Eight thousand? The ship’s capacity was not even fifteen hundred. We passed cabins intended for four people. A dozen were squeezed in, trying to sleep, suitcases and luggage stacked to the ceiling.
“This is quite civilized,” said Alfred. “This afternoon over three hundred girls from the naval auxiliary arrived. They are at the very bottom of the ship. In the drained swimming pool.”
I realized how fortunate I was to be in the maternity ward. There was space and relative calm. We waded through the sea of people toward the stairwell. Some were wearing life vests, which took up even more space.
We climbed the stairs. The air became cooler. I put on my coat. Alfred stopped me and put his finger to his lips. We let some people in the stairway pass. He then opened a small door in the stairway and pulled me by the sleeve of my coat.
We were inside a hollow chamber. “Where are we?” I asked.
“In the chimney,” he announced.
“Shh,” echoed from above. I looked up and saw Florian climbing down an interior ladder.
“Alfred,” I said. “Would you mind leaving us for a moment?”
florian
She slapped me.
When I didn’t react, she raised her hand again. This time I caught her arm.
“How dare you,” she breathed.
“What are you talking about?” I said. Her face was an inch from mine.
“You know what I’m talking about,” she whispered. “You forged a letter. You said I was appointed by Erich Koch. Do you know what they could do to me?”
I let her go. “What happened?”
She threw her arms in the air. “The blond Nazi, the one you mentioned, he came to the maternity ward looking for you.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I told him nothing. That I knew nothing.” The speed of her words increased. “But he told me he had seen your papers, that you’re a courier for Koch, and that Koch appointed me as your nurse!”
“Shh,” I repeated. “That sailor is probably listening to every word.”
“He should,” she whispered. “He thinks he’s a hero, helping you with some spy mission for the Reich.”
“That guy is no hero. You need to stay away from him.”
“You’re putting us in terrible danger. It’s not fair. Eva said you were a spy. Ingrid said you were a thief. I should have believed them.”
What were my options? She could turn me in.
Would she?
joana
We stood staring at each other.
“Tell me what you want to know,” said Florian.
“Are you really carrying something for Gauleiter Koch?”
“No. I’m carrying things for myself,” he said. “A piece of art.”
“You stole art?”
“No. The Nazis stole art.”
Was he telling me that he had taken art from the Nazis? “Stop being so cryptic.”
He sighed, then spoke in a whisper. “I’m a restoration artist, Joana. I repair and restore works of art. Initially, that’s why I wasn’t drafted. I worked at a museum in K?nigsberg. I preserved and packaged art for the museum director and his contacts. But then I learned that they were using me.”
“So you stole some art to get back at them?”
“Not just ‘some art.’ A priceless piece.” He paused. “Let’s just say that I’ve taken a piece that will leave a puzzle incomplete.”
None of it made sense. And either way, I didn’t want to be implicated.
“Do you love your country? Do you love your family?” he asked.
“Of course,” I told him.
“So do I. I have a younger sister out there somewhere. I’m all she has left. I think of her every day. My father made maps. He worked for the men who tried to assassinate Hitler. So the Nazis killed my father and sent a bill to our house. Three hundred reichsmarks for his execution. Do you understand? The Nazis wanted me to pay them for murdering my father. How would you feel if Stalin demanded payment for killing someone you love?”
“Stop.”
“Well, you’re acting so virtuous. You’re harboring a Polish girl and her baby in the maternity ward.”
“Lower your voice. That’s different and you know it. She’s a victim. I need to help her,” I said.
“It doesn’t matter. If they find out that you falsified the identity of a Pole and brought her on board, taking a space for a German, you’re done. We’re both up to our necks. But I won’t turn you in. Poet’s not going to turn us in. I’m not a spy, Joana. I’m not working for anyone. I’m working for myself, for my family, and others like mine. If anyone discovers the truth, I’ll tell them that I forged the letter and that you knew nothing about it.”
“What if they don’t believe you?” I asked.
“I’ll show them. I’ll take out your letter and my notebook. I’ll show them how I practiced forging your signature.”
“What letter?”
He paused, then pulled in a breath. “The note you left in the kitchen at the manor house. I took it.”
“You took my note?”
I had worried so intensely about that piece of paper, that they would find my name in that house. Florian had it the whole time.
“I took the note because I was trying to protect you,” he whispered.