Page 62 of Love in the Shadows

“But it’s not the same. They are the enemy; my wife is not.”

Johanna clasped her hands together to remain calm. “They might be the enemy because that is what has been decreed. But they are human beings, and they deserve to be treated fairly and justly. You have no evidence to back up your claim. On that basis, I could tell my husband that I suspected you killed him.”

Schmidt jolted. His fingers twitched at his side. “Of course I didn’t. Why would I do such a thing?”

Johanna smiled. “For the promotion that you will get.”

His eyes widened. “I didn’t think about that.”

“Oh, come on now. An ambitious man like yourself didn’t for one second imagine that if Hauptmann Müller happened to die, his position would become available and that you would be the obvious choice to replace him?”

His face twitched as he held her gaze, and she hoped her meaning had sunk in.

“I’m sure your wife and children are very much looking forward to seeing you back safely from the war,” she said. “So I need you to make the necessary arrangements to have Hauptmann Müller’s body removed from the house this morning. I will talk to my husband about your promotion to hauptmann this evening, if that is something you would be willing to take on?” She raised her eyebrows.

He clicked his heels. “Thank you, Frau Neumann. I will not let you down.”

“Good. You can get back to your duties. And please inform my husband of Müller’s death.”

He clicked his heels again, saluted and marched away.

Johanna breathed deeply, her heart racing with the thrill of having taken control of the situation. She was as certain that Schmidt would keep his mouth shut as she was that Fabienne had done something that had finished off Müller. Müller had had it coming to him, and Johanna would raise a glass to celebrate the occasion later.

***

Fabienne took Esther a cup of acorn coffee and a slice of bread and jam, acutely aware that Müller’s death would have been discovered. No one would miss him, though she wouldn’t put it past Schmidt to have something to say about the matter, since he’d spotted her coming out of the room the previous evening, and Schmidt was naturally suspicious. She took comfort from the fact that she hadn’t been arrested already.

She set the items on the bedside table, perched on the bed, and stroked the damp hair from Esther’s face. “How are you feeling?”

Esther looked as ghastly as ever, and air rumbled in her chest with every shallow breath.

Fabienne pulled the new identification documents from her pocket and handed them to her, hoping to cheer her up. “I have these for you.”

“Thank you.” Esther coughed.

“Your new name is Linette Moreau. There is an ID for a son, André, and for a daughter, Bénédicte, so you will be safe no matter whether the child is a boy or a girl. I am sorry they are French names, but we have no choice.”

Esther took the cards and held them to her chest. “How can I ever repay you?”

“Get better, Esther. That will be a reward for us all.”

Esther coughed, and although no blood came up, the sinking feeling Fabienne had had since first seeing her running from the train was still there. Esther’s chances of making it were slim unless she could get hold of more antibiotics, which was going to be difficult because any supplies the Germans had were needed for the soldiers who had also fallen ill with tuberculosis. But the longer Esther could hold onto the child she was carrying, the greater the chance the baby would have of surviving. There had to be something good to come from this hopeless situation.

“There is no one left in my family,” Esther said. She put her hand on her belly. “If I—”

“I promise, everything will be fine.” Fabienne didn’t imagine the words helped much, but she didn’t know what else to say. Saying nothing was harder, make Fabienne complicit to something she didn’t want to outwardly acknowledge might be true. “Eat something and drink the coffee. It tastes disgusting, but it is better than nothing.” She smiled and stroked Esther’s cheek. “I have to go to work now.”

Esther nodded. “I promise I will eat and drink. And you promise to take care of my baby. It’s a good deal.”

Fabienne stood up. “Keep the documents safe. You are going to need them when you’re back on your feet.” She closed the door behind her and leaned against the wall to gather herself. A miracle or two had brought Esther this far. Was it too much to ask for more? She went downstairs and into the kitchen.

“Johanna!”

Johanna held out a bottle of pills. “My husband got them for Müller, but I never gave them to him. I didn’t see the point. Antibiotics aren’t much help for mushroom poisoning.” She smiled conspiratorially.

Fabienne blushed.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t give them to you beforehand, you understand, but I thought you could use them now. For Esther.”

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