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that the unique characteristic of Spangler’s letter-messages to Gusen was that no dates for escape were ever provided. Secret messages usually came in series. After the prisoner was selected and the escape plan was given, the second-to-last message would establish either a final signal or a secondary and final signal. The last message would be the ‘ready’ warning. From that point on, the Weeping Nuns would have to have the prisoner ready for transport at any time. They would have to wait for the final signals, but they never knew when they would come. In some cases they waited up to two weeks.
    â€œIn Vetter’s situation two ready signals were employed. The first was a telephone call to the guardhouse stating that an incoming delivery truck had crashed nearby. A Weeping Nun prisoner who kept the guardhouse telephone logbook alerted his associates. Vetter was taken to the west fence to wait for the final signal, the second of two power failures.”
    Sadarski glanced over at the alarm clock. Three and a half minutes were left. “SD-Ausland was trying to establish that the Oranienburg and Gusen messages were similar in three respects: the date for escape was never given, a final-ready signal system was used, and the sender was never identified in the message text. Since the Gusen letter-message was known to have come from Spangler, they concluded that the crossword-puzzle messages had also come from him.”
    Sadarski swung the drill to the side. The chisel began its final scraping. “Two of the Weeping Nun witnesses did know of other organizations working on the no-date, no-identification, final-ready system. One witness remembered a group called the Rag Man who used this pattern in their communication with a secret prisoner society at Dachau. The messages had been conveyed in crossword puzzles. The second Weeping Nun claimed she remembered the crossword puzzle bearing no-date, no-identification, final-alert messages employed by the Tan Man when she was imprisoned at Mauthausen.”
    Sadarski made a final probe of the cavtiy. “SD-Ausland produced three more witnesses and five depositions. Both testimony and statements came from former Weeping Nuns now at other camps. All verified that the crossword-puzzle-type messages were the trademark of either the Tan Man or the Rag Man. According to the revised German dossier on Spangler, both Rag Man and Tan Man are among his known aliases.”
    The chisel was used for one final ridge. “According to Goliath, the SD-Ausland seems to have convinced the council that Spangler is coming after Hilka Tolan, but they are meeting resistance from the Gestapo. The Gestapo apparently cannot risk the humiliation of another organization solving in two months what they failed with for over a year. The Gestapo is trying everything they can to block the Council’s approval of the SD-Ausland capture plan—the Webber Proposition.”
    â€œWill they be able to?”
    â€œIt depends on this morning’s meeting. If SD-Ausland can establish what day Spangler will be coming for the Tolan girl, then no, there’s nothing the Gestapo can do but join in on the trap.”
    Sadarski began mixing the silver-amalgam filling. The alarm clock rang. “I am afraid there is not enough time left to close up the tooth,” he said.
    â€œLeave it as it is.”
    â€œIt will be very painful, especially in this cold. You have a long way to travel before you reach our lines.”
    â€œThen pull it.”
    Sadarski sighed, picked up his forceps and extracted the molar. A moment later the buzzer sounded. All the dentists stopped work.
    â€œGet word to Goliath,” the patient said, spitting blood. “Say that I want an immediate meeting. Go by Situation Three. Also, get me a copy of that dossier.”
    Comrade General Kuprov rose to his feet, fell in line with the fifteen other patients and marched from the room.

4
    The Council looked up to