‘As detectives with the People’s Police, it seems to be our lot in life, Karin. The Ministry for State Security will always have the upper hand.’

Müller knew what he said was true. She also – to some extent – understood the Stasi’s function. The revolution did have to be defended. Counter-revolutionaries, fascists; yes, they all should be targeted. Arrested if necessary. But it seemed as though all Lotti Rolf had been trying to do was draw attention to possible health risks at an important industrial enterprise. To protect other citizens and workers in the Republic. To fire her for that, well, that sounded more like something that would happen in the BRD or the west in general, didn’t it?

*

The procession of co-workers, small though it was, failed to turn anything up of value for the two detectives, until the last person to be interviewed. She was the only one who claimed to be a friend of Lotti’s – the others all claimed she didn’t mix with people from work. But Ursula Horn was a similar age to Lotti, and did the same job, although they usually were on opposite shifts. As a result, at work they were like ships that passed in the night. But Ursula lived in Bad Schandau and knew Lotti’s family of old.

‘We’d meet up when she was visiting her mother. Lotti didn’t want to stay at the bed and breakfast all the time – she found she was being roped into chores. So we’d meet up for a coffee in the village, or sometimes hang out at the Rolf’s cottage.’

‘The annexe, in Kirnitzschtal?’ asked Müller.

‘Yes, that’s the one. It’s a bit run-down, I know. But nice and private. We could just get away from it all, and chat about whatever we wanted, without fear of being overheard, if you know what I mean?’

‘No,’ said Tilsner. ‘What do you mean?’

‘You know. People who might report you if you were saying something slightly off.’

‘Like what?’ asked Müller.

‘Well, you know about Lotti and her health, I expect?’

Müller nodded.

‘Well, she wanted to expose everything. I warned her against it. Told her she’d never win. But she was very angry about her lung cancer. The poor woman has been through a lot – she’s had an unhappy life, really.’

‘What makes you say that?’ asked Müller.

‘What happened in the war. Her face. You know about that, presumably?’

The two detectives nodded again.

‘So I think she felt she’d been dealt two unfair hands. First, the burns from the terror bombing, then the cancer at the mine.’

‘But you don’t know it was connected with her work, do you?’ said Tilsner.