Free Secrets of the Last Nazi by Iain King Page B

Myles realised he had become completely helpless.

Seventeen
    Berlin
    11.45 a.m. CET (10.45 a.m. GMT)
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    J ean-François opened the door to the lawyer’s office for Heike-Ann, who accepted the gesture politely, and Zenyalena, who was much less gracious. The three of them had entered a waiting room. Zenyalena was the first to sit down, and choose the largest seat.
    Glenn followed on behind, distracted by the English-language version of the Berliner Morgenpost , which he accessed on his mobile. He soon found what he was looking for.
    Werner Stolz made his name in the 1950s and 60s as a financier, and later as a philanthropist. But the man was not always so well-intentioned. Originally from Austria, Stolz began working for the Nazis following the Anschluss between his native country and Germany in 1938. He soon found himself working for Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess, and, after Hess’s bizarre flight out of Germany in 1941, for Heinrich Himmler. It was during this time that he became part of the notorious SS, rising to the rank of captain. But Stolz was never accused of any involvement in war crimes or the wider atrocities associated with the Nazis: he was part of the unit which investigated ancient and pagan wisdoms for the Third Reich. His work intrigued the Allies, who interviewed him following Germany’s defeat in 1945 …
    Glenn could tell most of Stolz’s obituary was old. It was common practice for junior reporters to collect material on people like Stolz for use later. Every few years – usually in slack periods, like August and over the Christmas break – the obituaries would be reviewed and occasionally updated by the next generation of trainees.
    … Stolz became a successful investment manager, with a reputation for achieving reliable returns and anticipating unexpected events. The great wealth he amassed in the 1950s and 1960s was then spent on a series of good causes. Werner Stolz became a familiar face as a donor to many charities in the mid-sixties. Cynics accused Stolz of trying to buy off his guilty conscience and make up for his time in the SS …
    The cynics were probably right. Glenn continued reading.
    … Stolz retired at the young age of fifty-five, then became obscure – he is thought to have left Germany for most of the 1970s and 1980s. Soon after the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, Stolz bought a humble apartment in former East Berlin, where he lived for more than two decades, before retreating to a nursing home in Potsdam a few weeks ago …
    Finally, Glenn reached the last paragraph. He scanned it, then – suddenly reacting to the words - leaned forward, as he read the text again. Then he exhaled deeply, wondering at the significance of what he had just seen.
    He passed his phone to Jean-François, who held it so Heike-Ann could read it at the same time. Zenyalena made a point of using her own phone to find the same website.
    Glenn watched Jean-François’ face, waiting until the Frenchman had finished reading. ‘So, Jean-François - what do you think?’
    The Frenchman shrugged. He didn’t really think anything.
    Glenn pressed home the point. ‘I mean about the obituary. The last paragraph.’ The American was raising his voice.
    Jean-François still didn’t understand Glenn’s point. Heike-Ann also looked confused.
    Frustrated, the American took back his phone, and brought up the final sentences on Stolz so the words filled the screen.
    …The cause of Stolz’s death – at the age of one hundred and three - is yet to be confirmed by Berlin medical authorities. But it is understood that certain peculiarities surrounding Werner Stolz’s life have generated international interest. All Stolz’s pre-war papers are to be reviewed by a team drawn from The United States, Russia, France and the United Kingdom. Their work investigating this Nazi-turned-philanthropist has already begun.
    Glenn pointed at the device. ‘See? Who do you think they’ve been talking