The Knight´s Legacy

Buenos Aires- March 2014

MARCH 2014

BUENOS AIRES

“Yesterday six men, among them an alleged alien died in several shootings in the Rocinha and Vidigal shantytowns, and in  the forest of Tijuca. The police relate these facts with the usual adjustments of accounts between drug gangs.” Translated Chiche from Portuguese as he read the previous day police chronicle in the Brazilian newspaper O Globo, downloaded from of the web and printed by Debbie and Matías at the hotel  computer and printer before leaving for the airport El Galeao.

“A macabre habitually.” Added Debbie.

“I have no doubt that I drove the killers to Knudsen.” Lamented Matías. “ I feel somehow responsible for his murder.”

“It is not your fault. It is clear that they were after him to cut loose ends.” Answered Chiche.

“What terrifies me is that they may be also on our trail.” Said Debbie.

“ But, where have they found the tip of the thread to follow your steps? Any ideas about that?” Chiche asked Matías.

“All that I can think of is the meeting I had with Juan Knopf. But I refuse to believe that he is involved, my grandfather trusted much his father and he also seemed sincere to me.”

“The meeting was only with Knopf?” Chiche was driving the deduction in a methodically way.

“Not entirely, now that I think there was a Korean girl in his house. She was the person I met  in the Korean Buddhist Association when I was looking for Knopf  and she then told me that she did not  know him. The strange thing is that afterwards I found her at  Knopf´s house in Bajo Flores. In fact she opened the door, and seemed very friendly with Juan. She was dressed very sexy!”

“Cherchez la femme. The female factor in action!” Replied Chiche. “ On the other hand Buddhists and Nazis are a strange marriage, but not impossible, as it has been proven in the German expedition to Tibet. It is very possible that she has passed the data to Knudsen´s persecutors. We can assume that they are monitoring Knopf´s son without him knowing it, and possibly to all those related to this issue of more than fifty years ago. No doubt there is much interest in this topic. Did you give Knopf your name and in particular the Korean girl?”

“No! As I had some doubts about the girl I told her I live in Rosario and gave a false name. Knopf knows that I am Horstmann´s grandson, but I don't remember having given him my full name, much less my address.” Replied somewhat relieved Matías.

“Well done; in this game the precautions are never excessive. I'm going to talk to Braunstein to delete all traces of your stay at  The Ipanema Hotel. The owner is a friend of ours.” Matías wondered who "ours" would be, but not doubt that of their effectiveness depended Debbie´s safety and his own. Meanwhile Chiche went on.“ I will also ask Dorival to remove all your traces in the passage of the aircraft.”

“Can you really can get that?”  Asked Debbie surprised.

“At least I can try.”

“Still I do not understand how a Nazi as Knudsen ended up joining a black woman” Wondered Debbie once more. “ Matías saw that he still retained his photo in brown shirt with the swastika on the sleeve which indicates that the Nazi ideology still meant something to him.”

“Probably in the past Knudsen was lonely and persecuted by his ex-comrades and among that color people he got shelter without asking anything in return.” Reasoned Chiche. “He likely had some feeling of gratitude. Matías s****l hypothesis may be a complementary reason. But ultimately the most important factor must have been the disappointment of that fanatic as he realized that his comrades were not at all interested in theories about the Aryan race but in the pursuit of objects of material value.”

“ But Debbie, we barely see you these days, you are now going to disappear entirely!”

Debbie had notified his mother who had decided to go live with Matías in his house.

“Mom! I'm not moving to Tierra del Fuego, I am not leaving Buenos Aires, or Villa del Parque, and not even Argerich Street. I'm going to live across the street.”

“In that old house! You don´t realize you are used to the amenities.”

“The house is pretty well. There are people who live a lot worse conditions. In addition the opportunity arises. Juan, the friend who lives with Matías moves with a cousin who came from Junín to study in Buenos Aires, so he has rooms available. Matías is to graduate as an engineer and he was offered a job at an automotive terminal, and I have been appointed as Assistant at the Faculty.

“With a miserable salary and without effective appointment! Don't forget that I already went through that. Your father is going to cut your monthly allowance and the payment of the car expenses.

“Sarita!” When Debbie was angry with her mother called her by her name. “End up with this extortion!”

“At least you will take your mattress with you?”

“No, it does not fit in the bedroom.”

“You always said that you could not sleep in another bed!”

Sara had mixed feelings; at the bottom she was not entirely against her daughter beginning a new phase in her life. Since she could not remove Matías from her head, the best thing to do was allowing Debbie to continue with her experience. Sara was simply looking for a way of honestly saying to her husband that she had done everything possible to dissuade her. In short it was a strategy for washing her  hands.

If Sara had known the adventures that both youths were to go through and what fate still held for them, she would not have given up so easily.

“I have translated from German the  newspaper article Knudsen´s wife gave you. It is from a Swiss newspaper in 1953. It is so moth-eaten that it can hardly be opened without turning it into powder.”  Chiche had met Debbie and Matías in his office, had lifted the phone and closed the door. The young couple was curious about the reasons of all that preparation.

“Matías, under what circumstances did the wife give this paper to you?”Asked Chiche.

“I am convinced that Knudsen had sought it to give it to me after he saw the mark on my neck, to which he gave so much importance. Surely he wanted to tell me something  about it but they killed him before. His wife gave it me when he was already dead and I was running away from his  house.”Matías not simply answered Chiche´s questions but explained the whole context.

“Well.” Chiche lowered his voice, which turned even more profound.“ The article is about a Nazi treasure that everyone considered mythical, until now.”

“What kind of treasure?” Debbie. “ An esoteric relic of the early Aryans or something crazy as that?”

“No, none of that!” Responded emphatically Chiche. “ Something completely material, possibly a treasure of gold, precious stones and perhaps works of art, as well as documentation on the activities of Nazis in the Allied countries.”