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Back The Radio Operator Save as PDF
Chapters (43)
  1. Cover
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. Acknowledgments
  40. Bibliography
  41. A Note from the Translator
  42. About the Author
  43. About the Publisher

He was amazed how much she knew about him. He purposely blew smoke over the chicken soup that now sat on the table before them. He was teetering between the urge to go ahead and fully confide in Lauren and the stronger impulse to make a run for it.

“Please trust me, Joe. I think you’ve stumbled into something and now you can’t find your way out of it!”

“I told them I quit,” he said gruffly.

Her face remained just as kindly and approving, as if this were exactly how she’d imagined this conversation would go. “Good. That’s a start.”

Then she put her cigarette out and started eating her chicken soup.

27

Neuss, August 1949

AN EVENING LIKE MOST ANY OTHER: THEY SIT IN THE kitchen, Carl writes invoices, Edith darns socks, the children read. He has the newspaper spread out in front of him, smoothing it out with his hand every now and then, while his eyes scan the articles. A club wishing to put on a party can apply for exemption from the entertainment tax. New information about the allocation of land for small garden plots in Rommerskirchen and Otzenrath.

He’s searching. He’s searching for news that could apply to him. You have to keep your eyes open. You need patience. This is what he can do.

The last important piece of news he read was four years ago. December 1945: General Lahousen, head of sabotage for German military intelligence, gave an interview to the international press in Nuremberg.

He glances over at Carl. Sometimes when he’s concentrating his brother will push his tongue out between his lips and forget it’s there.

“Paul?” It takes a few seconds for the boy to look up at him. “Paul? What’s the tallest building in New York?”

“I don’t know.”

“The Empire State Building.”

“How tall is it?”

“Four hundred forty-three meters—that’s including the antenna,” Josef tells him.

“That’s tall.”

“Are there a lot of suicides in New York?” asks Täubchen.

“What could possibly make you think of such a thing?” asks Edith, stunned.

“Since the buildings are so tall. It makes it easy.”

“Makes a whole heap of work for the people down below, though,” Josef says with a wink.

Täubchen laughs. Carl looks up briefly from his invoices and exchanges glances with Edith.

Edith has started tidying up in his room again. This too is something between him and her: no one knows that she stopped, and no one, only he, knows that she started again.

“Time for bed,” Edith says to the children. And stands up herself, says something needs taking care of, something to do with the laundry.