The Roses Underneath (29 page)

She forced herself to sit in the chair even though every molecule in her body was fighting for her to jump up, to run for the door. Her fingers made a pitter pat sound as they tapped her bag. Her teeth threatened to bite through her lower lip.

“Can you stop that damn noise?” the old man growled.

Anna regarded him through a sideways glance and then ignored him. She stared at the clock on the wall, watching the minutes tick away and take her deeper into the night. She thought of going up to the solider behind the desk and asking if would be much longer, like patients did when Thomas kept them waiting too long. She decided against it. Maybe they had found out about Thomas. Maybe they thought she was a communist? Maybe they wanted her to denounce her own husband? Her mind had run away from her and she could not still it. She forced her eyes closed.

When she opened them again, fifteen minutes had gone by. Nothing else in the room had changed. The man was still there, the soldier still sat at his desk and the occasional uniform crossed the room as if on cue to make things look busy. She stared at Eisenhower and considered offering up a prayer to him, asking him to intercede. Maybe he had that power. He was the supreme commander, after all.

Another twenty minutes later she decided to go and ask the soldier how much longer it would be and was just mustering up the nerve when a squarish woman in a green uniform appeared in front of her.

“Frau Klein, come with me. You speak English, yes?”

Anna nodded and stood up on weak knees. She followed the woman through a small half door and down a hallway into an office. A large table with four chairs stood alone in an otherwise empty room. The woman motioned for her to sit. Anna chose the chair facing the door and sat, clutching her bag on her lap.

The woman sat across from her, opened a file and ran the tip of her pencil along the margin of densely handwritten text.

“You work at the Collecting Point, correct?”

Anna nodded again. “May I ask what is this about?”

The woman held up her hand “Let me ask the questions, okay ma’am? We’ll be done a lot faster.”

Anna looked at the woman. She was firmly into her middle age and had the earnestness of someone who had been given responsibility she was not sure how to meet. Her face was round with fat cheeks but her nose was pointed and turned upward and looked like it belonged on a much thinner face. She tore off a blank piece of paper from a pad and sat with pencil poised.

“You work with Captain Henry Cooper, is that right? As his assistant?”

“Yes, and translator. He needs a translator when he goes in the field.”

The woman began writing. “And you’ve worked at the Collecting Point for how long?”

“Two months.
Since the beginning of July. I was one of the first people they hired. In the typing pool.” She volunteered this for no reason at all.

“I see.” The woman scribbled. “Were you present when Captain Cooper found the repository of artworks at the villa in Dotzheim on 14 August?” She looked Anna in the eye.

Anna paused. “Yes. I was there.”

“And were there any caretakers present at the site of the repository?”

“No. Well there was a little boy. A lost little boy. We took him to the displaced persons camp.” Anna shifted in her seat.

“And his name?”

“Oskar Grünewald. But I don’t think that’s really important.”

The American made the face again, indicating that she was the arbiter of what was important. “Are you aware that the captain did not follow procedures when he failed to secure the repository immediately?”

Anna waited. “I am not sure I know what the proper procedures are. You see it was my first site visit, and–”

“He did not secure the repository immediately by either retrieving the art and delivering it to the Collecting Point or appointing a caretaker or U.S. military guard for it, is that what you witnessed?” the woman droned.

Anna slumped. “No, he did not. I mean, yes, that’s correct. He did not.”

“And were you present when Captain Cooper met with a Ludwig Schneider at the Collecting Point on 15 August?”

“Yes, I was the translator.”

“And he refused to give Mr. Schneider a position at the Collecting Point despite the recommendation from Major Phillips that he do so?”

“I didn’t know anything about a directive. Captain Cooper was concerned about Herr Schneider’s qualifications, as far I understood the situation. How is Herr Schneider connected to the repository at the villa?”

The woman ignored the question. “So you corroborate that he refused to hire Mr. Schneider?”

“It was not clear to me that Herr Schneider was looking for a job,” Anna lied.

“Why else would he be there?” The woman looked up.

Anna shrugged. “I don’t know. People are always trying to curry favors. It was a very short meeting. I thought it completely inconsequential.”

“And had you met Ludwig Schneider prior to the meeting on 15 August?”

Anna shook her head no.

“Were you aware of his credentials as a gallery owner and art dealer?”

“Yes, but only what he explained to me. He admitted that he had worked for the SA. I think that’s why Captain Cooper refused to hire him. Despite the referral from Frankfurt.”

“Yes. We are aware of Mr. Schneider’s wartime activities. Have you had dealings with, met, or spoken with Mr. Schneider since the meeting at the Collecting Point on 15 August?”

Anna blinked. “Excuse me?”

The woman repeated the question, slowly and with irritation. She looked at Anna. “Well, have you?”

“No, of course not,” Anna said.

The two women fixed eyes. Anna was careful to not make a move. She held her breath.

“All right, then.” The American looked back at her paper. “I’d like you to be aware that at this time Captain Cooper is under disciplinary review. It is also imperative that the policies and procedures set in place by the United States Military and Occupational Government are followed to the letter by our personnel and the German civilians in their employ. We will not tolerate any deviation. As an employee of the United States Military Government, you can, and will, be held accountable if you become aware of any criminal or illegal activity undertaken by Captain Cooper or anyone else. And of course you yourself are subject to the same laws. Do you understand?”

Anna furrowed her brow. Americans said a lot of words that seemed to go nowhere.

The woman sighed and rephrased the lecture, this time pointing her pencil in Anna’s direction. “If you are aware that he is doing something illegal and you fail to report it, you too will be held accountable by a military tribunal and face legal action. Is that understood?”

Anna nodded slowly. “Yes.”

“Likewise, if you are aware of illegal activity by another civilian, as an employee of the U.S. Military you are obligated to report it to your superior. This was a preliminary questioning. Please keep in mind that the U.S. Military does not tolerate rogue behavior by its enlisted men, officers, or their civilian staff.” She pushed her paper toward Anna and laid the pencil down on it. “Look over your testimony and initial here and here if you agree. You’ll need to wait outside until the report is typed and then sign and swear an affidavit.”

“Preliminary questioning?” Anna asked. “What does that mean?”

“Only that it’s part of an ongoing investigation.”

“Into Captain Cooper? By whom?”

“I am not at liberty to answer any questions.” She gestured for Anna to sign the paper. “You can have a seat outside and wait for them to call you back after the report is typed.”

When Anna slid the key in the lock on the door to the apartment, footsteps ran to the door on the other side. Amalia pulled the door and jumped into her mother’s arms. She clung to Anna as if her life depended on it.

Madeleine appeared in the doorway to the living room. “Oh my dear girl,
Gott sei Dank
. Thank God, you are back. Are you all right? I can’t tell you…” She patted her chest with the palm of her hand.

“Oh yes, of course.” Anna tried to sound convincing. “It was all a big misunderstanding. Were you worried?”

“Yes,” Madeleine said flatly. “When you come home to a note that says you’ve been taken to headquarters with American Military Police, it is a little worrisome. Especially now that it’s so late.”

Anna looked at the clock in the living room. It was nearly midnight. “Where were you two anyway?” she asked.

“We went for a stroll to the park and sat to watch the sunset. I hadn’t been out for so long and I wanted to see a sunset. We thought we’d be home sooner.” She cocked her head. “Were you worried?”

Anna raised her eyebrows.

“I am sorry, my darling, of course you were. Come in here and sit down. You must be exhausted. Look, I’ll make you some of my tea.”

Anna staggered into the living room and fell onto the sofa, Amalia still stuck to her. Anna peeled her off and held her daughter’s tear stained face.

“I am so sorry I scared you.”

“You said you wouldn’t be so late. You promised me. When it got dark I thought you were gone forever. You are always late now.”

“I know, my little Maus. I am so sorry. I had to go with the Americans. They wanted to talk to me.”

“I thought the Americans were good guys.”

“They are.” She stroked Amalia’s hair.

“But why do they take you away?”

Anna sighed. “Because they wanted to ask me some questions. They let me come right back home, though. It won’t happen again, it was all a mistake. Don’t worry.” She pulled Amalia off her lap and settled her down on the sofa. “Can you guess what amazing things I saw today?

Amalia shook her head.

“I saw Nefertiti. She’s really here.”

“I don’t believe it,” Madeleine shouted from the kitchen. “She’s really here? In one piece?”

“Yes, it was incredible. Cooper unloaded her from the truck and we all watched. I almost couldn’t believe my eyes.”

“And how does she look?” Madeleine handed Anna a steaming cup.

“Oh they didn’t open the crate for us. They are waiting for the big-wigs from Frankfurt to come for that.”

“Captain Cooper told me he’d show me Nefertiti when she came,” Amalia whispered.

“I know,” Anna said.” You should remind him next time you see him.”

Amalia played with the frayed edge of her nightgown, rolling it between her fingers. “Will you be late again tomorrow? I don’t like it when you are late.”

The meeting with Schneider pushed its way back into Anna’s consciousness. She had willed it out of her mind to make lying to the Americans more palatable. Her stomach fluttered. “Maybe I will. But if I am, I’ll just be at work. You’ll know exactly where I am and that I will be home as soon as I am done. There’s no need to worry.”

Amalia waited as Anna drank the foul smelling tea Madeleine had delivered. “Did you send Papa a letter? Like you said you would?” she asked.

“Yes, Maus, I did. Just like I promised. Now we just have to wait.” She squeezed Amalia’s shoulder. “And you need to go to bed. It’s very late.”

A note from Cooper was waiting for her when she got to her desk:

In the field this
AM, back after lunch. Please set up a filing system for the inventory lists and type up the handwritten notes on my desk. Hope you can read my chicken scratch. HC.

Chicken scratch? What was he talking about? Anna looked at the stack of papers on his desk: a mess of official forms, notepaper and scribbles on the backs of envelopes. She started to sort through it as best she could, making several piles according to topic and content. Eventually she had to use the floor as well. She sat down in Cooper’s creaky chair to have better reach and to soothe her aching back. After about an hour she had all the papers organized and put away. Leaning back in the chair she surveyed her work with satisfaction. A corner of paper stuck out from the desk’s center drawer, as if it had been pushed in absentmindedly. Anna tried to push it in, but it was pinched between the drawer and the frame. She pulled the drawer open a crack and tried again, but something still blocked it. She opened the drawer all the way to reveal a jumble of pencils, pens, loose paperclips, nails, American coins, a pair of broken sunglasses, and a spool of thread. She shook her head and pulled the offending paper out to see if it needed filing with the others. It was a memo from headquarters in Frankfurt from the same Major Phillips who had recommended the hiring of Schneider. He had summoned Cooper to go to Frankfurt for a disciplinary hearing. The meeting was scheduled for Tuesday 21 August at 11:00. She looked at the clock on Cooper’s desk. It read 11:10. So that’s where Cooper was.

Footsteps squeaked along the hallway and Anna became aware that she was sitting in her boss’s chair, looking through his desk. She pushed the letter into the drawer and closed it. Then she bent down and pretended to be looking for something under the desk. She waited for the footsteps to pass but instead they stopped at the opening to the little alcove. From under the desk Anna saw a pair of American issue army boots, scuffed and dirty.