Black Cross. Greg Iles
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as he had seen him four days ago, but as a little boy in a muddy Georgia pond, trying to learn to hold his breath.
“I’m sorry, Brigadier,” he said softly. “I apologize.”
The Scotsman held up his hand. “There’s no need, man. I know this is difficult. I lost a brother myself. At Lofoten, in forty-one. But by God, Doctor, if this isn’t the final reason to come on board with us, nothing is. The bastards killed your brother!”
McConnell shook his head hopelessly. “You’ve never understood me at all, have you? You have no idea why I am the way I am.”
Smith bristled. “I understand you, all right. I know about your father. But what would he say now, eh? I’m asking you to go on a mission of mercy. Christ, Doctor, the Nazis are testing the nerve agents on human beings. Why do you think Stern here is going? Most of those human guinea pigs are Jews. The Germans are slaughtering his people while the world stands by and does nothing!”
McConnell studied Stern’s face. He saw no sadness or pleading in the young man’s features. All he saw—or thought he saw—was disgust. “I’m truly sorry,” he said, “but I’m afraid I must ask you to leave. I need to be alone.”
To McConnell’s surprise, Brigadier Smith turned on his heel and walked out of the room without further argument. The young Jew, however, remained behind. He had stood silent throughout the meeting, but now he walked slowly forward until he stood only inches from McConnell. Mark had six or seven years on the stranger, but he sensed a fearsome intensity in the young man.
“Smith doesn’t understand you, Doctor,” Stern said softly. “But I do. You’re not a coward. You are a fool. You’re like my father was. You’re like a million Jews across Europe. You believe in reason, in the essential goodness of man. You believe that if you refuse to commit evil yourself, someday you will conquer it.” His voice dripped contempt. “All the fools who believed that are dead now. Fed into poison gas and flames by men who know the true nature of humanity. The only difference between you and those fools is that you’re American.” Stern switched suddenly from English to German, but McConnell caught most of it. “You have yet to taste even a sip of the pain so many have drunk to the bitter dregs in the last ten years.”
McConnell opened his mouth to reply, but no sound came. The weight of Stern’s words seemed incongruous when paired with the young face speaking them. But not with the eyes. The young Jew’s eyes were like David’s had been when he spoke of losing his friends. Ageless, emotionless—
“Stern!” Brigadier Smith stood in the open doorway. “Leave him be.”
The dark young man nodded slowly at McConnell. “I’m sorry about your brother. But he was only a drop in an ocean beyond counting. You should think about that.” He turned and followed the brigadier into the corridor.
Alone at last, McConnell reread the telegram in a daze. Regret to inform … killed in action … McConnell’s actions always reflected the highest honor … my personal condolences … condolences … Mark put his left hand behind him and found the edge of a desk. He couldn’t breathe. He stumbled to the nearest window and tried to open it, but the latch was stuck. He raised his right foot and kicked furiously at the ironwork.
In his anger at McConnell’s refusal, Smith was pushing the Bentley beyond the limit of sanity, much less legality. The fact that he was doing it in the dark with only one arm would have terrified Jonas Stern at any other time. But just now his fury burned as hot as the brigadier’s.
“Just find another damned chemist!” he shouted above the roar of the Bentley’s engine.
“It’s not as easy as it sounds,” Smith snapped back. “I can’t use enlisted personnel, American or British. Besides, McConnell’s the best man for the job. Under the age of sixty, anyway.”
Stern slammed his hand against the door. “Then what the hell are we going to do? You can’t let one idealistic fool stop us.”
Brigadier Smith glanced over at the young Zionist. “I haven’t given up on the good doctor yet.”
“No? You’re mad, then. He’ll never do it. You might as well ask Albert Schweitzer to start carrying a bazooka.”
“I think he will,” Smith insisted. “I think he almost agreed today. That telegram nearly pushed him over the edge.”
Stern laughed harshly. “You’re crazy.”
“Mark my words,” Brigadier Smith said, his eyes focused on the dark road. “He’ll come around. Tragedy has a way of changing people’s minds.”
Stern turned suddenly to the Scotsman and stared. “Brigadier, you didn’t set up that scene, did you? I mean … his brother was really killed?”
Smith glanced at Stern, a look of genuine shock on his face. “Christ, how devious do you think I am? I’d better hire more Jews while I can get them. You’re born conspirators.”
Stern searched the brigadier’s face for a sign of deceit, but the Scotsman gave away nothing. Stern saw no point in questioning him further. But as he withdrew into his own thoughts, he could not help but wonder. How far would Brigadier Smith go to get what he wanted? The answer to that question would be of great importance after the war, in Palestine.
If he lived that long, of course.
McConnell was kicking at the ironwork of the window when the first doubt struck him. Why had he taken Brigadier Smith at his word? If the SOE chief had faked David’s death, would he admit it when confronted?
“That bastard is cold enough to do it,” he said aloud.
Mark knew how improbable the idea was, but a fierce hope overrode every rational objection his mind could conjure. With shaking hands he called the university operator and asked to be connected to the 8th Air Force base at Deenethorpe. He drummed his feet on the floor at the opera-tor’s infuriatingly polite: I’m trying to connect you—then at last he was through.
“I’d like to speak to someone about casualties, please.”
“One moment, sir,” said a young male voice.
McConnell heard several clicks, then a male voice with a Southern drawl came on the line. “Colonel Harrigill here.”
Harrigill. McConnell remembered the name from the telegram. Doesn’t mean anything, he thought. Brigadier Smith could easily get the right names. “Colonel,” he said, surprised by the quaver in his voice, “this is Dr. Mark McConnell. I’m calling from Oxford University. Was there a raid over Regensburg last night?”
“I’m afraid I can’t give out information like that over the phone, Doctor.”
Part of McConnell’s brain placed Harrigill’s accent—the Mississippi Delta—while another made his face flush. The timbre of Colonel Harrigill’s voice held more than official courtesy. The undertone sounded almost like sympathy.
“What information can you give me, Colonel?”
“Well … have you received a telegram today, Doctor?”
McConnell shut his eyes. “Yes.”
“I can confirm that your brother’s aircraft was lost in the line of duty over France. Visual reports from other aircrew led us to classify the entire crew as Killed In Action.”
Mark found himself unable to say anything further.
“Is there anything I can do for you, son? I was about to send a telegram to your family Stateside.”
“Don’t! I mean not yet, at least. There’s only our mother, and she’s seen enough—just—I’ll tell her, Colonel.”
“That’s fine with the Army Air Corps, Doctor. I’ll try to slow down Western Union a little bit. And again, let me express my sorrow. Captain McConnell was a fine officer. A credit to his squadron,