Page 35 of The Last Safe Place

Michaela had to laugh. “You can say that again. Try to be patient. Herr Lange speaks of his contacts in the Abwehr in thehighest terms and is always saying that Operation Seven is more than just a job to them. They’re doing this out of a deep inner conviction. That’s why I hold on to the hope that it will work.”

“Lieutenant Hesse is quite handsome, don’t you think?”

“Have you taken a shine to him?”

Caught off guard, Leonore winced. “Maybe a little.”

“A relationship with him is completely out of the question.” Michaela shook her head. Relationships between an Aryan and a Jew were now called racial defilement by the Nazis and both the Jewish and the Aryan partner were punished with harsh sanctions. Her grief over Dieter hit her suddenly with such force that she felt dizzy. She stopped and leaned forward, waiting for the spinning in her head to stop.

“Are you not feeling well? Do you want to sit down?” Leonore looked at her in dismay.

“No, I’ll be all right. It’s just…” Michaela shrugged helplessly. She didn’t want to talk about Dieter, or she would burst into tears on the spot. They had been together for so many years, had weathered good and bad times together, had always been there for one another, and now he was no longer there for her.

Even though she had shouldered most of the burden in recent years due to his illness, she missed his silent encouragement. The way he had filled her with renewed confidence and energy with a loving look, or the caress of his thumb against the back of her hand. Even during his final days, she always felt his support, that she could rely on him, that his love for her would never end.

Defiantly, Michaela wiped a tear from her cheek. “It’s just that things have been getting too much for me lately.”

“You’re not pregnant, are you?” Leonore looked at her friend with eyes narrowed.

“Definitely not.” Dieter had been too weak for that for several months.

“Phew. That’s lucky.” Leonore’s hand flew to her mouth. “Don’t get me wrong, but the coming years in exile will be hard enough without a baby to think of.”

“You’re right.” The thought of their imminent escape to Switzerland drove away the overwhelming grief and a gentle smile crept onto Michaela’s lips. “Which brings us back to Lieutenant Hesse. A dalliance with him would put Operation Seven in jeopardy if it came out.”

Leonore rolled her eyes. “I’m not stupid. But a girl’s allowed to dream.”

“As long as it remains a dream. Lieutenant Hesse is our ticket to freedom. You can’t even risk a flutter of the eyelashes. Everything has to appear above board.”

“Just like our stay here.” Leonore giggled. “Did you see how Herr Lange’s face almost froze with disapproval? When he had to compose a radio message, he stared at the radio as if it were alive.”

“Yes. He’s taking it very seriously that we will only be pretending to be agents.” His behavior had caused Michaela plenty of concern. “If he doesn’t pull himself together, this whole charade might fall apart because of his distaste at our training.”

“Well, I think it’s phenomenal.”

“Herr Lange’s attitude?” Michaela frowned.

“Of course not. The spy training. We’re learning so many exciting things here. Invisible ink, microfilm, forgery… who knows when it might come in handy?”

Michaela could almost see the wheels turning in Leonore’s mind. “Keep well away from it,” she warned. “At least for as long as we’re trapped in Germany.”

“Understood, Frau General!” Leonore stood stiff and upright, holding her free left hand to her forehead. She was truly impossible.

As much as Michaela liked her, she wished Leo would take the operation more seriously. This wasn’t an adventure; it was literally a flight for their lives.

18

JUNE 1942

Bernd sat at his desk, tugging at his hair. Nothing had worked. Neither changing the contact person for meetings with the Gestapo, nor Major General Oster’s intervention with Müller, the head of the Gestapo, not even a personal conversation between Admiral Canaris and Heinrich Himmler himself.

Time and again, Knut had visited Kriminalassistent Becker to obtain the required exit permits for their purported agents – without success. He had carried papers to and fro, asked, begged, and threatened, yet nothing had helped. He was beginning to get worried.

Even the instructor’s final certificate at the Quenzgut, stating the agents had been excellent students and were well-versed in every conceivable intelligence technique had been of no use. Robert had unreservedly recommended all four for deployment, making special mention of Nellie’s quick mind and inventiveness.

Dohnanyi hurried in. “Urgent meeting in ten minutes.”

Bernd raised his head in surprise, as there was nothing in his diary. “Problems?”