Werner was surprised. ‘Are you not prepared?’
Once again Volodya was not able to tell Werner the whole truth. Stalin believed the Germans would not attack before they had defeated the British, fearing a war on two fronts. While Britain continued to defy Germany, the Soviet Union was safe, he thought. In consequence the Red Army was nowhere near prepared for a German invasion.
‘We
He could not help enjoying a moment of self-importance. His spy could be the key.
Werner said: ‘Unfortunately, I can’t help you.’
Volodya frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I can’t get verification, or otherwise, of this information, nor can I get you anything else. I’m about to be fired from my job at the Air Ministry. I’ll probably be posted to France – or, if your intelligence is correct, sent to invade the Soviet Union.’
Volodya was horrified. Werner was his best spy. It was Werner’s information that had won Volodya promotion to captain. He found he could hardly breathe. With an effort he said: ‘What the hell happened?’
‘My brother died in a home for the handicapped, and the same thing happened to my girlfriend’s godson; and we’re asking too many questions.’
‘Why would you be demoted for that?’
‘The Nazis are killing off handicapped people, but it’s a secret programme.’
Volodya was momentarily diverted from his mission. ‘What? They just murder them?’
‘So it seems. We don’t know the details yet. But if they had nothing to hide they wouldn’t have punished me – and others – for asking questions.’
‘How old was your brother?’
‘Fifteen.’
‘God! Still a child!’
‘They’re not going to get away with it. I refuse to shut up.’
They stopped in front of the tomb of Manfred von Richthofen, the air ace. It was a huge slab, six feet high and twice as wide. On it was carved, in elegant capital letters, the single word RICHTHOFEN. Volodya always found its simplicity moving.
He tried to recover his composure. He told himself that the Soviet secret police murdered people, after all, especially anyone suspected of disloyalty. The head of the NKVD, Lavrentiy Beria, was a torturer whose favourite trick was to have his men pull a couple of pretty girls off the street for him to rape as his evening’s entertainment, according to rumour. But the thought that Communists could be as bestial as Nazis was no consolation. One day, he reminded himself, the Soviets would get rid of Beria and his kind, then they could begin to build true Communism. Meanwhile, the priority was to defeat the Nazis.
They came to the canal wall and stood there, watching a barge make its slow progress along the waterway, belching oily black smoke. Volodya mulled over Werner’s alarming confession. ‘What would happen if you stopped investigating these deaths of handicapped children?’ he asked.
‘I’d lose my girlfriend,’ Werner said. ‘She’s as angry about it as I am.’
Volodya was struck by the scary thought that Werner might reveal the truth to his girlfriend. ‘You certainly couldn’t tell her the real reason for your change of mind,’ he said emphatically.
Werner looked stricken, but he did not argue.
Volodya realized that by persuading Werner to abandon his campaign he would be helping the Nazis hide their crimes. He pushed the uncomfortable thought aside. ‘But would you be allowed to keep your job with General Dorn if you promised to drop the matter?’
‘Yes. That’s what they want. But I’m not letting them murder my brother then cover it up. They’ll send me to the front line, but I won’t shut up.’
‘What do you think they’ll do to you when they realize how determined you are?’
‘They’ll throw me in some camp.’
‘And what good will that do?’
‘I just can’t lie down for this.’
Volodya had to get Werner back on side, but so far he had failed to get through. Werner had an answer for everything. He was a smart guy. That was why he was such a valuable spy.
‘What about the others?’ Volodya said.
‘What others?’
‘There must be thousands more handicapped adults and children. Are the Nazis going to kill them all?’
‘Probably.’
‘You certainly won’t be able to stop them if you’re in a prison camp.’
For the first time, Werner did not have a comeback.
