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Back The Hiding Game
Chapters (64)
  1. Cover
  2. Naomi Wood
  3. Dedication page
  4. Epigraph page
  5. 1
  6. WEIMAR, 1922
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. DESSAU, 1929
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. BERLIN, 1932
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. 50
  58. 51
  59. 52
  60. 53
  61. Thank you
  62. Praise
  63. The Hiding Game
  64. Also by Naomi Wood

I assumed he would have known the story of my exile. But there’s no reason he would know any more of me than I knew of him. ‘What happened?’ he asks. ‘To you?’

‘I was taken in by the Gestapo after the raid. Twice. Irmi persuaded me that the third time they wouldn’t just question me. I left in ’34.’

‘A year after me.’

I cannot help my voice cracking: ‘How could I? How could I have just left her?’

‘You forget. I also left. I too saved myself.’

Neither of us knows what to do. We’ve never had much natural affinity, and now we are uneasy as crows. We know we have to have the conversation about Charlotte, about how she ended up in the camp, but it feels as abject as it is guessable, and I wonder if either of us will be able to do this. Who can steer the other? Who can be the stronger? But not to speak would dishonour her, to disavow – again – what happened to her.

This does not mean I know where to begin.

Jenö finally looks at the yellow weave. ‘What happened to her after the raid?’

‘She was tried. You know that?’

‘Yes.’

‘She was found guilty. An “enemy of the state”. Then they sent her to Plötzensee for four years.’

Jenö nods.

‘When she got out, Kaspar and Irmi tried to get her to Amsterdam. But she said she wanted to go home.’

‘She always hated Prague.’

‘I don’t understand that part either.’ I smile.

‘Did you hear from her again?’

I shake my head. ‘She was angry at me. Angry I’d gone. Angry I’d persuaded her not to go in the first place. Did you?’

‘Hear from her? No. No, I didn’t.’

‘Neither did Irmi or Kaspar. I think she wanted to leave her Berlin life far behind.’

‘And after that?’

‘Arrested in Prague. Brought to Buchenwald on a female transport.’

‘I wondered if you knew anything I didn’t.’

‘That’s it.’

‘Is there any work?’ he asks. ‘From Prague?’

‘If there is, it’s all behind the Curtain. I can’t remember where the Bauhaus stands, with them.’

The case is waiting. The air is tight.

‘Franz said there’s some of her work inside, that it’s from the camp.’

‘Yes. Do you want me to open it?’

Perhaps he’ll go without forcing me to see inside.

‘I haven’t been able to do it on my own. Pathetic, isn’t it?’

‘No, not really; I’ve been rather dreading this too.’