Chapter 43
Ernst looked at his partner in horror. The man really had lost control and was shaking with rage as he railed at him, shouting threats and accusations.
‘How could you do it? Sell us out to the British like this. You realise you’ve written our death warrants for the Germans?’ His manic eyes darted from Ernst to Miss Gale and back again, spittle bubbling on his lips as he shouted.
Ernst stepped forward and patted the man’s arm. ‘Franz, my friend, calm down. It’s not what you think.’
‘What is it then? Tell me the sordid details so that when I complete the report for Swiss counterintelligence, I can explain exactly why you betrayed your own bank, your partner, your family and your country.’
‘Nonsense,’ Ernst said, still standing next to his furious partner. ‘You’ve got it all wrong. Let’s get a drink in my office. I’ll explain it all to you then.’
‘Herr Hauser, you’re correct that I’m Miss Gale from the Legation, but it’s not what you think. Let’s do as Herr Brunner says and all have a drink upstairs and sort this unfortunate misunderstanding out.’
Hauser hissed and shook his head. ‘I know what you’ve been up to, Brunner. I’ve been watching you and known for some time you were up to no good. The authorities will arrest you and you’ll stand trial for treason.’
Ernst leaned closer to his frenzied partner, trying to reason with him, his voice low.
‘But Franz, if they arrest me and I stand trial, the truth will come out. The international community will learn of Switzerland’s mass laundering of Nazi gold, not to mention the other diabolical assets our German friend has been sending us to store in this vault. You’ll go down with me.’
‘Voss will take care of it. That’s where you’ve underestimated me like you always have.
He knows what you two are doing, and he’s watching, and will no doubt arrive at any moment to arrest you both.
’ Hauser turned to Miss Gale and glared at her as if she were the source of every ill in his life.
‘You won’t get away with this—worming your way into our bank and taking advantage of a weak man. ’
Ernst watched his accomplice raise her chin and address his partner, who was frothing at the mouth with rage. Her voice was cool and calm as if they hadn’t been caught committing commercial and state espionage. She said, ‘I have diplomatic immunity, and your authorities cannot hold me.’
He desperately hoped the resourceful young woman could salvage the situation and get them out of this bind. Otherwise, he would soon be locked in a cell to await trial for treason against Switzerland.
The image of the sinister, plainclothes German official, who was Gestapo in all but uniform, reared into his mind.
When he heard the bank had betrayed him, which he surely would if the Swiss authorities arrested him, he might not even make it to trial.
The Germans had their ways of infiltrating Switzerland, and Ernst’s knees shook, and his chest tightened as he considered his dreadful fate.
What had he done? What would become of his family?
Hauser sneered at Miss Gale’s diplomatic immunity threat. He was red-faced, and the veins popped in his neck as he shouted that her immunity wouldn’t get her out of this hole.
Then the sound of the vault door clicking open made Ernst jump, and he saw a man enter.
‘Who gave you the combination code?’ Ernst turned to stare at Hauser as he said the words.
‘You! Going behind my back to Voss. I knew you two were up to something, but I didn’t imagine you’d betray your own partner after all these years of us working together. ’
‘Take him away,’ Hauser ordered Voss as though the agent worked for him.
‘Not so fast,’ Voss said. ‘I want to know exactly what has been going on. Why is Elizabeth Gale of the British Legation in the secure vault of a private Swiss bank?’
She stepped forward, squaring her shoulders to address the intelligence officer. ‘We haven’t had the pleasure of meeting personally, Herr Voss, but your reputation precedes you.’
‘As does yours,’ Voss replied, his features stern and his voice devoid of warmth.
She said, ‘Let’s not play this charade any longer. I don’t know what you and Herr Hauser have cooked up, but you can’t keep either of us here. I have diplomatic immunity, and Herr Brunner was merely showing me the safe deposit boxes. The Legation wishes to open one and asked me to organise it.’
Hauser spluttered at her implausible story and started shouting threats again. ‘The Germans won’t take kindly to your selling them out to the British, Ernst. And Voss here will see that you’re taken into custody. Won’t you, Voss?’
Ernst closed his eyes for a second; the world seemed to crash around him.
If the government prosecuted him, he stood to lose everything, including Brunner she’s a British spy!’
Voss had fallen quiet and seemed to evaluate the situation as he looked from Ernst to Miss Gale.
‘Make the arrests, Voss, for God’s sake. I have a meeting soon and can’t be locked in here all day.’
Voss stepped forward, and Ernst’s blood pressure rose further, and he struggled to breathe. The shame of being arrested in his grandfather’s bank. His family and friends would hear of it, and his son’s future would be over.
Just as Voss neared Ernst, he veered and turned to Hauser. ‘Come with me,’ he ordered.
Hauser stared at Voss, speechless, before sputtering, ‘Me? But you said you would arrest them if I proved they were stealing state secrets.’
‘There’s no proof, though,’ Voss said. His voice was controlled and menacing, with an edge of steel as he grabbed Hauser’s arm and steered him towards the vault door.
‘The proof is he gave her access to our private vault and laid bare Switzerland’s secrets!’
Voss dismissed Hauser’s accusations and continued manoeuvring him to the door.
‘I’m afraid there’s been a misunderstanding.
Clearly Herr Brunner was merely showing Miss Gale a safe deposit box for the British Legation.
There’s no crime against that, presumably?
You allow other safe deposit box holders to access theirs, do you not? ’
Ernst saw Hauser was genuinely confused and realised Voss must have tricked him into believing that if he handed his partner and Miss Gale over, he would be the hero of the hour.
Voss had got Hauser to do the dirty work, so he could catch them in the vault, but for some reason, he didn’t mean to arrest them. Not yet anyway.
Ernst stared after them, and he noticed Miss Gale looked equally confused.
What on earth was Voss doing? He and Hauser had clearly laid a trap to lure them into the vault, with Hauser pretending to be in Zurich.
But now Voss had turned on Hauser. It made no sense, and his head throbbed, and his chest hurt.
He pulled his tie looser and gulped for air.
Was he close to having a heart attack? ‘I need to get out of here.’
Miss Gale took his elbow. ‘That sounds like a good idea.’
Voss turned at the door. ‘Stay here for a few more minutes and then follow us out. I will need to talk to you again in private. I’m sure I don’t need to warn you of the ramifications, Brunner, if you have passed bank or state secrets to the British.
This is your chance to put back whatever it is you have taken. ’
Ernst stared at Voss, processing his veiled threat.
‘And you, Miss Gale. I recommend you see to it that you receive an urgent recall to London and leave Bern without delay. I can’t search you without risking an international incident, but consider yourself unofficially warned.
If I find you have stolen as much as one record from this vault and are attempting to smuggle it to London, I promise you will wish you had never set foot in Bern. Diplomatic immunity or not.’
The reinforced door thudded closed behind Voss as he bungled Hauser out in front of him.
Ernst looked at Miss Gale. ‘What do you make of that?’