Mid-morning, the team sat around the large rectangular table in Mitch’s office for a catch-up session. Mitch kicked it off.
“The Holocaust Memorial Museum has reported that the screening of the film continues every night at random times. They’ve gone through three security guards since the exhibition started. I’m not sure at this stage we have the resources to spend any more time there, but I’ll pick a random night and get down there.”
“I’ll come with you,” Adam offered.
The team looked at him.
Adam shrugged. “I’m new in town, no friends, no family, nothing to do. Take advantage of it. In a few months, you’ll have to make an appointment to see me.”
Mitch smiled. “Lucky me, thanks. Also, I’m putting further discussion with Benjamin Hoefer on ice. We know now that he’s not telling us the whole story but I don’t see any point pushing that with him. He’s clearly scared and has been warned off talking to us, so we’ll come at it from a different angle. Nick what have you got?” Mitch asked.
“The good news is that Eli Hoefer was buried, not cremated … fortunately the Jewish faith frowns upon cremation, although more Jews are doing it these days. But unless you can think of a reason to exhume Eli Hoefer’s body, we’re going to struggle to get some DNA.”
“And Benjamin doesn’t have a comb, brush or anything of his father’s that he can give us, but I suspect he wouldn’t tell us even if he did,” Ellen said.
“Yeah, well no reason to exhume him at this stage. I’d never get that across the line,” Mitch agreed.
“There may be hope yet,” Adam jumped in. “You know I’ve been talking with the members of the original family that adopted Benjamin for those five years while Eli was in a concentration camp. Gynther and Antje Bäcker are both dead, but their grandson, Dieter who is forty-five has been doing the family tree. I mentioned to Mitch that Dieter’s going to go through some memorabilia chests at his father’s house. They may have something or nothing, but he vaguely remembers seeing some of Eli and Yetta’s possessions amongst them.”
“So Gynther and Antje kept them all those years?” Ellen asked.
“They were close, remember? And then overnight they were taken away. Perhaps they just wanted to keep some things for them but of course they never came back. Well Eli did but didn’t stick around to say hello or thanks,” Adam said.
“Let’s hope something they kept might have some DNA, but we won’t hold our breaths on that one,” Mitch said. “Done, Nick?”
“Done.” Nick sat back.
“Ellie?” Mitch called for her report.
“Nick and I have been doing some research on The New Aryan Order. They’ll see us tomorrow if we want to come thirty minutes before their monthly meeting.”
“Good of them to spare us thirty minutes.” Mitch frowned.
“Indeed.” Ellen passed around several pages of notes. “This is a summary of their structure and platform. Let me just clarify though that this is their published profile and platform. These organizations often publish what is palatable but share more with members.”
Mitch glanced over the notes.
“That’s all,” Ellen said.
Mitch looked up. “Adam, you’re on a winning streak, what else?”
“You’ll love this.” Adam grinned at the group. “Yesterday I had a date at the aged home with Betty Lang.”
“Buddy, if I had known you were that desperate I would have set you up,” Nick cut in.
“Betty was worth it. She dated Eli Hoefer for ten years.”
“Ah, she was one of the women that he wouldn’t marry,” Mitch said.
“Exactly.” Adam leaned forward enthusiastically. “Anyway, get this, Betty said on one occasion Eli slipped and referred to his brother. She questioned him on it because he had told her he was an only child and he was quick to say that it was just a term he used for a close childhood friend.”
“This is good,” Nick said. “So Eli might not be Eli.”
“It gets better, Betty was on fire,” Adam continued, playing the storyteller. “Just as I’m about to leave, Betty says that maybe Benjamin’s cousin can shed some light on Eli.”
“Benjamin’s cousin?” Ellen chipped in.
“Yes,” Adam continued. “According to Betty, Benjamin’s cousin, Eli’s great-nephew, arrived from Germany one day out of the blue. He claimed to be Eli’s brother’s grandson.”
“So he’d be a lot younger than Benjamin?” Mitch asked.
“Yes, sounds like he was only just legal age when he visited, and Benjamin was well into his forties when Betty and Eli were dating in their sixties,” Adam said. “Anyway, Betty asked Eli how it was possible for him to have a brother now if Eli was an only child, and he spun her a story about his father having a stepfamily. She said he was there one day, gone the next and looked a lot like Eli. Betty remembered the cousin’s name because she had a piano teacher by the same name … Schmid.”
“Wait, I know that name,” Nick said, rustling through his and Ellen’s research notes. He pushed a sheet of paper towards Mitch. “The head of The New Aryan Order is a man by the name of Dirk Schmid.”
“There’s a happy coincidence,” Mitch said, looking down the list of the organization’s key staff. “And the treasurer of The New Aryan Order is Thorsten Schmid. This changes everything.” Mitch looked at his team. “Adam, can you find out what Schmids entered the country around the time Betty is referring to?”
“Already did,” Adam said. He looked to his notes. “A Julian Schmid fits the bill. He was in the country for three weeks at that time visiting from Germany on business according to his visa, and spent one of those days visiting Eli Hoefer. I can’t find any connection with him and Eli other than Betty saying they were related, but it’s a red flag again that maybe Eli Hoefer is not the Eli Hoefer that Benjamin Hoefer thinks he is … if you know what I mean?”
Mitch agreed. “It’s looking that way. You and I, Adam, will meet with The New Aryan Order before their meeting and if we get to talk to one of their Schmids, we can find out if they know a Julian.”
“I can come with you,” Ellen interrupted. “It might diffuse tension to have a female there.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Mitch said. “But you and Nick look Aryan and that might come in handy. Especially Nick.”
“Tall, blond, handsome,” Nick cut in, “so true.”
“How do you feel about joining the party?” Mitch asked.
“I do look good in a uniform,” Nick said.