Threads of Deception (subtitle "Webs of Truth")

By J. W. Still

Gregor is a German spy at the end of his life's journey. Before he can pass comfortably however, he must make peace with his conscience. In his struggle with the initial stages of Alzheimer's he must face ghosts he had long thought dead and buried. The moral dilemmas a military man turned spy, were haunting him and dancing through

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joseph William Still
• Release date: Dec 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9780578348056

Book preview

Synopsis

Gregor is a German spy at the end of his life’s journey.  Before he can pass comfortably however, he must make peace with his conscience.  In his struggle with the initial stages of Alzheimer’s he must face ghosts he had long thought dead and buried.  The moral dilemmas a military man turned spy, were haunting him and dancing through his mind more vividly than ever before due to his oncoming illness.  Gregor had been put in the United States as Hitler’s last act of defiance toward the Allied Commanders. He is struggling with the moral compromises his mission is demanding from him and has reached the conclusion he will bow out and return his childhood home.  In the process he must decide whether he will leave the network he had spent the better part of his life building intact or undermine it as he makes his exit.  This decision would be easy if he did not despise what he had done as Hitler’s pawn.  He must decide if he will continue to strengthen and support an ideology he no longer believes in or if in the end he will sabotage what he views as his insidious act.

Steve is the retired commander of an elite Navy Seal team who is searching for his niche in life after leaving the service.  He and his former team members find themselves caught in the middle of an arch villain’s moral dilemma. They struggle to unravel Gregor’s twisted web before it kills one of their own.  Along the way he and his friends grow closer together and find romance and lifelong companionship as they are sucked into the deceitful web that spans the entire globe.

Table of Contents

Synopsis

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Chapter VI

Chapter VII

Chapter VIII

Chapter IX

Chapter X

Chapter XI

Chapter XII

Chapter XIII

Chapter XVI

Chapter XV

Chapter XIV

Chapter I

Gregor stared up at the sky as the thunderhead ever so slowly lumbered its way toward the balmy June sun.  As the thunderhead grew nearer, a deep shadow slowly began to swallow him and all of his surroundings.  It so completely symbolized his current dilemma that an intense fear staggered him as the sun was completely consumed and obliterated.  Gregor had been fighting all of his life in one way or another, but this was a battle he knew he was doomed to lose. Life had consumed him, and he was now fighting harder than he had ever been forced to in his 73 years of life to maintain his focus.  He felt so tired.  It was becoming an hour-by-hour fight to keep his mind from wandering into what had become an alternate reality for him.  The stress of a lifetime of duality, secrecy, and living in the shadows was haunting him, and his mind was now rebelling by drifting back to the only peaceful and relaxed times of his life.  The temptation to just give up and quit fighting to maintain his focus grew more difficult to resist. The urge to relax and let all his worries slip into oblivion was becoming more attractive with each passing moment.  As the days passed and his condition continued to deteriorate, the loss of his grasp on reality became inevitable and no longer a question of if, but when.

His knees suddenly buckled, and he sat down hard on the forest floor.  Had someone been watching, they might have described it as collapsed rather than sat.  Dread and a fear which verged on panic threatened to engulf him.  Once again, he found himself seeking the only true refuge he had ever known.  It had been what seemed to be an eternity since Gregor had visited his childhood home near the Waldstein mountains, but the memories had become increasingly more vivid in recent days.  He found his thoughts returning to the deeply wooded hills, where he had spent the entirety of his youth, with increasing frequency.  Old age and his condition were beginning to tell on his previously remarkably sharp memory and quick wit.  His instinctive reactions to what once would have seemed trivial matters were slowing with each passing week.  The responsibility he held so dear and considered the greatest of honors at one time now felt as a burden that would crush him at any moment and he would gladly walk away from it for just a few moments of peace each day.  The excitement from the danger which constantly loomed just around the corner had once driven him.  Now however, it no longer held the lure that it had in his youth and no longer gave him the rush of adrenaline at each near miss.  Without that rush, he was becoming immune to the fear that would aid him and give him the lightning speed to react appropriately.  All of these factors were forcing him to draw strength more and more frequently from the only memory to which he had remained true, his childhood home.

Gregor had been in the United States for the last 36 years and at last he had made the decision; he was finally going home.  Deep into the Black Forest of Germany where he would never be found, and he could live out his few remaining days in relative peace.  He could have made this trip many years ago, but there was always just one more thing he must accomplish, just one more project to finish.  The call of his roots had now grown too great to ignore and he would no longer refuse to heed its ever-increasing urgent tone.  He would be viewed as a deserter and weakling by the SSWU, so he had made all of his plans in secrecy and there would be no return.  After three years of planning however, he was certain that it was now safe.  He had planned his disappearance very meticulously and was certain that they would not be able to track him.  He now owned a modest home and had made all of the necessary provisions for a comfortable stay for the next twenty-five years, even though he knew he would be lucky to last for five.  The trip had been relatively easy to plan, but what he must do next sickened him deep inside.  The onus that he would pass on to his successor was one that he would not wish upon his worst enemy, and he must pass it on to someone he could have both liked and respected.

Gregor Alfonzo Richter was a military man born and bred, and he would never be able to truly learn to live a lifestyle devoid of his training which had begun virtually at his birth.  The generations of Richter’s who had served went back further than even Gregor’s grandfather knew.  He was at a loss when he imagined his focus being so out of control.  A feeling of panic once again threatened to consume him at the thought of being unable to hold on to vital details that could mean life or death for him and many around him.  Several times over the past few months Diane, his wife of the last 42 years, had to repeat herself or touch him to get his attention.  Gregor was worried and deeply troubled.  Gregor’s eldest son Scott had followed his footsteps and was career military, for the United States Marine Corps, and his bastard son Frederic (Fred) was not at all fit to be involved in Gregor’s deepest secret.  He had been forced to look elsewhere for a protégé and he had found one that had suited his needs perfectly.

Gregor had picked his successor long ago and had groomed him in everything that was required to run his empire.  His successor, Jack Schmidt, was now nearly 40 and in his prime.  A ruthless businessman, Jack had no scruples and a grim determination to win at nearly any cost.  Jack viewed business as a war, took prisoners, and to come in second meant death.  Gregor had begun grooming Jack over 15 years ago, but he had not yet allowed him access to the groups’ true purpose.  To Jack Schmidt it was all about money at this point, and Gregor did not believe adding ulterior motivation to Jack would bother him in the least.  For Gregor, it had been orders, he was a military man first and last, and he had always believed he would follow the last order given to him until his death. The last order he had received had come directly from the Fuhrer himself.

Adolph Hitler realized after D-day that there was an incredibly good chance that he would lose the war.  Seeing the possibility, he did what any good German would, and at the urging of several of his closest military advisors, he began developing an alternate plan.  Few knew how or where Gregor’s father had come up with the concept, but he had told Gregor just prior to his departure for the United States.  The plan had originally been developed by the Kaiser when they had realized their error in underestimating the potential threat of the United States. It was vague and shapeless at first, but after reading several hundred reports and studying the weaknesses of his enemies, Gregor’s father presented his battle plan to his commander the Fuhrer. The look on the man’s face as he read it did something to Gregor that several years of near misses on the battlefield could not, it brought him face to face with fear.  He had never been able to put his finger on exactly what it was, but he knew that it was a fear of something so evil that it was beyond his comprehension. His first thought was that his father, and possibly himself were to be executed instantly.  Then he began to realize that it was a fiendish joy that so lit Fuhrer’s face; not the uncontrollable rage that had been witnessed all too frequently. This caused his fear to grow however, because he had read the plan himself, and it was perversion itself. In fact, it was entitled The Perversion of My Enemy.  This plan had been etched into the minds of every one of the eight that had been chosen to carry it out, and all of them could quote its entirety in their sleep.  He often found himself feeling ashamed of his father for allowing himself to be so dishonorable to develop a plan such as this. The memory of his confrontation with his father after initially reviewing the plan was etched almost as vividly in his memory as the plan itself.  Looking back now he realized that his father’s weakness had been the inability to accept even the possibility of defeat.  The plan had been his out and as long as someone was executing the plan, his father’s Germany had not lost.

Gregor recalled the initial planning stages, the lectures by Dr Switzer, the amassing of the enormous wealth that was to be used to fully implement the plan. Dr. Switzer had given them a unique perspective on the implementation of the plan, you must simply sow the seeds of perversion, and the mind will do the rest.  He had also advised. Never confront another’s beliefs directly it will cause them to rebel.  One must corrupt or twist them ever so slightly.  So, after a year of intensive planning and lectures by the most perverted minds in modern history, many from the Fuhrer himself, they began.  Eight of them began.  They were the most talented and brutal military minds in all of Germany.  Today there were five remaining, and they were tried and proven.  After years of work and practice, they were far more dangerous now than when they began.

Gregor had been ordered to corrupt and confuse the political and religious institutions of America.  Render the educational and military institutions ineffective.  It was the most simplistic of battle plans.  One of the first lessons that any officer learned was to attack one’s enemy where they were the weakest, and America was weakest at home in their political infrastructure.  Take control of the media and use it as a tool to control and thereby corrupt the image of America.  The budget given to him for this task in 1945 was nearly one billion dollars.  He had easily increased this ten times over the last forty years as a lawyer who was devoid of any moral compass when dealing with his enemy.  Gregor found it a simple task to corrupt the naive junior senators and congressional representatives coming into Washington D.C.  He established relationships and supported those who were malleable for re-election.  Quickly seizing control of the major television stations, he controlled what the people saw and heard.  He sponsored bills and lawsuits that would undermine and corrupt the American culture that had bred the armies who had swept the world.  Gregor had supported and corrupted civil rights leaders and abortion proponents and laughed aloud when remembering the feminists who had fought so fanatically.  They demanded the right to control their bodies while knowing they would never be with a man due to their intense and irrational hatred of all men.  These women had used the reputation of the long-suffering mothers who had stood by their husbands and viewed their husbands and children’s successes as their own to rave about the injustices to these women, while privately ridiculing the lifestyles that these women held so precious.  He had invented the tele-evangelists by funding corrupt ministers.  He had created multiple political activist groups and secretly funded a great deal of them from overseas interests.  He had managed to drive the divorce rate up one thousand percent and completely undermine the American family.  The traditional American family image had become something detestable and loathsome by his left-wing disciples.  This was an incredibly open society and it had proven an easy task to undermine it to the point of having them virtually point a gun at their heads and pull the trigger during Vietnam.  Vietnam had been the test of his efforts to date, and it had gone perfectly as far as he was concerned.  Gregor then began implementing his own check and balances designed to control the economy and thus creating enormous control of elections.  He then used his considerable and growing influence to increase the governmental control over the most independent of peoples in the world.  Now he must focus on getting his country back in one piece.  He must do this before he was completely unable to focus and was forced to execute his disappearing act.  Everything was coming together very nicely, but he could not take all of the credit.  The foundation had been laid long before he had arrived, or more accurately, a foundation for something of this nature had been established.  It began around the turn of the century, even before WWI.  The European monarchy had recognized the potential threat that the United States posed and had begun flooding the country with immigrants.  These were people who they had ruled over for hundreds of years, and people that they knew how to manipulate.  The prejudices and weaknesses of the almost exclusively Catholic immigrants was very well known to the pre–WWII European power structure and Gregor capitalized on this huge voting bloc.  He was able to wield a great deal of influence with the Italian Mafia who remembered with a great deal of affection their heritage.  The Americans, who were the builders, had long since forgotten the treachery of the European governments.  They had forgotten that all people were put on this earth to be servants to those who controlled the armies.  To Gregor the open hearts, arms, and minds of the United States was a ripened peach waiting to be plucked, after seeing pictures of his beloved Berlin bombed to nothing but rubble, he was eager to consume this country.

Gregor’s only regret was for his children and those of the others.  They had become leaders among the leftist extremists.  His own illegitimate son Fred had been a leader of the dope smoking, peace loving, smarter than everyone else college protesters.  He had had many conversations with the little pervert who, in his prime, was one of the most powerful men in America.  He had coaxed and nourished his fetishes and assisted in further twisting the man.  So he was able to divert the attentions of the FBI many times when they began to focus on Frederick or himself too closely.  The relationship also allowed him access to the alternative lifestyle crowd that was growing in leaps and bounds.  Gregor had taken full advantage of this and leveraged it to its fullest advantage.

A robin suddenly flew up out of a nearby bush, startling Gregor out of his deep reflections.  He suddenly became aware of his surroundings, the isolated mountain cabin next to the lake in perfect isolation.  In the next instant his bodyguard, Jeffrey Pippin was standing beside him with an expression of deep concern covering his face.  Jeff had a nasty habit of popping up out of nowhere virtually without a sound.  Had the robin not flown, there would have been absolutely no indication of his approach.

You are slipping Jeff.  Gregor said

I was very concerned sir and I felt it necessary to hurry.  Jeff replied.

Why? 

I called for you several times and you have been gone for two hours. 

That long?  I must have been sitting here far longer than I realized.  Gregor said, instinctively knowing that what Jeff had said was true without looking at his watch.

Are you alright?  Jeff asked still not fully satisfied that the man who he sometimes viewed as a grandfather figure was as healthy as he would have him to believe.

"Yes, thank you.  Give me a hand.

It’s getting hard to get up in my old age."  Gregor replied.

I only hope I’m getting around as well as you when I reach my prime years.  Jeff replied sarcastically.

Jeff had been a Navy Seal for some time before going to work for Gregor and had spent some years in Vietnam a fact that he seldom referred to and never spoke of in length.  Gregor thought that Jeff had far fewer wounds than he, but Jeff had no idea that Gregor had seen far more combat that him. So, he phrased his response carefully.

You have been much harder on yourself than I, so you will probably be in a wheelchair long before you reach my age.  Gregor replied marveling at how easily the lie that he had been living prevented him from revealing the similarities of their backgrounds.

Jeff had worked for Gregor for the last six years and it was noticeable that he had developed an attachment to Gregor.  He had become more protective and jumpier as Gregor’s frailties grew worse.  Of late Jeff had even begun reflecting on his own mortality and reflecting on his decisions to step into the line of fire as a young bulletproof sailor.

You would think I would have learned, but here I am, a professional bullet catcher.  I want a raise.  Jeff replied indignantly.

So far all you have done is baby sit a flimsy old man, and I am quite sure that you are paid three times as much as most in home nurses.  Gregor retorted and decided that he would give him a little extra in his yearly raise.

I wouldn’t know.  I am at the opposite end of the professional spectrum.  Jeff responded still trying to lighten Gregor’s spirits.

Here we are.  Is Hanni up and about yet?  Gregor asked as they arrived at the cabin.

She had breakfast ready an hour and a half ago and was worrying about you when I left.  Jeff answered chidingly.

I calculate that taking fifteen minutes to eat, that gave you one hour for dessert.  Gregor said with a suspicious grin.

Hanni is the epitome of the expression eye candy." 

I may be a befuddled old geezer, but I am not so befuddled that I would mistake the signs of you sampling the eye candy.  How serious is it?  Gregor asked growing serious.

Very serious for me, but I am not sure that she sees it that way.  We haven’t really talked that much yet.  Jeff responded opening up more than he had to anyone else because he thought that Gregor as his and Hanni’s boss deserved a straight answer.

Hang in there, she will come around.  This will stay between us of course.  I do not want her knowing that I am aware of this. 

Yes sir.  Of course, and thank you, I appreciate your understanding in the matter. 

Weren’t we talking about you taking a cut in pay?  With fringe benefits like this, you should be paying me to work here.  Gregor said once again taking the conversation to a less serious tone.

Surely you wouldn’t want my reflexes inhibited by my lack of incentive, would you?  Jeff retorted.

Well, I might reduce your fringe benefits and find another assistant.  Gregor observed.

You win.  Jeff half yelled with a mischievous grin as he stepped through the cabin door into the kitchen.

Hanni, Mr. Richter is hungry.  Can you warm something up for him?  Jeff asked as he poked his head into the kitchen.

Of course, come and sit-down Gregor.  Hanna said as she rose.

What time is it Hanni?  Gregor asked.

9am, you are eating later than usual. 

Yes, I didn’t intend to be so long. 

What is on the itinerary for the day?  Hanni asked as she busied herself with the bacon and eggs maneuvering around Jeff who had busied himself with the making of toast.

Shall we have another day of rest and relaxation in paradise? 

Yes, I think so, but call the charter and schedule the pickup for tomorrow afternoon at three.  Gregor answered.

Well sir, what shall we do, fish, hunt, or a forced march over the mountain?  Jeff asked.

We are leaving tomorrow, Jeff, I don’t want to have to clean something I won’t get to enjoy eating.

We do still have plenty of fish in the refrigerator.  Jeff admitted.

I think I will set on the front porch and catch up on some long overdue work.  I find it easier to focus up here and will probably be able to get a weeks’ worth of work done.  Gregor replied.

Why don’t you take Hanni to the falls Jeff?  Gregor continued with a wry grin that he barely managed to hide from Hanni.  I do not believe she has seen them yet.

Jeff Pippin jumped at the chance and Hanni agreed and commented about some needed exercise.

Hanni was a rare find.  She was twenty-seven years old with silver blond hair that fell well past the middle of her back that she kept pulled in a ponytail.  She stood five feet nine inches and was slim and extremely firm.  Hanni was detailed and neat with her work and had been being trained by Jeff for the last two years in hand-to-hand combat.  She had been customized for this job and had excelled in every aspect.  After three years, Gregor was hard pressed to imagine training anyone to replace her. 

Gregor finished his breakfast while Hanni and Jeff cleaned up the kitchen and made sure that he had everything he needed on the front porch.  Hanni then went to change into her exercise togs and Jeff rinsed and loaded Gregor’s breakfast dishes into the dishwasher while Gregor went out and became settled at his desk which consisted of a cherry table and thick leather armchair that were easily moved from his bedroom.  He had the rest of the day to browse some proxy information and make a few phone calls to catch up on recent events.

Jeff and Hanni ran down the path at a gentle lope with Jeff gently leading Hanni down the path that led to the falls.  It was a short run of about a mile and a half and they should be there in ten minutes at this pace.  Hanni appeared to be in relatively good condition, but Jeff wondered if she could maintain this gentle pace for the entire distance.  The path was wide and well maintained considering the remoteness of the Cabin and Jeff had taken the first opportunity to further improve on some of these paths during his frequent idle periods on this trip.  In his several years of service to Mr. Richter, this was the first time that Jeff had seen him take what could only be called a vacation.  Jeff had been to this cabin several times, but it had always been to conduct private meetings that were highly secretive.  Those trips had been quick and fast pace with little to no down time.  Mr. Richter had changed over the last couple of years, he had become reflective and at times had become more prone to forgetting the simple things.  Jeff had seen the signs of the initial stages of Alzheimer’s, and they were difficult to distinguish from the normal signs of old age.  Jeff hoped it was just the effects of age.  Mr. Richter had been good to him.

Hanni was keeping up quite well and they had made better time than Jeff had expected as he rounded a bend in the path and started down the slope that was just shy of being steep.  Jeff looked forward in anticipation of resting on the deep mat of pine needles that surrounded the pool at the foot of the falls and quickened his pace down the incline.  The increased pace brought them to the falls very quickly and Hanni immediately began to strip.  While Jeff had been intimate with Hanni several times, she had always been somewhat modest and had never allowed him to see her nude in full daylight. Jeff was in awe.  The sight of her enormous breasts that were still heaving after the run, the tiny waist in sharp contrast with a six pack of abs that would make any man proud, and the thighs that appeared to be formed of granite momentarily stunned him.  He was so stunned that he was unable to warn her about the temperature of the water before she jumped. 

The falls were a product of the runoff of the melting snowcaps from the surrounding peaks and the water was icy cold.  Hanni slid beneath the surface without a splash and was gone from sight.  Jeff barely had time to let out the deep breath he had taken before she surfaced again gasping for air as her muscles tightened.  Hanni screamed with delight as an expression of the sheer joy, the exhilaration, and the complete freedom she took a deep breath submerged again and swam for shore.  With a heroic effort Jeff stifled the laughter that boiled up from deep within him and helped Hanni out of the water as she surfaced at the bank near his feet.

Why didn’t you warn me?  Hanni screamed as she wrapped her small top around her shoulders and shivered uncontrollably.

I was completely wrapped up in the moment, the sight of you completely stunned me. Jeff replied with a smile and deep affection in his gaze as his eyes locked with hers.

They stood that way for several moments before he broke the spell and wrapped his arms around her and drew her shivering form against him rubbing his hands up and down her back to warm her.  Once her shivering had subsided, Jeff drew a blanket, a bottle of water, and a bottle of oil from his backpack.  He spread the blanket on the thickly padded forest floor. Hanni slowly sat down, stretching easily as she laid back giving Jeff a questioning and mischievous look.  He then opened the oil and began rubbing the circulation into her still cold limbs.

I could have used that blanket about five minutes ago. Hanni said attempting to sound severe and scolding but failing miserably as Jeff continued to rub.

It’s a good thing you didn’t know about it then, isn’t it.  I am rather enjoying this. He replied.

It is very nice.  You continue to amaze me with your resourcefulness.  She said as she really began to relax.

I live to serve. He replied with a wry grin.

Hanni sat up suddenly and stared intently into Jeff’s eyes as if searching for something.

This is a different person than the one I’ve come to know over the last two years Jeff thought.  Then she kissed him and the world as Jeff once knew it was never really the same after that moment.

Gregor watched Jeff and Hanni leave and knew that they would be gone for the rest of the day.  He would be extremely disappointed in Jeff if they came back any sooner.  The rest of the day was his and he quickly completed the small amount of work that he had brought along, made a few brief phone calls, and sat back to relax.  This was something new to Gregor, he could not remember having ever been idle for such an extended period.  He felt more relaxed and focused than he had felt in ten years.  Gregor sat staring out over the lake and began remembering the beginning of this assignment.  Intense studies had been done on the social and political structure of American after WWI and these were drilled into Gregor’s head.  As a military mind he automatically began analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of first the political and then the social structures.  He recalled the words of the Furor when he outlined the objectives of Gregor’s mission. 

I want to see a government crippled by indecision, corruption, graft, and special interest groups, a government that has an unquenchable thirst for power.  You must pervert their government so that the changes that have come about remain permanent so that it continues to turn its attention from its people and stays focused on world opinion.  The key is to corrupt the political machine so that it will only elect impotent leaders who will cower at the thought of taking decisive action or a leader who’s objectives further our goals of taking freedom and responsibility out of the hands of the people and into a centralized power structure that can be manipulated.  Render the government impotent and the military that has thwarted us repeatedly will crumble or become irrelevant.  Take the faith of the people in their government from them and they will despair.  When this has been done, the society that spawned such an atrocity as the United States of America will be open to the perversion and sabotage that will bring an end to their precious democracy. I want you to own their news programs and control what is given to the people.  Use their precious freedom of speech and capitalistic structure to control all of the information that the people hear and see.  Once you have gained control of the news media, you can sway elections and the successfulness of corporations by dictating public opinion.  All people believe what they see and hear, they cannot help it, if you control this you can turn this rebellious and independent people into cattle that can be led to slaughter while telling them all the while that everything is just fine.  I want to attack the foundation of their society, destroy their culture, and make them question their very existence.  I want to see a people full of self-loathing, a people whose souls live a self-imposed and tortured existence. I will have you destroy the foundation of their society by demolishing their family units and corrupting the religion that their country was founded upon.  Turn freedom of speech into an illusion and ensure that the mothers have already left their homes to work in their factories and have abandoned their children, do not return.  I want the women forced or enticed into a whorish lifestyle.  This will pull the fathers that would resist away from the home.  I want the immoral and perverted lifestyle that was in part responsible for the decline of the Greek and Roman empires to take root and flourish in the homes of our enemies.  I want the result to be a society that sees the rampant raping of the children by their fathers.  I want you to transform them into a society who has ministers who intentionally lead their flocks astray, a society who has mothers who view marriage as a disposable commodity that is more of a contractual agreement than a