Switzerland April 1968

Angie walked around inspecting the knick knacks and things in Hochstetter's weekend house. The place had his scent throughout it, but her heart was afraid to hope. He'd been handling things well, until learning about Nimrod, and she was afraid that was enough to push him over the edge. Standing at the window, she watched him swing the axe with the force of a man who had too much trouble on his mind. After an hour, he came back into the house carrying a large armload of wood and ready to talk some more.

"Tell me, how did you come to be here?" Angie asked handing him a cup of hot coffee, hoping to get him to open up some.

Taking it he sat down on the couch with her. "After you…went…to…England," the words came out choked. "Things went downhill for Germany. Not everyone knew, but well…I had my contacts. Hitler was quickly losing control of the war and trying to hide it from not only the masses but the military as well. But my source knew of his plans if the Allies closed in on Berlin."

Late-March 1945 Berchtesgaden

Although he was used to being the top of command at his Gestapo headquarters, here he was only a lowly Major. As he stepped out of his car, he made sure his uniform was in perfect order before approaching the house his cousin lived in. It was a mansion, not a house like the two had grown up in. Their childhood homes had been only a few streets apart. He didn't have an official invitation to the home, but his cousin always wrote in her letters for him to come and visit her. She led such a lonely life waiting for the man she loved to spend time with her, that he actually felt outrage at her plight. But showing such emotions would only get him killed, he reminded himself as he made his way to the servant's entrance. He would never be allowed in the front door. Knocking on the door, he felt butterflies in his stomach and almost forgot to breathe while awaiting admittance. One of the butlers opened the door looking at him with disdain. Any other place and the man would not have lived due to his attitude.

"Guten Abend, I am Major Raban Braun to see Fraulein Eva Braun, bitte," Braun said but the butler continued to stare down his long nose at him. "She is expecting me." The man allowed Braun to enter the hallway as he checked with the Mistress of the house before giving him complete admission. A few moments later he was lead to her study.

"Raban! I am so glad you're here. I have missed you," Eva said excitedly giving her cousin a hug. "How long can you stay? What has brought you here?"

"Your letters have had me concerned and I wanted to see you with my own eyes to know you were well. Tell me, what is going on here? How are you really doing?" Raban asked knowing some of his questions could be considered treasonous. But Eva had always been his favorite cousin, and it didn't matter that she loved the Fuehrer; he was still as protective of her as he'd always been.

"Raban, everything is fine. Does he know that you're here? He doesn't like for me to have male company." Eva said sitting down in a chair thrilled to have a visitor and yet afraid at the same time.

"If he will not allow family to visit you, then we shall both leave this moment!" Something dangerous flashed in his eyes that made Eva gasp.

"I'm sure it will be fine. I will speak with him when he comes home later," she tried to calm her quick tempered cousin. The two talked for a couple of hours before Hitler arrived home and Eva went to spend her evening with him.

Raban was never granted an audience with Hitler due to his station, but he was afforded a delicious meal and allowed to wait in the back of the house for his cousin to return. When she did, Eva was bubbly and excited. Not only did she have permission for Raban to visit, he was ordered to stay and help provide for her security. He was quite surprised at the change in orders and attitude, although he knew that Germany was going to fall into Allied hands within days. Obviously the Fuehrer did too and wanted all the protection he could have for Eva. That had been the real purpose of his trip; he wanted to make sure Eva lived through whatever the next few weeks brought to their homeland.

As the days passed, Raban made sure of his cousin's security as he learned how far the Allies and Russians were coming into Germany. The war was all but lost, something that he didn't want to accept but was forced too. After seeing the latest maps of the invasion forces, Raban waited until everyone left the office he'd been assigned to in order to make a phone call to his best friend.

"Hochstetter, here," his voice was short and brusque as he picked up the phone not knowing who was on the other end of the line. Orders had come in from Berlin and he was trying to assemble enough men to go out and make sure the orders to exterminate the prisoners of Stalag 13 were carried out.

"Wolfgang, it's Raban. I have information that you need to hear," he started looking around the closed office to make sure once again he was alone.

"Where are you? When you disappeared a couple of weeks ago, I feared you'd been captured!" Hochstetter let out a deep sigh of relief to know his friend was safe.

"Nein, I'm with Eva. I've been reassigned to her security detail. Wolfgang, you would not believe the things I've learned. I can't explain on the phone, but you need to get out of there tonight. Eva and I will meet you at the planned rendezvous sight. Are you able to get your hands on the money and passports?" Raban's voice was deadly serious trying to impress on his friend how much danger he was in.

"Ja, I have them with me and can leave soon. However, first I have to go and take care of Hogan and his men. I have orders from the Fuehrer that all Allied prisoners are to be killed so they can't join the fighting as the Allies release them. I intend on putting a bullet through Hogan's head myself," Hochstetter sneered. At last, he'd have his revenge on the most dangerous man in Germany!

"You don't understand Wolfgang, you don't have enough time. If you don't leave now, you'll never get out of Germany! Please my friend, go and set things up for us. I'm not leaving here until I can get Eva to come with me," he pleaded.

"Raban, what are you saying?" Hochstetter asked not sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"That Hitler is a fool who lost the war due to his arrogance. We need to regroup and then see what can be done to save Germany. Pass the word along to get out now to our associates. As soon as I can I'll join you in Switzerland. I'm not leaving without Eva. Promise me that you will hang up with me and get out before the Allies capture you! I have already dispatched troops to destroy Stalag 13. I'm sorry you won't get your revenge with your own hands, but it will be taken care of shortly," Raban implored his friend in such a way that Hochstetter agreed with no further resistance. He knew better than try to cross Braun.

"I didn't know that Raban and Eva were cousins," Angie said with wide eyes. The man had always been scary and she hoped he died in fighting. "I know what happened to Eva, but what about Braun?"

"It was nearly six weeks later that Braun arrived in town. I don't know the full story, but I do know that he was there when Hitler and Eva took the cyanide pills. I have no proof, but wouldn't be surprised if Braun had been the one to shoot Hitler in the head for talking Eva into suicide. He's never told me exactly what happened. If you remember a day or so after their deaths, a small plane took off without clearance from Berlin and many people believed it was Hitler escaping. It was Braun leaving the country and coming to live here," Hochstetter told her.*

"Braun's alive and here?" Angie stood up with a look of anger and revulsion on her face. "I never trusted him. Do you think he'd hurt Lisal or Wolfgang if he runs into them?"

"Nein, he would never hurt them. I know you didn't care for him, but he loved you and has been a great support over the years. His personality is an acquired taste, but I promise liebchen he would never hurt them," Hochstetter put his arms around her in reassurance. He would have to tell her his other secret, but how would Angie respond when she found out the truth? Would he lose her all over again?

In town:

Hogan, Newkirk, and Wolfgang had been watching the house that they'd discovered the address for at the Gestapo safe house. No one had entered since they'd arrived and it appeared to be unoccupied. Wolfgang decided to check out the back shed while Hogan and Newkirk went inside to investigate. The person following them smirked as he watched Papa Bear enter his house. Now he'd have his revenge.

Hogan walked over to the desk looking through it and found an address book he began to thumb through. Newkirk was looking through the rest of the room when someone entered the house. Both looked up expecting it to be Wolfgang, but to their surprise it was an older man holding a gun on them.

"Well…well…what do we have here? Two thieves breaking into my home and they're armed." He made a movement with his gun for Hogan to place his weapon on the desk. "I have every right to shoot you for being in my home. I've been looking forward to this for a very long time, Colonel Hogan," the man smiled deviously at him.

"How do you know my name?" Hogan asked sizing up the man. "We've never met."

"Not formally no, but you made a fool of me back in Hammelburg and no one lives who does that. My name is Raban Braun and I've looked forward to this for a very long time. It's too bad I wasn't able to capture you and Fraulein Monet that night. I had such wonderful plans for the both of you," Braun said moving over closer to his hostages. He indicated for Newkirk to move over by Hogan.

"You were the one that shot her? I can return the favor now," Hogan said with deadly serious eyes.

"Oh that won't be necessary. You. Who are you?" Braun directed at Newkirk.

"Peter Newkirk is the name," he answered barely keeping his anger in check.

"Ah yes, you were part of Hogan's group in Stalag 13. Aren't reunion times wonderful? Now I get to kill two members of Papa Bear's gang. It's too bad that I don't have the time to really enjoy your deaths, but we all have to make sacrifices," Braun grinned as he pointed his gun at Hogan's head.

Hogan started to say something but before he could get his first word out, the sound of a gunshot shattered the quiet of the house spewing blood, bone, and brain matter across the room.

*Hitler and his wife Eva Braun committed suicide April 29, 1945. A few days later, a plane with a single occupant did leave Berlin. No one knows who fled the city or where they landed, at least not in any documentation that I was able to locate.