by Liz Tolsma
Anna swallowed hard, praying her words would come out more than a squeak. “The music schools are all closed. I didn’t finish my education, so I’m forced to get whatever work I can.”
“Interesting. Very interesting.” He stroked his chin. “Get your jackets. The evening air is cool. You’re coming with us.” He stepped close enough for Anna to smell the liquor on his breath.
Horst wriggled between them. “You’re drunk. Quit bullying us into going out. I’d much rather not. Please, it’s getting late. Leave us in peace.”
“Fine, you don’t have to come.” He reached around Horst. “But she’s going with me.”
Horst shoved Jaeger. “Don’t touch her.”
He slapped Horst’s other cheek. “I outrank you by a kilometer. What I say goes. I’ll get your jacket.” He stormed into Anna’s bedroom.
She and Horst followed him. Babička was in there. How would they explain if he saw her? They had to get him out. “Fine, I’ll go with you. Leave me so I can change.”
“You won’t go anywhere with him.” Horst moved to pull Jaeger from the wardrobe.
He flung Horst away like a rag doll. “Ah, here’s your sweater. Put it on.” He tossed it to her.
She caught it. But it wasn’t hers. This one belonged to Babička, who huddled underneath the quilt.
Though she’d removed the yellow Star of David patch and pulled out all the threads, the outline of it remained where the sweater had faded around it after years of washing it. Just like her coat. Anna tingled all over. What should she do? “I’m not that cool. I’ll leave it here.”
“Put it on.” Jaeger spoke through clenched teeth.
“I’ll be too warm and catch cold myself.”
“Listen to me.” His hot breath scorched her face.
She shrank back, unable to still the wild thumping in her temple.
“That’s enough, Jaeger. More than enough.” Horst pulled Hauptsturmführer Jaeger away from her. “You will leave. Right now. You may outrank me, but in my home, I’m the general. If you don’t get out this instant, I’ll call the authorities. I’m sure they’ll be interested to hear how you’re harassing a fellow countryman who did his job with valor today.” With each word, Horst’s voice rose in pitch.
Hauptsturmführer Jaeger ripped the sweater from her grasp. “Fine. Stay here.”
Anna exhaled. Horst stood up to Jaeger. Now, if he’d just leave . . .
He threw the sweater into the wardrobe.
Then he stopped.
Picked it up.
“What’s this?” He held the garment to the light.
The star’s shadow.
“Jew. Dirty, vile pig Jew.”
With one swipe, he struck both Anna and Horst.
And drew his pistol.
Patricie sat on the green sofa in the comfortable room, but she couldn’t settle into the seat. Hauptsturmführer Jaeger told her the authorities had issued Hauptmann Engel a flat that a Jewish family used to own. A family that was no doubt at Terezín now, if not beyond. She shivered and pulled her light sweater around her.
And then Anna Zadoková came from the bedroom. What on earth was she doing here? Did Hauptmann Engel know her true identity? That she was Jewish? With a last name like Zadoková, how could he not?
And how could Hauptsturmführer Jaeger not have made the connection when she’d blurted out Anna’s last name? She had almost jeopardized their lives.
A thousand other questions raced through her head.
If he would just take her home so she could block out the world for a while. He’d drunk far too much tonight. A pain started behind her eye at his thundering. She hated this. Hated all of this. When would the nightmare end?
The one man’s tenor voice rose in pitch until she understood the words. “You’re harassing a fellow countryman who did his job with valor today.”
“Fine. Stay here.” Hauptsturmführer Jaeger’s harsh voice dripped with anger.
Silence for a moment. He said something else she didn’t catch.
But she understood the rest. “Jew. Dirty, vile pig Jew.”
She turned cold all over. He must know, must have figured out Anna’s secret. What should she do? Her heart told her what was right. Her head told her not to jeopardize herself.
But the wide eyes of the people she’d helped save haunted her. Could she sit back and allow him to arrest Anna?
Eliška. Her screams echoed in Patricie’s head.
The Jewish boy. His cries tore at her chest.
“Whatsoever you do to the least of these . . .”
She rose and followed the sounds of the commotion to the end of the hall.
Hauptsturmführer Jaeger stood in front of Anna and Hauptmann Engel. The color of Anna’s face matched that of the first winter snow.
Hauptsturmführer Jaeger pointed his pistol at them.
At Anna’s head.
Adrenaline pumped through Patricie’s body. She rushed between him and Anna. “Ne. Don’t shoot her. You don’t want to do this.”
“Get out of my way. Or do you want me to put a bullet in you, too?”
Even though her legs trembled, she stood her ground. “You’re drunk. Not thinking clearly. Put your gun away. Send them to Terezín. Get some work out of them.”
He blinked, his eyes bloodshot. “Maybe her. But not him. Hiding a Jew. Any Jew lover in our ranks must be eliminated.” He turned the weapon on his comrade.
Patricie’s heart hammered so hard she had a difficult time hearing her own words. “Give me the gun. Remember, you parked in front of the wrong building. Go get the car, and I’ll watch them. They might try to escape if you parade them down the street.”
“And you.” His stare seared her to the soul. He flashed the gun around. “You knew her. Knew she was a Jew. Yet you didn’t tell me.”
She wiped her hands on the silky yellow dress. “How was I supposed to recall such a detail? It’s been a long time since we were at the conservatory. And I didn’t know her all that well. We were acquaintances, nothing more. Maybe I never knew.”
He staggered to one side before regaining his balance.
“You can trust me.” She kept her voice mirror smooth. “Give me the gun, and get the car. We’ll turn them in, then celebrate another victory. That many fewer Jews in Prague. The cleansing one step closer to completion.”
Stefan stared at her for a long moment.
“If you let them go, I’ll send you to your grave along with them.”
She didn’t doubt he would. But he handed her the pistol, the metal warm from his grasp. She grabbed it and pointed it in Anna’s direction. “Go now. Hurry.”
He hustled out of the room.
“Slečna Kadlecová, please, don’t do this.” Anna’s voice trembled.
Patricie held her breath until the door slammed. She allowed another minute to pass before she relaxed her muscles and dropped the weapon to the floor. She spoke just loud enough for them to hear. “We don’t have much time. I’m banking on him being too drunk to find the car. Let’s get out of here.”
Hauptmann Engel spoke up. “You’re going to help us?”
She turned to Anna. “Is he trustworthy?” Patricie nodded in the man’s direction.
“He’s hidden me and my grandmother for several months.”
“He knew your background?”
“I did.”
A stooped, older woman popped from underneath the bed covers. “Is he gone? I prayed the Lord would make him go away.”
Anna embraced the woman. “He’s going to arrest us. He’ll be back.”
“We’re wasting time. Let’s go.” The elderly lady would slow them down. Precious seconds ticked away. Seconds that might mean the different between life and death.
Anna scanned the room. “We have to grab a few items. My grandmother’s medication, at least.”
“The medication. That’s it. Hurry, hurry. Is there a back way out?”
“Down the building’s main hall.�
� Anna scampered to the bedside table and dropped what Patricie figured to be the grandmother’s pill bottle into her pocket.
“Fast, fast, fast.” She herded them out of the flat and to the back door.
The grandmother stumbled. She impeded their progress.
“Hauptmann Engel, can you carry the old woman?”
“I think I can.”
“Then do it. And don’t waste time.” Were those his footsteps she heard? “Come on, come on.”
He scooped up the woman. They hustled out the door. The soft evening air cooled her burning cheeks.
“I have the car. Let’s get them out of here.”
Patricie closed the door behind her, careful to not make a sound. The blackout covered them in darkness.
“Did you grab the gun?” The Nazi panted as he sprinted down the alley.
“Didn’t you?”
“Nein. You hustled us out of there so fast, I didn’t have a chance. And I thought you would.”
“It would have helped, but there’s nothing we can do about it now.”
“Next time you have a weapon in your hand, don’t let it go. Where are you taking us? Do you have a plan?” The German’s question was a good one.
“I’ve been doing this for the entire war. Of course I have a plan.” Which house should she take them to? A long while had passed since she told Georg she couldn’t work for him anymore. She didn’t know which, if any, locations had been compromised.
Georg would know. He could help.
If he forgave her for deserting him.
Anna, Horst, and Patricie ran down the narrow alley as fast as possible. Horst carried Babička, which slowed the group. Any moment, Anna expected the sear of a bullet to pierce her back.
Horst stumbled.
“Put me down.” Babička’s voice carried in the still night air. “Leave me behind.”
“Hush.” Patricie scanned the area. Not that she would see anything in the near-perfect darkness. “Do you want him to find us?”
“You aren’t staying behind. How could I bear to lose you, too?” Anna kept her voice low.
“This is no time for arguing. We’re all going. Now. Fast.” Patricie resumed the flight.
Down the alley, Hauptsturmführer Jaeger hollered for them. The blackness of the night should keep him from seeing them. As long as he didn’t hear the crazy thrashing of her heart.
Anna’s breath came in short gasps. The tightness of her chest kept her from drawing in enough air. And not from the pace of their run. They measured themselves so Horst could keep up.
Where was Patricie taking them? Anna couldn’t fill her lungs enough to ask. How long would Horst be able to carry her grandmother?
They came to the end of the alley. This road led out of the Jewish quarter. “Put her down.” As Horst set Babička on her feet, Patricie took hold of her. “Hauptmann Engel and Anna, hold hands. You’re a couple out for a little night air. I’ll follow with . . . I’m sorry, what’s your name?”
“That’s my grandmother, Jana Doubeková.”
“I’ll follow with Paní Doubeková. We’re your chaperones, should anyone ask. I doubt they will.”
Horst leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Your grandmother’s sweater. What if someone else sees the remnants of the star?”
“Babička, turn your sweater inside out. Hauptsturmführer Jaeger saw the imprint the star left on it. We can’t take a chance. Even though it’s dark, we don’t want anyone else noticing it.” Anna helped Babička slip it off, turn it around, and put it back over her shoulders.
“Where are we going?” Horst grasped Anna’s hand and squeezed it. His warm presence eased her trembling.
“How well do you know the city?”
“I’m the architectural minister.”
“Do you know how to get to Wenceslas Square?”
“I’m acquainted with the area.”
“Then let’s go.”
The group didn’t say another word as they stepped onto the street. A few of Prague’s citizens moved about the city to enjoy the night. Curfew approached. They must hurry. Though they walked with as much nonchalance as they could muster, Anna feared they stuck out like a weed among roses. She crushed Horst’s fingers.
He moved down the street. She forced herself to match his strides, to keep up with him. She might as well be wearing shoes weighted with lead.
A man brushed against her.
She recoiled. Hauptsturmführer Jaeger?
“Terribly sorry, miss.”
Ne, just a stranger. He didn’t suspect anything.
But what if the next person they ran into was German? What if they asked for their papers?
After about ten minutes, Horst led them down a quieter street. Less chance of meeting the wrong people. Or anyone, for that matter.
Still, no one conversed.
“I need to rest.” Babička’s weak voice cut through the silence.
Horst paused. “It’s not far now. Slečna Kadlecová, you may have to lead from here. I don’t know the exact place you’re taking us.”
“Is it safe?” Anna bent over, trying in vain to still her runaway heart.
“As safe as anywhere can be.” Patricie remained calm. How could she be?
“Does Hauptsturmführer Jaeger know about it?” Anna fought for her breath.
The other woman gasped. “Ne, I don’t think he does. This is the home of the leader of the resistance ring I used to belong to.”
“Used to?”
“I quit a few months ago, afraid my relationship with Hauptsturmführer Jaeger would compromise the group.”
A song floated toward them from farther down the street.
“That’s enough of a rest. We have to keep moving. We’ll be at Georg’s soon.”
Questions flooded Anna’s mind. Was this place safe enough? Hauptsturmführer Jaeger proved himself to be wily. Maybe he already knew about it. Waited to make his move on Patricie.
They went another block or so until they discovered the origin of the music. Off-key, raucous music.
German music. A group of drunken soldiers.
Did they all imbibe? Maybe they needed the liquor to dull the sting of their consciences.
“Let’s turn down the next street.” Patricie gave the order.
But the Nazis came toward them at a rapid pace. Their song, if you could call it that, grew louder. Anna caught a glimpse of them in the dull pool of light leaking from a shop’s blackout shades.
Her stomach clenched. What would they do to them?
Horst pressed her hand. “Don’t worry.”
She had to trust him. Had to trust the Lord. Had no other choice.
Patricie motioned them to the side. “Stay close to the buildings. Give them plenty of room to pass.”
The soldiers approached. A couple of them went by without incident. Anna sighed. Then one of them grabbed her by the upper arm.
“What do we have here?”
Horst yanked her behind him. “Don’t touch my girl.”
“Yours?”
“My wife. Don’t dishonor me or the Fatherland.”
Anna held back a cough.
“So sorry.” The man hurried on his way.
“That was too close for comfort. Hauptmann Engel, you’ll have to take Paní Doubeková again. We need to make better time.” As soon as Horst swooped up Babička, Patricie set a rapid pace toward a poorer section of town.
Anna and Máma had come here once to bring meals to the less fortunate and share the gospel with them. How long ago that seemed.
At last, Patricie halted. “This is the building.”
No traces of light emanated from any of the windows. “Are you sure this is the right place?”
“I know it as well as I know my own home.”
Patricie led them up four flights of stairs to the top, and Babička and Horst followed.
Patricie knocked twice. A small man answered, his hairline receding, wire-rimmed spectacles sliding down hi
s angular nose. In another time, another place, he might have been one of David’s friends.
When he saw the group, he pulled them inside, shutting the door and sliding the bolt locked. “What are you doing here?”
They all worked to remove their shoes. Patricie tilted her head in their direction. “These people were about to be arrested.”
“A German officer. Are you out of your mind, Patricie?”
“He hid these Jews, Georg.”
“Well, he can’t stay here. None of them can. It’s not safe.”
“It’s not safe here? You’re supposed to work hiding people, and this isn’t a safe place?” Horst didn’t dare raise his voice above a whisper. But his palms sweated, and his head pounded. Any moment, he expected Stefan to burst through the door.
The young man with round spectacles sat at his place at the uneven table. He directed his attention to the woman who’d rescued them. “What do you mean bringing them here? Him?” He pointed at Horst, still dressed in his olive-green uniform.
Patricie stepped into the weak circle of light cast by the small, dusty chandelier. “I know, I know. I’ll explain it to you later. But he hid these two women, kept them safe. The Nazi pointed his gun at this man as well as at the young woman. Anna Zadoková. I know her from the conservatory. If she trusts him, so do I.”
Anna, clinging to her grandmother, still trembled. “I do. He had ample opportunity to turn us in. He didn’t. It was his idea to hide us. We were ready for Terezín.”
“Well, the Germans raided one of our houses today. I don’t know how they found out. Maybe a leak in our system? Or they were spotted by a window? Who knows. But they arrested an older woman, a teenage boy, and a young mother and her infant. And killed the old woman’s husband.”
The truth hit Horst in the gut, as if someone sucker-punched him. He’d arrested those people. This man must have a network of places where he hid Jews. And Stefan knew of one of them. How many more did he have on the list? “You’re right. It’s not safe here. How many homes do you have?”
Georg cracked his knuckles. “Do you think I would tell you anything? How do I know you won’t run with the information to your superiors? Or arrest us all yourself?”