to Hernandarias, Mbaracayu, San Lorenzo, and so on, winding up in Concepción. No Mengele anywhere. I'll tell you, there were plenty of Paraguayan Germans in every town and city. Someone told me there are 70,000 of them, the biggest ethnic group here. A few of them claimed they had seen Mengele, but no one told me where."
"In other words, no luck."
"None whatsoever. I'm sorry, Ben."
"Well, you tried. That's the most we can ask." Shertok was thoughtful a moment. "I was just wonderingâdo you think anyone will ever find Mengele?"
"I would think so. Definitely. I don't believe he was buried in Brazil. None of those I met could ever be tempted by any reward. They were Nazi diehards. But one day someone more fallible will want that four million. That's the person who will inform. I'm sure Mengele will be found, sooner or later. In fact, I'm counting on it."
Shertok indicated Tovah's notebook. "What about the others?"
Draining her coffee cup, Tovah went on. "Let me see. I was told to keep my eyes and ears open for Heinrich Müller, one of Himmler's Gestapo heads. Couldn't find out whether he was in Paraguay. Someone said he may have gone over to the Soviet Union after World War II to work for the KGB. Just a rumor.'
"What about Josef Schwammberger and Walter Kutschmann?"
She was studying her notebook again. "Schwammberger. SS commander at the Przemy[l concentration camp in Poland. Now seventy-three. He's not in Paraguay. Definitely in Argentina, but invisible. As for Kutschmann, the Nazi executioner in Poland, he was also in Argentina, but several people thought he was here now. No leads, not one."
They had finished the meal, and Shertok sat back, lighting a fresh cigar.
"Anyone else?"
"One more. Didn't see him either. But heard definitely that he was here."
"Who?"
"Not a war criminal. A Nazi scientist. Professor Dieter Falkenheim. We have him on some list or other as missing."
"Now you've found him?"
"Definitely," said Tovah. "Falkenheim is somewhere in northern Paraguay. Want to know how he got out of Germany? The American intelligence mission, Alsos , assigned to round up Nazi scientists and bring them to the United States, found out that this nuclear physicist who was trying to put together a nuclear bomb was in the town of Ilm. When Alsos reached his laboratory in Ilm, they found it empty, hastily abandoned. I now know what happened. Falkenheim was smuggled to Denmark, and from there Juan Perón had him flown to Argentina. He worked for Perón until Perón was exiled. Then Falkenheim slipped over to Paraguay. He's been here ever since. There is some speculation that he may have shipped one hundred tons of uranium ore out of Germany during the fall of Germany. Remember when the Americans found eleven hundred tons of uranium ore hidden in a salt mine outside Stassfurt? Well, there may have been twelve hundred tons of ore. Maybe Falkenheim got the rest."
"Unlikely. I suspect it is just faulty arithmetic on the part of the Americans. Anyway, Falkenheim is not our primary target."
"But still a Nazi. I just thought it was interesting."
"Could be. I don't know. Try it out on the director when you get back. Speaking of the director, did he ask you to keep an eye out for Martin Bormann while in Paraguay?"
"No, not a word about Bormann. I think Mossad is satisfied that he was killed in an explosion while trying to get out of Berlin. I think they've all written him off."
"Maybe so." From behind a cloud of smoke, Shertok casually posed another question. "What about Adolf Hitler?"
Tovah looked startled. -Adolf Hitler?"
"In Paraguay. Anyone speak to you of seeing him?"
"Come off it, Ben. You must be pulling my leg. Hitler shot himself in the Führerbunker in 1945. Everyone knows that."
"Not everyone, Tovah. Not quite everyone. Shertok straightened himself across from her. "Ever hear of Sir Harrison Ashcroft?"
"Ashcroft, Ashcroft." She tried to remember. "Didn't I read something about him in the paper
"In other words, no luck."
"None whatsoever. I'm sorry, Ben."
"Well, you tried. That's the most we can ask." Shertok was thoughtful a moment. "I was just wonderingâdo you think anyone will ever find Mengele?"
"I would think so. Definitely. I don't believe he was buried in Brazil. None of those I met could ever be tempted by any reward. They were Nazi diehards. But one day someone more fallible will want that four million. That's the person who will inform. I'm sure Mengele will be found, sooner or later. In fact, I'm counting on it."
Shertok indicated Tovah's notebook. "What about the others?"
Draining her coffee cup, Tovah went on. "Let me see. I was told to keep my eyes and ears open for Heinrich Müller, one of Himmler's Gestapo heads. Couldn't find out whether he was in Paraguay. Someone said he may have gone over to the Soviet Union after World War II to work for the KGB. Just a rumor.'
"What about Josef Schwammberger and Walter Kutschmann?"
She was studying her notebook again. "Schwammberger. SS commander at the Przemy[l concentration camp in Poland. Now seventy-three. He's not in Paraguay. Definitely in Argentina, but invisible. As for Kutschmann, the Nazi executioner in Poland, he was also in Argentina, but several people thought he was here now. No leads, not one."
They had finished the meal, and Shertok sat back, lighting a fresh cigar.
"Anyone else?"
"One more. Didn't see him either. But heard definitely that he was here."
"Who?"
"Not a war criminal. A Nazi scientist. Professor Dieter Falkenheim. We have him on some list or other as missing."
"Now you've found him?"
"Definitely," said Tovah. "Falkenheim is somewhere in northern Paraguay. Want to know how he got out of Germany? The American intelligence mission, Alsos , assigned to round up Nazi scientists and bring them to the United States, found out that this nuclear physicist who was trying to put together a nuclear bomb was in the town of Ilm. When Alsos reached his laboratory in Ilm, they found it empty, hastily abandoned. I now know what happened. Falkenheim was smuggled to Denmark, and from there Juan Perón had him flown to Argentina. He worked for Perón until Perón was exiled. Then Falkenheim slipped over to Paraguay. He's been here ever since. There is some speculation that he may have shipped one hundred tons of uranium ore out of Germany during the fall of Germany. Remember when the Americans found eleven hundred tons of uranium ore hidden in a salt mine outside Stassfurt? Well, there may have been twelve hundred tons of ore. Maybe Falkenheim got the rest."
"Unlikely. I suspect it is just faulty arithmetic on the part of the Americans. Anyway, Falkenheim is not our primary target."
"But still a Nazi. I just thought it was interesting."
"Could be. I don't know. Try it out on the director when you get back. Speaking of the director, did he ask you to keep an eye out for Martin Bormann while in Paraguay?"
"No, not a word about Bormann. I think Mossad is satisfied that he was killed in an explosion while trying to get out of Berlin. I think they've all written him off."
"Maybe so." From behind a cloud of smoke, Shertok casually posed another question. "What about Adolf Hitler?"
Tovah looked startled. -Adolf Hitler?"
"In Paraguay. Anyone speak to you of seeing him?"
"Come off it, Ben. You must be pulling my leg. Hitler shot himself in the Führerbunker in 1945. Everyone knows that."
"Not everyone, Tovah. Not quite everyone. Shertok straightened himself across from her. "Ever hear of Sir Harrison Ashcroft?"
"Ashcroft, Ashcroft." She tried to remember. "Didn't I read something about him in the paper
Similar Books
The Sweetest Thing
Elizabeth Musser
The Valentino Affair
Colin Evans
Sweet Last Drop
Melody Johnson
Pucked
Helena Hunting
Milosevic
Adam LeBor
Thorns
Kate Avery Ellison
What the Groom Wants
Jade Lee
Always Mine
Sophia Johnson
Fates and Furies
Lauren Groff