Chapter 24

The sound was annoying to most. This particular room of the palace had high vaulted ceilings, tiled mosaic walls, and a marble floor. It was like a wet dream for this particular kind of sound and probably for the people making it too. Kent leaned slightly and said too Amy, “you’d almost think they come here to practice their routine.”

Amy did not find the noise amusing. It simply raised her hackles and she found herself somewhere between frightened and disgusted. Kent could easily see that in her and he said, “you do realize, Miss Hiller, that’s exactly what it was designed to do.”

Now he had her attention. Amy looked at him and asked, “what is supposed to do what?”

Kent nodded to the sound of heels stomping on the marble floor and at the people making that sound as they came up the nearby staircase, “those jackboots the German’s love so much.”

“Oh,” Amy looked away from the growing noise and said, “I hadn’t really noticed.”

Shannon was standing on the other side of Kent and she found that, he was right about it. She looked around at some of the other guests who had been peacefully mingling. Not all of them were paying attention to the uniformed clacks of heels but, it was obvious that even those people were having to make an effort. Shannon realized it sure was working on her but, now that she searched her feelings, she realized, it was only disgust and not really fear.

There was also a question lingering in her mind, “why do they have so many different uniforms? I thought the whole point of a uniform was to be, well, you know, uniform?”

“Officers and enlisted my dear,” Kent told her. He pointed to the small group of Wehrmacht who had now reached the top of the staircase. Horst was leading the way, of course, and Kent had to figure the rest of the men were his staff. Kent explained to Shannon, “those men are all officers. Those uniforms, that they have on now, are probably their dress uniforms.”

Shannon pointed at them but Amy quickly knocked her hand back down. Shannon gave her a nasty look but, then forgot all about it as she asked, “that one guy over there. He’s dressed like the soldiers outside. He’s got regular boots on too. Is he a, what do you call it, a not officer?”

Kent simply said, “enlisted man.”

Amy was a bit more specific, “that’s Hochstetter.”

“Well I wasn’t going to say anything, “Kent replied with ease whereas Amy had done so with disgust. Kent looked to Amy and nodded, “Miss Hiller, I had not been aware that you had come in contact with the Major, last night.”

Amy shrugged it off, “you guys were talking about him. I did see him I just didn’t know who he was. OK?” Amy put emphasis on the last word and made it sound more like, “go blow yourself.” When she noticed that Kent was still looking at her, she now sounded more like she was pleading when she repeated, “ok?”

“I have no idea what you mean Miss Hiller,” Kent replied.

The man in the Tuxedo, who was stationed by the stairs, waited for the Germans to halt and they did so in a single stomp that bounced around the room. Then the tuxedo guy called out, “Herr Oberst Johan Jonas Sterling Von Horst, Commandant of the Three Hundred and Twenty-First Panzer Grenadiers.”

Kent could not help but comment on that, “well that is certainly new.” Amy had nothing to say on the matter even if, Kent recognized, she noticed it as well. It took a question from Shannon before Kent said anything else. He told the teenager, “Von isn’t a name it’s a title. It’s one that most German’s haven’t used since the twentieth century.”

“Sounds stupid,” Shannon said with no more concern for it than that.

“It’s disgusting is what it is,” Amy blurted out.

Kent told Shannon, “it’s about the equivalent in English of the word, sir. You know there was a time when that was also a title and only a few people could be called that.”

Shannon just shrugged, “hope they were all guys.”

Amy unexpectedly, and quite facetiously, commented, “don’t they still use that in Scotland, Kent. You know, your homeland?”

He laughed the notion off, “for one thing Miss Hiller, Scotland has been a republic for over a century. You’re thinking of England. For another I’m not from there.”

Shannon winced, “where are you from, exactly? I don’t remember.”

“You probably don’t remember, child,” Kent replied, “because I never said.”

Amy pushed it, “so spill the beans Gold. It’s a small station and things do eventually get around.”

Kent crossed his arms and said, “I couldn’t agree more, Miss Hiller. That is exactly why, if you want to keep a secret, at a posting like ours, you learn to keep your bloody mouth shut.” He leaned forward once more and looked Amy in the eyes, “wouldn’t you agree?”

Amy stiffened and then worked her neck before she replied, “it wasn’t my idea.”

Shannon winced at that and said, “what are you two talking about?”

They both ignored Shannon. Kent smiled as he backed off and said, “maybe that wasn’t what I was talking about, my dear. You never can tell.”

Shannon was seriously confused but, mostly convinced that these two were even stranger than she had originally thought. She thought about asking them what was going on but, then her mother walked up. Shannon forgot all about her two friends and turned her back on her mother.

For Barbara’s part, she was used to her child doing such things and, ignored it. Barbara was also very used to her people having little twists and rows so she ignored that as well. Barbara even managed to force a smile on her face when she told them, “the Governor wants to introduce you two around to some of the guests. I think it might be a good thing as well.”

Kent nodded in agreement and then commented, “well if you’re looking for a miracle, I’d say that you agreeing with Governor Crass certainly qualifies, Barbara my dear. Please lead on.”