Free Spook's Gold by Andrew Wood Page A

junior officers all intently hammering on typewriters or shuffling files.  Beele circulated amongst them, trying to find someone who knew anything about ‘special transports’.  Finally a lead was forthcoming and Marner was once again motioned to follow, through a set of ornately panelled double doors and into a large, high-ceilinged chamber.  It could once have been a meeting room that would have easily accommodated sixty or more around a large table; now it had been converted to a chaotic operations room. 
    Waiting patiently while yet another conversation took place in hushed tones in one corner of the room, Marner had time to examine the large operational maps on the walls, one of the Mediterranean, one of the Atlantic.  Examining the Atlantic map, he quickly surmised that the red pins were enemy convoy groups, this from the streaks of ribbons extending from the pins towards the British Isles.  The ribbons must be the intended or assumed course of the ships.  Some were long and stretched all of the way to England and Scotland, so possibly the intended route of the convoy was fully known?  He wondered how.  Probably one of the activities of this office was to collate the information from their spies in America and Britain.  Some of the pins had very short ribbons attached, so possibly the planned route of these was based upon information from u-boats stalking them.  The u-boats were identified by blue pins and Marner noted that there were very few of them in number relative to the allied convoys.  There must be a lot of materiel still getting through, he concluded. 
    Another vast wall had boards that seemed to be some method of planning for provisioning and fuelling, but it made little sense to him.  The centre of the room was jammed with desks, each piled with files and papers, each manned by an officer who paid no attention to the sudden presence of an SS officer in their midst. 
    The officer with whom Beele had been conferring turned to Marner and eyed him suspiciously.  After a further brief argument Marner was beckoned to cross the room and led through another large office full of frenetic activity and into a small office that smelt heavily of sweat and garlic.  Just as they entered, a short, thin, pale man with receding hair that was carefully combed across his pale pink scalp appeared.  Beele introduced Marner to Captain Graf, who motioning wordlessly for Beele to leave them alone. 
    Marner was offered coffee or schnapps, both of which he declined, instead sitting uninvited in the chair opposite Graf’s meticulously tidy desk, waiting patiently until Graf was seated to explain that he was investigating the murder of Captain Schull.  Graf confirmed that yes, Hoffman had told him of Schull’s death and that he, Graf, had met Schull when he had visited the office on two occasions. 
    “What specific information was Captain Schull seeking and who was he dealing with here in this office?” asked Marner. 
    Graf frowned.  “My dear Lieutenant, it was I who was helping Captain Schull with his enquiries.  I am obliged to state that the nature of his business here is, or perhaps I should now say ‘was’, highly confidential and therefore I really cannot share this information with you,” he finished in an insistent tone and with a shrug of his thin shoulders, trying to give the impression that he really would love to be of help, but....
    “Herr Captain, I have just come directly from Hoffman’s office and have been given the Konteradmiral’s assurance of total assistance and authority to investigate this matter.  Konteradmiral Hoffman has fully informed me about the gold shipments that were being transported by submarine, and the issue of the missing gold that Schull was investigating.” Marner paused, picked up the receiver of the telephone on Graf’s desk and proffered it to him.  “So I am already briefed on the confidential stuff, directly from Hoffman.  If you would just care to