Page 26 of Whispers At Dawn
Jack handed over the document and the policeman studied it, making little grunting sounds.
Lizzie’s pulse raced, and she dared not look at Jack. Surely, they wouldn’t be arrested on their first day.
The policeman continued to scrutinise the document as though it were the deed to his family fortune, and finally Jack interceded. ‘Everything in order, Monsieur le Gendarme?’
‘Do you or your wife have Jewish blood?’
‘My God, no,’ Jack said, shaking his head, a haughty disdain etched on his features. ‘Of course not. Why, what’s the latest with those dirty Jews?’
‘Marshal Pétain decreed we must remove citizenship from every Jew living in France. He prides himself on not waiting for theFührerto instruct us to cleanse Vichy France, and instead we are leading the way.’
Lizzie thought of Hannah and how the Nazis had arrested her parents in Berlin and persecuted the Jews in Germany in the thirties by stripping away all their civil rights. She had hoped the Vichy government was collaborating only on the surface, to appease Hitler, but wasn’t enacting the vile anti-Jewish laws actively.
‘And just so I understand, in case we should come across any Jewish vermin during our stay, what happens to them exactly, and what would you like us to do?’
‘According to theStatut de Juifs, they are to be excluded from the press, commerce and the civil service. The administration would be grateful to you for alerting us to any Jews you suspect have not disclosed their status. You may report them by name and address, or, even better, escort them to our headquarters on la Place du Capitole, where we will deal with them appropriately. We have extensive governmental lists, but it’s proving difficult to locate many of them. They change their names and are masters of deception, you know. You might find it hard to believe, but some of our own French citizens are helping and hiding them.’
Sweat rolled down the hot skin of Lizzie’s back under her dress as she listened to the policeman condemn a whole segment of the country’s population purely because they were Jewish.
His pride in his duties and sense of self-importance was evident, and Lizzie swallowed hard. She had heard the horror stories from Hannah about how Jews were targeted systematically throughout Europe, but she had not witnessed it firsthand in a casual conversation as though eliminating Jews from society, were the most natural thing in the world to discuss on a summer’s day.
The policeman continued. ‘There are stricter measures coming soon, and they try to fool us in a despicable manner, but never fear, we are dedicated and shall track them all down. Thecollaborators and all who try to shield them will pay the ultimate price for their betrayal.’
‘That is reassuring,’ Jack said. ‘It is good to know someone so dedicated is in charge of these critical affairs in Toulouse.’
The policeman’s chest puffed out visibly at the praise, and he nodded eagerly. ‘My name is Maurice Moulin. I work closely with the commissaire. You might say I’m his right-hand man.’
‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, isn’t it, Isabelle?’
Lizzie forced her voice to form words, and a sound emerged from her dry throat. ‘Yes.’
It was all she could manage.
‘Where are you staying?’ the policeman quizzed.
Jack replied, ‘At the residence of my distant cousin, Luc Saint-Clair.’
Lizzie saw a look of sheer panic cross the policeman’s face. He hastily folded the identity document and pushed it back into Jack’s hands as though it might burn his flesh.
‘Please forgive me, Monsieur Dubois. My apologies for any inconvenience. If I’d known who you were, I shouldn’t have bothered you. Give my regards to Monsieur Saint-Clair.’ The policeman hurried away, almost tripping over his own feet.
Lizzie stared at Jack. ‘What was that all about? Anyone would think we said we were a houseguest of Hitler himself. What on earth alarmed him about Luc so much, I wonder?’
‘No idea, but I shall try and find out this evening. Luc invited us to dine with him, talking of which, we had better make our way back to the car. It wouldn’t do to be late for our first dinner with our gracious host.’
The episode left a bitter taste in Lizzie’s mouth, and she was pleased to escape the city she had been so keen to explore. The conversation had made her feel grubby. ‘That encounter brought me back down to earth with a bump.’
Jack muttered. ‘His responses were shocking. I knew about the Statut from intelligence we received from occupied France, but I didn’t think they were equally committed or even more zealous about persecuting Jews in Vichy France. So many fled here when Germany invaded.’
‘Every time I hear about the severity of the anti-Jewish laws, I struggle to believe this is happening,’ Lizzie said in a shaky voice.
‘Hitler has stoked and ignited the worst traits in mankind. You’d think, Pétain would be distrustful of Hitler after seeing how the army plunder the region despite this supposedZone Libreagreement.’
Lizzie fell silent. There was nothing to say in the face of such evil. Only actions would make a difference now. Her resolve to do all she could for those being hunted, whatever the personal sacrifice, was like a steely fist in her belly. A shiver reverberated through her, despite her clammy skin, as she realised this mission would take all they had and could cost them their lives.
They left the city in silence and drove into the hills. All sense of lightness and fun she had felt earlier had evaporated into something more sinister. ‘That was a close shave.’
‘Yes, it could have gone awfully wrong, but our papers are good. As long as we keep calm, we can outwit any of these petty administrators who preen in the limelight. Their defences aren’t high, when they are so focused on their own image.’
