The next day at work Sabine returned from her lunch break to see Frau Klausen’s station empty. Since Kriminalkommissar Becker’s brilliant plan to have her move in with the suspect, the older woman had closed up and stopped talking to Sabine altogether. After getting up this morning it had been like walking on eggshells, the fragile tension inside the apartment about to explode at any moment.
Why, she had no idea. Maybe Frau Klausen really was a devious traitor and had somehow gotten a whiff of Sabine’s new job as a Gestapo informer.
Caught between a potentially dangerous organization of subversives and the Gestapo holding her husband hostage, Sabine wanted to scream. Obviously she couldn’t do so at work, even when the notion of having a nervous breakdown followed by amnesia definitely held some merit.
She’d never wanted to get involved, let alone be drawn into the middle of a muddled conspiracy. Deep in thought, she finished assembling another batch of standard-issue Karabiner rifles and jumped at the voice of her superior.
“Frau Mahler, this is your new coworker, Fräulein Schenk.”
She glanced up with confusion, noticing a rather young girl, barely of age, standing beside Herr Meier. A sliver of hope appeared on the horizon. If Frau Klausen had been arrested or was dead… With bated breath Sabine asked, “What happened to Frau Klausen?”
“She asked to be transferred to another department, where she didn’t have to stand all day. Given her age, I granted her request.”
Anger and relief fought for dominance. Somehow she needed to squeeze compromising information out of that lady, preferably in an inconspicuous manner. Maybe not having to work together would actually help?
While teaching yet another new employee the way of things, Sabine spent most of the day coming up with ways to gain Frau Klausen’s confidence, but by the time she clocked out and headed to her new home, she still had no idea what to do.
She hated herself for ceding Becker so much control over her, but then, she couldn’t simply walk away and let her husband rot in hell. And the Gestapo thug used such intimate knowledge to his advantage. Sabine had officially become a spy, just like Lily.
The urge to spit on the street nearly got the better of her, but she remained in control, plastering a ladylike smile on her face and feeling for her immaculate hairdo. No, appearances had to be kept up by any means. She wouldn’t give anyone the satisfaction of seeing her break down.
Still, the lying, cheating and deceiving weighed heavily on her chest, even as she comforted herself with the knowledge that she didn’t share her body with random men the way Lily did. A chill shook her shoulders. What would she do if Becker demanded that she be unfaithful to her husband? Would she acquiesce in order to save Werner? Could she?
The tremble ran all across her body and she wrapped the woolen scarf tighter around her shoulders, although she knew the chill wasn’t caused by the icy wind. She shoved the distressing thoughts aside and started counting. Counting always helped her to calm down.
When she arrived in front of the building, the nosy neighbor, Frau Weber, appeared out of nowhere. “Good evening. Frau Mahler it is, right?”
“Yes, and you must be Frau Weber.”
The older woman nodded. “So, you’ve moved in with the Klausens. Last year, there were strange things going on in their apartment. I could have sworn I heard a male voice. Frau Klausen was with her sister for a while, and the two girls Ursula and Anna shamelessly exploited her absence.”
They reached the third floor and Sabine feebly protested, “Frau Weber…I…”
But Frau Weber wouldn’t be stopped in her torrent of gossip. “Can you imagine that I had to call on the police? I was so worried about the safety of the people living here.” Frau Weber pressed a hand to her bosom. “…And now Ursula is pregnant. Don’t you think it strange that she became pregnant right after those mysterious things happened? And she won’t tell…”
Sabine had heard enough. The reason why Frau Klausen had insisted they both pretend they’d never seen each other before was becoming clear as crystal. “Frau Weber, with all due respect, but I’m not interested in your gossip about the people friendly enough to lodge me after my own house was bombed. I like to tend to my own business. Good evening.” She opened the apartment door with her key and left the stupefied woman standing on the landing. Once inside, she almost bumped into Ursula, walking out of the kitchen.
“Don’t get all fussed up over her,” Ursula said and after a glance on Sabine’s clueless face added, “Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear the fit you threw with our neighbor, Frau Weber. She’s one of the worst gossip-blabbers I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet.”
“Aww…thanks.” Sabine wondered how much of the gossip was true. Not that she meant to stick her nose into others’ affairs, but now the missing husband and the side blow about the decent household made sense.
“Would you like a cup of tea?” Ursula asked her.
“Yes, please.” Sabine removed her coat, hanging it on the coat tree before joining Ursula in the kitchen.
“It’s funny, isn’t it, that you and my mother work in the same factory but have never met each other before?” Ursula asked as she handed Sabine a full cup of tea.
Sabine gasped and almost spilled the hot liquid across her hand. “It is, isn’t it? Your mother works in a different department, though.”
Ursula didn’t reply, but flopped with a heavy sigh onto the chair opposite Sabine’s. At least her bulging stomach was now out of sight and Sabine didn’t have to swallow down the painful memories that assailed her every time she saw a pregnant woman.
“I’ll be glad when I can finally quit my job. The work at the prison is so tiresome,” Ursula said, leaning back to massage her stomach.
Sabine knew she should stop watching, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the happy woman across from her, smiling as she laid a hand on her bump. It hurt so much. Just being in Ursula’s presence ripped the fragile scars on her soul apart, opening up the old wound. After her second miscarriage two years ago, she hadn’t been able to conceive another baby.
“I should lie down; I’m feeling unwell,” Sabine lied and fled into the safety of her room, whishing Werner were there to soothe her and hold her close.
She missed him terribly, and if today were any indication of the success of her spying activities, then she’d never see him again. The unfairness of life tugged at every cell until the tears escaped and she sobbed herself to sleep.