The Closet

Chapter 18

Frank’s day had not been a good one. His boss had returned to the office that morning and Frank had requested an interview. He had been asked to keep Col. Taylor informed of what his children had done, and he now had a definitive report to make. The Colonel was busy with other things that required his urgent attention and it was 90 minutes before he summoned Frank to his office.

            The Colonel had offered Frank a chair, and sitting, he began to relate the story of the subterranean tunnel complex that his children had discovered. He told of the entrance to the several kasernes including the airfield at Coleman Barracks. He described the ammunition storage room, the ladder descending from his quarters into the complex and most incredibly, the cache of stolen artworks that had been secreted there for half-century.

            The Colonel sat in stunned silence. At first he thought he was hearing an elaborate excuse designed to somehow relieve the Major of responsibility for his children, but as the description continued to be related, he could only conclude that Frank was serious. Frank articulated what he felt was the importance of the artworks and gold that had apparently been stolen by the Nazis, and asked the Colonel’s opinion on what to do.

            Colonel was a diplomat. One didn’t become a Colonel without being diplomatic, but he could see the various ramification of this discovery. Publicity might be very bad for the Germans, and he thought that the State Department would want to be involved in the situation. He could see that the MP’s should be involved for security purposes, and he hadn’t the authority to involve either without the decision of the Garrison Commander.

            Colonel Taylor asked Frieda to place a call to the office of the Garrison Commander, and when the secretary came on the line, Colonel Taylor identified himself and asked to speak to Colonel Nelson. He explained to the incredulous commander what had been found in the tunnels beneath and between the Mannheim kasernes. Colonel Nelson recognized the political implications for the Germans of going public with the discovery of millions, perhaps billions, of dollars’ worth of objects of art and gold bullion stolen by the Nazis. Unwilling to make a decision himself, he excused himself to call the office of the US Army Europe Commander.

            Wading through more intermediaries, he found himself talking to Brigadier General Stack, the Chief of Staff for the USAREUR Commander. General Stack left Colonel Nelson on hold while he went to speak with the USAREUR Commander, General Sheldon. General Sheldon, a 4-star General Officer, was himself an astute diplomat. He recognized that both the US State Department as well as representatives from the German federal government should be notified of the discovery. Colonel Nelson was dismissed and told to expect a callback. 

            Meanwhile, General Sheldon called Ambassador Cranston, America’s highest ranking diplomat in Germany. The Ambassador called the Chancellor of Germany to inform her of the discovery and it was agreed in common that the following morning at 11 AM, the principles or their representatives at the various levels concerned would meet at the office of the Garrison Commander in Mannheim. 

            By the time Frank arrived home, he was frustrated beyond belief. Where an amazing discovery had occurred, politics had taken over and nothing would be done until at least the following day. When he walked into the house, he could immediately tell something was amiss.  Lacy was overwrought and she explained that John and Jarom had not been home. She had called their friends and found that they had not even been seen at school for most of the day.

            Frank knew immediately where his sons would be found. Despite his having forbidden their returning to the tunnels, he was sure that was where they were, and he was furious. It was bad enough that they had done their initial exploration without informing their parents, but to return after they had been told in no uncertain terms that they were to stay out of the tunnels left him nearly apoplectic.

            He quickly changed his clothes, found his headlamp, and opened the closet door. He had to find a screwdriver to pry up the front of the trap door, but accomplishing that, he gazed down into the darkness beneath the ground. Lacy was standing at his side as he prepared to descend when they heard a muffled but distinct explosion followed by a small blast of air forcing its way through the shaft entrance. 

            Frank and Lacy looked at each other with the terrifying realization that their sons were likely involved in an explosion far beneath the ground. 

Lacy said, “Wait, Frank. Let me get my lamp. I’m going too.”

“You don’t have to go down there again, Lacy,” he said. “I’ll find them.”

“They are my sons too, Frank, and they may need my help, “she countered leaving no room for argument. “I’ll be right back.”

She returned seconds later with her headlamp and was ready to follow Frank down the ladder. Seeing that their parents were going back down in the tunnels, Jason and Allie wordlessly collected their backpacks and headlamps and followed them down the ladder-shaft. 

            Leading, Frank arrived at the bottom of the ladder first. His fire escape ladder was gone and he was perched on a steel rung 10 feet above the ground. Jumping was out of the question, but he realized that if he could lower himself so that he was hanging on the bottom rung, he could safely drop to the ground with minimal jarring. Grabbing the 6^th ladder rung from the bottom, he let his feet dangle over the floor and began descending hand-over-hand until he could drop and roll on the floor of the tunnel. Standing up, he called to Lacy to wait and went to retrieve the aluminum ladder in the west tunnel entrance. Hooking it to the bottom of the steel ladder, Lacy and then Jason and Allie followed, and when they were all on the floor  they set off for the storage chambers where they were certain Jarom and John had to be.