“THE NEXT MORNING, Lukas called and made an appointment to see the Bishop. It was not easy. The receptionist initially told him that the Bishop was very busy, that he should consult with his parish pastor. ‘Sorry,’ she said, ‘but the Bishop’s schedule is full.’ Lukas dropped his mother’s name and said that the meeting was an emergency. Hearing that, she squeezed him in for a ‘brief meeting’ at the noon hour.
“Frederik’s Church, called the Marble Church by locals, is an impressive structure with a large green dome. It is located in the Frederiksstaden district of Copenhagen, across the street from the royal palaces, and not too far from our home. We left in plenty of time, Grethe, Lukas and I, for we didn’t dare be late. The streets were quiet for a Wednesday morning. If there was a major Nazi operation planned, it was not evident on the streets of Copenhagen. There were scattered groupings of soldiers and smaller pairings of men in long trench coats who I assumed were Gestapo, but Grethe thought I was being paranoid.
“As we passed the canal, I saw Ole Hendricksen standing with a group of his friends. Lukas saw him too. ‘That’s the rat who betrayed us to the Gestapo the day I got shot in the legs,’ Lukas said. ‘Knud saw him too, clear as day, standing with them and pointing us out.’”
Emma looks at Catherine. “Direct identification. Betrayer, informer, collaborator.”
Catherine nods. “Right. All we would need is Lukas.”
Britta continues. “As we approached the church, I heard someone yell from behind, ‘That’s him. That’s Lukas Holstrum. He’s right there in the wheelchair.’
“I turned around to see Hendricksen with a group of men, the ones I supposed were Gestapo. They came over and stopped us. One of them said, ‘Papers, please.’
“‘We don’t have any papers,’ Lukas said. ‘This isn’t Germany. We don’t need papers here.’
“‘Are you Lukas Holstrum?’ he said. Lukas said that he was. ‘Then you are to come with us. We have questions. Come along.’
“Grethe protested, ‘You can’t arrest him for no reason. You’re not the Copenhagen police. This isn’t Germany; you have no authority here.’
“The man snickered and said, ‘Well, that’s where you’re wrong. Germany has declared martial law. Now come along, Lukas Holstrum.’
“Where I got the nerve, I don’t know,” Britta says, “but I spoke up. ‘You can’t take him, he has an appointment with the Bishop of Copenhagen. That’s where we are headed right now.’
“‘She’s right,’ Grethe said. ‘If you make him miss his meeting, there will be questions asked. One doesn’t just fail to appear for a scheduled appointment with the Bishop of Copenhagen. He will want to know why we didn’t make our appointment and we will have to tell him that you arrested us for no reason. The Bishop will want to know why you interfered in church business. There’s no doubt that you will have to answer to him. This will probably create quite an incident.’
“‘It’s true,’ Lukas said, ‘if you don’t believe us, just come to the church and see for yourself.’
“The second man pulled on his partner’s sleeve and whispered something to him. It was enough to change his mind. ‘You can go for now. We will talk later. Perhaps when your meeting with the Bishop is finished.’”
Catherine asks, “Was Ole there the entire time?”
Britta tips her head. “I think so, but I can’t say for sure. I know he’s the one who pointed us out to the Gestapo. I saw him and I heard him yell.”
Emma pumps a fist. “That’s not hearsay; that’s eyewitness testimony.”
Catherine agrees. “Yes, it is. Though it may be inconsequential, Ole is clearly an informer. It’s just her word against his, but it will get us to the jury. There will be no default judgment, and she’ll get to tell her story.”
A beatific smile settles on Britta’s face. “Sweet music,” she says. “And more to come.”
The nurse enters the room to check Britta’s vitals and at her stern suggestion, the group decides to take a break.
“DR. HANS FUGLSANG-DAMGAARD, Bishop of the Church of Denmark, rose to greet us as we were shown into his office,” Britta says after the break. She has had a cup of coffee and is raring to go. “He was majestic in his appearance.
“‘Thank you for seeing us on short notice,’ Lukas said. ‘My mother sends her regards.’
“‘And how is Joanne?’
“Lukas nodded. ‘She is well. Thank you for asking.’
“‘Tell her I wish her the best. I will try to find time to visit her. Now, what is the emergency that brings you young people to see me this morning?’
“‘Your Eminence, we have just learned some shocking news and I don’t know whether you’ve heard about it yourself.’
“The Bishop smiled. ‘Well, I haven’t really heard anything shocking today, but maybe you can tell me.’
“Lukas’s face was dead serious, and the Bishop took note. ‘It’s not just shocking, it’s unbelievable, but given the times, I’m afraid it’s true. The German administration, through Dr. Best, has plans to arrest every single Jewish person in Denmark and transport them all to a concentration camp.’
“The Bishop raises a skeptical left eyebrow. It is obvious he finds this proposition to be incredible. He shakes his head. ‘That would be a violation of every agreement we have with Germany. I’m afraid it sounds preposterous.’
“‘I beg your pardon, Your Eminence, but is the present state of martial law preposterous? Is a dissolved Folketing preposterous? Are thousands of Nazi soldiers and Gestapo men in our streets preposterous? This illegal roundup is set to happen over the next two days!’
“‘How do you come by this information, Lukas?’
“Lukas hesitated. He would have to breach a confidence. He looked to Grethe and she nodded. He had no choice. ‘Georg Duckwitz told us last night. He went to Berlin to try to convince Hitler to cancel the decree, but Hitler refused.’
“‘Georg told you that?’
“‘Yes, sir. Mr. Duckwitz just returned from Sweden where he sought the assistance of the Swedish government. Joseph Morgenstern, Hans Hedtoft and the three of us all heard him last night. He was in our living room. And he told us to get the word out. People should be warned. I told him I would try to talk to you, that you could get the word out better than anyone.’
“The Bishop was stunned. ‘This is planned for tomorrow, you say?’
“‘The mass arrests are to commence over the next two days,’ Grethe said. ‘They are the two days of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish celebration of the New Year. Best knows that all Jews are likely to be at home with their families or at the synagogue.’
“The Bishop rose from his seat. ‘I will do what I can,’ he said. ‘Thank you for telling me.’
“‘One more thing,’ Lukas said. ‘Mr. Duckwitz is taking a big risk. He asked that we keep his identity a secret.’
“‘Understood.’
“WE ARRIVED HOME a little after three p.m. ‘How did it go with the Bishop?’ my father asked. We shrugged our shoulders. ‘He said he would do what he could, whatever that means. He didn’t believe us at first. Then Lukas told him that the information came from Georg.’
“‘Oh, Grethe, we swore not to divulge his identity.’
“‘I know, but he wasn’t going to believe us. We told him that Georg’s identity was a secret. What happened with the rabbi and Mr. Henriques?’
“‘They were shocked as well. The rabbi will make an announcement at services tonight, although he doesn’t really know what to tell people. What guidance can he offer? He said he would pray for an answer.’ Then my father motioned for Grethe, Lukas and me to come closer. ‘I’ve decided we’re going to make a run for it. Where and how, I do not know, but we will not be here tomorrow when the Gestapo comes. I want you to gather essentials, whatever you can easily carry, keeping in mind we have a baby.’
“My mother walked into the room. She looked beautiful. She had on her black brocade dress, her hair was up and styled, her makeup was expertly applied. Her strand of pearls sat perfectly around her neck. My eyes opened wide. ‘I thought Papa said…’
“‘I have dressed for services,’ she said, ‘as did my mother before me, as did her mother before her. No Nazi is going to change that. Services begin at sundown and we will be walking. I suggest you go get ready.’ And I did, and I was proud to do so.