“I expect they would,” said Lockhart. “That’s what’s happening here in Germany. There is a monster on the loose, and people don’t want him to eat their families. So they feed him with those they don’t know, or pretend not to know—the Jews, the Gypsies, the handicapped, homosexuals, criminals. And the monster is eating them by the million, stuffing his face with the families of strangers. But those strangers are worth just as much as the families you do know. Who you know is just an accident—knowing people doesn’t make them worth more.”

“And you include Anna in that?”

Lockhart paused. He looked Leni straight in the eye.

“Yes,” he replied. “Yes I do. It hurts me more than anything to say that, but how can I possibly claim that her life is more precious than anyone else’s? Anna is my wife because I met her. I could have met someone else and married that person instead, but would that have made Anna Green any less valuable in the eyes of the world? No. Don’t get me wrong: she and Amy are my world, and I would do anything to save them. But what I won’t do is let millions of others die just because I want to save my wife.”

“You realize that you might be the one who ends up killing her? If we succeed at Mittelbau, then she might well die.”

Another pause.

“I’m aware of that. But the principle doesn’t change.”

“I can’t…”

“What?”

“I can’t believe you’re being so logical about it.”

Lockhart allowed himself a wry smile.

“Believe you me, I’m not feeling very logical. I’m feeling the opposite, if anything.”

“So how can you be so logical?”

“Because I have to be, Leni. I have no choice. There’ll be a time when I’ll be able to scream and shout, but that’s not now. It wouldn’t help.”

They remained in silence, a silence that Leni eventually broke.

“So what you’re telling me is that you’re willing to shoot your own wife rather than shoot two complete strangers. Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes.”

“But would you, could you actually do that? If the three of them were actually standing in front of you, you’d shoot her?”

Slowly, Lockhart folded up the blueprint. He could feel the tears coming, but he stopped them.

“Ask me when we get to Mittelbau,” he said.

“You’re ducking the question.”

Leni’s tone was gentle.

“Yes,” he said quietly, “yes I am. Only a saint or a monster could answer that question confidently. I’m somewhere in between, or at least I hope I am.”

Max had been wary at first, had wondered why on earth Strasser needed two dozen MP40 machine guns, twelve Walther P38s, thousands of rounds of ammunition, thirty-six grenades, and two dozen sticks of dynamite.