“I’m hungry, too. Let’s go to my hotel and eat in the café.”

  “You’re staying in a hotel?”

  “I live there. The Hotel Paris.”

  Another independent woman with money. He’d agree to go to the café and nothing more at this time. His earlier resolve to have an affair with her, if that’s what it took to obtain information, was fading away.

  “After we eat, I’ll show you my room. It has a lovely view of the river. Have you ever been there?”

  “The café? It’s been a while.”

  “You’ll love it again.”

  Maybe if they tarried long enough, he could use the curfew as an excuse to come home before going to her room. He took a shower and changed clothes in the bathroom with the door locked. Then they went down the stairs. “These stairs need to be repaired,” she said. “Aren’t you afraid they’re going to fall down with you?”

  “I’m no carpenter, and the landlady has little money to hire one. I suppose I could try to fix them, but I’m busy most of the time.”

  They walked to the hotel and entered the café. There were several Germans and a few well-dressed Czechs present. “I think they have smoked salmon this evening,” Maria said.

  They had just finished ordering when the headwaiter approached. “There’s a phone call for you at the desk, Mrs. Dvorakova.”

  She disappeared for a time and then returned. Her face was pale. “I have to leave. Something has come up. I’ll come by your office tomorrow.” She picked up her purse and left.

  Anton chuckled to himself. Saved for the time being. He waited for the food and ate both platefuls. He wished he could take one to Tereza, but it was nearing curfew, and he didn’t know how he would have gotten it out of the restaurant even if it hadn’t been.

  #

  He got to the office early the next morning. It was time to get some work done. He’d barely gotten started when Martina informed him that a Mr. Dvorak was there to see him. He thought he’d seen the last of Mr. Dvorak when he went to his house to discuss his son’s will, and the older man had refused to budge an inch. Anton went to the front. “Good morning, Mr. Dvorak. Come back to my office. Have a seat, sir. What can I do for you today?”

  “I don’t know if you’ve heard the news, but our daughter-in-law’s body was found in the river today.”

  “Maria Dvorakova?”

  “Yes, I’m sorry to say. My wife and I have been talking it over, and we made a decision to buy my brother’s estate for the price she was asking just to keep it in the family. I called her last night with this news, and ask her to come to our house. When she arrived she seemed very distraught.”

  “I saw her yesterday afternoon, and she seemed fine.”

  “I don’t know what happened between the time you saw her and her arrival at our house. Anyway, she had her own will with her, and she said she wanted me to keep it. She named me executor, and left everything to my wife and me.”

  Anton didn’t know whether to believe him or not. “And now she’s dead.”

  “Yes. She said she knew my son would have wanted it that way, for us to have everything. She’s estranged from her own family. Or was, that is.”

  Had this miserable war turned everyone into savages, and caused the old man and his wife to force Maria to sign the will and then have her killed? The soft-spoken man sitting across the desk from him just didn’t fit the part. Maybe Hans Schiller had a problem with her and arranged for her to end up in the river, or murdered her himself. Anton felt guilty about it, but he felt a wave of relief that she wouldn’t be trying to seduce him any longer. “I’m really baffled about this. What are the police saying?”

  “They’re calling it a suicide. They came to us early this morning. They said someone saw her jump, and it took them a few hours to recover the body.”

  “Who reported seeing her jump?”

  “It was a German soldier. Anyway, I brought her will in, and I wonder if you would take care of this for us. My wife and I are eager to get all this behind us. I just hope our previous actions didn’t cause the poor girl to take her life.”

  “It must have been something else,” Anton said. “As I said, she seemed fine when I saw her. I’ll take care of probating the will for you.”

  “Would you like a check now?”

  “No, when I’m through will be fine. I’ll send you a bill. I still have your address in my files from when Maria asked me to contact you.”

  He showed Mr. Dvorak out and returned to his desk. After reading through the will, he took out the Dvorak file and compared the signature to the one on the slip of paper where Maria had given him information on her in-laws. The signatures appeared to be the same.

  #

  He watched the paper for the notice of her funeral. When the day came, he left the office early and walked to the Church of St. Nicholas in Mala Strana, the same church where he had picked up the Martineks. The elderly Dvoraks were there among a small group of mourners. He walked to the front where the closed casket was covered with a spray of white gladiolas.

  He stood for a moment with his hat in his hands, pondering the circumstances of her death. When he turned to take a seat he saw, in a far shadowy corner, his contact. That explained a lot. Maria must have been one of them. He pretended not to know or notice the man but took a seat in the middle of the church near the Dvoraks. At least she had a family of sorts there. He wondered if her own family even knew of her death. Mr. Dvorak must have taken care of the funeral and burial.

  He’d never know whether she was picked up, tortured, and then tossed in the river, or whether she’d jumped. He imagined that if someone were picked up, they’d be kept for far longer than overnight to extract every bit of information from them. Maybe she jumped because she knew she had been exposed and was about to be taken in for questioning. He walked back to the office haunted by thoughts of how precarious life had become.

  CHAPTER TWENTY- ONE

  Tereza went to the cart room and checked the rag box. The camera was gone, just as she’d expected, and the cyanide capsule was there. She started cleaning the offices, thinking that if she cleaned the supply room last, Will might be more likely to be out doing other errands. However, she met him in the hallway after doing the second office.

  “You ran away from me Sunday. Why did you do that?”

  “Because you told me we’d meet in the theater, and then we’d go our separate ways. Then you started following me. You didn’t keep your word, so now I know I can’t trust you.”

  He was beginning to look like a petulant child. “I only want to be with you. You’re making life miserable for me.”

  She looked at his cart. It contained only one item, a wooden box. “What’s in the box?”

  “Don’t even ask about it. It’s hush-hush.” He was smiling again, proud to be part of something important.

  She could see that the box had the numbers 7668 stamped on the front. “If it’s so hush-hush, why are you wheeling it around in the cart?”

  “It has to go for repairs.”

  “You’re going to repair it?” She knew he wasn’t, but hoped for more information.

  It wasn’t forthcoming. “No, but enough about the machine. When are you going to the movie with me again? Sunday afternoons are nice, and then afterwards I could meet you at your apartment if you don’t want to walk with me there.”

  “I don’t trust you, Will. You told me one thing about last Sunday and did something else. I’m not going with you, period!”

  He was pouting again. “I could make life very difficult for you here, you know.”

  “And I could make life difficult for you, too,” she said, hoping he’d think she was implying that she had a connection with a higher-up who would deal with him. She turned and walked away, hoping she’d called his bluff and that he wouldn’t be accusing her of stealing or spying. She felt sure he wouldn’t accuse her until he was positive she wouldn’t go out with him any more. And maybe if he thought she was involved with an officer, he wouldn’t harass her any more.

  She wondered what the machine was that she saw on his cart. It must be something plenty special, if Will called it hush-hush. She doubted she’d ever be able to get her hands on it, but she’d let Anton know she’d seen it. Maybe he’d know what it was, and maybe he should report its presence at the palace.

  She went outside at noon to shake out her duster and sit on a bench and eat the bread and cheese she’d brought for lunch. If ever she had to make a quick escape, she might be able to scale the wall surrounding the patio. The wall was six feet high and made of solid brick, but in one corner, a few bricks were chipped. Possibly there was a chance for a foothold. If she made it to the top, she could drop to the ground among the trees on the other side. She hoped that day would never come.

  She finished her food and wished she could spend the afternoon outside. Since it wasn’t possible, she started to go inside when Will came through the door. “I’m sorry about our argument earlier. I hope you’ll forgive me. I love you, you know.”

  “Will, please. The situation is hopeless between us.”

  “I see soldiers on the streets with Czech girls when I go out in the evenings. What’s so wrong about it?”

  “Do you know what’s going to happen to those girls when the war’s over?”

  “We’re going to win. Nothing will happen to them. They’ll be part of the ruling class here, and you would too if you’d only listen to reason.”

  So he thought the Germans were going to win. Of course he did—he was one of them. She wished for an easy solution, but she knew there wasn’t going to be one. Maybe she should go to bed with him on Sundays after a movie, and that would keep him quiet. Her revulsion at the thought let her know that wasn’t going to work. She felt immense gratitude that at that moment Olga came through the door.

  “Where have you been, Tereza? I’ve been looking all over for you. Colonel Schwann wants to see you upstairs.”

  “I’m sorry. I was just shaking my duster and having lunch. I’ll go up right away.”

  The look on Will’s face could best be described as stricken. Tereza found herself feeling sorry for him again. She knew what was going through his mind. She put the duster back on her cart and went upstairs to Schwann’s office. She waited for the woman typing at a desk in the outer office to notice her. The woman looked at her through thick glasses. Her hair was drawn back in a tight knot. “Yes?”

  “I was asked to report to Colonel Schwann.”

  “Have a seat.”

  Tereza sat on one of a row of chairs at the side of the room. Would she be asked to work in this room? It was bright and airy, with windows on two sides. A table sat by the windows. Maybe she’d be asked to sit there and interpret documents. At least she’d be able to look outside. The woman disappeared for a few minutes, and then she returned and went back to her typing. A half hour passed, and Tereza sat there, doing nothing. Then Schwann appeared. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting. I was on a long distance phone call. Come in.”

  She went into his office. “Have a seat. Would you like coffee?”

  “Yes, please.” Some real coffee would be a treat. Maybe there would be food, too.

  He buzzed the lady in the outer office, whom Tereza assumed was his secretary. “Bring us coffee, Miss Bauer, and some of those pastries left over from the meeting.”

  He was looking at her now, all smiling charm. “I’ve put in a request to have you transferred to my office. We have an abundance of translation that needs to be done and a shortage of personnel to do it. You’d fit in perfectly here. Your talents are wasted on the cleaning staff.”

  “What sort of translation would it involve?”

  “The Allies are constantly putting out propaganda to stir up the people. They drop it from the sky, mostly. We need it translated into German in the most correct way in order to know how to refute this misinformation. You may have noticed a stack of papers on the table in the outer room. That’s the amount that’s accumulated since we last had someone who could do the job for us.” Miss Bauer interrupted with a tray loaded with a coffee service and a plateful of pastry.

  “Would you pour the coffee, my dear?” he said.

  “Certainly.” Tereza poured for both of them. “Would you care for sugar or cream?”

  “No thanks. I take mine black. Help yourself to a pastry. I’ve had some already in the meeting.”

  Tereza enjoyed the fragrance of the coffee just as much as the taste. She ate one pastry and helped herself to another. Schwann was smiling, as if he understood how much she was enjoying the food. “I’ll get Miss Bauer to bring a bag, and I want you to take the rest of these home with you.”

  Anton would be thrilled. At least six of the large pastries remained on the plate. They’d have enough for supper and breakfast, too. She finished the second pastry and sipped her coffee. “When will I be transferred to your office?”

  “On Monday. The paperwork will be complete by then. Until then, you’ll need to continue with your cleaning job.”

  She thought that she probably wouldn’t have much chance to collect intelligence in this office unless she could overhear Schwann’s telephone conversations. She noticed his door was closed while he talked as she waited in the outer office. Her camera and cyanide capsule would have to be removed from the cleaning cart, and it would be impossible for her to have the camera here in Schwann’s office. Maybe she could conceal the capsule in her bra.

  Another drawback to the change was that Miss Bauer didn’t like her; she’d sensed that from the moment she walked in. Miss Bauer probably didn’t like anybody, but Tereza didn’t want any enemies among the Nazis, not even a secretary. On the other hand, she’d be away from Will unless he delivered supplies here.

  “I’ll report for my cleaning job as usual for the rest of the week.” She couldn’t help noticing he had a couch in his office. It appeared to be of an olive green velvet fabric with lush velvet pillows in red and beige stacked on the ends. She finished her coffee as Miss Bauer came in and bagged up the pastries without a word.

  She took the bag and went back to her cleaning cart. Would she be able to take the food out when they searched her? She hadn’t thought of that when Schwann offered it; she’d only thought of how nice it would be to have it. If the search officer wouldn’t let her take it out, she’d have to leave it.

  She saw Will only once as she finished the cleaning. He walked past her with his head down and didn’t say anything. She hoped he wouldn’t be trouble. When she got to the search line, Natalie was there. “I hear you’re going to be working upstairs.” She didn’t appear happy about it.

  Tereza laughed. “How did you hear that so fast? I just found out myself.”

  “I have my sources. I didn’t know you spoke German.”

  “I grew up in the Sudetenland. My mother was of German descent.”

  “How did you end up in Prague?”

  “I was hoping for a job as translator, and now it looks like that’s going to happen.” Just stick to the cover story.

  “Good luck up there.”

  Tereza couldn’t help feeling there was some envy behind her words, or was it concern that one of their own would soon be involved with a Nazi officer. “Thank you. I appreciate your good wishes.”

  “What’s in the bag?”

  “Some pastries they gave me in the office upstairs. They were left over from a meeting. Would you like one?”

  Natalie looked as if she knew “they” didn’t give Tereza the pastries, the colonel did. “Yes, I’ll take one and eat it right now, because I don’t think you’ll be able to leave with those.”

  “We’ll see.” She opened the bag and Natalie took one. “I’ll get ahead of you in line so you can have time to eat that before you go in.”

  Natalie brightened a little. “Thank you.”

  Tereza went into the search office, and the first thing the officer asked was, “What’s in the bag?”

  “Pastries that Colonel Schwann gave me. He said I could take them home.”

  “Okay, put them down over there for now.” She searched Tereza thoroughly, and then picked up the bag and dug through the pastries to make sure nothing suspicious was hidden there. She handed the bag to Tereza.

  The search officer’s hands had touched everyone who had been cleaning all day, and they couldn’t have been very clean, but Tereza didn’t care. Food was too scarce to worry about such things. She wouldn’t tell Anton; she didn’t want to take away from the surprise.

  She put the linen tablecloth on the table when she got home. She had bought needles and thread at the grocery store where she shopped, and she had mended a tear where the lace edge had separated from the linen. She put the pastries on a plate and set it in the middle of the table. She wished for a candle, but she hadn’t seen any since arriving in Czechoslovakia.

  Anton arrived shortly with a dish of potatoes that had a small bit of something in them that looked like ham. He saw the pastries on the plate. “Where did you get those?”

  “I have news. Actually, I have two bits of news. Let me start with this. Will had something on a cart in a wooden box. He said it was hush-hush, and he was taking it for repairs. I couldn’t get him to tell me what it was.”

  “How big was it?”

  She extended her arms. “About this long, this wide, and this high.”

  “Were there any markings on it?”

  “The numbers 7668 were stamped on the front. That was all. I don’t know if it’s important, but I thought you should know.”

  “Definitely. What’s your other bit of news?”

  “I was called upstairs today by an officer, Colonel Schwann. He said I’m to be transferred to his office starting Monday. I’ll be translating propaganda documents from Czech into German. It will get me away from Will, but I don’t think I’ll have much chance to collect information. Unless I can overhear the officer’s phone conversations, but that doesn’t seem likely. He kept me waiting for a half hour while he was on the phone, and his door was closed the entire time.”

 

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