing his glasses. ‘Where is it?’ Von Hei?en was shouting now, lashing at him uncontrollably. Levi’s eyes watered, and he fought against the searing pain.
Von Hei?en wondered again if the Jewish archaeologist might be telling the truth, but the moment was fleeting. ‘And what does this map mean?’ von Hei?en asked, picking up the huun bark from his desk.
‘It’s nothing more than a small boy’s drawing,’ Levi answered defiantly, his knees starting to wobble.
‘You’re lying!’ Von Hei?en turned towards his adjutant. ‘Have the guards take him away and when the Reichsfuhrer has left, Sturmscharfuhrer Schmidt can take him to the parachute jump.’ As powerful as von Hei?en had become, he knew he would have to seek approval from Himmler himself before he disposed of the Jewish professor.
‘Achtung!’ The guard of honour came to attention and saluted as an armoured car, followed by a new black BMW staff car, with a silver eagle and swastika pennant fluttering above the bonnet, swept through Mauthausen’s gates. The staff car bore the registration plates: SS1. Von Hei?en snapped to attention, right arm outstretched as the SS Commander alighted.
‘Heil Hitler, Herr Reichsfuhrer. Wilkommen zum Mauthausen.’
A hundred metres away, in the middle of the quarry, Ramona, Ariel and Rebekkah struggled to lift a large rock into one of the hoppers. Levi moved to help them and he winced in pain as an SS guard hit him with his rifle butt.
‘Try to pick smaller ones, meine Lieblings,’ Levi whispered. He turned and felt a cold shiver run down his spine as Reichsfuhrer Himmler, accompanied by Obersturmbannfuhrer von Hei?en, appeared at the railing of the nearest watchtower. Suddenly a squad of SS guards doubled towards the quarry, rifles at the carry. At the far end of the quarry a line of marching prisoners, all in black-and-grey striped garb, were suddenly halted and ordered to turn to face the cliff.
A rifle shot echoed around the quarry, and the prisoner on the far left of the line crumpled to the ground, her face blown away by a bullet to the back of the head. Ramona fainted and Ariel and Rebekkah started to cry, cowering behind the hopper. For the next hour and a half the quarry reverberated to the crackle of rifle fire as every two minutes a Jew was shot in the back of the head in honour of the Fuhrer’s birthday.
Von Hei?en watched Himmler’s car disappear through Mauthausen’s main gate before turning to walk back towards the quarry. It had been a very successful day. The Fuhrer’s birthday celebrations had gone very well, and Himmler had personally congratulated von Hei?en on the efficiency of the camp. It was, Himmler said, the main reason Mauthausen had been chosen for Doctor Richtoff’s top-secret medical experiments. The Reichsfuhrer had even intimated that all going well, another promotion was in the offing. Standartenfuhrer! Von Hei?en could almost see the oak leaves on his collar. He felt a surge of pride and whacked his boots with his cane as he walked along the path leading to the top of the quarry cliff. He looked back towards the gates of the prisoner compound where, as per his instructions, the Weizman woman and her offspring had been chained to one of the stone towers. Good, he mused, feeling a rising sense of satisfaction. From there they, too, would be able to see the quarry.
Schmidt shoved Levi over the rough ground towards the steps. ‘There are 186 steps, Jew, and you’re going to climb every one of them.’
Levi glanced back to where Ramona and the children were chained to the stone tower. Ramona’s eyes were full of fear.
‘Pick up that rock!’ Schmidt shouted when they reached the narrow stone staircase leading up to a high granite outcrop overlooking the quarry. ‘On your shoulders, Jew man!’ Schmidt’s jowls were crimson now and a strong stench of garlic assailed Levi. He heaved the heavy rock onto his right shoulder.
‘ Jetzt lauf! Now run!’
Ramona, her hands chained to an iron ring in the wall behind her head, watched in horror as Levi struggled to climb the staircase, a massive rock teetering on his shoulder.
Schmidt turned to two young guards. ‘You know what to do. Follow him!’
The taller of the two guards bounded up the stairs and yelled in Levi’s ear. ‘Come on, Jew, you’re not even halfway yet!’
Levi’s knees buckled under the weight of the granite boulder. He staggered and fell to the ground, and the other guard smashed a rifle against his ribcage.
‘Get up, Jewish pig! I don’t want to be here all fucking night!’ Levi levered himself to his feet and hoisted the boulder back onto his shoulders, closing his mind to the searing pain in his ribs.
‘What are they doing to Papa, Mama?’ Rebekkah sobbed, her hands chained high above her head.
Levi rasped for breath and glanced ahead of him, not daring to stop. Ten steps to go. Nearing exhaustion, he staggered over the very last step and let the boulder fall at his feet.
‘Who gave you permission to drop the rock?’ The taller guard swung his rifle butt into the small of Levi’s back. Levi fell face-first onto the rocks, breaking his nose and two of his teeth. ‘Get up!’
Levi got to one knee, coughing blood and fragments of teeth.
One of the guards looked at his watch. ‘We’re losing fucking drinking time up here, Gunther!’
‘ Ja. Get up, you Jewish shit!’ Gunther snarled, kicking Levi in the stomach. Levi stumbled forward onto a large flat rock that overlooked the quarry. A hundred metres below a jagged outcrop of granite extended from the cliff base to where the prisoners, their ribcages clearly visible, were quarrying stone with picks and shovels. Levi looked up to the left and a chill ran through him. The unmistakeable figure of von Hei?en was silhouetted against the fading light.
Levi shuffled back, but he was shoved violently from behind.
Ramona watched in horror as Levi tumbled over the cliff, his arms flailing wildly. His scream pierced her very soul as he bounced off a rock halfway down, before smashing into the jagged granite at the base of the cliff.
‘That’s what happens when you criticise the Reich!’ Schmidt shouted at the prisoners in the quarry. ‘Now get back to work or you’ll be next!’
Von Hei?en’s batman and the chief steward, the latter holding a large crystal glass of Glenfiddich on a silver tray, were standing at the ready, just inside the heavy cedar doors of the officers’ mess. Flags of the Third Reich and the SS were mounted on one of the stone walls, and the bar had been decorated with a large gold eagle.
‘ Meine Herren. Der Kommandant! ’ Hauptsturmfuhrer Brandt sprang out of his chair to announce von Hei?en’s arrival, and the other officers followed suit. Von Hei?en handed his cane and cap to his batman and relieved the steward of the crystal tumbler.
‘Hans, come and join us,’ von Hei?en commanded his adjutant, waving his hand towards an empty leather lounge chair beside Doctor Richtoff’s. ‘ Ein Bier? ’
‘ Danke schon, Herr Kommandant.’
Von Hei?en looked towards the bar and snapped his fingers.
‘So, Eduard, everything is in order?’ von Hei?en asked, turning towards Richtoff.
Richtoff nodded. The SS doctor’s skin was milky white. His spiky grey hair was cut short above his high, square forehead, and pale-green eyes peered from beneath bushy black brows. ‘It appears to be, Karl. The equipment is being tested as we speak. We should be able to start our experiments tomorrow.’
‘What is it that you’re testing for, Herr Doktor?’ Hans asked.
‘The SS is to set the standards for the new Reich, Hauptsturmfuhrer. The Mauthausen experiments are aimed at producing a new German elite – a human embryo that combines leader, scholar, warrior and administrator all in one. You will forgive me, gentlemen, but you are not perfect.’
‘But a good start, Doktor,’ von Hei?en responded, signalling the steward to refill his glass.
‘The experiments are also designed to provide data that may help with the conditioning of our troops for possible service on the Eastern Front.’
‘How will you achieve that?’ Brandt asked, keen to know how the German race might be perfected.
‘Your Kommandant has kindly undertaken to provide me with fit specimens, both male and female. In the first experiment we’ll strip them naked and put them in ice vats to discover how long it takes them to die. Of course, during the winter it will be easier,’ Richtoff added, coughing, ‘because we can just leave them naked in an outdoor cage to see how long they last. In the second experiment we’ll lower the temperature to a point where most of them die, and from the remainder, we’ll see which ones can be resuscitated. We’ve already done some testing in Auschwitz, where we forced iced water into their intestines… but all of them died. Unfortunately that method doesn’t seem to have much promise.’ Richtoff reached for his beer.
‘And the pressure tank? What’s that for?’ Brandt asked.
‘Low-pressure simulation of an oxygen-thin environment,’ Richtoff replied. ‘Your Kommandant, being a qualified high-altitude diver, knows quite a bit about this.’
‘It’s been a while now,’ von Hei?en replied.
‘We’ve also tested this at Auschwitz,’ Richtoff continued, ‘but in Mauthausen we’re planning to use women as well as men. The human body functions best at sea level, where the bloodstream is saturated with oxygen, but at altitudes above 15 000 feet, the oxygen levels are halved and the body needs to acclimatise. At Auschwitz we found that most subjects died once the altitude simulation reached 23 000 feet. At that height it’s difficult to sleep and the digestion system breaks down. But one lasted past 25 000 feet and we’ve kept his organs for further analysis.’
‘How many specimens do you need, Herr Doktor?’ Brandt asked.
‘Forty will do to start with. Twenty men and twenty women, but they must be fit.’
‘Include the Weizman woman in the first batch, Hans – and make sure those brats of hers are forced to watch. Perhaps next time the boy will not be so keen to hide things from the Reich. In the meantime, in honour of your arrival, Eduard, I’ve ordered some very nice wine for dinner.’
Night descended on the quarry, and a team of soldiers finished removing gold fillings from the bodies at the base of the cliff. A large bulldozer, smoke pouring from the exhaust flap, manoeuvred into position and began shovelling the corpses towards a refuse pit. Back behind the forbidding stone walls of the prisoner compound, the inmates were standing in the cold between the barrack blocks, waiting for roll call. Ramona did her best to comfort Ariel and Rebekkah, her spirit unbroken but her heart torn apart, aching for the man she’d loved with every fibre of her being.
‘Tomorrow, you’ll both be transferred to work in the laundry, Lieblings,’ Ramona whispered. ‘If someone offers to help you, you’re to do exactly as they tell you, all right?’
‘But what about you, Mama?’ Ariel asked. His face was white, his whole world shattered. Rebekkah looked up at her mother, struggling to understand what had happened.
‘Mama will be fine… you look after your little sister,’ Ramona said to Ariel, adjusting Rebekkah’s blonde locks. ‘Promise me.’
‘I promise,’ Ariel whispered, gripping his mother’s hand more tightly.