Instead, she picked up the first letter again and read aloud: “The young woman continues her studies, and we trust this arrangement remains agreeable to all parties.”
She set it down again.
“They had his daughter.”
“That’s what it looks like,” Will said carefully.
“I smuggled that girl out of Vienna when she was only a child.” The Baroness’s voice was distant, remembering. “She had a doll, a little cloth thing with button eyes. She would not let go of it, not even when we had to run. Friedrich wept when I put them on the train.”
She quieted for a moment.
“And now they used her to break him.”
“He betrayed you,” I said, the words harder than I intended.
“Yes, he did.” She met my eyes, and I saw something complicated there. “He made an impossible choice, and people died because of it. Otto died because of it.” Her bandaged hands curled against the table. “But I find I cannot hate him the way I want to. I have spent too many years in this workand have seen too many people broken by similar methods.”
“What do we do about him?” Will asked.
“Nothing . . . yet.” The Baroness straightened in her chair. “Engel is a problem for after February 15th. If we survive this, I will deal with him then. His daughter will be protected. She is innocent in all of this. But Friedrich . . .” She shook her head slowly. “Friedrich will answer for what he has done.”
She gathered the letters, stacked them neatly, and set them aside.
“Now. Tell me what else you found.”
We spread the evidence across the table and walked her through it: the payment records, the correspondence, the personnel placements and infrastructure acquisitions. Most importantly, confirmation of the timeline leading up to February 15th, with the Chamber Session as the culmination of everything.
“This is enough,” the Baroness said when we finished. “This is enough to expose them—if we can get it to the right people in time.”
“Manakin said State Department is aware of the situation,” Will offered. “If we can get this evidence through official channels—”
The Baroness shook her head. “Official channels move too slowly. We have five days. We need something faster, something that cannot be buried or delayed.”
Will suggested, “Another allied nation? France? Maybe even Rome? After last year, surely the Pope would—”
“The press,” I said.
The Baroness looked at me.
“You mentioned a journalist, the one you were supposed to meet at the hotel.” I leaned forward. “If we can get this evidence to him, he can publish it. He can force the government to act.”
“Schweizer is likely under surveillance, and after what happened at the Bellevue, they will be watching anyone connected to me.”
“Then we find another way to reach him . . . or we find another journalist.” I glanced at Will. “Someone outside Bern, someone they’re not watching.”
The Baroness was quiet for a moment.
“There is a man in Bern,” she said slowly. “He writes for theNeue Zürcher Zeitung. He published stories that helped expose Nazi collaborators. He is careful, thorough, and he owes me a favor.”
“Who in Europe doesn’t?” I couldn’t resist the jab.
The Baroness rolled her eye.
“Can you reach him?” Will asked, steering us back on track.
“Not directly, but Bisch can. Werner and Bisch served together in the resistance. If anyone can make contact without being noticed, it is him.”
Bisch nodded once. “I will leave today.”
