I sighed and shook my head. ‘Oh, that really knocks over the heap. You? Arthur Nebe? The Reichskriminaldirektor? A beefsteak Nazi? Well, I’ll eat my broom.’

‘Brown on the outside, yes,’ he said. ‘I don’t know what colour I am on the inside, but it’s not red — I’m no Bolshevik. But then it’s not brown either. I am no longer a Nazi.’

‘Shit, you’re one hell of a mimic, then.’

‘I am now. I have to be to stay alive. Of course, it wasn’t always that way. The police force is my life, Gunther. I love it. When I saw it corroded by liberalism during the Weimar years I thought that National Socialism would restore some respect for law and order in this country. Instead, it’s worse than ever. I was the one who helped get the Gestapo away from the control of Diels, only to find him replaced with Himmler and Heydrich, and . . .’

‘. . . and then the rain really started to come in at the eaves. I get the picture.’

‘The time is coming when everyone will have to do the same. There’s no room for agnosticism in the Germany that Himmler and Heydrich have got planned for us. It’ll be stand up and be counted or take the consequences. But it’s still possible to change things from the inside. And when the time is right we’ll need men like you. Men on the force who can be trusted. That’s why I’ve asked you here — to try and persuade you to come back.’

‘Me? Back in Kripo? You must be joking. Listen, Arthur, I’ve built up a good business, I make a very good living now. Why should I chuck all that away for the pleasure of being on the force again?’

‘You might not have much choice in the matter. Heydrich thinks that you might be useful to him if you were back in Kripo.’

‘I see. Any particular reason?’

‘There’s a case he wants you to handle. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that Heydrich takes his Fascism very personally. He generally gets what he wants.’

‘What’s this case about?’

‘I don’t know what he’s got in mind; Heydrich doesn’t confide in me. I just wanted to warn you, so that you’d be prepared, so that you didn’t do anything stupid like tell him to go to hell, which might be your first reaction. We both have great respect for your abilities as a detective. It just happens that I also want somebody in Kripo that I can trust.’

‘Well, what it is to be popular.’

‘You’ll give it some thought.’