“You’ll be safe with this.” Hans handed Brad an SS-issued travel pass bearing his cover name, occupation, and all the official signatures and stamps. “Herr General arranged one for you and your comrades to carry with your papers to guarantee unquestioned passage to your ultimate destinations. He…doesn’t know that I took this one to show you. I must return it to his desk before he discovers it missing.”

Brad stared at the pass, hardly believing his eyes. With this impressive authorization, he and his teammates could get into safe territory without challenge. German officials had stepped up their scrutiny of forged passes, but not even the sharpest trained eyes could doubt this document’s authenticity.

“Will you do it?” Hans asked. “You may be Wilhelm’s only chance at survival.”

Brad thought of two ragged, frightened, and starving children on the bank of the White River in Meeker, Colorado, in September 1938. What the hell. How could he say no? With hardly a pause to consider, Brad said, “I’ll do it.”

Hans grabbed Brad in a bear hug, his eyes moistening. “Danke, Herr Wagner,” he said. “With all my heart I thank you.” Getting hold of himself, he released Brad and took back the pass. “Now I must return this downstairs. The general will soon be up. He does not sleep long these days. Once he’s down, you must present my proposal but not that it came from me.”

As he turned to go, Brad said, “Wait a minute, Hans! What about you and the general? Since he believes he’ll be arrested, why can’t you both come with me, and you guys take Wilhelm and lie low in Switzerland until this is all over?”

Hans said quietly, “Mein General is under constant scrutiny. He would not get far before he was discovered missing. Besides, my superior is a professional soldier and general officer, Herr Wagner. He would not dream of deserting his post and the responsibilities that rest on his shoulders. As for me, I must remain with him.”

“But if he doesn’t make it, he would trust me to take his son and only child to a foreign country to be raised by strangers?”

“Ja,” Hans answered. “He knows you to be a good man and that you would take care of his little boy. Auf wiedersehen, Herr Wagner. Gott sei mit dir.” He held out his hand.

Brad clasped it hard. “God be with you and the general, too, Hans. I hope we’ll meet again. I’d like nothing better than to welcome you and the general to my hometown in the mountains of Colorado. The area is a fisherman’s paradise.”

Hans’s resigned shrug expressed sadly that such a pleasure was not likely to be. “Little Wilhelm is very fond of mountains,” he said.