“But I recall that you had to recruit nineteen men before that would happen. And now that recruiting has been put to a halt, I’m afraid the deal’s off.”

“What?”

“You heard me, Lockhart. No deal. Don’t blame me, blame Berger. You read the memo.”

“That’s hardly fair!”

“Life isn’t fair, especially in wartime. You should know that.”

“Oh spare me the clichés, Strasser! I damn nearly got killed in Posen, and I recruited five men from one camp alone. I’d say I deserve to see her, even though I haven’t hit your magic number.”

Strasser was tapping his pen on the desk. It was a habit that Lockhart was beginning to find infuriating. He didn’t want to plead, but somewhere beneath Strasser’s icy casing, there must lie a small pocket of warmth. He knew he had to stay calm, not get too heated.

“I’m not going to beg you, Strasser, I’m just appealing to your better nature. So I haven’t reached your figure, but I’m pretty confident that I would have done had I not been called back. Look at it from my point of view. I’m the one who’s kept his side of the deal—it’s your side that’s broken the ground rules. And in most civilized contests, the side that breaks the rules is the side that is judged to have lost. The other side is then awarded a walkover. In this instance, the walkover is my being allowed to see my wife. I can’t understand why it should be such a problem.”

Strasser got up and strolled to the window, and looked out onto Hildesheim. He had clasped his hands behind his back, and was standing quite still. Lockhart could hear him breathing, taking exaggerated inhalations, as though he was trying to compose himself.

“I hear what you’re saying, Lockhart,” Strasser stated matter-of-factly, still looking out the window, “and, of course, what you say is fair. I suppose I should not be surprised that you are so keen to see your wife, but your insistence, to the point of risking your life and hers, I do find surprising. Your wife is alive and well—you have read that with your own eyes. Is that not enough?”

“So speaks a bachelor, Strasser.”

“Perhaps you’re right. But I’d just like to remind you that my threat still stands. If you do not cooperate, then she will be killed.”

Strasser turned around and continued, looking Lockhart in the eye:

“Furthermore, I will also have you shot if you attempt to sabotage the progress of this unit. Any talk of plans or plots—even the scantiest of rumors—will result in your execution. I’m sure it has occurred to you to try something, mount some sort of riot, and I am telling you now that any such move would result in your death.”

Lockhart did his best not to swallow. He held Strasser’s eye, trying to stare him out.