Sniper's Justice (Caje Cole Book 9) by David Healey (best classic books txt) 📗

Bratwurst, which he had sampled at dinner. Grilled, garlicky, and served with Sauerkraut … the stuff was that damn good. He didn’t remember eating any Bratwurst during the war, most likely because there hadn’t been much of anything to eat in Germany back then.

“You know, I’ve got an idea,” Cole announced the next morning over breakfast, once the waiter had finished squeezing their fresh orange juice again. He pulled out the cocktail napkin on which the old German soldier he had met on the plane had written his telephone number. To his surprise, he had found himself thinking about their conversation. Several things that Hans said had resonated with him and left a positive impression. “I think I would like to invite Hans to the grand opening. I think he’d appreciate it.”

“Sure.”

“I’ll need your help to call him. I don’t know how to work these damn German phones.”

“We don’t even need to use the phone,” Danny said. “We’ll just ask the hotel concierge to call him for us.”

“The what?”

“You’ll see.”

Cole shook his head. Danny was learning fast. Cole felt like he was getting left in the dust.

They finished their breakfast, eggs and fried potatoes with ham, with lots of hot German coffee, then headed over to the concierge, who obliged by placing the call and handing the phone to Cole. He could handle this part. Not only did Hans agree to attend the museum dedication as Cole’s guest, but he also invited Cole and Danny to meet him in the city later that day.

That afternoon, they met Hans at a coffee shop not far from the Marienplatz, a wide cobblestoned square in the heart of Munich. Expensive shops and restaurants lined the surrounding streets. The city itself dated far into ancient times and was known as the capital of Bavaria. Loosely interpreted, München as it was known in German, translated to “The Monk’s Place” in reference to the ancient monasteries around which the city had grown.

“There you are!” Hans said as they came through the door. He shook Cole’s hand vigorously, smiling. The old man’s grip was strong. “Forgive me, but I already feel as if we are old friends.”

“Us old-timers need to stick together,” Cole said.

Hans turned to Danny and shook his hand enthusiastically as well. “It is good to see you helping your grandfather. Who knows, you may even learn something from him?” The old German turned to indicate a pretty teenage girl at his elbow. Cole had to admit that he hadn’t paid attention to the girl when he had first entered the shop. However, he could see that Danny’s eyes were riveted on her. “Allow me to introduce my niece, Angela. My grand-niece, actually. Like Danny here, she is keeping an old man out of trouble.”

It was clear that Angela instantly had Danny’s full attention. From the stunned look on Danny’s face, it was evident that his grandson had taken one of Cupid’s arrows right through the heart.

“Uh hi,” Danny said.

“Hello,” Angela said. It was obvious from her bright smile that meeting a young American her own age was an unexpected benefit of escorting her great-uncle around town.

Hans winked at Cole, who thought with amusement that the old German knew exactly what he was doing. Like Danny, his grand-niece had likely expected a boring afternoon keeping her aged uncle company, but Hans had set the stage for something else.

More coffee arrived, along with a plate of pastries, and after some polite exchanges among the four of them, the table divided into two conversations, one between Hans and Cole, and the other between Danny and Angela that seemed to focus on music.

“I want to thank you for inviting me to the museum dedication,” Hans said. “I am truly honored. I am also curious. I must admit that we Germans have mixed emotions about anything to do with the war.”

“That’s understandable,” Cole said.

“Of course, the people of Munich have an even more difficult relationship to the war, considering that the Nazi party got its start in the beer halls here. Berlin may be the capital of Germany, but Munich is seen as the capital of the old Nazi party.”

“Not the proudest history.”

Hans shrugged and sipped his coffee. “But you know, the Nazi party involved relatively few people here, especially at first. It is the end of the war that many people have the bitterest memories of. That’s when the Allied bombings took place and so many people died. People in my own family. Women and children. What did they have to do with the war? Nothing, really. Many see those bombings as retribution. It was revenge, pure and simple.”

Cole nodded. He had no love for Nazi Germany, but he had to admit that the thought of the many civilian deaths in the air raids made him uncomfortable. “The war wasn’t fair,” he said.

“It left many people bitter,” Hans said. “Also, here in Munich at the end of the war, many Germans saw us as giving up too easily when the first Allied troops arrived. There was very little fighting except by a few die-hards.”

“Maybe most people had the good sense to know when to call it quits.”

Hans nodded. “If only they had called it quits much sooner. We might all have been spared a great deal of sorrow.”

The conversation moved to more pleasant topics, which was just fine by Cole. Already, he was having some misgivings about the big museum opening tomorrow. The war had ended decades before, but some wounds took a long time to heal. The museum was intended to help that healing process, but Cole couldn’t help but feel that the museum was still managing to pour salt in some of those wounds.

As the afternoon moved toward evening, with the shadows lengthening outside and after-work crowds beginning to fill the street, they started to say their goodbyes for now. Cole was starting to think about his supper and maybe trying the Schnitzel tonight.

But to Cole’s surprise, Danny announced, “Hey, Pa Cole, Angela invited me to