Joseph Kanon - A Good German

“You can’t do that to him,” Jake said quietly. “He was a good man.”

“He’s dead,” Shaeffer said. “It fits.”

“Not for me. And it won’t fit for the Russians.”

“Yes, it will. A Russian saved Zhukov. He’ll get the thanks of a grateful nation. And you get ours. Allied cooperation.”

“And how do you explain Emil?”

“We don’t. Emil wasn’t there. He’s been in Kransberg. We can’t say we lost him. The Russians can’t say they ever had him. There was no incident. That’s the way this one works.” Shaeffer stopped, meeting Jake’s eyes. “Nobody wants an incident.”

“I won’t let you do this. Not to Gunther.”

“What are you beefing about? You’re sitting pretty. You’ll get a fat contract, we get Brandt back, and the Russians can’t do a damn thing. That’s what I call a happy ending. See? I always said we’d make a good team.”

“It’s not true,” Jake said stubbornly.

“It is, though,” Ron said. “I mean, you’ve got a whole press corps that’s just filed the story, so it must be.”

“Not after I file mine.”

“I hate to say it, but people are going to be awfully annoyed if you do that. They make you a hero and you throw egg on their faces? No, you don’t want to do that. In fact, you can’t.”

“Because you’d spike it? Is that the way we do our reporting now? Like Dr. Goebbels.”

“Don’t get carried away. We make certain accommodations, that’s all,” Ron said, indicating Shaeffer. “For the good of the MG. So will you.

“Real sweethearts, aren’t you?” Jake said, his voice low, scraping bottom.

“You want to cry over some dead kraut, do it on your own time,” Shaeffer said, impatient now. “We’ve had enough trouble as it is getting our man back. We understand each other?”

Jake looked out the window again. After all, did it matter? Gunther was gone and so was the lead to the other man, the case as hopeless now as the scraggly garden below.

“Go away,” he said.

“Which means yes, I suppose. Well, fine.” Shaeffer picked up his hat. “I gather the lady’s staying with you?”

“Yes,” Lena said.

“Then I guess you got what you wanted too. That the reason for the little water fight?”

So he still didn’t know. But did that matter either? Emil would search again and find the overlooked file, solve that problem too. His happy ending. Innocent, the way Shaeffer would want it anyway.

“Why don’t you ask him?” Jake said.

“Never mind,” Shaeffer said, glancing at Lena. “Can’t say I blame him.” An easy compliment. He turned to go. “Oh, one more thing. Brandt says you have some papers that belong to him.”

Lena looked up. “Did he say what they were?”

“Notes of his. Something he needs for von Braun. Seems to think they’re pretty important. Kind of tore the place apart, didn’t he?” he said to Lena. “I’m sorry about that.”

“More lies,” she said, shaking her head.

“Ma’am?”

“And you’re taking him to America.”

“We’re going to try.”

“Do you know what kind of a man he is?” she said, looking directly at him, so that he shifted on his feet, uncomfortable.

“All I know is Uncle Sam wants him to build some rockets. That’s all I care about.”

“He lies to you. And you lie for him. You told me he saved Jake’s life. My god, and I believed you. And now you believe him. Notes. What a pair you are.”

“I’m only doing my job.”

Lena nodded her head, smiling faintly. “Yes, that’s what Emil said too. What a pair you are.”

Shaeffer held up his hand, flustered. “Now, don’t get me involved in domestic arguments. What happens between a man and his wife—” He dropped it and turned to Jake. “Anyway, whatever they are, do you have them?”

“No, he doesn’t,” Lena said.

Shaeffer peered at her, unsure where to take this, then back at Jake. Do you?

But Jake was looking at Lena, everything clear now, not even a wisp of haze. “I don’t know what Emil’s talking about.”

Shaeffer stood for a second, fingering his hat, then let it go. “Well, no matter. They’re bound to turn up somewhere. Hell, I thought he could do everything in his head.”

Afterward, the room was quiet enough to hear his footsteps on the stairs.

“Did you destroy them?” Jake said finally.

“No, I have them.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I don’t know. I thought I would. And then they came to the flat. He was like a crazy man. Where are they? Where are they? You’re on his side. The way he looked at me then. And I thought, yes, his side.” She stopped, looking at him.

“Where were they?”

“In my bag.” She walked over to the bed and pulled the papers out of her bag. “Of course, he never thought to look there. My things. Everywhere else. I stood there watching him-like a crazy man-and I knew. He never came to Berlin for me, did he?”

“Maybe both.”

“No, only these. Here.” She carried them over to his chair. “You know and you don’t know-that’s how everything was. Just now, when you told me what happened, there was a click in my head. Do you know why? I wasn’t surprised. It was like before-you know and you don’t know. I don’t want to live like that anymore. Here.”

But Jake didn’t move, just looked at the buff sheets held out between them.

“What do you want me to do with them?”

“Give them to the Americans. Not that one,” she said, gesturing toward the door. “He’s the same. Another Emil. Any lie.” Then she pulled the papers back to her so that for a second Jake thought she couldn’t go through with it after all. “No. I’ll take them. Tell me where. There’s a name?”

“Bernie Teitel. I can’t ask you to do that.”

“Oh, it’s not for you,” she said. “For me. Maybe for Germany, does that sound crazy? To start somewhere. So there’s still something left. Not just Emils. Anyway, look at you. Where can you go like that?”

“As it happens, he lives downstairs.”

“Yes? So it’s not so far.”

“For you it is.” He reached up for the papers. “He’s still something to you.”

She shook her head. “No,” she said slowly. “Just a boy in a pic-ture.

They looked at each other for a minute, then Jake leaned forward, ignoring the papers and covering her hand instead.

She smiled and turned his hand over, tracing the palm with her finger. “Such a line. In a man.”

“You make a nice couple.” Shaeffer, standing in the doorway with Erich. “I brought the kid back.” He crossed over to them, Erich in tow. “Aren’t you the sly one?” he said to Lena, holding out his hand. “I’ll take them.”

“They don’t belong to you. Or Emil,” Lena said.

“No, the United States government.” He wiggled the fingers of his open hand in a give-me gesture. “Thanks for saving me another look-see. I figured.” He took the end of the papers. “That’s an order.” He stared at her until she released them.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Jake said.

“What do you think you’re doing? This is government property. You’re going to get yourself in trouble if you’re not careful.”

“They go to Teitel.”

“I’ll save you the trip.” He started riffling through, glancing at the pages. “Not rocket notes, I take it. Want to tell me?”

“Reports from Nordhausen,” Jake said. “Facts and figures from the camps. Slave labor details. What the scientists knew. Lots of interesting stuff. Keep looking-you’ll find a lot of your friends there.”

“Is that a fact. And you think this might make things a little embarrassing for them.”

“It might make them war criminals.”