“I requested to be relieved of duty, so I’ll be leaving at the end of the week,” Oskar said, staring at his cap. “I know that doesn’t change anything, but I hate what goes on here.”

He was right. It didn’t change anything.

“If I could have stopped it, executions or floggings or any of it, I would have, but I’m one man, and if I . . .” Oskar rubbed his eyes and cleared his throat, then spoke again in a soft tone. “If it helps at all, your siblings seemed at peace. And even after what they’d witnessed, so did your parents.” He hesitated before returning the cap to his head.

I rose to my feet and gripped the back of the chair with both hands to steady myself. He waited, as if anticipating that I was going to say something. When I did, I didn’t bother trying to keep the tremble from my voice.

“If you meant what you said about hating what goes on here, I need you to promise me something.”

He didn’t react right away, but at last he dipped his head in a small nod.

“Tomorrow, I want you to report to the kommandant and tell him everything you know about Fritzsch.”

* * *

After my conversation with Oskar, I rushed to my block. Hania and I had plans for a chess game, but chess was the furthest thing from my mind. When I got there, Hania was lingering outside and hurried to meet me, but I passed her without slowing down.

“I’m going to find Fritzsch.”

She grabbed my arm. “Wait, Maria, you can’t.”

“Yes, I can,” I exclaimed, shaking her off. “He can flog me all he wants, but I’m going to find him. I have to—”

“Listen to me, shikse,” Hania murmured, taking me by the shoulders. “You can’t go to him because he isn’t here.”

“Fine, I’ll wait until he comes back, and when he does—”

“He isn’t coming back.” She held my hands and gave them an excited squeeze, beaming. “This morning, the SS men in the administrative office said Kommandant Höss summoned Fritzsch for a long meeting, and he left the moment it was over. Höss had ordered an immediate transfer and sent him to a concentration camp in Flossenbürg. He’s gone.”

Impossible. Fritzsch couldn’t be gone. Not yet. With Oskar’s testimony and Fritzsch’s numerous transgressions, I was almost certain Kommandant Höss would transfer him, but I had asked Oskar to give his report tomorrow so I could have time to confront him first.

“It’s true, shikse, I promise.” Hania’s voice made me blink, and she stepped closer to me with a small smile. “You’ve done it. He’s gone.”

Fritzsch was gone.