War Girl Anna (War Girls Book 3)

by Marion Kummerow

  She’d never had such a visceral reaction to a man before, and while his physical appearance enticed her, she sensed something else lurking underneath the surface. He wore the same expression she often used to convince someone of her innocence while she lied through her teeth. This man owned dark secrets.

  “I don’t…I didn’t know the professor wasn’t coming,” Anna stammered, as her composure spiraled into a full-blown panic. What if this rescue was a ruse? What if Herr Wolf had been sent to kill her…or worse? It was a two-hour drive to Berlin, through mostly uninhabited areas. He could stop at any moment and nobody would ever be the wiser.

  “Come, we should leave. I won’t bite,” Herr Wolf said as if he’d read her thoughts.

  Anna nodded and his lips curled into a smile. If it weren’t for those intense blue eyes, she’d feel calmer. They were eyes she was sure had seen things nobody should have to witness. Eyes that concealed the truth. Eyes that made her squirm.

  She took a deep breath and slid inside the automobile. Professor Scherer wouldn’t put her into the custody of a serial killer, and this man wouldn’t dare to harm his boss’s new employee. At least that was what she hoped.

  Herr Wolf took the driver’s seat and started the motor. But despite the comfortable interior and monotone humming of the Mercedes, she couldn’t relax. The man intrigued her.

  “Are you happy to be returning to Berlin?” he asked after steering the automobile onto the main road.

  Anna nodded and then realized he probably couldn’t see her. “Yes. I’m happy to be leaving the camp.”

  “Working there was hard?” His gravelly voice contained a curious undertone.

  “I…working around so much death without the ability to do anything about it was hard.” She realized after speaking that her words could be interpreted two different ways, but when he didn’t appear alarmed or question her further, she relaxed a bit.

  “The professor said you had a place to stay in Berlin? Can you give me the address?”

  Anna jerked her head up. Why does he want my address? But then it occurred to her that he was ordered to deliver her to Berlin, and he couldn’t very well drop her off in the middle of Kurfürstendamm with her suitcase. His boss surely wouldn’t approve of that.

  “I live with my mother and sister.” She gave him her address and then added, “I’m sure they are expecting me.”

  He must have noticed her fear, because he said with a chuckle, “Professor Scherer asked me to deliver you safely to your place – if that’s what has you worried?”

  “How did you know?” Anna clasped a hand over her mouth, but the words already hung in the air between them.

  “It’s my job to know everything Fräulein Klausen. Or do you prefer Nurse Anna?” Anna couldn’t see his face, but nonetheless she heard the amused smile in his voice. And sensed the delightful trembles it sent through her body.

  “Just Anna would be fine,” she answered, hoping he wouldn’t find it inappropriate.

  “Anna.” He pronounced her name like a verbal caress, lingering over every letter. For a moment, she thought she noticed an accent in his voice, but that must have been her imagination. “That’s a beautiful name. Please do call me Peter.”

  “Peter. Have you been working for the professor for long?” she asked, striking up a conversation.

  “It depends what you consider long. You will enjoy working for him, I should think. Professor Scherer is a generous man and treats his employees well.”

  “I’m very grateful for the offer to work on his team. I’ve always dreamt about becoming a biologist one day,” Ann said and waited. Usually at this point the other party would answer something along the lines of A woman becoming a scientist? and laugh. Like the guests at Professor Scherer’s soirée had done.

  “I’m sure you’ll make your way,” he said, and then, after a few minutes of silence, “Are you originally from Berlin?”

  “Yes. I love this city…or I love what it was before the war.” Anna beamed with pride and gushed about all the fantastic things the capital offered, or used to offer, before the Allied bombers did their best to reduce it to rubble night after night. The one good thing about her stay in Ravensbrück had been that the town had been spared the shelling and ensuing destruction. But even from this far away, she’d witnessed the orange glowing night sky over her beloved city. Every time her heart had been squeezed with worry for her loved ones.

  “What about you? Where are you from?” she asked.

  Peter shrugged his shoulders saying, “I moved about quite a bit, but now I live in Berlin.”

  It struck Anna again that he was hiding something. She’d also noticed the tension creeping into his neck muscles, making it all too clear that she shouldn’t ask further questions about his origin. Nowadays even being born on the wrong side of the tracks could cause problems.

  Maybe he was a Mischling, someone with one or more Jewish grandparents. She scrutinized his profile to search for the typical traits of the Jewish race. But then she laughed at her own stupidity. She’d been immersed in Nazi ideology too long and forgotten her scientific knowledge. Not all Jews had big noses and dark hair. Not even half of the Jewish prisoners at Ravensbrück looked remotely like Jews. But then, after several weeks in the camp, they didn’t even resemble humans anymore. Anna had barely recognized her own sister Lotte when she’d seen her for the first time in the camp. A sigh escaped her, as memories threatened to break through.

  “Are you alright?” Peter asked and turned to look at her.

  “Yes. No need to worry,” she answered and rested her forearms on the back of the front seat. Peter moved his hand as if he wanted to touch her elbow, but then returned it to the steering wheel.

  “You’re wearing a gun!” Anna blurted out, after catching a glimpse of the pistol strapped beneath his arm.

  “A Mauser. Yes. It’s just in case,” he answered.

  “Just in case of what?” Anna clasped her hands together. She couldn’t help it, but the sight of the smooth black weapon brought the sound of clicks and handguns firing to her mind. Click and shoot. A cry. The sound of a collapsing body. She put a hand across her eyes.

  “I’ve never used it,” he added, turning around. His glance was meant to reassure, but Anna didn’t believe him for one moment. Deep inside his eyes she could see the truth. Maybe he had never used this particular weapon, but he had killed before. Fear trickled down her spine, and she leaned back in her seat, her mind running in circles as she tried to work out why the professor’s driver would need to wear a gun.

  “This is the street?” he asked some time later, as he entered the street where she lived.

  “Yes. That tall building over there.” Anna wasn’t sure whether she could trust him or not. While he’d never done anything to deserve her suspicions, she just knew there was more to him than everyone else seemed to see.

  He parked in front of the building and then opened his door and came around the automobile to open the door for her. Then he retrieved her suitcase from the boot.

  “Which floor? I’ll carry this up to the door for you,” he offered with a smile.

  Anna shook her head and grabbed the suitcase from his hands. She could already imagine the gossip should her nosy neighbor Frau Weber see a handsome man like Peter carrying her suitcase upstairs.

  “I’d rather go alone. Thank you for the drive,” she answered with a smile.

  Peter gave her a small bow and tipped the brim of his hat towards her. “My pleasure. I hope to see you more often, Anna.”

  Anna nodded, a strange feeling taking hold of her. Then she hurried to the front door of the apartment building. The door swished shut behind her, and she paused for a moment. She was home again. It was time to forget the past and embrace the future.

  Chapter 8

  Anna had barely reached her floor when the door next to hers flew open and Frau Weber rushed out, all flailing arms and heaving bosom.

  “Anna! I haven’t seen you in ages.
Are you back from your assignment to…” Frau Weber said in a voice like honey. So neither Ursula nor Mutter had succumbed to her persistent attempts to find out where Anna had worked.

  “Frau Weber, it’s good to see you too. It looks like not much has changed here.” Certainly not your nosiness. Anna turned to unlock the door to her own apartment, but Frau Weber wasn’t finished with her inquisition yet.

  “That was a very nice automobile. Who does it belong to? And who was that man?” the older woman insisted.

  “Good afternoon, Frau Weber.”

  “Anna, your mother and sister didn’t say anything about you coming home. Vehicles like that don’t come around this neighborhood…”

  “Frau Weber, I would love to answer your questions, but I’m not at liberty to divulge any information. You know…highest orders,” Anna whispered and had great difficulty in keeping a straight face at the sight of Frau Weber’s jaw dropping to the floor. Her revelations left the rather portly woman at a loss for words, something Anna had never experienced before. “Have a good day.”

  Anna unlocked her door and fled from the stunned woman outside. Anna didn’t care if Frau Weber thought she was involved with the Führer himself, as long as it kept her from her incessant harping.

  She stepped into the small hallway, set her suitcase down, and then jumped a foot when Mutter and Ursula screamed in one voice, “Goodness, Anna! What’s happened? Why are you here?”

  “Didn’t you get my letter?” Anna asked, slightly breathless, because Ursula grabbed her in a fierce hug, threatening to crush her ribs.

  “No. We haven’t received any mail for at least a week,” Mutter said and embraced Anna in a much more reserved hug. “But I’m glad you’re home.”

  “Me too.” Anna said and took off her coat.

  Her mother disappeared into the kitchen, to prepare a meal for the three of them. Once it was ready, they sat down around the kitchen table. This was the moment Anna had not been looking forward to, as she still hadn’t figured out what to tell her mother. Still, it felt good to have people fussing over her and checking to see that she was in one piece.

  Maybe her body, but not her soul.

  “Your sister has refused,” Mutter said, sending a dark stare towards Ursula, “to tell me what exactly you were doing in Ravensbrück.”

  “Nurse at the prison hospital; basically the same job I did here in Moabit.” Anna forked half a potato into her mouth, hoping to gain time. Her ears burnt violently at the lie, but thankfully her mother wouldn’t be able to see them beneath her long blonde hair.

  “Anna!” Mutter’s scowl clearly indicated that she didn’t need to observe Anna’s ears to know the truth – that she was lying by omission.

  “How long will you be visiting?” Ursula came to her rescue.

  “Not visiting, I’m here for good.” Anna beamed at them. “I’ve been transferred to the Charité.”

  “The Charité? Your father would be so proud of you.” Mutter had tears pooling in her eyes at the mention of her prisoner-of-war husband.

  Ursula sent Anna a calculated glance, but kept her mouth shut. After they’d finished eating and washed the dishes, Mutter left to run errands.

  “Spill it!” Ursula asked as soon as they were alone.

  “I’m okay. I’m home now.” Anna took a calming breath. “I don’t want to talk about that time in my life. Ever.”

  Ursula squeezed her arm and for a moment a whole world of sorrow passed through her eyes, but then she smiled again. “Then tell me about this sudden transfer.”

  “Nothing much to tell,” Anna hedged. “I’m happy to be closer to home.”

  “As you should be. Does this have anything to do with the famous Professor Scherer, head of the research department at the Charité?”

  So Ursula has done her research. Anna raised a brow, but then her excitement won over and she deluged her sister with a torrent of words, recounting every little detail – omitting T the devil’s role – of the events since she’d first set foot into Professor Scherer’s mansion. “Can you believe that he’s giving me this incredible chance? Little me, Nurse Anna, working with his research staff at the prestigious Charité? Oh, Ursula, I promise I will work harder than I’ve ever done before in my life and prove to the professor that I’m worthy of his support. I might even be able to study at the university and receive a veritable degree…Imagine me gaining a doctorate or even a Nobel Prize!”

  “Anna, don’t you think it’s a bit too early for that?” Ursula asked, but Anna only stared at her.

  “You can never dream big enough. And I will prove to the world that a woman can do anything she wants if she puts her mind to it.”

  “You know I’ll support you all the way, right?”

  “Of course I do. And that’s why I love you so much, Schwesterherz.” Pronouncing the words sister and heart reminded Anna of her other sister. “Have you heard from Lotte?”

  “Alexandra wrote a letter that she arrived safely at the convent and is recuperating. It seems she’s gaining weight and her health is improving.”

  “Thank God! It was high time to get her out of there.” Anna sighed.

  “Yes, it was.” Ursula looked tired.

  Something is troubling her. She would ask her sister, but not today. Today was about being happy to be back home. Whatever bothered Ursula could wait until tomorrow.

  “Let’s go out to a bar and get a drink,” she said to her sister.

  “A drink? With Mutter around? Let me make some tea instead and then we can unpack your things.” Ursula turned and walked into the kitchen.

  Chapter 9

  Several weeks later…

  Anna arrived early at the Charité, and like every day in the past weeks she paused a moment to admire the red brick building and to marvel at what a privilege it was to be able to work with Professor Scherer’s team.

  The modern building hadn’t sustained any severe damage during the recent air raids. Anna knocked on wood at the thought and strode past the Pediatric Clinic, a building erected at the beginning of the century. Back then the architecture had been of novel design, and the huge successes the Charité enjoyed in the fields of bacteriology and hygiene were partly attributed to that design.

  A towering lecture hall dominated the center of the complex; the wards for patients extended to one side, whereas the actual Polyclinic building occupied the other side of the huge campus. Another breakthrough novelty had been the separate row of quarantine barracks that were connected with a gangway to the normal wards. That gangway could only be passed by persons with special clearance and only under strict hygienic precautions.

  In contrast to the rest of the complex, the quarantine barracks looked rather rundown from the outside, as no non-medical personnel were allowed to access the restricted area, in order to prevent the possible spread of diseases and outbreak of an epidemic.

  Anna had never been in the quarantine barracks, and except for a short visit on her first day, she hadn’t spent time in the patient wards either. The bacteriology labs were located in the part of the compound with restricted access to the public.

  She approached the building and showed her employee card at the gate.

  “Good morning.” She greeted the doorman with a smile.

  “You are early again, Fräulein Klausen,” he answered and waved her past.

  Since working here, she’d never had problems getting up in the morning. In fact, she jumped out of bed before the alarm went off, eager to start her day’s work.

  Greeting her coworkers, she changed into her lab coat and started to work. Since she’d been assigned to carry out different experiments with bacteria cultures, her first task in the morning was to examine what had happened during the night, write down her observations, and present conclusions.

  Her conclusions would be revised by her supervisor, and every other day, Professor Scherer himself would check up on her progress. She had become used to the professor’s encouraging words and the h
elp he offered to all of his employees, but in the secret recesses of her heart, she yearned to see Peter.

  “Anna, Professor Scherer wants to talk to you about the last experiment you completed,” Peter said, sauntering into the lab and flashing her a huge smile.

  Anna felt as if she’d conjured him up from the depths of her fantasies. Her heart always thumped in staccato when he burst in like this, partly from her attraction to him and partly from what still lay undiscovered underneath his twinkling eyes. But after a few days of working at the Charité she’d decided that a man working this closely with her admired mentor couldn’t be a bad person.

  “Good morning, Peter.” She washed her hands with special soap and wiped them dry, before she walked over to where he stood. While it wasn’t necessary or even usual to shake hands every day, she enjoyed the touch of his warm, calloused palm on hers too much to let the opportunity slip by her.

  He seemed to feel the same way, because their handshake always lasted seconds longer than was appropriate. Today, he moved his thumb in a caressing gesture across the back of her hand, and she felt tingles spreading across her skin.

  “You look beautiful today,” he said with another of his devastating smiles.

  Anna scoffed, but inside her heart sang. “You’re a charmer.” She knew very well that she didn’t look her best in the white lab coat that made her pale skin look pasty, and wearing the white cap to contain her hair.

  “How can you say that? You’re the most beautiful woman on earth,” he said, putting his left hand across his chest with a mock expression of hurt.

  Blood shot to her face. Well, at least she wasn’t pale as a ghost anymore.

  “I’d better not let the professor wait,” she said, and pulled her hand out of his grasp. Then she rushed past him, butterflies wreaking havoc in her stomach. Minutes later she knocked on Professor Scherer’s door, still slightly out of breath.