‘If anyone asks why we’re here, I want you to look at this.’ They were in front of a workbench with a long cylinder on it, not unlike an oxygen tank. Next to it were various springs and other small machinery parts, including a box of ball bearings with Mortensen Machinery Parts – Copenhagen on the lid. ‘No one can hear us, it’s too noisy here. Gather closer and keep looking at these parts as we talk. It must appear as if we’re studying them. I have a family, you know. My wife is pregnant. Do you know what would happen to them if I was caught? My children would be taken away from us and my wife would be sent to a concentration camp.’ He pushed some of the parts around the table, appearing to be on the verge of tears. His hands were shaking so hard he managed to knock some of the parts onto the floor.

‘What happened to you last night, Bruno?’

‘Nothing, would you believe it. I went down Kommandantenstrasse as Kurt had said and then caught the U-Bahn home from Moritz Platz. No one followed me, I wasn’t stopped, and there wasn’t even a security check on the train like there often is at that time of night. When I arrived home, I was in such a state I told my wife I felt unwell and stayed downstairs. You two obviously got back all right.’

‘The Gestapo stopped us, but they didn’t suspect us. They were about to let us go anyway when we heard a commotion from the direction of the restaurant. There was an exchange of gunfire: it sounded like a machine gun and a semi-automatic, but I can’t be sure.’

Bruno looked thoughtful. ‘Kurt was carrying a Mauser, which is the semi-automatic pistol most Luftwaffe officers carry. If he fired his pistol and they fired back at him with machine guns, then he wouldn’t have stood a chance. If he’s been killed, I’m sorry, but at least no one will know about us.’

‘Can he be traced to you? If he has been killed and for some reason he was already under suspicion, they’ll be checking him out in detail now.’