The Green Lama: Horror in Clay (The Green Lama Legacy Book 2) (15 page)

Jethro frowned, recognizing the voice. “Oberst Gan,” he said as he turned around to face the badly beaten Nazi colonel standing in the doorway, his Luger aimed at Jethro’s head.

“Goddammit, this just isn’t our week, is it?” Jean groaned.

“Green Lama, I see that I underestimated your detective skills. Or at least, your tenacity.”

Gan kept his pistol aimed on Jethro as he stepped into the room, walking through the room until he was standing over the powdered clay directly across the trio. He knelt down and scooped up a handful, letting some of the fine granules trickle through his fingers. With the power of the Second Tablet gone, the clay was no longer toxic to human touch.

“So this was to be our avenger,” Gan said mournfully, tossing the remaining clay back into the pile. “I am sorry I did not get to see it.” He tapped a large lump on his forehead. “Though I did experience some of its power firsthand. I can only imagine what it could have done. A pity.”

Jethro pulled the Second Tablet close to his wounded chest, wary of Gan’s motives. “You knew of this, didn’t you, Herr Oberst?” he ventured.

Gan cocked his head to the side. “Of the Rabbi’s golem? Only what he told me in his correspondences.”

“His correspondences…? Wait, aren’t you one of the ‘bad guys’?’” Jean asked.

“For all intents and purposes, at least,” Gan said as he stood up and holstered his weapon. He walked over and knelt down beside the Rabbi, lifting up his head and cushioning it in his good arm.

Even after all he had been through today, the image of a Nazi carefully cradling a Rabbi like a wounded grandfather struck Jethro as by far the most supernatural. With one arm wrapped around the Second Tablet, Jethro found his way back to his feet. Jean slipped underneath his other arm, and the two of them, along with Ken, walked over to Gan.

“Who are you really, Gan?” he asked.

“An operative for the Jewish Underground—what few there are of us,” he said as he gingerly replaced the Rabbi’s
yarmulke
. “Rabbi Brickman contacted my synagogue several years ago, back in the early days of the Weimar Republic, when Hitler was just a loud mouth seeking political gain. Brickman told of us an impending…” Gan trailed off searching for the word. “‘Holocaust.’ He foretold Hitler’s rise to power, detailing each major event with specific dates. We didn’t believe him at first. Why would we? They seemed the ramblings of a madman. Then, one after another, every single prophecy began coming true. We began to devise a plan, securing false identities, working our way into the Nazi Party as best we could, doing everything we could to undermine Hitler’s plans, but even then it proved difficult to turn the tide of history. We are not gods but men, flawed and imperfect; our efforts alone would never be enough. Rabbi Brickman promised us an avenger, and he fulfilled that promise.”

“But, the golem attacked you and Caraway at the police station,” Jethro said.

“A necessary ruse, orchestrated by myself and the Rabbi so as to ensure my superiors in Germany would not question my efforts… or my loyalty. Though I didn’t expect Leutnant Caraway to make such a mess,” he added with a chuckle. “Is he all right?”

Jethro nodded.

“Good. I would have regretted his death. Though I regret not shooting you when I had the chance,” Gan said sharply. “Now, I suppose it is too late for that to matter.”

“But… what are Hitler’s plans?” Jean asked.

Gan shook his head mournfully. “Besides conquering Europe? Ultimately, the complete destruction of the Jewish people. I have seen the plans myself… Gas chambers… Incinerators. Instruments of death we have never before seen on this earth.”

The revelation hit Jethro like a brick to the chest. He lowered his gaze to the floor, defeated.

Jean’s eyes went wide. She covered her mouth, trying to suppress her gasp.

“My God…” Ken breathed, running his hands through his hair. “Oh my God.”

They all felt it, the sinking feeling in their gut. Everything the Rabbi had said was true. They had just inadvertently aided in the destruction of millions of innocent lives.

“Without the golem, my people no longer have any hope.”

“‘…Through your sacrifice, millions will be saved,’” Jethro breathed, reiterating the Rabbi’s words, hiding his face in his hand. “What have I done?”

Jean squeezed his shoulder. “Tulku, we couldn’t have known…”

The Rabbi stirred in Gan’s arms, roused from his concussion. “Couldn’t have known?” he said weakly. “Did I not tell you all that I saw?”

“Rabbi, we…” Jethro trailed off, unable to find the right words. How could he possibly apologize for failing to protect so many? He tried to swallow the lump in his throat but found it dry. He knelt down in front of the Rabbi, and pulled off his hood, an act of reverence and deference, unafraid of revealing his identity, as his face was bruised beyond recognition. “There is no recompense… Nothing I can say to… Over the years, I have become so accustomed to seeing evil in the shadows… I never thought I would find light in the darkness. But you have my word—my solemn oath,” he extended his right hand, “that it will be my mission to stop Hitler and save your people.”

“I am sorry to say, Green Lama, that is a cold comfort to me,” the Rabbi whispered harshly, refusing to take Jethro’s outstretched hand. “I believe you and trust that you will stand by your word, but it will be a long time before I can shake your hand.”

Jethro nodded in acknowledgment. “And knowing what I know now, I do not hold that sentiment against you. But I
will
earn your forgiveness.”

The Rabbi gave Jethro a terse nod before turning his eyes to Gan.

“Help me up, Heinrich.”

Gan acquiesced. “I’m sorry I could not make it sooner, Rabbi.”

Brickman smiled mournfully and patted Gan on the shoulder.

“What about the Jade Tablet?” Jethro asked, holding out the green stone. “Perhaps you can use it to create a second golem.”

Rabbi Brickman shook his head. “The great flaw in the golem was that it was bound to the earth from which it was birthed. The clay was American, so it could not leave this continent. To transport it across the ocean I would need both of the Jade Tablets. And our time is short in Europe; Hitler’s war is about to begin, and to create another golem there would be impossible.” The Rabbi wiped away the blood from his forehead. “The golem told me you were a man of strength, that your Tablet granted you abilities beyond those of normal men, beyond even those of your…
profession
. If the power contained within my Tablet can truly aid you in your efforts to save my people, then take it.”

Jethro nodded, pulling the Tablet back close to his chest.

“There are very dark times ahead of you, Green Lama,” the Rabbi concluded. “I pray you will be strong enough. I pray for us all.”

Chapter 11

LIGHTS IN THE DARKNESS,
SHADOWS IN THE SUN

The zeppelin sat at the mooring, the blazing swastika on its tail markedly out of place among the other airships that populated Floyd Bennett Field. Fog blanketed the world in grey, a fine mist blowing in the wind.

Caraway walked alongside Colonel Gan as they approached the Nazi airship. Gan now walked with a slight limp after the past week’s events, but despite his injuries, he refused the use of a cane. Their erstwhile witness, Johann, had already boarded the ship, grey beginning to show at the roots of his hair.

“Thank you for all your efforts, Herr Leutnant,” Gan said stiffly. “It did not go unnoticed.”

“Too bad we didn’t capture the sucker, but if what the Green Lama told me is true, then I don’t think we’ve got anything to worry about.”

Caraway noticed the Colonel struggle to hold back a grimace. “Mm. Yes. And you trust the Green Lama implicitly?”

“He’s one of the better ones, that’s for sure. Saved my hide more than once. And I mean, hell, look what he did to me!” He pounded his chest. “Fit as a fiddle! If the Green Lama says the killer was some kind of supernatural monster bent on revenge, I’ll take him at his word, hard as it may be for my superiors to believe. Plus I fought the creature firsthand. Ain’t no way that thing was a man in a suit. Hell, you saw what it did to the station and downtown.”

“
Jawohl
. I saw.” Gan closed his eyes as he nodded, probably trying to bite back the pain in his leg, Caraway figured. Gan stepped onto the zeppelin’s gangplank. “Such an interesting country you have here, Herr Leutnant. I wonder if there are other countries that must deal with monsters tearing up their cities as often as yours…” He reflected with a slight tilt of his head. “In Germany, our villains do not wear such audacious masks to hide their identities, and heroes are not so prevalent.”

Caraway frowned in bewilderment. “Yeah… Sure.”

“Thank you again, Herr Leutnant.” Gan extended his hand to Caraway.

“Hey, no problem,” he said, shaking Gan’s hand. “You ain’t never gonna tell me how you stopped that elephant, are ya?”

Gan gave him a humored look. “Not today, no.”

Before Caraway could respond, Gan gave him a short nod and began walking up the gangplank. Caraway turned to walk away but stopped short.

“And… uh… hey, Gan?” he said hesitantly.

Gan stopped to look back at the police lieutenant. “
Ja?
”

“For what it’s worth,” Caraway began, scratching the back of his neck, “if this war they’ve been whisperin’ about actually happens… I’m not looking forward to having you on the other side... And not just ’cause I’ve seen how you are in a fight.”

Gan allowed himself a small smirk at the corner of his lips. “Do not worry, my friend. When the war comes, you and I will be fighting on the same side.”

Caraway furrowed his brow as he watched Gan walk through the entrance of the airship. “What’s that’s supposed to mean?” he called after him.

“
Auf Wiedersehen
, John,” Gan said as the gangplank withdrew, not pausing to look back at the dumbfounded New York City policeman.

• • •

Jethro Dumont placed the small vial of radioactive salts behind the large Buddha statue in the study of his penthouse. Fully healed, thanks to the ministrations of Tsarong, he had invited Jean and Ken over in hopes of giving all three of them some reprieve for the week’s events. He had chosen to invite them here as Dumont in hopes of keeping his alter ego a secret, going so far as to keeping Tsarong away should his compatriots make the connection that they had both met the Tibetan lama whilst cavorting with two very distinct personages of the Green Lama.

“So that’s the Green Lama’s special super-powered batch of radioactive salts?” Jean asked, nursing a glass of whiskey. Of all three of them, she had seemed the most affected by their shared experiences. It was more for her than Ken that Jethro had brought them together for this meeting.

“Hm. Never realized how strange that sounds until you said it aloud…” Jethro commented. “But, yes, these are they.” He slid the Buddha statue back into place, which activated an intricate locking mechanism that only he or Tsarong could access.

“I gotta admit I’m surprised he wouldn’t start using those instead of his normal stuff,” Ken wondered. “Incredible superstrength? Energy blasts? Hell, flying alone seems worth it.”

Jethro shook his head. “When the Green Lama gave me these, he specifically asked me to hide them away. ‘No man should be allowed to defy the laws of nature,’ he said in his letter. There may come a time when he’ll need to use these again, though I pray that day never comes. In fact, it’s the reason why he asked us to come together today,” Jethro said. He reached into his jacket pocket, bringing out two small cards, handing one to each of them.

“These are for you two and you two alone.”

Jean read over her card. “It’s only three numbers.”

Ken glanced over Jean’s card and then at his. “Me too, but mine are different.”

“Yes,” Jethro said. “You each have half the code to open the safe that contains the enhanced radioactive salts. Should anything happen to me, it would be up to both of you to keep the salts secure.”

“So, that means you have the whole code yourself…” Jean said suspiciously. “I guess the Green Lama really trusts you, huh?”

Jethro shrugged as he sat down in his chair. “I suppose so. He and I follow the same path.”

“Even though you’ve never met in person?”

“You know, I always thought Dr. Pali was the Green Lama,” Ken pondered, inadvertently rescuing Jethro.

“Charles?” Jethro said with a laugh. “The man’s too old to run around the city fighting crime.”

“I saw him crush metal with his bare hands,” Jean interjected.

“Really?” Ken inquired, his voice cracking with excitement.

“Yup,” Jean said with a slight nod. “But who knows? He could be
anybody
,” she added, looking pointedly at Jethro.

“What about that Second Jade Tablet thing he was so bent out of shape about?” Ken asked.

Jethro struggled not to grimace. “I don’t know… I think he needs more time translating it to understand the purposes behind
that
Tablet before he can put it to use as he did the original… I assume he will try to employ it as best he can in his quest to save the Jews of Europe.”