“Several thousand miles away from where we saw her wreckage,” interjected Cam. “You have to wonder why the commander would ignore a direct order to return to base. The Nazis weren’t very tolerant of those who disobey orders.”
“I believe the Mayday was a ruse,” replied Professor Bale. “I can’t say with certainty why the U-boat sank. I’ve had experts examine the photographs of the wreckage, and taking into account your own observations, the sub was in remarkably good condition. It’s possible some other type of malfunction took place.”
“Okay, now that we know about the U-1226, what about its cargo?” asked Ghost.
“In this case, the proximity of Norway and Bunker Bruno to a chemical weapons facility at Riems Island, Germany, is important. Although it was frowned upon by Chancellor Hitler, the Nazis continued to pursue bioweapons in case he changed his mind about their use.
“Dr. Kurt Blome was part of Himmler’s inner circle. He was a virologist placed in charge of the bioweapons research at Reims Island off the northern coast of Germany.”
Jackal interrupted. “You guys probably flew right over it during the extraction.”
Professor Bale continued. “The Riems Island facility was barely fifty miles from the southern coast of Sweden. Based upon transportation records we reconciled with archived materials requisitions ordered by Dr. Blome, we believe the bioweapons were manufactured, tested, and stored in the canisters at Riems Island. They were either transported by ship through the straits separating Denmark from Sweden and directly to Bunker Bruno. Or via ferry to nearby Copenhagen and then via rail to Norway’s west coast where Bergen was located.”
Gunner sat up in his chair and glanced at Ghost. “Does she know what was produced yet?”
“No, but I can disclose that now,” he replied before turning to Professor Bale. “It was sarin.”
The young woman furrowed her brow and nodded. “That makes sense. Sarin was basically a nerve agent created by German scientists. It would be a likely candidate.”
Gunner asked another question. “Now that we’ve confirmed sarin was the nerve agent that killed the people on board the Sea Searcher I, can you look through the records related to Riems Island and come up with a quantity produced?”
“I can, but there’s no way of saying with certainty because there may have been more sent out on a separate vessel. We have, however, reconstructed the internal layout of the U-1226 cargo hold and estimate the number of canisters at just under a thousand. If you pass that on to a scientist familiar with sarin, they might be able to provide you an estimate.”
“We will,” said Ghost.
“One other thing,” Bale continued. “I’ve included in your materials some detail on the ratlines we discussed during our first meeting. Because of my early work researching the Vatican angle, much of what you’ll see relates to the Nazi Party’s relationship to the Catholic Church.”
Gunner immediately thumbed through the binder to the tab marked Vatican. “Thanks, Professor.”
“Do we have anything else to discuss?” asked Ghost.
“No, sir. I’m here and available for questions or to clarify my findings.”
The conversation continued, but Gunner leaned back in his chair, stunned by the revelations from Professor Bale. Toward the end of the war, some high-ranking Nazi Party officer, probably Himmler, was preparing to set off a shitstorm as a last-ditch effort to save his beloved Third Reich. Instead, the U-boat sank and, except for luck, would’ve been lost forever.
But how lucky was it? Some group had pounced on the wreckage with a coordinated effort to salvage the sarin-filled canisters. Then, with lightning speed, they announced their presence to the world through a modest attack compared to the mass-casualty event the lethal sarin was capable of inflicting.
Yet they didn’t reveal themselves. They hadn’t asked for anything or demanded any type of payoff or recognition of their cause. They hid in the darkness, waiting for another opportunity or, worse yet, planning something much larger.
The Gray Fox team had struck a nerve by going to Berlin and following the trail to Professor von Zwick. Their mere questioning of Professor Brandt and the mention of von Zwick’s name warranted dispatching an eight-man hit team to kill them.
Gunner suspected more bullets would be flying soon. That might’ve happened in Baku the other day if not for fate. In that parking lot, surrounded by dedicated Americans investigating the deaths of their innocent countrymen, his instincts told him to get ready for a fight. His enemy was close, yet invisible.
His mind wandered as he tried to imagine where these people, whoever they were, would strike next. The targets were limitless, and their solid leads were few. It was time for him to take a walk and follow Jackal’s miles of red yarn to get some answers.
Chapter Thirty-Four
The Devil’s Tower
Concrete, Washington
Welcome to Concrete. The giant letters were painted across a battery of nine-story-tall cement silos as visitors approached the tiny town located in rural Washington state in the heart of America’s Pacific Northwest. The oversized greeting was also a cinematic artifact, painted on the side of the cement plant silo for the 1993 filming of This Boy’s Life, a film starring Robert DeNiro and Leonardo DiCaprio. The film production crew had greatly outnumbered the sparse population of seven hundred. It was an otherwise obscure tiny town with a single claim to fame.
Daniel Wagner had sent an advance team to Concrete two days prior to make all the logistical arrangements. The tiny town would soon see an influx of visitors for the Cascade Days Festival, an annual event celebrating the town’s love of the great outdoors. In addition to the typical events found in small-town America, like parades, kids’ activities, and a watermelon-eating contest, Cascade Days would also bring lumberjacks from around the Pacific Northwest to participate
