Chapter Two Hundred Thirty-Five
28th July 1941
Berlin
“I do believe it’s what you signed up for” Peter said, it was the first time he had caught up with Kat since everything had happened “You and your friends are official confidantes of the Empress and that includes having her yell at you. Even you said you deserved it.”
Kat and Doctor Holz were walking across the bridge towards northern tip of Museum Island. A middle-aged businessman came walking the opposite direction and did a double take when he saw Kat’s face. That was the sort of thing that actually worried Peter. Kat had once said that she didn’t mind being deaf for several days because in meant no one tried to talk to her. She would never be anonymous again. She was back to wearing old, shapeless clothes but was still recognizable.
“I understand that” Kat said, “But that doesn’t make it any easier when it happens.”
“How did your friends take it?” Peter asked.
“Helene has a contentious relationship with her parents already, so that sort of drama she can live with.” Kat said “Gerta didn’t do anything wrong, she just happened to be there with us. That wasn’t fair.”
“I’m sure I wouldn’t be the first one to tell that life isn’t fair” Peter said, “You found yourself alone against six armed men, was that fair?”
Peter had been looking for a way to bring that up with her. The death of César Sauvageot at her hands had torn her up. This time she didn’t seem to be bothered by the fact that she had killed six men.
“Was it fair that they were about to wipe out another family because an insecure little man is afraid of his own people?” Kat asked, Peter could hear the anger in her voice when she said that “These were the same people who shot Jehane, you think they would have a problem with killing any other children.”
“You didn’t need to be the one who took them on though” Peter said, Kat’s Aunt Marcella had said that she worried that Kat was actively seeking these situations out. He knew from watching his brother over the last few decades that there was a rush in being at the center of the storm and it was highly addictive.
“I didn’t see anyone else there” Kat said.
Peter held his tongue for a few seconds. Kat had rushed to the Swiss border and then rushed back straight into the Palace. Never once did she pick up a telephone.
“Here’s something you need to consider Kat” Peter said “One day someone might come after you directly and it will be more than you can handle on your own. In the military, soldiers seldom fight alone, support structures exist for a reason. Even the Abwehr agents you trained with typically work in a team. You need to start considering that or else you’re a danger not just yourself but to everyone around you.”
Peter watched as Kat stared down the river, her face unreadable.
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Grossmann couldn’t believe what he’d stumbled across. By God, she’d been a busy girl hadn’t she. No wonder Katherine Mischner had been in a position to confirm the deaths at Tumbler Ridge, she’d been in Montreal talking to the investigators on behalf of Empress Kira. When Katherine’s picture had run on the front page there had been a flood of letters of readers curious about her. It had mentioned that she had fought off gunmen with a knife. The story had made her sound like a courtier but what his source in the Palace had told him that she was actually an agent working directly for the Empress. Yes, she had killed two of the presumably Soviet gunmen with a small knife, it had actually been a Filipino designed knife made for dirty close in fighting. Then she had gunned down the rest with one of their own submachine guns.
Grossmann remembered Kat, the quiet, prickly assistant of Maria Acker and had a hard time reconciling that she was the same person. For him it was a question as to how much he could afford to put in the paper. Drawing the wrath of the Empress by stripping the use from her favored right hand would cost him access to the Palace even if the Editor didn’t spike the story first. Still he needed to come up with something, the war that had just broken out was the big story but already people were inured to it. Grossmann found himself doing a Human-interest story.
Then he saw an angle that he could use. Katherine was one part of what was jokingly referred to as three furies. In the files, there was a blurb about Katherine being seen frequently in public in the company of the daughters of two famous Generals and were Ladies of the Imperial Court in their own right. When he looked in the archives he saw what they had on Helene v. Richthofen and Lagertha v. Wolvogle he saw a story that would practically write itself. Three personalities who seemed to neatly dovetail together. Katherine, fiery but very private. Helene, rebellious and outgoing. Lagertha, insightful but frivolous.
Grossmann rolled a fresh page into the typewriter and began.
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When Kat got home she tripped over a package that had been left in the hall along with a massive pile of mail all addressed to her.
“I want that trash out the hall, Kat and that package, I want that thing out of this house” Marcella said, “Before you even think of doing anything else.”
With a heavy sigh, Kat started sorting through the lot. This was a lot like the job she’d had at the BT except she wasn’t getting paid for this. Lots and lots of people who assumed that she had money with their hands out. Kat cheerfully shoved those into a paper bag, perhaps one day they’d get a clue when they noticed that she never responded. Jehane came in and tried to help as Kat continued to open the mail. She opened a letter that was obvious crank, then another from someone carrying on about how she was such an inspiration. Kat wasn’t sure which unnerved her more.
“This one looks important” Jehane said handing her a letter.
Kat opened it and saw that it was from the Mayor of a village that she’d never heard of that said that they were a very well run community and they were very happy to have her stay in Berlin, preferably forever. Kat threw it on the crank pile. Eventually Kat made it through the pile and got to the package, it was heavy for its size. There was no address but a note from the head of Palace security;
Freiin Katherine
With the investigation having concluded we have decided that you should have this. You know what they say about not discarding a proven weapon.
When it was delivered, they must had told Aunt Marcella what it was. Kat would have to make arrangements to store this unwanted artifact elsewhere. When she unwrapped the package, she saw the wooden box, someone had gone all out and it was polished walnut with red velvet lining. Inside was the same machine pistol that she’d grabbed in the Palace fight. They had even been so kind as to include a copy of the operation manual, MAB38A, whatever that meant.
“What’s that?” Jehane asked trying to peer over her shoulder.
“An echo of sorts” Kat said.
Jehane saw what it was “But you're good with that sort of thing” She said.
“Being good at something doesn’t mean it’s who you are” Kat said.
