All My Love, Detrick (25 page)

81

“K
arl, this is a married woman you are playing around with, and a Gentile, too. Have you gone mad?”

“She is so beautiful, Petir. I sat across from her at lunch and it was hard to believe that a creature so lovely could be real.”

“This is not safe, Karl. Did anyone see you?”

“I don’t know. I don’t care.
Petir. I want to see her again and again. She is trapped in an unhappy marriage. It is only money that keeps her there. She told me all of this. We have plans to meet next week on Wednesday.”

“Karl….what
am I ever to do with you?” Young and foolish, Petir thought.

“Be my friend?” Karl hugged the old man with vigor as he thought ahead with pleasure to the prospect of lunch with the beautiful woman.

82

A Gestapo car alarm signal blared rhythmically through the narrow thoroughfare demanding attention. The automobile had been waxed to a brilliant onyx, mirroring all that it passed in its glossy frame

The sound reverberated in a deafening roar. Outside the small shops, people congregated on
the sidewalks staring, waiting, and wondering. What brought this black crow upon them?

Inside Petir’s little store, Karl worked tirelessly. At the beginning of the week, they had received an order for three pairs of boots. The patron had requested that they be finished as soon as possible.

Lately, Petir had been unable to tolerate the long working hours. He’d developed arthritic pain in his shoulders and arms. Karl hoped to stay late, completing as much as he was able to. Since he planned to be off on the following day, when he would meet with Claramond, he wanted to be sure to leave a light workload for Petir. While Karl worked, he thought of the day he spent with Claramond.

“Call me Clara.” She had taken his hand in hers. Then she'd smiled and asked, “Would you like to kiss me?”

He hadn’t been able to answer, only to nod. Then she’d pressed her lips to his and the sensation had sent him reeling. Even today, the sweet fragrance of her rose perfume still lingered in his nose.

Karl had held her for a few precious moments, rejoicing in the feeling of her body pressed against his own.

He’d been so caught up and lost in thoughts of her that he did not notice that the Gestapo had arrived until they busted through the door.

Before he realized he
’d been arrested, three strong men had forced him into handcuffs.

Petir, who had been lying down in his upstairs apartment, raced into the shop.

“What’s going on here? This is my employee. He has done nothing.”

“Shut your mouth old man. He is a Jew. You should not be employing Jews. You are lucky we don’t arrest you.”

“Wait, please! I have money. I will pay you to let him be.”

Petir reached into the cash register and pulled out a fist filled with German
reichsmarks
. He rushed over trying to stuff the currency into one of the men’s pockets. One of the police officers backhanded Petir across the face and he flew into the wall. His nose and upper lip leaked thick, dark blood. The officer took the money, and shaking his head, he looked at Petir.

“Stupid old man.
Don’t make this mistake again! You hear me?”

Petir did not answer. He lay against the wall, knowing they would kill him if he tried to fight.

Karl had begun to kick as soon as he saw what had happened to Petir. Anger came shooting out of him.

“Be still Karl! They will surely kill you if you do not. Whatever they want, I am sure you can explain. You will be out in a few hours.”

The men threw Karl into the back of the vehicle, and the loud alarm blasted through the street as they rode away.

With his hand on his heart, Petir rose from the floor and wiped the blood from his face with the back of his hand. Outside the
window, he saw the satisfied faces of some of the other business owners that shared the block. Otto, the baker, saw Petir and smiled at him as if to say, “Well, you got what you deserved.”

Petir could not bear to see the cruelty sparkling in Otto’s eyes, and he pulled the shade closed. Then he sunk to the ground and wept.

83

Berlin

Detrick had spoken to the Muellers. For the right price, they agreed to hide the Abdensterns. Now assured that he had secured a safe place for his friends, he planned to discuss the situation with Jacob. Once Jacob agreed, he would contact Konrad, join the party, and apply for work.

That night when he arrived to find the Abdenstern home dark, he felt a wave of panic. He feared he’d acted too late; perhaps the Gestapo had come and arrested them.

Then Jacob opened the door his eyes red and his skin gray.

“What’s going on here?” Detrick entered, some of the alarm subsiding as he slammed the door shut and locked it. “Where is Leah?”

“She’s here. She’s fine. It’s Miriam, Detrick. Miriam is dead. Michael too.”

“What? How?” h
e sunk down on to the sofa as Jacob handed him the blood-spattered message about Michael’s death.

“Miriam was alone when this letter came this afternoon. She killed herself.”

He read the paper and sprang up.

“Leah…where is Leah?” With his heart pounding, he raced to her room to find her lying on her bed, facing the wall.

“My mother is dead, Detrick. My mother is dead.”

“I know, sweetheart. Your father told me.” He lay down beside her. Gently he smoothed the hair out of her face. “I am here for you. I love you, Leah.”

Suddenly, great sobs came from a place deep within Leah Abdenstern. Detrick took her into his arms and held her, kissing the top of her head.

“My sweetheart.”
As she cried, he felt the pain firing through his own heart. The two were one.

They lay like that all night, until finally, as dawn broke, Leah slept.

\

84

J
acob, still filled with grief, had been reluctant to accept Detrick’s proposal. Finally, when confronted with the issue of Leah’s safety, he had agreed and the arrangements had been made.

Helma and Ebner Mueller had two daughters: Adalhei
d, fifteen, and Rebekka, twelve. Their son Gaufid and Detrick had formed a friendship when they had practiced on the same track team. It had quickly come to Detrick’s attention that Gaufid shared his feelings concerning the Nazi Party and anti-Semitism. For a while, Gaufid had kept company with a Jewish girl they both knew from school. Now Gaufid was in the army and it had been months since he’d been home.  Although he was aware of the hazards, Detrick knew that he must put his trust in these people.

With open, honest faces, the Muellers assured Detrick that they meant to help.
And, there could be no doubt that the money he would provide would bring creature comforts to this otherwise impoverished family. They seemed grateful for the opportunity to earn money that would enable them to live a better life, although there was risk involved.

If his own home had been spacious enough, Detrick would have attempted to keep Jacob and Leah there.
But, he lived in a very small apartment with no area suitable for hiding.

Back when Gaufid had made the offer, he’d told Detrick that the old house he inhabited had been in the family for generations. With a large attic that appeared to
be closed off and completely undetectable to anyone unaware of its presence, the house seemed a perfect choice. At the time Gaufid had made the suggestion, Detrick had felt the Nazi threat would pass. He’d now concluded that it would continue, and perhaps grow even more threatening.

After Detrick spoke with Jacob and felt secure to go forward with the plan, he must seek Konrad out immediately. The entire operation rested on Detrick’s ability to find employment.

85

D
etrick felt his stomach twist as he waited in the lobby of the Nazi headquarters. He’d given an aide his name and told him that he would like to see Konrad.

“And may I tell him what this is about?”

“Yes, of course. Just tell him his old friend Detrick Haswell is here to see him.”

“Very well, please take a seat.”

Konrad walked into the room and raised his hand. “Heil Hitler”.

“Heil Hitler.” Detrick answered.

“Detrick! Good to see you! It’s been forever since we’ve spent time together. How have you been?”

“Good, Konrad. You’re looking well.”

“And so I should be. I’ve just been promoted! Got a new position, managing the punch cards for the new computer machine. Helps us keep track of the Jews and all of that. And you, what are you up to these days?”

“Well, that’s what brings me here. I don’t actually know how to put this.”

“Let me help you….you are in need of work?”

“Yes.” Detrick looked away.

A smile tickled Konrad’s lips. “Well, you realize, of course, that to work here at Headquarters you would be required to join the party.”

“Yes, and I am ready to do so.”

A laugh of joy and triumph escaped from Konrad’s throat. “I’ve been waiting and hoping you would come. After all, it is your true place as an Aryan to stand among us. We, you and I, are members of the most powerful race on this earth.”

He stood up and walked over to pat Detrick’s shoulder. “I’ll find you something. I’ll recommend you to my superiors. You will work under me.”

“I appreciate everything, Konrad. I’ll wait to hear from you.”

After Detrick left, Konard lit a cigarette. From the top of his head to the tips of each
appendage, he tingled with anticipation. Things between Detrick and himself would return to the way they used to be. He would be reunited with his best friend, sharing good times. Only now, instead of Detrick being the top man, the most popular, the most desirable, Konrad would be king of the hill.

He licked his lips, tasting the very idea. Then took a deep puff of his cigarette and went to speak to his superior officer.

86

B
efore he brought Leah to the Mueller’s attic, Detrick spent a day clearing spider webs and cleaning dust from the area. No one had opened the door to the musty rooms for years, and he lit a candle to clear the smell. It broke his heart to know that Jacob and Leah would be living under such conditions, but he also considered the alternative. The arrests increased daily, and the sooner he secured them in this hiding place, the better he would feel.

Detrick’s first day working at the Nazi headquarters had stretched his nerves thin. Konrad had proudly handed him his new uniform.

“Go to the men’s room and put it on, Detrick.”

He’d obeyed without question. When he returned, Konrad sat at his desk waiting. “You look wonderful. It suits you.”

Detrick smiled trying to conceal his distaste.

While walking home, Detrick had caught a glimpse of his reflection in a
windowpane and developed a nauseous headache, with flashes of light behind his eyes. It had taken several hours in a darkened room for the pain to subside.

It shattered his nerves when Konrad introduced Detrick to his superiors. Always afraid they might detect his true intentions, Detrick would look down or away. The constant greeting of his fellow workers with "Heil Hitler" caused his hands to tremble, and he found himself developing headaches more and more often.

When Konrad received his own automobile from the party, he’d decided Detrick should be his driver. Detrick happily agreed, to be out and away from the offices as much as possible.