Chapter 16 Threats
Threats
Berlin
Helene spent the first few months of marriage savoring every moment. She and Derek fell into a pleasant routine: In the mornings,
he went to the war ministry building, and she stayed in the apartment for a few more minutes before saying goodbye to Kaiser,
who clearly relished the extra time with her.
The German population had gotten used to the country’s new rulers. Visual representations of Hitler’s portrait and the swastika
were so prevalent that Helene hardly noticed them anymore. She figured things would get better, or at least not much worse
than they currently were. Several of her colleagues had lost their jobs, and some had been forced to leave the country, but
persecution against Jews had plateaued for the moment. Tranquility was a luxury item in the Germany created by Adolf Hitler.
The dictator had somehow managed to destroy the parliamentary democracy of the Weimar Republic in a matter of months, and
with very little opposition.
The library had returned to its customary rhythms. People seemed less afraid of reading now, and the rows and reading tables were again full in the afternoons.
Klaus and Lena had plenty to do, and Helene handled all the forms and paperwork they were responsible for sending to Krüss at the Prussian State Library.
They had heard nothing further from Kummer.
To Helene’s relief, it seemed that the earth had swallowed him whole.
“Good morning, how’s it going so far today?” Helene asked her colleagues. She had taken care of several errands on her way
in, and Lena and Klaus had already been working for a couple hours.
“All good. It’s remarkable, isn’t it? Since the Nazis have been in power, the street fights have all but disappeared, as have
the ruffians,” Klaus said. He tried to recognize anything positive when he saw it, even if it was the result of the National
Socialists.
Lena snorted. “That’s because they’ve all been shipped off to work camps and concentration camps. The Nazis took one of Gabor’s
friends from work just a few days ago and sent her somewhere near Munich to a place called Moringen.” She refused to budge
on her opinion of the Nazis. The National Socialist literature they were now required to stock in the library denigrated women.
For Nazis, the virtue of being female consisted of birthing children for Germany. Boys and girls, like puppies for their future
masters, walked the city streets in little brown uniforms. This was adorable to Lena’s family, who was more and more enthralled
with the regime. Lena, meanwhile, avoided any and every chance of talking politics with them.
“I know it’s hard at home,” Helene said, giving her friend’s arm a squeeze. “It’s the same with Derek’s family. They’ve all joined the Party.”
“About that . . .” Klaus said hesitantly. “We’ve received a letter from the government alerting us that we can’t stay in our
positions unless we affiliate. We have until the end of the year.” He held out the letter with an apologetic shrug.
Lena was more blunt. “They’ll kick us out if we don’t join, but joining means being an accomplice to the system. I’d rather
lose my job.”
“Maybe it’s time to look at the situation more pragmatically. If we join, we can protect the Secret Library and resist from
within.” Klaus spoke gingerly, knowing the landmine he was treading on with Lena.
“I refuse!”
At Lena’s outburst, several patrons turned to see where the noise had come from.
Klaus pressed his luck. “But Derek works for the minister of war, the Nazi in charge of the army.”
Helene glared at him and answered in a measured, quiet tone. “Thanks to him, no one is messing with us.”
“Fine, fine, but at some point we’re going to have to choose.” He sighed and returned to the shelves where he had been working.
After lunch, Gabor showed up unannounced. He and Lena had been seeing one another for two years, though nothing was official.
Lena was head over heels for him.
That afternoon, Gabor was dressed up more than usual. He came up to the librarians with a confident smile and, before even
saying hello, dropped to one knee before Lena. He pulled out a small red velvet box.
Lena, typically unsentimental, gave a little jump and squealed and clapped her hands over her mouth. “Gabor! You aren’t . . .”
“Lena,” he did not let her finish, “would you marry me?” His smile grew even wider as he opened the box. He had positioned
himself precisely so that the light from the window glittered off the small diamond set in gold.
“Oh my goodness, is this really . . . ?” Lena looked around frantically and her eyes locked onto Helene’s.
Helene gave her an encouraging smile and nodded.
“Yes, yes, yes!” Lena squealed.
At that, Gabor stood and scooped his fiancée into a big hug. “Then let’s do it as soon as possible. I know you don’t like
big ceremonies or religious fanfare.”
Lena pulled back a bit. It was true that she had frequently ranted against such showiness, but now that it was happening to
her, it felt different.
“Well, actually . . . it doesn’t have to be the wedding of the century, but if we’re going to get married, let’s do it properly.”
One of Gabor’s eyes rose in surprise, and he gave her another kiss. “It will be my pleasure to turn you into Mrs. Frick.”
Helene had fallen into a routine of spending most afternoons at the Secret Library. She had managed to shelve the books and
catalog them. Though no one utilized that library, it brought her immense satisfaction to walk the shelves and do a silent
roll call of the titles and their condemned authors. She took comfort that, at least for now, the Nazis suspected nothing.
Since the year before, when they moved the first load of books into the Secret Library, Helene had participated in a few other clandestine missions.
However, opposing the regime was becoming increasingly difficult, since the Nazis dissolved almost all other political parties, took control of the churches, and dismantled even the smallest expression of group organization.
Plus, most Germans were pleased with their new leader, or at least they acted like they were.
Helene’s family refused to go into exile. Her grandmother, Dorothea, though her weak legs no longer allowed her to leave the
house, seemed unconcerned. And at family meals, her grandfather frequently commented that Jews had always been persecuted
and that this, too, would pass.
Helene paused before the works of Zweig. She ran her hands along the spines of his books, then opened the box containing his
papers. It brought back the memory of their conversation over dinner on that magical night in Austria. Helene had heard that,
though the Nazis did not control Austria, Zweig had gone into exile in London to warn the world about the dangers of Hitler
and the Nazis.
She looked out of the window that faced the plaza. The sinister Gestapo building looked dark despite the light reflecting
off its facade. There were rumors about the terrible things that happened in its basement. Sometimes it was better not to
know.
She went down to the ground floor and out the front door, locking it behind her. She passed through the gate and headed for
the trolley stop. After she’d gone about three hundred yards down the road, she sensed a presence. Glancing back, she caught
sight of an elegantly dressed man a few paces behind her. His face looked slightly familiar.
Helene slowed down as she drew near her trolley stop. The feeling of being constantly watched was not new, but this felt different, and she was nervous.
“Madam,” the man said as he came up beside her, “I’m sure you won’t remember me.”
She turned toward him, holding out her ring finger.
The man nodded with respect and stood at attention as if Hitler himself were walking by. “When I first encountered you I believe
you were not yet married. You and a friend had witnessed an unfortunate incident in the trolley. Thankfully, such things no
longer occur in Germany.”
The memory all came back to Helene. He was the Prussian secret policeman who had saved them from the impending blows of the
SA.
Helene weighed her words carefully. “Indeed, the SA aren’t bothering people on the streets anymore.”
He nodded. “They weren’t bad boys, though their education left much to be desired. Things are different now. Where are you
coming from? I thought you worked on the south side of the city.”
Helene groped for a suitable explanation. “I’ve just come to tend to some matters . . .”
“I work nearby, in that building there,” he pointed. “If you ever need anything, my name is Wilhelm Schmidt.” The officer
took off his hat to bid her farewell, then kept walking down the street.
Helene felt panic rising in her chest. Had he seen her leave the Secret Library? She tried to banish the thought and prepare
herself for a calm evening with Kaiser. Derek was out of town, and she did not know which day he would return.
The apartment was dark when she walked in, but Kaiser’s meows greeted her.
“I’m back, kitty. You’re not alone anymore.”
Just then Helene’s senses registered the presence of a body in one of the chairs. She gave a startled scream, then realized
it was Derek.
“Derek, for goodness’ sake, what are you doing here in the dark?”
His hand lifted a few inches as if to wave, but he gave no answer.
She leaned over and kissed his forehead. It was chilled despite the July heat. “Honey, what’s going on? I didn’t know you’d
be back, or I would’ve left out some food for you.”
“I’m not hungry,” he croaked out.
Helene was worried. “Will you tell me what’s going on?” she begged.
“Von Blomberg and I have been in Munich.”
“Munich?” she asked to coax him along. Helene never knew exactly where Derek’s work for the general took him.
Derek’s face was hardly visible in the dim light. “Yes. It was horrible. Dozens of people were killed. It was a massacre.”
“You’re scaring me, Derek. What happened? Are you hurt? Did you have to . . .?” All of Helene’s senses were on heightened
alert.
“No, not me.” Derek was nearly panting with the effort to speak. “Hitler has jailed or killed the senior leadership of the
SA.”
“Wouldn’t that be a good thing? They’re brutal and do terrible things.”
Helene’s response did not surprise Derek. He leaned forward and tried to explain. “You don’t understand. Hitler gave the orders
for his closest friend, Ernst Rohm, to be executed. What would he do to us, then? Even von Blomberg was speechless when he
saw it.”
Helene suddenly saw the situation through Derek’s eyes.
No one was safe, no matter what position they held or how chummy they were with the Nazis. Hitler would do anything to stay
in power. The military was not going to stop him, just as the politicians had not.
Germany was a sinking ship.