The Deep Sleep
Chapter 5
I’m waking up, and boy am I peeved at the U.S. Navy. See the Corps is too small to have its own doctors, nurses and corpsmen, so it gets its medical care from the Swabbies. I get nearly blown up by a Chinese potato masher, and they got me sitting upright, tied to a chair.
Worse....there’s a gag in my mouth.
It takes a Manhattan Minute for the fog to lift and I realize I’m on no hospital ship. I’m in my office. And the only doctor present is not here to help me.
The good news is the phone company got around to hooking up my service. The bad news is I’ll never get to use it. That honor goes to the man with the sauerbraten accent.
”Then, Norma, you say ‘We are the Men of Westwood.’ Patricia will then respond.....what? Oh, of course, you know the rest. I must go now...I wish to conclude my experiment.........Don’t worry, Norma.......everything will be tidied up very neatly......Auf Wiedersehen, Meine Schonne.” He hangs up.
That does it, Norma now has Patricia’s trigger.
Suddenly, Volkner looks at me.
”I see you’re finally awake, Mr. Dupuis. Good...we can begin.”
He stands across from me holding a Luger semiautomatic pistol, the kind you see Nazis carry in every war movie since 1939. He sees me looking at the gun.
”Yes...I know.....as an S.S. officer, I was issued the Walther P38....an admittedly superior gun. But the Luger was my first.....and one gets sentimental. Those were great days, Mr. Dupuis. In the camp system, I had all the subjects I needed for my experiments. I made great strides in what your Hollywood calls brainwashing.
But I was frustrated. I knew that half a century ago, a genius named Dorvak had perfected mind control.....at least as to women. I became obsessed with learning all of his methods. It became my Grail.....more important to me than even my service to the Reich.
Then the war ended. Your Army arrested me as a War Criminal....can you imagine? Luckily...cooler heads in the O.S.S. prevailed. They knew they could use my talents. They became the CIA, and I did good work for them. But all the time....I continued my quest. I found out about the idiot nephew....a child not comprehending the power he had...wasting it on petty crimes. Sitting on top of a treasure trove.
And now, thanks to you.....it is mine..”
The ledger and the Dorvak manuscript sit on my desk. It’s obvious he’s been going through both. He hasn’t noticed a page is missing from the ledger.
He continues:
”Ya..in a fair world...I would richly reward you. But I think you, more than most, know it is not a fair world. And time grows dear. I must finish the experiment. Then I can return to the mansion. Imagine, what I’ll be able to do with those papers, the films, and the Breckinridge money.”
Experiment? I wonder what the hell he’s talking about.
He gets up. “It will take great cunning and effort, but I will have more power than my late Fuhrer ever dreamed. So much work to be done.” He leaned down, and whispered like we were buddies:
”Once Norma has been processed, she’ll make a fine reward for my efforts, don’t you think? I only ask because you have some experience with her.”
He laughs and throws photographs on the desk in front of me.
I look down....and suddenly I know what got Tony P so enraged.
Six or seven photographs....all looking like scenes from the nudie flicks we used to watch at the old VFW.....except it’s me and Norma in the starring roles. I suddenly remember the big mirror in her bedroom that I gazed into like a lovelorn idiot.
I feel like a dunce.
”Not my best photography I confess. But, good enough, judging their effect on Signor Passanno. For whatever it’s worth, my money was on you. I knew men like him in the SS....all bark....no bite. Now he is dead....by your gun.....your hand now covered with gunpowder residue.”
His gloved hand puts down the Luger then pulls out my 32.
“Your gun has been quite busy. It is also the murder weapon in the Kenneth Dorvak homicide, though I confessed I only intended to knock him out. He was awakening from the blow Passanno gave him, and I accidentally delivered the coup de grace. Sometimes we don’t know our own strength. Now, I fear your pistol has two more tasks.”
He opens the door. I look with dread.
”Come in now, Liebchen. Time to finish the experiment.”
Angie’s wearing flannel pajamas, her pale bare feet poking out of the pants cuffs. She looks at the Nazi like Nancy looked at me. I guess this is a kind of justice.
I’m in a rage, and for the first time try to break my bounds. This just gets a laugh from the shrink.
”I can’t say I blame you. My Angelina is quite a beauty. She rivals even the magnificent Norma. Such a shame that she too will not survive the experiment. What we sacrifice for Science.” He stands close to her. “Broken hearted, she will take her own life.”
He goes on, like an evil professor.
”You see, Dorvak did not finish conditioning her. The experiment is to discover whether I can augment his method with my knowledge of motivation, and achieve a similar result. Sadly Artie cannot join us....I’ve made sure he took his pills so he can rest. When we are finished, I’ll make a final house call.”
He turns to her. I’m trying to yell through the gag.
”Focus on my words now, Angelina. It is time to obey.”
She smiles, like a new bride.
“We have spoken the words....and I obey, Master.”
”Very good, there is nothing more gratifying than the devotion of a beautiful woman. But for the purpose of our experiment, I want you to remember your love for John Dupuis. You remember...you told me how in your heart of hearts, you’ve never stopped loving him. You will remain my slave, but I command you remember your love for him.”
She turns and looks at me, longing in her eyes. My heart is breaking.
”Tell me, Liebchen....how did Johnny describe his client, Mrs. Norma Breckinridge?”
“He....He said she’s old....old and fat.”
Volkner stands behind her, like a sympathetic grandfather..
”I’m sorry to say, he lied to you, Angelina. Lied to you about so much. On the desk, there are photographs of Johnny and Mrs. Breckinridge, together. Walk over and look at them..
I’m repeating her name over and over, muffled by the gag. I fall silent as I watch her pick up and stare at the pictures, tears streaming down her high cheeks.
“Take the gun.....you know what to do. He has utterly betrayed you......humiliated you.....rejected you. All those years of waiting for him, helping him when no one else would.....and this is how he repays you. Feel your hurt turn to rage. He must pay.....Take the gun and make him pay.”
Slowly, she takes the gun, turns and aims at my face. There’s a murderous rage in her eyes. I’m no longer yelling, I just mouth the words “I’m sorry”.
Her hand begins to shake. Then suddenly she lowers the pistol. Her voice is barely above a whisper.
”He ain’t worth it,”. Then she spits on me,
Volkner is disappointed. Then he seems to have an idea.
”But my dear...think about Arty. You told me he hates Dupuis. What’s he going to do when he learns of your humiliation. Deep down, he still has the heart of a Greek warrior, He will demand satisfaction. He will kill Dupuis, then suffer the consequences. You must protect him. You must take the matter in your own hands....do what must be done......you must kill him before Artie does.....if you want to protect Artie.....protect Artie.
”Protect Artie”, she murmurs.
”The hell you doing Sis?”
Speak of the Devil, Artie looks like hell, but there he stands in his underwear, and a ratty robe.
Volkner curses in his native tongue, he then grabs the Luger, aiming it at Artie.
“Time to put you out of your misery, Aristotle.”
There’s a loud crack, and Volkner crumbles to the floor. Angie obeyed......she protected Artie.
Artie eventually unties me. I remove the gag. I try to explain everything. Then I ask Artie why he’d come.
”There was something wrong about that Kraut. I overheard something he’d said to Angie...it didn’t sound like he was trying to help her. Tonight, I only pretended to swallow his pills. I watched them leave together. He told her they were meeting you here. I’m still woozy...it took me a while to get here.
Angie has dropped the photos. I kick them under the desk. I take my gun from her. I don’t want to, but I gotta trigger her. Artie is horrified, and looks like he’s gonna take a swing. I explain what I’m doing.
”Angie....Angelina.....When I snap my fingers.....you’ll wake up.....you’ll wake up and remember everything.”
I snap my fingers.