him short. "You can forget that idea, Engel," he said curtly. "Let the witness repeat his statement."
"The man must be wrong." Liesowski looked shocked. "These alleged patches of red could have been bloodstains."
"It's possible," said Major Grau ruminatively, "but you can't deny that his description fits a German general to a tee."
Engel gazed round somewhat dismayed, vainly looking for someone to share his consternation. "But that's utterly absurd!"
"I agree," said Liesowski with some emphasis.
Major Grau sprang to his feet. His lean and expressive features betrayed an odd glimmer of satisfaction. "What's to prevent us from taking this witness's statement seriously?" he inquired. "Personally, I'm inclined to believe in the man's sincerity. He may be mistaken, but why should he be lying? His evidence is unusual, but that only makes it more interesting. We shall draw our own conclusions and act on them--exhaustively and without compunction, as our sense of duty demands. Am I right, Engel?"
"As always, sir. After all, nothing's impossible in our line of country."
"I still find it difficult to take this witness's statement at its face value," said Liesowski.
Grau led the Inspector aside and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I think we should proceed as follows. You, my dear Liesowski, will record every detail of this inquiry. Do so without fear or favour. Bear in mind that the truth is all that matters, however unpleasant it turns out to be. Also bear in mind that I am prepared for any eventuality. Act as though justice were the one factor involved. No exceptions are to be made, even if a general's head has to roll."
INTERIM REPORT
PRELIMINARY DOCUMENTARY RECORDS
Excerpts from conversations dealing with events in Warsaw, 1942. These conversations took place eighteen years later and were recorded on tape.
Track 1
Place: Cologne
Speaker: Engel, Gottfried, ex-sergeant, now employed by a firm of carriers in Cologne. What follows is an abstract of Engel's statement, omitting the interviewer's questions: "Did I know a man called Roman Liesowski? Yes, that's right. We used to call him 'tortoise' or 'gnome'. We took Liesowski over from our predecessors for the simple reason, I seem to remember, that he was one of the few senior members of the Warsaw police force who spoke fluent German. That's all I know about him.
"I can't remember much about Maria Kupiecki's body. I ask you, there were so many bodies lying around! It was just another lousy murder--in a crummy lodging-house somewhere off the main street, as I recall. It was three flights up and well after midnight. I was out on my feet.
"This Kupiecki woman was a tart of the first order. It's quite possible she worked for us--not as a tart, of course. She was more of a post-box for secret agents. Anyway, someone bumped her off. There wasn't the slightest indication of any political motive.
"I don't know how the case turned out. Major Grau took over all the particulars, so it wasn't my affair any longer."
Somuch, thus far, for Gottfried Engel. A further meeting was arranged with his consent, of which more later.
Track2,also recorded eighteen years after the events in question.
Place: Warsaw
Speaker: Roman Liesowski, still a detective-inspector in the Warsaw police. Now living at No .2a, Block 1c, one of the massive new apartment houses in the city centre. The following are extracts from Liesowski's statement, with intervening questions omitted as before: "It was just about midnight when I arrived at the scene of the crime and began my inquiries. The name Maria Kupiecki rang a bell, so I told them to run a check on her at Headquarters. It turned out that Kupiecki was on our list of German agents, as I'd half suspected. Accordingly, I informed the competent German authority.
"The body was appallingly mutilated. Three of the knife-thrusts--possibly inflicted with a large clasp-knife--would have been sufficient
"The man must be wrong." Liesowski looked shocked. "These alleged patches of red could have been bloodstains."
"It's possible," said Major Grau ruminatively, "but you can't deny that his description fits a German general to a tee."
Engel gazed round somewhat dismayed, vainly looking for someone to share his consternation. "But that's utterly absurd!"
"I agree," said Liesowski with some emphasis.
Major Grau sprang to his feet. His lean and expressive features betrayed an odd glimmer of satisfaction. "What's to prevent us from taking this witness's statement seriously?" he inquired. "Personally, I'm inclined to believe in the man's sincerity. He may be mistaken, but why should he be lying? His evidence is unusual, but that only makes it more interesting. We shall draw our own conclusions and act on them--exhaustively and without compunction, as our sense of duty demands. Am I right, Engel?"
"As always, sir. After all, nothing's impossible in our line of country."
"I still find it difficult to take this witness's statement at its face value," said Liesowski.
Grau led the Inspector aside and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I think we should proceed as follows. You, my dear Liesowski, will record every detail of this inquiry. Do so without fear or favour. Bear in mind that the truth is all that matters, however unpleasant it turns out to be. Also bear in mind that I am prepared for any eventuality. Act as though justice were the one factor involved. No exceptions are to be made, even if a general's head has to roll."
INTERIM REPORT
PRELIMINARY DOCUMENTARY RECORDS
Excerpts from conversations dealing with events in Warsaw, 1942. These conversations took place eighteen years later and were recorded on tape.
Track 1
Place: Cologne
Speaker: Engel, Gottfried, ex-sergeant, now employed by a firm of carriers in Cologne. What follows is an abstract of Engel's statement, omitting the interviewer's questions: "Did I know a man called Roman Liesowski? Yes, that's right. We used to call him 'tortoise' or 'gnome'. We took Liesowski over from our predecessors for the simple reason, I seem to remember, that he was one of the few senior members of the Warsaw police force who spoke fluent German. That's all I know about him.
"I can't remember much about Maria Kupiecki's body. I ask you, there were so many bodies lying around! It was just another lousy murder--in a crummy lodging-house somewhere off the main street, as I recall. It was three flights up and well after midnight. I was out on my feet.
"This Kupiecki woman was a tart of the first order. It's quite possible she worked for us--not as a tart, of course. She was more of a post-box for secret agents. Anyway, someone bumped her off. There wasn't the slightest indication of any political motive.
"I don't know how the case turned out. Major Grau took over all the particulars, so it wasn't my affair any longer."
Somuch, thus far, for Gottfried Engel. A further meeting was arranged with his consent, of which more later.
Track2,also recorded eighteen years after the events in question.
Place: Warsaw
Speaker: Roman Liesowski, still a detective-inspector in the Warsaw police. Now living at No .2a, Block 1c, one of the massive new apartment houses in the city centre. The following are extracts from Liesowski's statement, with intervening questions omitted as before: "It was just about midnight when I arrived at the scene of the crime and began my inquiries. The name Maria Kupiecki rang a bell, so I told them to run a check on her at Headquarters. It turned out that Kupiecki was on our list of German agents, as I'd half suspected. Accordingly, I informed the competent German authority.
"The body was appallingly mutilated. Three of the knife-thrusts--possibly inflicted with a large clasp-knife--would have been sufficient
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