The American Reporter Pt. 04

A marine greeted them and she handed him a note.

"For Professor Kohl, tell him Harriet is here."

"Of course, ma'am," he summoned another man and passed on the note and the message to him, the man read the note and then inclined his head.

"Follow me, ladies."

They followed him down a hallway that led away from the auditorium and then up two flights of stairs to another corridor that intersected with another corridor and about halfway along the man stopped and knocked at a door. A man's voice could be heard and a moment later their companion opened the door and nodded.

"He's waiting for you."

They stepped into a room that smelled of cigar smoke. The office looked quite plain with a desk, filing cabinet and a small table with two chairs stood by the wall. Professor Kohl got up from behind the desk to greet them and Helga ran an eye over him. His hair was longer than customary for a man and he had a handlebar moustache, he was dressed in a white suit and shirt although the jacket was slung over the back of a swivelling chair, the black tie had been loosened and the top button undone. His face looked quite red and there was sweat on his forehead.

"Welcome, ladies," he rounded the desk to meet them, "Harriet, my dear you look ravishing as usual," he held out his hand for Helga's, "and you must be Helga, I've heard so much about you."

Helga's eyes shifted as he shook her hand, his fingers were quite long and his palm smooth, he had a slight aroma of cologne about him.

"I'm John Cole, spelled C, O, L, E, but I had cards printed that have it altered to K, O, H, L," he released her hand, "would you like something to drink?"

"No thanks," Helga replied.

"I'll have a bourbon, if you've got it."

"Of course," John stepped over to the filing cabinet, "I'm afraid the glasses haven't been washed today," he opened the bottom drawer and took out a bottle and two glasses.

"I'll live," Harriet sat down, "take the weight off your feet."

Helga sank into the seat beside her while John poured out two measures of bourbon and more out of politeness she finally agreed to try a measure of bourbon.

"So, here's to peace," John raised the glass a minute or so later, "may it come soon."

The fiery liquid stung her throat but it had a pleasant after-taste and as she was trying to evaluate the taste John Cole got right to the point.

"Do you know what your husband does at the embassy?"

"Not until tonight," her eyes shifted to Harriet, "I never asked his business but I knew it was party business but in these times it is often better to not know too much."

"Point taken," Cole propped on his palm, "too much knowledge can be a dangerous thing but we have been interested in your husband for some time."

"Why?" Helga stared at him.

"His job role for a start but we are after any information we can find."

"And you want me to find it?"

"Not exactly," he glanced at a folder in front of him, "we are more interested in the safe in his office, to be blunt, we need to look inside the safe, take pictures and put everything back the way we found it."

"Oh," she winced and put a hand to her throat, "and you did not just break in while I was out?"

"We, uh, we did try once but the housekeeper was home and so we had to abandon the plan," Cole replied, "but if you were to receive two guests in the next day or two, one of your guests could open the safe and the other guest could photograph the documents."

"You want her to invite a safe cracker into her house," Harriet raised an eyebrow.

"In a matter of speaking, yes."

Helga exhaled slowly and stared at Harriet, a moment later she looked at Cole.

"Could I please speak to my friend, alone?"

"Of course," Cole rose and nodded at the others, "I'll give you five minutes."

Helga waited until he was gone before speaking again.

"You want me to betray my husband and my country?"

"It was not my idea," Harriet leaned forward and clasped her hands together.

"At first I thought to buy you a ticket for a passage to New York, it would give me time to take on a single tenant and then let her go just before you arrived. That way no one would ask questions when I took on a new tenant for the spare room," she fiddled with her wedding ring.

"But when I was talking to John he suggested another option. If you are able to give him access to Helmut's safe then he will make a note in your file that says you have been helpful to the United States government. No one at customs will ask about your links to the Nazi party, you will be able to get a green card and work right away. You can still stay at our house, if that's what you want but you will be your own woman."

Their eyes met and Harriet swallowed.

"This way we can approach each other on neutral ground."

"What if there is nothing in the safe?" Helga looked at the door, "I do not know what is in the safe, it might be of no value."

"The deal will still stand," she reached out and took her hand, "I did not agree to bring you here without at least extracting that promise from him."

"Do you trust him?"

"He works for the State Department and while they can be secretive, too much information is a dangerous thing and he knows the consequences if he goes back on his word," she stared into her eyes, "I have all kinds of things tucked away in my memory."

Helga felt as if time stood still and in a moment in time she saw herself standing betwixt two worlds, the country where every word spoken in haste could be relayed to the Gestapo and a new country with no Gestapo. When she did speak a minute or so later it was with a nod as she spoke in a soft murmur.

"There is no need for this safe cracker, I know the combination, it is his birthday but I would need to send the domestic staff out of the house before they arrive," her hand tightened on Harriet's as she went on, "but I want you with me, we can sit in another room if you like."

"Okay, I can do that. We will drink tea."

John Cole looked relieved when Helga agreed to his proposal and even went as far as to reassure Helga that her passage to the United States would proceed as quickly as possible. After that they were ushered downstairs to the auditorium where Helga sat through a performance put on by the Boston Philharmonic Society. It was only when they were driving away that she finally asked the question.

"Why are you doing this, for me?"

"It is a long story with a short answer," Harriet blew out a cloud of smoke.

"I have been with many women, granted quite a few were already married and didn't want to put their marriages at risk, but there were quite a few who would have left their husbands and some who were still single. I have not done this before," she glanced over at her.

"Given one woman a chance to be with me and only me. I was not the whore but I was not about to limit myself to just one woman. Maybe I will regret it in three months and maybe you will too but it is not just you who is getting the chance at a new life, I am willing to take that chance too. You said before that you were betraying your husband and your country, I am going against what is natural for me. I have always been the lone wolf, now I will have someone who is faithful to me and I to her," she extinguished the cigarette and smiled.

"That was not such a short answer."

"But a good answer," Helga fluffed at her hair, "it is worthy of Shakespeare."

***

Helga awoke earlier than usual that next morning and after splashing water on her face, proceeded to get ready. She had just finished donning a patterned dress when she heard Helmut entering the room, he looked her over and offered up a faint smile.

"You are seeing Harriet today?"

"Ja," she tightened the belt another notch, "she is coming for morning tea."

"How much do you trust her?"

"I trust her," their eyes met, "trust is trust. She never asks about your work because she knows I know nothing about your work."

"I should hope not," he perched on the edge of the bed, "have you ever met this Professor Kohl?"

"No," she replied, "but Harriet has many contacts, you have seen the way she is."

"She is like the butterfly."

"She is a reporter," Helga shrugged, "it is her job to ask questions and find sources. Are you going to meet with Herr Kohl?"

"Perhaps," he fiddled with a cufflink, "but my superiors want me to complete my work and return all the paperwork to Germany," he stared at the door, "I was going to clean out the safe this morning but after seeing that artefact last night I decided to wait another day or two."

Helga didn't know what to say to that and so she wisely kept her silence but over breakfast she listened intently to his musings and whilst she still kept up her usual disdain for Hitler, Helga did concede that Germany was better off for having him. It was a lie that slipped out so easily she had to take a few minutes after he'd departed for work to steel herself for what would come soon.

***

Harriet arrived about an hour after Helmut left for work and Helga updated her on what had taken place between Helmut and herself.

"Then we must act quickly," she inclined her head, "get rid of the staff and I will send the signal."

"With what?" Helga looked askance at her, "you brought no radio."

However, Harriet's signal was much simpler. She merely raised the hood on her car that was parked in the driveway and stepped inside.

"They will be here in a few minutes," she smiled.

John Cole and another man appeared at the door some five minutes later and John introduced the second man as Lenny, he had a rather large bag in his hand.

"He's the photographer."

"I'll open the safe for you," Helga led them to the stairs, "Harriet, can you please wait in the sitting room?"

Helga led them up to the study on the second floor and bent down to open the safe while John and Lenny stood off to one side. For a few seconds she thought he might have changed the combination but then she heard the light click as the bolt slid back and she opened the safe. It was the first time she'd actually seen inside his safe. It was stacked with folders on both levels and there was a locked drawer inside. John squatted beside her and studied it.

"Do you have a key for the drawer?"

"No," she bit her lip, "I have never seen inside it before, perhaps in a desk drawer," she glanced over her shoulder as he reached into the safe and into a small space behind the back of the drawer, a moment later he withdrew an envelope that hadn't been sealed and smiled.

"I can feel the key," he took out a key and slid it into the lock, "and voilà," he unlocked the drawer, "we have success."

Helga rose and immediately regretted rising too quickly because her head was swimming but John was busy studying the contents of the safe.

"Please leave everything as you found it."

"Don't worry, ma'am," he looked up, "I've done this before, he won't even find a cigarette butt in the ashtray."

Helga backed away and left them to it as she retreated to the sitting room and then went down to the kitchen to make tea. The only time she returned to the office was to bring in a tray with two glasses of iced water. Lenny was taking photographs of the papers spread out over the desk while John sat in a nearby chair with another file in his hand. Their eyes met and he managed a smile before going back to reading the contents and she left the room and went back to Harriet.

The whole thing felt alien, forbidden and Harriet sensed her anxiety because she deliberately kept the conversation focused on more mundane subjects. There was no talk of the Molotov-Ribbentrop agreement, nor the breaking news of the treaty between Poland and Britain. Instead she talked of life in New York and her desire to return there.

"Here it is nice and exotic but I never thought I'd miss snow and the seasons, the heat here is very different to New York, and I miss Coca Cola. John has been keeping me supplied with bottles on a regular occasion but even he has to limit his procurements."

"Helmut was asking about him this morning," she replied, "he wanted to know if he could be trusted."

Harriet laughed at that but recovered soon enough.

"Oh let's just say that John is believable in his role," she lowered her voice, "he is an actor but when he was caught in a compromising situation with a politician the government acquired his service and put him under the control of the State Department."

"He was blackmailed?" Helga stared at her.

"In one word, yes," Harriet shrugged, "but John sees the bright side, he gets to travel to exotic locations and act out the roles his superiors want. Outside of normal office hours he is his own man and free to pursue his desires."

"And he told you?"

"Let's just say we sniffed each other out almost straight away," Harriet smirked, "John is a good man, much like my husband back in New York. They move in the same circles but must have missed each other like ships in the night."

"But can he help me get to America?"

"He can," Harriet smiled, "he might be working under the watchful eye of the Sate Department, but if all that fails I have I have a plan for that as well," Harriet smiled.

The conversation veered onto other subjects, film, books, and fashion but eventually they heard footsteps in the corridor outside and then a light knock.

"Come in," Harriet called out.

John pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"We've finished," he told her, "but there's something I think you need to see," his eyes narrowed as he looked at Harriet, "and it might be an idea for you to see it as well."

Helga tried to appear calm as he led them back to Helmut's office. Lenny had just packed away his camera and film. He nodded at them and moved to the door.

"I'll be outside."

"Thank you, Lenny," John murmured as he moved to where Helmut usually sat.

"You said you had only just became aware of your husband's work?" John looked at her as he rested his fingertips on a dark green file folder.

"Yes, only last night," she replied.

"Perhaps you should sit down," he nodded at the opposite chair.

"What is going on?" Helga sat down and because she was directly opposite the safe she could see that the drawer was still open, the files had all been put back in the same order they had been taken out, presumably.

"How much do you trust your husband?" John studied her.

"Helmut?" Helga swallowed, "it is a strange question. He was asking the same thing about you this very morning."

"What did you tell him?"

"That I did not know you that well, I still do not know you."

"I am a secret agent, for want of a better word," his eyes flickered to Harriet, "pressed into service by the government to do things they would rather not be seen doing, I lie for a profession but your husband on the other hand has two sides," he pushed the file across the desk to her.

"We took this from the locked drawer, I think you need to read it before we put it back and then we will talk some more," he leaned back in the chair and frowned, "on the one hand it is completely understandable that a man might conceal the true nature of his work from his wife, but it is an entirely different matter when it comes to passing on that information to other agencies."

"Other agencies?" Helga glanced down at the folder and slowly opened it.

A moment later she let out a slight cry as her eyes fell on the letterhead, Sicherheitswehr at the top of the page. Under it was an address and then she started reading the brief letter to Helmut where he had been informed that his father in law was under observation by SiPo for his alleged Jewish connections. The memo went on to say that her father had contacted the works ministry to complain that a significant proportion of his workforce had been taken away because they were Jewish. This had led to a downturn in production and he wanted recompense or the return of his workers, all of whom had long been integrated into the community. The blood drained from her face as she came to the end of the memo where this official had requested that Helmut keep an eye on his wife in case she too was infected with this disease.

Helga swallowed as she turned the page and saw a page with her details, her birth date, schools she had attended, her interests and hobbies and on the next few pages there were detailed reports about Helga Bornhoffen, and Helmut could be meticulous to a fault.

"Dieses Schwein," she swore and moved backwards suddenly to find Harriet at her back.

"The pig," Harriet murmured as she read a few lines, "how many reports?"

"He looks as if he's done one report every quarter," John replied, "someone might write quarterly reports for a company but about his wife?" John raised an eyebrow.

"Is my family in danger?"

"Quite possibly," John replied, "but this changes things for all of you."

Helga stared at the evidence before her with a mixture of anger and horror, it was inconceivable that Helmut would go so far as to write reports about her for SiPo and yet if not for the fact her father had done his duty and complained to the authorities, he might never have complied with their request.

"What do we do now?"

Harriet's hand dropped to her shoulder at the tone of her voice, almost as if every word was forced out of her.

"A good question, John," she locked eyes with him, "we cannot leave them to the mercy of the Gestapo."

"Write a letter to your parents and I'll put it into a diplomatic pouch for Berlin, and you must provide an alternative way of contacting them via a relative or friend who can be trusted not to call the Gestapo," John glanced at the file again.

"I can't promise to get them out but we will do what we can. The information we gained today was invaluable, it's the least we can do."

Helga wanted to ask more about the information but the clock was ticking and so she fetched pen and paper and began to write. Harriet and John vacated the room for some twenty minutes before she finally finished and handed him an envelope and a piece of paper.

"It is the address of one of my childhood friends, she still lives in the same town and I know she hates the Nazis."

"We'll do the best we can," he extended his hand, "goodbye, I have an important meeting with Helmut, I'll let Harriet know when I can convince him to come to this dig in the Negev, but until then try to act as normally as possible."

"How can I act normally?" Helga fumed some ten minutes later as she closed the safe, "he has been spying on me for years."

"Don't worry, we'll keep you occupied," Harriet reassured her.

Nevertheless, Helga was still on edge as she left the study. Within the space of two hours her entire life had been overturned.

One way or another I will have my revenge.

To be continued...