The Saboteur (Conclusion)

Kruger had his usual breakfast served in his room at the private hotel he commandeered.
Granted, he was very good at his job but the blood and gore were starting to bore him.
He was after all a civilised intellectual man, all this seemed so below him.

Over coffee, he toyed with the idea of transferring to a combat post where, he was sure
he would quickly rise trough the ranks. At least faster than in his current position.
However he did not really care for risking his life or worst becoming crippled like
some of those poor souls he saw on the train. Brave Aryan soldier disfigured, maimed,
limbs missing. Returning from the front their eyes like two pool of death…

He shivered at the memory when the phone distracted him from his morbid thoughts.
“what is it?”
He listened to the voice on the other end.
“What does that have to do with me?” He said into the mouth piece.
“Whats his name again? ok send him up!” He hung up and quickly took a seat at his desk
and quickly opened the first folder at hand making himself look busy and important like.

A soldier quietly knock on the door and introduced Antoine who was finally in the presence
of his target.

Kruger looked up from his desk and motioned for Antoine to sit down as he continued reading.
Purposely ignoring and shortly afterword he quickly wrote a note and closed the folder.
“Paperwork!”He exclaimed smiling “Where are my manners? Would you like a shnapp?”

Antoine looked at the bottle “How could I refuse such a great Kirschwasser.”

“I see you are familiar with our beverages, I am surprised frankly” He said offering Antoine a glass.

“We weren’t always at war, I had the pleasure of doing business in Germany before the war.”

“Prosit!” He said as he lifted his glass as salute to Kruger. He took a decent sip then added
“Unfortuntely the war has made it really difficult to do business.”

“War is such an inconvenience!” Said Kruger with an air of one resigned to it.
“But frankly I fail to see how I can help you, commerce and trade are not my concern.”

“You are a very influential SS With an impeccable reputation for the finer things in life,
I believe you underestimate yourself” and he finished the schnapp and put the glass on the desk.
He took out a photograph and handed it to Kruger.
“You seen one of these before I am sure”

Kruger recognised a rare Faberge egg a real beauty. He couldn’t get his eyes of the amazingly intricate
details the ornate gold and those precious stones.

As he looked up from the picture Antoine said “Why don’t you join me for dinner at Chez Pierre is seven convenient for you?”

Kruger went trough the motion of looking at his agenda and said ” could we make it 7:30?”

“That will be fine” Antoine replied rising from his seat and extended his hand across the desk and after the handshake gave
a smart Heil Hitler his arm pointing at the fuhrer’s picture on the wall, behind Kruger’s desk who returned the salute and
watched him leave the office with confident steps.

Now Kruger was curious, Obviously that man did not want to talk in his office. He was grateful for that who knows who
was listening.But at the same time this could be some kind of trap. He picked up the picture again. The mastery of a
jeweler crafting such a precious and fine work was evident. The fact that they are worth a fortune was not lost on him either.

He called his aid and told him to go observe the comings and going at the restaurant and report anything suspicious.
“Call me back at 7 with your report then you can go home.” He placed the picture in the top drawer of his desk.
Time seemed to crawl to a halt to make matter worse nothing interesting but the routine of an administrator.He
frequently opened the drawer to look at the picture then the clock again …

The meal had been perfection itself and the champagne was excellent, Antoine made a toast
“To Mr Ribbentrop the champagne seller.”

Kruger laughed and touch glasses with the expected clicky sound. And said “So what is the big mystery?”

“No mystery Herr Kruger I assure you” Antoine replied smiling “I have a problem and you are the perfect man to help me”

“Exactly but why me?” Kruger replied

“In my business I can do business with the Gestapo or the SS and frankly do you think the Gestapo even understand what you saw?
the would more likely melt the gold!!!”

Kruger could only acquiesce the Gestapo where in his opinion mostly louts and ruffians anyway. Not cultivated person such as himself and the Holy order he was part of, “The SS” The true Germans Himmler’s holy warriors. The voice of Antoine brought him back.

“So it’s a simple proposition that will shine the light of opportunities on us both. You see I have come into possession
of 3 of those beauties. Unfortunately two of them are sold to two people in Germany. Obviously I can’t simply cross the border
with them. So there you go, you deliver two you keep one for yourself.”

Kruger was momentarily stunned but recovered quickly and said I could agree to your plan and have you arrested and make
you vanish in a concentration camp. and keep all three eggs for myself”

“Sure you could but you wont!” Replied Antoine smiling widely with more conviction then he had.

Kruger replied with a touch of amusement” Why not?”

“I did not pick you out of the blue, it was no coincidence I assure you. Mainly I picked you because you are new here
and have no dogs in the race, and no personal loyalty to anyone here.” He paused and quickly added.
“Who else as the bearing and the appreciation for these jewels? Goering perhaps, but he is far from being as cultivated and intelligent as you!”

“I’m not sure Goering would appreciate your comments” said Kruger

“Goering isn’t sitting here you are and further more the war wont last forever you have to think of your nest egg, pun intended” he added

“Ok” Kruger finally relented “How do you propose to do this?”

“Could not be simpler you hide two eggs in your car and deliver the first one you get half of a numbered account in Switzerland
you deliver the second one you get the last half. You go get your egg and we never see each other again”

Kruger was about to say something but Antoine interrupted him.

“How do you know I have that egg?” he took a picture out of his briefcase showing the same egg from a different angle.

Kruger looked at the picture Antoine said

“The left inside bottom see the diamond missing?” as he said that he placed a diamond on the table “you can tell its a perfect fit for a diamond this size.”

“Someone will discreetly give you an envelope tomorrow with all the pertinent details which conclude our business Herr Kruger”
with that Antoine stood up to leave.

“Wait!” Said Kruger “I haven’t agreed yet”

“Really? Let’s not go that way, we both know you want that egg! oh and by the way you can keep the diamond its your egg after all”
guten nacht Herr Kruger” Antoine never looked back He paid the bill and left.

the next day he watched Kruger from a distance at lunch time he sat on a terrace to eat. Antoine stopped a kid on the sidewalk
“want to make five francs?”
Mais oui Monsieur”

See the German officer sitting there? Give him this envelope here’s your five frank he handed the kid the money.
He saw the kid cross the street and he drove off.

Following the instruction on the letter he took the key out of the envelope and went to the train station. Box 34 he retrieved two little wooden boxes.

He drove away and a few street later he pulled over in a deserted area and hid the two little boxes, he attached them to the underside of his seat
and making sure no one was looking, drove off again.

As he took a left turn trough the vacant field to turn around, he was engulfed in a wall of flame, moments later the seat beneath him exploded .

Antoine slid back the antenna on the remote and drove away. Looking in his rear view mirror the wreck of what was left of Kruger’s car burning.

He looked at his watch he had two hours to get to the rendez vous point, where in the darkness a little wood plane would take him back to England.

Mission accomplished!

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