“Ma” Bingham Meets A Nazi by Frank Marks

  Mammoth Detective, March, 1943

  What could this Nazi want in the hills? “Ma” Bingham thought she knew—and how not to get there!

  A BINGHAM lifted herself heavily

  She gestured him silent and spoke

  from the wicker armchair and again into the telephone. “The storm’s so bad I M crossed over to the ringing wall can hardly make out what you’re saying, phone. Above the roar of the cloudburst that Sheriff. Will you talk a little louder?”

  pounded like an angry cataract on the roof, she Pa’s faded eyes turned to the window raised her voice:

  and to the midnight expanse of countryside

  “Binghams’ Auto Court.”

  beyond, fast becoming a morass. The road From another chair by the office past the auto court had been barricaded a few window, Pa Bingham peered toward his wife.

  hours ago by the highway crew, for at the

  “Who is it, Ma?”

  bottom of the grade a savage torrent sluiced in

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  foaming fury around the concrete supports of yes, Sheriff—but hurry! I—I think I’m a little Mill River Bridge, threatening the structure.

  scared.”

  This, Pa thought, was probably what She hung up the receiver and spoke

  the sheriff’s office was phoning about. Most nervously to her husband: “That was Sheriff likely they wanted to make sure no traffic got Dodson. He says the one Nazi from the U-past the barricade, maybe to plunge into the boat—the one they didn’t catch—headed flood and drown somebody. Out of control, toward here. Hermann Reinhardt, is his name.

  the river was; but not as bad as it could be if it I just know it’s that man in Cabin 13.”

  weren’t for the big new dam farther up the

  “Now, Ma, don’t be jumpin’ at

  canyon. The dam mightn’t stop all the flood, shadows.”

  but it certainly kept the rising waters from

  “But I’m sure about it. He’s got a scar turning into a disaster.

  near his left eye just like the sheriff says.”

  Pa turned again toward his wife,

  “Say, I did notice that. What’s Dodson swiftly this time, when he heard her gasp: “A want us to do?”

  German spy—?”

  “To hold him somehow until he gets

  Outside, the rain-lashed trees hissed here from Cardiff.”

  like tortured giants as the old lady held the

  “Huh, that’ll take him about three

  receiver tightly against her ear. Then her short hours.” The butt of an old army pistol showed words punctured the wail of the storm: “Land above Pa’s hip pocket when he reached back sakes! You don’t tell me!”

  under his coat. “I’m going out and scout The wrinkles in Pa’s face deepened.

  around.”

  German spies! Only day before yesterday he’d

  “No, Pa. Don’t you dare! He—he

  read about the nine Nazis who had landed on might kill you!”

  the coast from a U-boat. Eight of them had

  “I’ll just peek in the cabin window.”

  already been picked up, along with explosives, Pa started from the office, but before he maps and plans for wrecking factories, power reached the door it swung open and a heavy-plants and railroad centers. By their own set man was at the threshold. The intruder’s confession, though, a ninth saboteur was still drenched hat didn’t hide the livid scar above running loose. Again Pa thought of the dam his eye. His glance swept the interior, then that harnessed the water to make electricity for settled on the elderly couple. “The entire the munition-making plants down in the cities.

  telephone conversation I heard. I am leaving.”

  The old man suddenly felt a twinge of There was a German accent to his arrogant uneasiness about his son, Ted, now an FBI tone.

  agent. During these war times his work was Pa thought of the sheriff’s instructions.

  more dangerous than ever. But Pa was mighty

  “But your distributor’s still wet.” He motioned proud to know that his own boy—his and to the part drying by the pot-bellied stove. “I Ma’s—with his unruly light hair and blue will manage without it.”

  eyes, had grown up to be a Federal officer.

  “How can you?”

  The alien didn’t answer the question.

  PA’S mind came back to the present when his He went to the case on the counter and helped wife again spoke into the phone: “Sounds—

  himself to cigarettes. As smoke sifted from his sounds just like the description of a man who nostrils he crossed to the wall where a glass-came in here tonight. He was having car covered forestry map hung.

  trouble; wet ignition or something. Pa’s been Ma stood motionless, close to her

  working on it.” She drew a short breath. “Yes, husband. Her flesh seemed to be shaking like

  “Ma” Bingham Meets A Nazi 3

  the aspens when the cold wind blows across closed and he crumpled limply. The old lady the meadow. She glanced toward Pa’s back stared as if she thought such a thing couldn’t pocket, and felt her blood chill. If he tried to happen; then, sobbing, she hurried to her use his pistol the Nazi would kill him in a husband and wrapped her apron around his second. Maybe they shouldn’t try to hold him wounded hand. Reinhardt pulled her

  for the sheriff. She spoke in an undertone: backward. She looked up helplessly. “Pl—

  “Can’t you hurry and fix his car?”

  please don’t kill him.”

  Pa didn’t answer, but admonished her The Nazi picked up Bingham, carried with his eyes; to make her understand that he him to the adjoining room and dropped him on was aiming to hinder the Nazi from leaving.

  the bed. He bound his wrists and ankles. Then he poked his Luger in Ma’s back and said: REINHARDT was tracing over the wall map

  “You and I will now be leaving.”

  with a pencil, his back toward the old folks.

  “You—you mean you’re going to

  For a moment Pa’s eyes rested steadily on the make me go with you?”

  saboteur; then his weathered features “Precisely.”

  tightened as his hand moved slowly toward his

  “No, no, please don’t take me from my rear pocket. This was his chance. He’d hold husband.”

  the Nazi at gun point; threaten to shoot if he

  “From that little bump he will soon moved; maybe Ma could tie him up.

  recover!”

  As Ma saw her husband draw the

  “But—but your car—the distributor—

  weapon, his finger on the trigger as he started

  ”

  to raise it, her parted lips twitched in fear. Her

  “I am using yours.”

  staring eyes followed the rise of the pistol in

  “Our old Buick?”

  Pa’s hand.

  Reinhardt nodded. “And you are going But old Bingham hadn’t realized that to drive it. I shall need you to answer the glass cover of the map afforded sufficient questions in case we are stopped.”

  reflection for Reinhardt to see the action

  “I—I can’t do that. Please, you go. I’ll behind him, and before the camp proprietor tell the sheriff anything you want me to if you could level his gun the fugitive whirled, a won’t make me leave Pa.”

  Luger automatic in his grasp. A shot cracked

  “This arguing!” Reinhardt exploded.

  above the storm.

  “Cease it!”

  Pa groaned when the bullet tore

  through his fingers. His pistol clattered to the HE PULLED out
the phone wires and

  floor. Blood trickled down over his wrist smashed the transmitter. Forcing her to the when he held it up with his other hand. He door, out into the stormy night and on to the sagged as if going to his knees, then regained garage, he ordered her into the driver’s seat of himself and tried to reach his fallen weapon.

  her battered sedan. From his own disabled car The German plunged forward, picked

  he took two heavy cases and put them in the up the pistol and pushed it into his pocket. His Buick. Then taking his place in the rear, he thick fingers dug into the old man’s neck as he thrust his gun between the backs of the front raised the butt of his automatic.

  seat. “Now go!”

  Ma

  screamed:

  Ma started the car, bounced through

  “D-don’t!”

  the puddles to the highway and turned north With a sickening thud the alien’s gun away from the river. Her captor reached over came down on Pa’s head. Bingham’s eyes and gave the wheel a yank. “Do you think I

  Mammoth Detective 4

  am fool enough to go toward Cardiff, and the up the muddy grade. If only she knew of some police?”

  way to save the dam and hand this spy over to

  “But we can’t go the other way; the the police. She wished she didn’t feel so bridge—!”

  scared, then maybe she could think of

  “Turn toward the river!”

  something to do that would aid her country; Ma swung the car around, veered past she’d be remembered then, the same as her the road barricade and started down the grade.

  ancestors who had fought and died in the The wagging windshield wiper struggled with Revolution.

  the sheets of water that slapped against the Her mind turned to her son. She

  glass. Near the bottom of the hill the wondered where he was, and if he’d had headlights barely picked out the bridge anything to do with catching the other eight outlines; the abutments cutting the milky Nazis from the U-boat. She never knew where water like the prows of ships.

  Ted was, or what he was doing. His work was Ma Bingham’s shaking foot pressed

  all so secret.

  down the brake pedal. “You—you can’t even Reinhardt broke in: “How much

  see the road over the bridge.”

  farther to the dam?”

  “Never mind the bridge. A side road

  “I—I think about five miles.”

  skirting the river shows on your office map.

  She tried to imagine what would

  Are you familiar with it?”

  happen after she got to the dam with the

  “Y-yes, but that road goes up to the German. He could set his explosives and then dam.”

  go on foot over the mountain to some place

  “Exactly.”

  where they wouldn’t find him. Her own fate

  “And—you want me—!”

  wasn’t so sure, though; or maybe it was. She’d

  “Slow down; this must be the road

  seen pictures of what the Nazis had done.

  right ahead.”

  They were ruthless. This might be her last Ma brought the car to a standstill, and ride.

  looked far off into the darkness toward the Her arms ached from holding the old mountains; the watershed that filled the big sedan to the winding road. It was hard to see lake behind the new dam. Now she knew why ahead very far, too. The streaks of rain in the the Nazi was going up there with the two headlight’s rays were like whip lashes hissing heavy cases. He was going to blow up the angrily. The weighted foliage slapped against great dam so there would be no more electric the windshield as if it were a warning hand of power for the factories making war materials.

  disaster.

  Such were the plans of the saboteurs from the And then a sudden idea made Ma

  U-boat.

  Bingham straighten. About two miles before

  “Drive up this road!”

  she would get to the dam there was a back Ma felt lifeless, unable to move as the road which connected with the one she was savage storm droned on the car top. Up the on. This detour curved back through the canyon the blackness resembled an enveloping woods to the main highway north of the auto shroud that threatened to suffocate all who court, and on the way to Cardiff where the entered. Like a trapped animal, she reluctantly sheriff had phoned from. If she could turn on turned onto the dirt road.

  to this cross road without her unwelcome passenger getting suspicious, she might reach IT SEEMED that her heart beats were trying the main highway ahead of the sheriff, before to keep up with the motor as the car labored he passed the point where she would come out

  “Ma” Bingham Meets A Nazi 5

  of the woods. Then she could deliver the highway until you got right on it. The last half fugitive to the officers.

  mile seemed to have no end, and she was It was an awful chance for her to take, shaking worse than ever now, for any minute a for the Nazi most likely would shoot her if he bullet might end everything.

  found she had tricked him. Ma’s mouth set in The sedan went under a canopy of

  a hard line of determination as she went on foliage that seemed to part suddenly to show toward the cross road, not far ahead now. She the state road. Ma drove the Buick onto the must take the risk and not go on up the concrete and started toward Cardiff.

  canyon.

  “This is not the road to the dam!”

  As her headlights pointed upward from She said nothing and kept on going.

  a road dip, the light shafts fell on a rock Reinhardt clamped his hands on her shoulders.

  formation—a landmark she knew well — “Stop!”

  “Indian Head.” It was where the detour joined The car shuddered to a standstill, but the road to the dam. She glanced back at her still Ma made no reply. She felt the menacing passenger. He seemed unconcerned, probably Luger at her back.

  feeling safe enough in the isolated area . . .

  “This is your last second . . .!”

  MA SWUNG suddenly into the cross road.

  SHE closed her eyes and waited for the bullet.

  Reinhardt leaned forward. “Are you

  In that moment it seemed that she lived her sure that this is the right way?”

  whole life over; every event from her

  “Of—of

  course;

  I

  was brought up in

  childhood raced by like a moving picture this country.”

  where scenes change quickly to show passing The saboteur scanned the woods and

  years.

  then settled back with a grunt. Ma felt Ma lifted her lashes when the hum of relieved, for the time at least. She was putting distant tires reached her ears. She looked up more territory between the dam and the man the road. An approaching car was rounding who meant to wreck it. But she was still the curve, its headlights turning to shine worried, for the distance to the main highway directly on the old Buick. The Nazi exploded was more than to the dam and there was yet a something in German, then ordered: “Back chance that he might suspect something. She into the woods!” The machine was coming at tried to make more speed.

  high speed and the fugitive seemed to realize She figured up the time spent since that it was too late. “Drive toward that car!”

  they had left the auto court; how much more it he changed his command.

  would take before she would come to the state He crouched on the floor, his

  highway. She thought of the distance to automatic punching into her. “If questions Cardiff, and about where the sheriff should be they ask about me say that your husband has when she got out of the woodland. If only she me bound at the auto court.”

  would reach the main road before the posse

  “Yes—yes,

  I

  will.”

  passed to the south.

  “Another thing; they may want to

  Reinhardt stirred une
asily. “Should not know where you are going. What will you the dam be in sight?”

  say?”

  “I—I’m going as fast as I can.”

  “I—I’ll tell them I just got word from She gave thanks for the country being the hospital; that my son was hurt at the dense with undergrowth, and for the winding factory.”

  road. You couldn’t see anything of the

  “That will do, and no more tricks;

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  understand?”

  almost on a level with the hatless man’s head.

  “I

  understand.”

  At that critical instant the door on the The car was close now, its brakes other side of the Bingham sedan was pulled grinding. It came to a stop directly in the path open by the older man. He struck the Nazi’s of the Buick. It was the big black and white arm. The bullet from the Luger ploughed into state patrol; the automobile Ma had hoped to the floor. The newcomer lifted his revolver intercept. Two men got out and came toward and brought the stock down on the fugitive’s her. One was elderly, dark-haired. The other head, a glancing blow. He raised it again. The was younger, wore no hat, and the wind alien dropped his weapon and put up his ruffled his light hair. Ma said, “Howdy, hands. “I surrender!”

  Sheriff Dodson,” and looked steadily into the It was only a matter of seconds before blue eyes of the young man.

  steel clicked around the saboteur’s wrists. He He stared oddly for a moment. “Hello, was hauled to the roadway. The tight lines of Mrs. Bingham.” It was a few seconds before his face showed the hatred he nursed for the he asked, “What became of the Nazi spy at Americans who had brought about his your auto court?”