Chapter 26
The winds of war had blown decidedly colder in recent months, and whilst Ernst was worried about his collusion with the British, he felt better to have taken what he judged as positive action.
Ernst wondered if he was growing paranoid with the guilt he felt at betraying his partner.
Franz had joined the bank when Ernst expanded the family business, and it had been a successful partnership until recently.
Before the war, Brunner & Cie had grown exponentially both in size and profitability, and during the war, their growth had exploded.
This was all good news, but Ernst had watched Franz embrace the Swiss collaboration with Nazi Germany with growing concern.
Whilst he was as pleased as his partner about the increased profits, unlike Franz who showed no hesitation, Ernst was uneasy about German methods, and when he raised the subject with his partner, he always brushed him off.
Their most recent conversation was after the fall of Stalingrad.
Ernst entered Franz’s office at the usual time and poured them both a schnapps.
They discussed the previous day’s business as they did most mornings after they’d attended to urgent matters.
Ernst sighed and broached the subject he knew would not be well received by his partner.
‘The Nazis are losing, Franz. I fear we have taken a position that will be indefensible after the war, and we will have to answer for it. Are you prepared for that?’
Franz drained his glass in one shot, and replaced it on his desk, almost slamming it. ‘You worry too much, my friend. That’s always been your weakness. It’s why we do well together.’
Ernst looked across the room at Franz, unsurprised by his reaction.
He’d heard this argument many times before.
Franz always painted him as the dithering, weak partner who was reliant on him, the courageous warrior who had the resolve to do what was necessary to keep the bank profitable in dangerous times.
Ernst was determined not to have his fears brushed aside by his partner’s clever rhetoric this time.
‘Franz, I know you believe we are doing the right thing for the bank, and I appreciate your dedication. However, we cannot keep sticking our heads in the sand, or we will pay a heavy price when the post-war reckoning is done. Look how things ended for Germany in the last war. The Allies made them pay, and they have exacted their revenge by stripping Europe of its gold reserves. And they are using us to launder their looting. When they looked like strong contenders to win, perhaps we could reconcile our conscience and turn a blind eye in the name of good economics. But that ship has sailed with Stalingrad.’ Ernst sank into the chair opposite Franz and fixed him with a hard stare.
Franz returned his stare, shaking his head. ‘The Germans will rally again, you’ll see. And even if they don’t, Switzerland is neutral. A few unsubstantiated rumours about gold transfers can’t touch us.’
‘I wish I had your confidence,’ Ernst said.
‘Leave it to me. I established a link with Swiss counterintelligence. There’s a decent chap called Kurt Voss who keeps me informed of anything he learns on the financial front that might affect us.
The British are trying to increase diplomatic pressure on us to stop trading with Germany, but they have nothing to go on but hearsay. ’
Ernst had pressed Franz further, appealing first to his decency and then to his instincts to protect the bank’s future, but he wouldn’t take him seriously.
That was the last of several similar approaches Ernst had made to his partner during the past year.
Once again, he had left his office unsatisfied, a sinking feeling in his stomach.
Franz was stubborn and had bought into the Swiss banking legend that they were untouchable.
He couldn’t reach him, and it was on that day he decided he would go behind his partner’s back to secure the future of Brunner & Cie.
A week had passed since he made his first treacherous drop for Elizabeth Gale.
He’d been back to the spot to check she had understood his clues and followed the breadcrumbs.
The afternoon after he left the package, unable to think of anything else, he had walked to the cathedral.
From beneath the nearby chestnut trees, he watched the terrace until the people milling about dispersed, and then he walked over, his eyes searching the gap in the wall.
His heart raced and his stomach swirled when he saw the package was no longer there.
He didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified.
Ernst had betrayed no one in his life, and the realisation that what he had done would be considered an act of treason against Switzerland mortified him.
But what was the alternative? They had jumped into bed with the Nazis like all the other banks, without a second thought, and if he didn’t show he was against the gold laundering operation, who knew how harsh the penalty would be?
What if someone other than Elizabeth Gale had noticed the package and taken it?
He contemplated the scary thought. This was the risk he must take if he were to do the right thing.
The intelligence services would arrest him if they discovered what he had done and would deem him a British spy and traitor to Switzerland.
Ernst left the terrace and decided he must see Miss Gale again to check she had got the package. Only then would it be safe to leave her another one.