The Swiss Courier: A Novel (7 page)

A single explosive could do that?

If so, the Third Reich would renew its march toward global conquest. The military setbacks of the last two years would be just that—setbacks. None of the battlefield defeats would matter, and soon the German Volk and the conquered lands would join together to provide
Lebensraum
, “living space” for the growth of the Aryan population.

But what about Joseph Engel?

The Jews were the source of evil in the world, political subversives who controlled world banking and international commerce. Maybe they had placed Engel there to make sure that Germany
didn’t
succeed in building an atomic bomb.

Yet, to act unilaterally in a matter of national strategic importance might not benefit him if things went wrong. No, it would be better to bring Himmler into the mix—as cover. The Reichsführer had a way of becoming your worst nightmare when failure occurred, and Kassler could not take that chance.

He seized the phone’s handset. “Becker? Come immediately. I have a letter to dictate.”

A warm wind rippled across the Rhine and caressed Gabi’s face as she strolled down the busy sidewalk. It was just a short walk from the OSS offices to the Globus, Basel’s largest department store, where she was due to meet Eric.

Though pedestrians clogged the walkways, Gabi realized she’d been plodding several blocks without paying one bit of attention to the lively streets. Her mother could have passed by and Gabi wouldn’t have known it. Instead, her mind was on Dieter’s words.

Beautiful . . .
he’d called her beautiful.

Gabi touched a hand to her face, hoping her flushed cheeks weren’t too obvious. She could always blame her rosiness on her walk and the excitement of seeing Eric, yet Gabi doubted he would be fooled. He had a way of reading her gaze.

And she knew him just as well. In fact, as certain as William Tell split the apple perched on his son’s head with a crossbow, Gabi was sure that Eric would be waiting for her at the Globus. The dairy farmer was as punctual as the Basel-Zurich Intercity train that departed at the top of the hour. And about as unpolished as a second-class rail car.

Gabi mildly rebuked herself, then chuckled. Actually, she liked Eric Hofstadler, who milked
Braunvieh
cows at dawn and stirred Emmentaler cheese in a copper vat the rest of the day. She didn’t love him—much to her parents’ chagrin—but she did admire the way he treated her like a lady. Eric had a chivalrous, salt-of-the-earth quality she found endearing. When she looked into his gentle blue eyes, honesty and compassion were captured in his gaze.

And more than that, love was captured there too. Not that she didn’t already know that. Over the last year or so, Eric had made his feelings quite clear.

Gabi turned the corner and stood on her toes, looking for him among the dozens of shoppers rushing through the double-door entrance, including working women hurrying to pick up the last loaves of bread and other staples from the basement grocery.

There he was—Eric’s red hair and ruddy complexion were unmistakable. The crimson flannel shirt was another giveaway, as well as the brown britches. He looked like a dairyman lost in the Big City, a hayseed among the sophisticated Basel burghers. At least Eric wasn’t wearing his slop boots or sandals with socks. And even though he was good about washing up, she hoped he didn’t bring the faint smell of the fresh manure with him.

When their eyes met, he flashed a smile and held up a fresh bouquet of long-stemmed white lilies accented with green bells of molucella picked from the fields of the family farm.

Gabi held her cloth hat with her left hand and skipped toward her friend. “For me?” She accepted the floral arrangement from his hand. “How sweet of you.” Instead of offering a customary
bisou
on each cheek, she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and drew him close.

Eric stiffened slightly, as if startled by her unexpected affection, then quickly relaxed in her grasp, pulling her closer. “And to what do I owe this pleasure?” His words tickled her ear.

Her meeting with Dieter Baumann filtered through her mind. Gabi pushed out lingering romantic thoughts. How horrible to allow her peaked emotions to get the best of her. She gently stepped away and offered Eric a sweet smile. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because it’s a holiday tomorrow.”

“Speaking of holidays, I have something for you.” Eric reached into a rear pocket. He moved his hands for a moment, as if passing something between them, and then stretched out both arms with fists closed. “Which hand?”

Gabi liked playing games. She also liked surprises. “Let’s see . . . I’ll take the left.”

Eric opened his left palm skyward and exposed two cardboard train tickets.

“Eric, did you plan an adventure for us, really?” She shook her head. “I’m so sorry, but I was already going to see my brothers tomorrow in the mountains.”

“I know. These are a pair of Basel-Davos round-trip tickets. When your mom told me that you were going to spend the First of August on a train all day, off to see your brothers, I bought these so you’d have some company. I can’t think of anyone who would want to spend the holiday alone.”

Gabi felt warmth spread through her chest. “Mother must have told you about my trip when you dropped off some butter at the house.” The whiff of the lilies and molucella in her hand rose to her nose. She had to admit that the aroma intoxicated her, and she felt her affections for Eric matching those she felt for Dieter earlier that day. If Eric only realized what the scent did to her. She was sure she’d have them on her doorstep every day.

“Yes. Your mother spilled the news two days ago, but joining you was my idea. I hope it’s all right. I haven’t taken a day off all summer since it’s our busy season on the farm, but Papi approved. After all, we only get to celebrate Switzerland’s independence one day a year.”

Gabi didn’t have to consider his offer for long. She enjoyed Eric’s company. He could carry a conversation well and laughed easily. And the scent of the freshly picked flowers made the idea all the more agreeable.

“Of course, it’s all right. We’ll have a fun time.” She took the tickets from his hand and tucked them into her purse, realizing that having a male seatmate on a long train ride into the mountains also had other benefits. Eric could be her protector—not from the enemy—but rather from all the young soldiers who were trying to find favor with the young ladies.

“I’ll be thankful for your company. Are you sure it’s okay? Will the cows survive without you?”

“Okay? Whenever I can spend time with you, I’m happy. Papi will make do just fine.” Eric placed his right hand lightly on the small of her back. “Let’s walk over to the Mittlere Brücke, shall we?”

The downtown sidewalk teemed with pedestrians. People getting off work were hurrying home to open their first bottle of Neuchâtel white wine to start the holiday off right. As they reached the bridge, the crowds thinned, and Eric guided her along the Mittlere Brücke.

“This is a beautiful evening for a stroll, but my bus is that way.” Gabi pointed behind her.

“I know, but we can wait for the next one. There are some things I wanted to talk to you about.”

A sense of alarm rose in Gabi’s throat. She didn’t like the way that sounded, and more than anything, she didn’t want to break Eric’s heart. Wasn’t friendship enough—close friendship? “Is it about—?”

“About us? Yes, in a way. We’ve been spending more time with each other over the last several months, and I thought you ought to know how I feel about you.”

“I think I have a good idea.” Gabi good-naturedly folded her arms across her chest and stepped away from his touch. “They didn’t give me a job with the OSS for nothing—”

“Gabi, don’t say things like that. I think it’s wonderful that you’re working for the Americans, but please, you can’t speak of such things.”

“I was just teasing. You sound like my father. It’s no big deal, really. It’s not like I’m sharing secrets or anything.”

They had walked about 100 meters on the bridge and were only a fourth of the way across the Rhine. Eric suddenly stopped and faced her directly.

“Listen, I know I may seem a simpleton to you. Some people think all I do is milk my father’s cows and muck out stinky horse stalls. But that’s the life God has given me right now. It’s what I do. I know my days on a farm aren’t as exciting as yours in the city, but we have a lot in common, including our trust in Christ. This war business will be over someday, and when that happens, I want us to be . . . together.”

Gabi leaned against the stone wall overlooking the water. She rested her arms on the top of the wall and placidly tilted her head in the twilight breeze. She took a long look at Eric. Yes, beneath that red flannel shirt beat a heart of gold. Attentive. A hard worker. Surely a good provider. And he’d learned a few things about how to romance a girl.

She lifted the bright bouquet to her face again and inhaled the aromatic scent of summer. Maybe Eric was the one God had planned for her.
Unless . . .

As quickly as the image of Dieter’s charmed smile surfaced in her mind, Gabi pushed it from her thoughts. He was handsome, and she had to admit she was intrigued by his undercover work, but there was more hidden about Dieter than known. And with Eric nothing was hidden. Eric’s heart was laid bare. Given to her alone.

While a part of her heart believed now was not the time to get serious, she didn’t feel the Lord telling her to shut the door in Eric’s face.
Lord, give me wisdom here
. . .

Gabi glanced up at Eric, peering at the whorls of pure white, trumpet-shaped flowers. She blew out a slow breath, hoping he could hear her heart beyond her words. “Maybe we will be together someday. It’s just that right now . . . it’s hard with all the uncertainty in the world. Who knows what the next six months, or a year, will bring?”

“Of course.” Eric’s gaze caught and held hers. “I just wanted you to know that I’m very fond of you.” He sighed. “It’s important to say it. You know, life can be so short.” His eyes clouded over as if a memory filled his thoughts.

“And I’m fond of you.” Gabi meant every word of her declaration. Guys didn’t come much sweeter than Eric Hofstadler. She could see herself with him—she just couldn’t imagine herself tethered to his family farm. Yanking on cow’s teats for half the morning wasn’t something she wanted to do the rest of her life.

Eric interrupted her thoughts. “Does this mean—”

The
clackety-clack
clamor of a horse-drawn carriage coming toward them drowned out Eric’s voice. Gabi looked up and noticed a Swiss Army private, dressed in an olive uniform and garrison hat, working the reins of a single horse with blinders. The Army private was ferrying a black-bearded young man in a mud-stained black suit and what looked to be his wife clutching an infant to her breast. The fourth passenger was another Swiss Army private with a bolt-action Karabiner 31 rifle lying across his lap.

Must be Jews.
While Gabi hadn’t seen this before, she’d heard the stories. Many Jews had escaped into Switzerland only to be caught by local authorities and escorted back to the German border, where they would be handed over to the Gestapo. It didn’t seem fair.

Gabi paused her steps and looked into the face of the woman, imagining herself in that position. The woman clutched her child tight, as if to protect her innocent loved one from the fate awaiting them on the other side of the border.

The mother’s doe-like eyes met Gabi’s and held her gaze. The woman’s plea was clear . . .
Isn’t there anything you
can do?

The look caused the muscles in Gabi’s stomach to tighten in a ball, and a wave of emotion rose in her throat. Without warning, a tear escaped and rolled down Gabi’s left cheek, and her knees trembled. Just when she thought she couldn’t hold herself up any longer, a warm arm wrapped around Gabi’s waist, holding her up.

“That’s got to be the saddest thing I’ve seen in my life.” Eric’s voice broke. And though his voice hinted of sadness, Gabi also noted something else—determination. But determination about what?

“What do you think will happen to them?” Gabi dabbed at her eyes. She knew the answer but hoped Eric would tell her different.

“I hear they are taken to relocation camps in the East. The conditions are sure to be brutal. Lack of food, no sanitation. Can you imagine the Germans locking up people like barnyard animals?” Eric’s hand led her forward, encouraging her on.

Gabi resumed her steps. “Those have to be just stories, right? Things can’t be that bad, can they? I mean look at them.” She nodded her chin toward the couple in the carriage. “They look harmless. What have they done? They can’t help what family they were born into, what blood surges through their veins.”

Eric patted Gabi’s back. “Yes, but others do not see it that way, and I’m afraid the truth, well, is probably worse than the stories we hear . . .” His voice trailed off, and she knew he wanted to say more.

The mother glanced one last time at Gabi, and her pained look pierced Gabi’s soul. She made herself look away from the refugee mother. What could she do? How could she help? She was only one person, and any attempt to help these poor people could jeopardize her job—and hinder the greater work she could do for their entire race.

The carriage moved on, and Gabi focused on her footsteps on the bridge. She glanced at the flowers in her hand, trying to turn her attention back to Eric. With so much happening in the world, a few moments of carefree romance seemed appealing.

“Eric, I’ve been thinking—”

Commotion interrupted her words, and shouts filled the air.

They turned just in time for Gabi to see the bearded husband lurching toward the Army guard. Both toppled out of the carriage and tumbled to the pavement, with the Army guard taking the brunt of the fall and crying out in pain. The horse’s whinny joined the tumult as the driver yanked on the reins and attempted to regain control.