“Some experts say the later a baby’s teeth come the more likely they are to last longer. They’ll thank you one day that they don’t need false teeth.”
“I’ll make sure they floss.”
“You’re missing them, aren’t you?” Helen said.
“Yes. I havn’t much time to do so but I do. They are so adorable and I love teaching them things. Are you glad to be pregnant?”
“Over the moon and Johann thinks he’s very clever.”
“So did Daniel,” Shirley said.
“Do you want more children?”
“Maybe one day. If we hadn’t had twins I would have gone for another baby quite soon but Samuel and Michael have each other so they’re not lonely. They play together beautifully.”
They chatted easily for about twenty minutes before returning to the computer to study the pictures and found quite a few things which included another page. It was obviously done by an artist, Helen said, maybe Mrs Nagel? But none of the pictures led to anything specific except that they knew the president would speak from the Reichstag at just after midnight on the third. But maybe there would be trouble at the other places that were pinpointed, Shirley suggested.
“We can warn Johann and Daniel about that,” Helen replied. “Have you shown Daniel what you’ve found yet?”
“I only discovered some of it early this morning,” Shirley replied. “He was asleep when I came out.”
“And for some reason you don’t want to show him and you’re a bit upset.”
“My eyes ….,” Shirley began.
“I know, darling, but it wasn’t the computer which caused that. Can you share it? I won’t tell anyone if you prefer me not to do so.”
“I think it was seeing Joshua’s photograph,” Shirley replied. “It brought it back very vividly. I didn’t love him but I was very upset at the time and particularly because I felt it was my fault. If I had kept my mouth shut he wouldn’t have been in a place where he could have been shot.”
But Helen did not feel it was that, she thought after Shirley left an hour later, and Helen didn’t know how to glean further information. Or did she? She had access to a lot of information and Johann had files on computer discs which she knew he had with him. She went for the box where she knew he kept them and it was locked. Fetching a hairpin she fiddled with the lock for a while and was relieved when it opened.
So what should she look up first, she thought. Maybe the people who were listed on the page on Shirley’s computer. She typed in the URL of the first page and did what Shirley had done. Probably Shirley thought Helen had not noticed but as a doctor she was used to being observant. She accessed the page with Joshua’s photograph on it and sat looking at it.
Why Joshua? All the other people on the page, which included Lord Drummond, Nagel, Loesel and Brandt, were on the page but they were still alive. Was Joshua there because they were the five who formed the Chain Quintet? The other people were Gros, Schmidt and the chief of Intelligence in East Berlin before the regime toppled, Schneider. Helen turned to the computer to put her cursor on each person in case something else came up but nothing did.
So what about the buildings on the site? Only the Reichstag had any association with what would happen on the third. Except that there had to be some association. Helen turned from the computer and began to go through Johann’s files. As she did so she heard the key go in the lock. She stiffened as her hand slid over to a gun she had behind a cushion.
“It’s me, honey. Operation vendetta.” Johann walked in, sat beside Helen and looked at the files.
“I locked them up,” he said.
“So?”
He patted her thigh before opening a brown packet. “Egg Macmuffin. Do you want one?”
“I just had breakfast with Shirley,” she replied, taking one as he held it out. “I’ll put on weight.”
“You need to eat for two. What have you and Shirley been doing?”
“Looking at the sites she found.”
“Did Daniel know she was here?”
“He was asleep when she left.”
“So was she going back to him?”
“I don’t know. She didn’t say,” Helen said.
“And you didn’t ask?”
“No, I didn’t ask. Stop grilling me and look at these sites. I think the person who did them or the people were the ones who did the microtape which helped nail Joshua and Nagel though others could have been involved. Did you get anymore out of Schmidt?”
“No. I had a meeting with the other blokes but they say they don’t know much. I very cleverly got them to think they’re part of what we’re doing.”
“Very cleverly,” Helen repeated.
“Very cleverly. Don’t you think I’m clever?”
“I think you’re devious. Concentrate, my darling, and let’s see if we can find anything. I’ll show you what Shirley and I found but we couldn’t come to any concrete conclusions.”
“It’s a pity we can’t put a tracker of some kind on Shirley,” Johann said. “I’m a bit frightened for her safety.”
“Yes. I’m not too happy myself about her.”
Shirley, a few miles away, had stopped for a while, unsure as to where she should go first. She looked at her watch. Ten in the morning and not too early to make a visit. Opening her mobile she dialed a number.
“Anna? It’s Shirley. I wondered if I could take up your invitation to visit and meet your parents. I can make it another time if it’s inconvenient.”
“It would be lovely to see you. I’ll speak to mum and dad and phone you back in a few minutes.”
They would be delighted for her to visit, Anna said when she rang back. Shirley took out her map. Berlin to Potsdam. It shouldn’t take much more than half an hour.
Potsdam, south west of Berlin and just outside West Berlin after the construction of the Berlin Wall. The walling off of West Berlin isolated Potsdam from West Berlin. It also doubled commuting times to East Berlin. The Glienicke Bridge across the Havel connected the city to West Berlin and was the scene of some cold war exchanges of spies.
There were rumours that after the reunification Potsdam would become the capital of the newly re-established state of Brandenburg.
Because of being so near West Berlin, Anna had told Shirley, it was easier for her parents to get her from east to west. But she had not been able to get back to them and had not seen them for years. Now they visited each other regularly and it was good to be reunited.
How Shirley hoped they were not involved in anything now, Shirley thought, because Anna and Hugh had experienced enough trauma with the death of Joshua. That was, unless.... Shirley frowned in concentration as she drove and didn’t want to think about it. She was being stupid to visit, she thought, because Ada and Rolf would probably guess why she was visiting. But she had to follow every line of enquiry, however slim the chance of discovering anything. Her phone rang and she lifted it to her ear.
“Shirley! If you run off one more time without telling me where you’re going I’ll divorce you.”
“You won’t.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m on my way to visit Anna’s parents.”
“Why?”
“Because I said I would before we left England. What are you doing?”
“I’m not inclined to tell you,” Daniel said shortly.
“Oh. You were asleep and I didn’t want to wake you. I went to see Helen so we could go over the sites together.”
“Why not me?”
“Because Helen is an artist. She helped a lot with the microtape. I would like to go over it with you. Maybe we can after I’ve been to Anna.”
“I’m meeting Johann at Intelligence. He thinks he has a lead.”
“What kind of a lead?” Shirley asked.
“I’m not sure. Will you please let me know where you are in future? It worries the life out of me when I don’t.”
“That’s how I often feel,” Shirley replied. “And not jus
t here.”
“Yes. Can we talk about it later?”
“Later.”
Shirley shut the phone and pulled in to the kerb to look at her map for the road she needed. She knew Potsdam to some degree but not many of the names of the roads. She looked for a few minutes before pulling out into the traffic once again.
Anna came out to meet the car when Shirley pulled into the drive. A long drive and the house was a large one. Shirley was not sure what she had expected but not something quite so palatial. Anna had never really gone into details about her childhood though Shirley knew this was the house where she lived as a child. Ada and Rolf walked down the wide steps behind their daughter.
“We’ve been looking forward to meeting you,” Rolf said, kissing Shirley. His English was perfect, his diction clear. He was tall, dark haired and had to be at least into his sixties, Shirley felt, because of Joshua’s age. “We hoped we would meet Michael and Samuel but Anna says they aren’t with you. We’ve bought tickets for your concert at The Philharmonie and are looking forward to hearing you sing.”
“Thank you. We didn’t really want the babies here until after the reunification celebrations. If they’re anything like the ones when the Brandenberg gate opened it will be rather riotous.”
“You took them then, I understand. We saw pictures in the paper and on television.”
“Yes, but that was because I wanted Daniel to see them as soon as he came through. I wasn’t sure he would be there because I didn’t know if he was alive but I took them just in case. It’s nice to meet you at last. Anna talks a lot about you.”
“Thank you. Shall we go in? We’re hoping you’ll stay for lunch. We usually eat at twelve. Maybe Daniel could join us too.”
“I’ll ring in a minute and find out. Thank you.”
Shirley followed them into the house, a bit nervous now that she was finally in the house. There wouldn’t be any way she could find out anything and she wasn’t sure she wanted to, anyway. Anna had enough sadness with Joshua dying without having her parents involved in anything. If they were Shirley should leave it to Intelligence to deal with it.
But there were the photographs and papers which Hugh had accessed and that pointed to Rolf’s involvement, even Ada’s. They went into the drawing room and a maid brought in hot drinks and cakes.
“Coffee, Shirley?” Ada asked. She was an older version of Anna and an attractive woman. Tall, high cheek bones which made her look younger than she had to be, dark haired. She spoke English as well as her husband but with more of a pronounced accent.
“Thank you,” Shirley replied. “We can speak German if you like. I’m equally happy in both languages.”
“We like to practise our English,” Ada said.
Except that you don’t need practise, Shirley thought. “I’m teaching the babies German,” she said out loud. “Also French. It will save them having to learn it when they get older. My sister is doing the same with her daughter.”
“The Schloegels,” Rolf said.
“Yes. Do you know them? I’ve never asked Susan.”
“We’ve met,” Ada replied.
“I think we’re on their suspect list for quite a few things,” Rolf added. “Probably on yours too.”
“Dad.” Anna’s tone was reproachful.
“Do you mind me being outspoken, Shirley?” Rolf asked.
“Not at all. I don’t know who is on my sister’s suspect list. I didn’t know she had one. They are not involved in politics.”
“Unless it wandered into what they were doing,” Ada said. “We know they were instrumental in getting many people to the west and in helping those in East Berlin who needed help before the walls were opened.”
“So what would I be suspecting you of?” Shirley asked, taking a cake as it was offered to her.
“I think you know that too,” Rolf replied. “May I tell you a bit about us?” He continued as Shirley was silent.
“We never did anything to rock the boat where things were concerned when the country was divided. That was the best way to live, the only way if one wanted to keep safe. We got Anna out of East Germany because we didn’t want her to suffer any ill effects of what was going on. Because we did not know at the beginning how things would go we felt that best because we did not know exactly how repressive the government would be though we had our suspicions. It broke our hearts to let her go.”
Rolf looked at Anna. “She was crying when she left us and it tore us to bits. When she and Hugh married we were so pleased because then we knew she would be happy. Our only regret was not seeing our grandchildren and now we never will see Joshua.”
“I’m sorry,” Shirley said.
“Did you have any tender feelings for him?” Ada asked. “Anna thinks you did.”
“I did,” Shirley replied.
“And you didn’t suspect at all that he was a member of the Chain Quintet?”
“It never crossed my mind though I found out after we married that he worked for Intelligence. I thought archaeology was all he did.”
“He was a clever man,” Rolf said.
“Yes, he was. He got me quite interested in archaeology and also got me involved in planning for his trip to the Hebrides.” Shirley’s face screwed at the remembrance. “He was very good towards me.”
“But you let Intelligence know that he was part of the Chain Quintet.”
“I didn’t but Joshua guessed that I realised it. I wish it hadn’t been me.”
“We don’t blame you for it,” Ada said. “It was probably inevitable. We know the things he did now but we loved him very much. If he was alive we would still love him very much. He was a good son to Anna and had many excellent qualities but allegiance to something can ruin lives very often. I think his allegiance was to the communist party even though he spied for both countries. But let’s talk about something less painful, shall we? I’ve just read your most recent book and really enjoyed it. How do you have the time to do everything you do with two little babies to care for?”
“Probably because they are babies,” Shirley replied. “Soon they’ll be into everything because they’re trying their hardest to walk.”
“Do you have any new photographs?”
Only one with her, Shirley replied, but it was very recent. She showed them, asked to go to the toilet and desperately wanted to look around. But there would be no chance, she knew, and she didn’t want them to be anymore suspicious of her than they were already. She walked into the bathroom and it was even more lavish than she had expected. An area to wash with a toilet beyond. Guest towels, hand wash, hand cream, perfume, all obviously expensive. Everything was spotless and the room had the scent of roses.
She went into the toilet, washed her hands afterwards and opened the bathroom cabinets one after the other. One was obviously for women. One was for men. She looked carefully at the contents of each for a few seconds, closed the doors carefully and quietly and made her way back to the drawing room.
“That is the nicest bathroom I think I’ve ever seen,” she said as she walked into the room.
“You could afford a house like this,” Ada said.
“Maybe here. I’m not sure about in England. The houses are expensive.”
“You wouldn’t like to live here?”
“I like Berlin,” Shirley replied. “But Daniel’s family are in England and we like to see them a lot. They also like to see the babies, especially Daniel’s sister, Katy.”
“Have you rung Daniel yet?” Rolf asked.
“I’ll ring him now.”
“Go out in the garden to do it. I think you’ll like it. Wander round if you want and then we’ll take you on a guided tour of the house.”
“Thank you.” Shirley went through the patio doors and could not quite believe the garden. It was massive. It was beautiful. It was well planned. A patio near the house with seating areas in different parts of the garden. A play area for children with a sandpit. Flowers in profusion. Trees of every kind. A
large pond filled with fish with a little stream running from it. Hedges dividing the different areas with smaller hedges and little walls surrounding some of the garden beds. Shirley dialed and was relieved when Daniel answered.
“Anna’s parents invited you to lunch,” she said.
“Help.”
“You don’t have to come. It’s up to you.”
“I’ll come,” he said. “What time?”
“Between twelve and one, Ada said.”
“Give me the address then.”
And she was glad Daniel would be with her, Shirley thought, though she held out no great hopes that Ada and Rolf wouldn’t quiz him. The only problem was that she would not be able to find out anything. She pocketed her phone, sat on a chair near the fish pond and Anna walked down the garden towards her.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
“Yes, thank you. I’m fine.”
“I don’t think you are. I’m sorry. It must be a bit difficult for you.”
“If your parents blame me for Joshua’s death I can understand,” Shirley said.
“I don’t think they do but they’re very outspoken. Is Daniel coming?”
“Yes. I’ll go and tell your mother.”
“I’ll tell her. Wait here. I want to show you the little house my father built for me when I was a child. I used to love it. I love it now. I won’t be a minute.”
Anna went. Shirley looked pensively at the fish in the pond. How complicated things were getting and she shouldn’t have come. She shouldn’t be stirring up memories. But she felt that Anna really was pleased for her to be here and she had promised to come. Except that her reasons for coming now were not at all altruistic. Anna walked out of the house and Shirley stood.
The little house was as nice as the tree house at The Sylvans, Shirley thought, though she liked the view in the tree house. But this one had a view over the garden and was ideal for little people. Samuel and Michael would like it as they got older, Anna said, and they would also like the equipment which had been put up for Anna’s children but never used because of the wall. Ada called to say Daniel had arrived and Shirley rather suspected that he had been close by. He walked down the garden towards Anna and Shirley and bent to kiss them in turn.
The Berlin Vendetta: Book 3 in the series 'The Enigmatic Defection' Page 12