“Aren’t they the same?”
Karl shook his head. “No. The Security Service is the intelligence agency. They are a parallel organization to the Gestapo, but different. Some say they are more dangerous.”
Evelyn exhaled. “Of course they are,” she muttered. “How many security agencies does your country have?”
“Several, and more splintering off every day,” he said. “Himmler is bringing them all under his control. Soon they will all be part of the SS.” Karl glanced at her sharply. “You’d be well served to learn all of them, and their insignias. You should know who your enemy is, and what they look like. They will blend in and be everywhere. You must learn to recognize them.”
“What good will the insignias be if they are all dressed like Herr Voss?” she asked. “He was in a plain suit.”
“Yes.” Karl glanced around and leaned forward. “They are the only branch of military service that is allowed to wear civilian clothes. All others must always be in uniform, even on personal time. The Gestapo, and the Security Service, they are the exception. They do not wear their uniform when working. They wear normal clothes, the better to be invisible. There are ways to recognize them, though. For one, they all wear black.”
“Black?”
“Yes. We call them swarze hemden - blackshirts. Their uniforms actually have black shirts. They’re partial to black overcoats and boots.” Karl looked at her thoughtfully. “Why don’t you know this?”
Evelyn shrugged. “I suppose it never came up.”
His eyes narrowed and he was quiet for a long moment.
“You’re new to this, aren’t you?” he finally asked.
She swallowed and met his dark eyes before nodding slowly.
“Yes, rather,” she admitted.
Karl shook his head and exhaled. A line of smoke curled into a spiral, snaking its way upwards.
“And you ran right into the Security Service. Not much luck, eh?” After another moment of silence, he sighed. “They usually travel in pairs. I never saw his companion, but you can be sure there is one. They are undoubtedly still watching us, and will probably follow us both when we part company. If I make it back to Munich, it will be a miracle.”
“What will they do?”
“If I’m lucky? They’ll simply pull me aside at the border and search me, then let me go.”
“And if you’re not lucky?”
“I’ll be arrested at the station.” Karl put out his cigarette. “What will be, will be. You, on the other hand, need to be prepared.”
“Me? How?”
“One of them, if not both of them, will most certainly follow you when you leave here. You must go collect the package or all of this will have been for nothing. There is information there that your leaders need. Details about Wehrmacht artillery and Luftwaffe strength.” Karl leaned forward again, lowering his voice even more. “Right now, Hitler’s military is not as powerful as he would like the world to think, but that is changing. Every day, they grow stronger and larger. Soon, they will be unstoppable. Now, however…”
His voice trailed off and Evelyn stared at him in sudden comprehension. If France and England acted now, Hitler was not in a position to retaliate.
“I’ll make sure the information gets to where it needs to go,” she promised. “How will I know if I am followed?”
“Look at every face you see and remember something about it. Maybe the eyes, or a nose, or a discoloration on the cheek. If you see the same face twice, you’ll know. Once you’re in the library, do whatever you need to do to justify your presence there.”
“Oh, that’s already arranged!” Evelyn said happily. “I’ve already told Herr Voss that I go to a library after an interview to write my notes. He’ll already be expecting me to go there.”
Something like approval lit Karl’s eyes.
“Good. Very good. Then go in and sit at a table and pretend to write. After some time, go to the card catalog and look up the book. Remember the call number? Be sure to look up that number. They may check what you looked at and compare it to where you go.”
“What is the name of the book?”
“A Treatise on Lepidoptera, Volume Three.”
“I have no idea how that would relate to the economic strides in Germany,” she groaned. “I’ll think of something, though. How big is the package?”
“It’s an envelope with microfilm inside. Once you retrieve it, it can be easily concealed. For God’s sake, don’t put it in your handbag! That’s the first place they’ll look.”
“You’re presuming they’ll be able to get to it,” Evelyn said briskly.
“Oh, they will find a way,” he assured her. “So don’t be stupid.”
“Very well. I won’t.”
Karl looked at her. “I wish you luck, Fräulein.”
“And I you,” she replied, stubbing out her cigarette. “Let’s hope that you are lucky when you cross the border.”
“Remember, look at every face. That is the only way you will know who the companion is.”
Chapter Six
Evelyn walked past the circulation desk where two librarians were busy sorting and stamping stacks of books. Glancing at them, she caught the eye of one, nodding to him cheerfully. The man nodded in greeting before returning his attention to his task.
After leaving the café, she had stopped into a tobacconist on a narrow side street, ostensibly to purchase some cigarettes. While chatting with the clerk, she could see through the two storefront windows easily and watched as people hurried down the narrow sidewalk. As the clerk was ringing up her purchase, a man in a black overcoat had drawn her attention as he passed the window. He hadn’t looked inside, but she nevertheless had felt a leap in her pulse. She paid for her purchase, asked the clerk for directions to the library, and left the small shop. When she had climbed onto the tram that would carry
