Secrets of the Last Nazi by Iain King Page A

Union.’
    ‘Does the Soviet Union still exist?’ The lawyer started chuckling to himself.
    Zenyalena rolled her eyes. ‘The Soviet Union’s legal rights and obligations passed to the Russian Federation in December 1991.’ She turned to Jean-François, encouraging him to continue.
    ‘Yes, and we would like to examine all the papers placed in your keeping by Mr Stolz.’
    The lawyer remained silent. Jean-François remained silent also, determined to make the lawyer answer this time.
    Finally, the old German spoke. ‘You are correct that, before Mr Stolz died, he authorised me to safeguard some of his possessions.’
    More silence. Jean-François was becoming infuriated. ‘So, can we see them?’
    ‘No, you cannot.’
    ‘And why is that, exactly?’
    ‘Because Mr Stolz was very clear about who was allowed to see them, and you are not that person.’

Eighteen
    Stolz’s Old Apartment,
    Am Krusenick, East Berlin
    Noon CET (11 a.m. GMT)
----
    T he room was closing around him. His breathing became even more difficult. Myles looked up again at the air filter, and the black carbon stain darkening in the centre. The whirr of the lift motor vibrated in his ears.
    Then he understood: carbon monoxide poisoning.
    He tried to remember the symptoms: nausea, blurred vision, vertigo, exhaustion ... He had them all. Were there others? He didn’t know, but he could feel consciousness fading away from him.
    Fresh air – he was gasping for fresh air.
    Still lying on the floor, he jolted his head towards the door, hoping to suck oxygen from under it. He tried to stretch, dragging his damaged leg behind him and pushed with his elbows and thighs, the only parts of his body still strong enough to take him to safety.
    He was getting closer. But the gas was closing in too.
    Then he felt the presence of someone else in the room. Someone behind him, a man standing beside Stolz’s papers.
    Desperately he tried to turn his head, but his muscles had stiffened too much. He couldn’t quite twist his body enough to see …
    Then Myles felt a boot on his neck. The weight began pressing him firmly to the floor, and the sensation of total blackness took over him completely.

Nineteen
    The Lawyer’s Office,
    Berlin
    12.05 p.m. CET (11.05 a.m. GMT)
----
    G lenn was fuming . ‘And who is that person that Stolz gave his papers to, Mr Lawyer, Sir?’ He said the words ‘Mr Lawyer’ with a sneer.
    ‘I’m not allowed to say.’
    Glenn stood up. For a moment, it seemed he might throw a punch.
    The lawyer felt the need to explain himself. ‘You may not be acquainted with German law. But the position concerning an individual’s last will and testament is very clear. Mr Stolz stipulated his papers were not to be given out, other than to a specific individual. He also stipulated that I was not to divulge that individual’s identity.’
    None of the team knew what to do next. Zenyalena thought she’d try. ‘So, what legal means can we use to change your position?’
    The lawyer lifted his head up and looked down his nose at the Russian. ‘There are no legal means to change my position. Not even the Supreme Court of Germany can force me to divulge the information I safeguard for the late Mr Stolz. A German federal court could ask whether Werner Stolz was of sound mind, and whether he made his will voluntarily. It is easy for me to prove that both of those conditions were met.’ The lawyer concluded with a shrug.
    Glenn snarled at him again, but didn’t know how to respond. Zenyalena and Jean-François both looked blank.
    Eventually Heike-Ann spoke up. ‘Sir, I believe that the German Supreme Court was established by the Basic Law, with the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949.’
    ‘The constitution, yes.’
    ‘Good. And Article 25 of the Basic Law makes German law subservient to certain international laws, correct?’
    The lawyer didn’t answer immediately. Heike-Ann was straying into constitutional law, an area which clearly left the man