Chapter Twenty-Eight The Wheel of Fortune
Gabriel is dealing with the threat that Zest imposed upon him. He acts quickly, meeting with Cheng to give him a short version and to say that he’s ending the case. He says the same thing to Jim, Danny, Alex, Dr. Cole (who tells him that Eleanor is missing and that Raymond had been suspicious of a deal Nelson had made on the Foundation’s behalf) and even Mankiewitz, suggesting that Mankiewitz publish the fact.
After that, Gabriel does some research and makes an appointment over a burner phone to meet with a man named Bertrand Herrmann.
Chapter Twenty-Nine The Hermit
Bertrand Herrmann is a man of German Jewish descent living alone, who has several cats and dogs and was once a Nazi hunter. He’s cautious about Gabriel but soon they have a rapport, and Gabriel tells him about his tussling with the Tertullians. Gabriel tells Herrmann that he’s found a connection to a still-missing Nazi who was an assistant to Eichmann. Herrmann in turn recounts what he knows about the Tertullians. Gabriel gives him a copy of the notes for safekeeping.
Chapter Thirty Five of Pentacles
Nelson, crazed with paranoia, contacts Jacobs. He knows Mr. Zest is after him. Jacobs tries to convince him to meet but Nelson refuses. Zest is not worried about finding him.
Thoughts:
Here Gabriel is continuing his idea of what the right thing to do would be. He’s publicly signaled the Tertullians that he’s no longer working the case. In order to protect them, he’s okay with being seen in a bad light–not much different from how he was seen at the beginning of the story. In fact, he encourages it so that the Tertullians know.
But as we see at the end of the chapter, he hasn’t quite really stopped. He’s going to meet a man named Bertrand Herrmann, who has knowledge and experience pertaining to Gabriel’s investigation. This is risky, of course. He’s walking the really fine line of risking himself and risking others if he’s found out.
Interesting Outside Information
Bertrand Herrmann is based upon other Nazi Hunters I’ve researched. No doubt he has many fascinating stories to tell and has seen some terrible things in human nature.
The NatGeo series on Nazi Hunters is an okay introduction. For a book I strongly recommend, read Hunting Evil by Guy Walters. He turns up a lot on the THC shows involving.
A profile of one of the few people still looking for Nazis and related criminals, Efraim Zuroff. A point he makes is that the ones he’s spoken to do not have any remorse or regret. That is telling, considering that like-minded persons (far right extremists and white supremacists) are around and trying to build coalitions around the world.
TV Tropes has a Nazi Hunter trope page.
And in a related topic, I want to recommend work by a man who has studied white supremacists exhaustively, James Ridgeway (the documentary and book, Blood in the Face). He has also written extensively about abusive prison conditions and solitary confinement.
Questions for Readers
Gabriel is a very careful person who doesn’t make the decision to contact Bertrand Herrmann lightly. In order to do so, he made a public show of dropping his investigation, regardless of how important it was to him and his reputation. How might you weigh the decision to protect the ones you love?
Gabriel also invests a good deal of trust in Herrmann due to Herrmann’s history and reputation. Gabriel has researched a good deal about Herrmann, and has reached a conclusion Herrmann is not part of the Tertullians due to his prior work tracking Nazis. What criteria do you use in developing trust with someone who could have significant effect on your life?
Playlist:
I’ll go with Aerosmith Livin’ on the Edge for it’s dramatic sense.