Page 27 of Library of Forbidden Books

The SS officer looked at the documents dubiously then back at Klaus.

“Show me what’s in the boxes!” he barked.

“It’s nothing of value . . .”

“We’ll determine that,” he said, slapping the documents into Klaus’s chest and walking toward the truck.

Just then Derek walked up. “Good afternoon, may I be of service?”

The SS officer turned and eyed Derek up and down. “We’re going to examine the contents of these boxes.”

Without flinching, Derek held the Nazi’s gaze and said with calm gravity, “I’m Derek von Sholtz, army second lieutenant and personal assistant of General Werner von Blomberg, Minister of War and Commander in Chief of the Army.”

The two officers studied him. Nazis were strictly hierarchical, and these two preferred to steer away from trouble.

“Very well. We hope the heat doesn’t derail your work. Hiel Hitler!”

Derek was obliged to return the salute and nodded at them curtly as they turned to go.

Helene approached, not having seen the exchange. “What happened?” she asked, pale at the thought of all the books being lost.

Derek’s mouth was so dry his voice came out oddly. “Thankfully, nothing. Let’s finish quickly.”

Afternoon turned into evening, and Berliners ventured outdoors for the cooler breeze. Helene and her group closed up the building and drove away, finally starting to let out the breath they had held all day. They couldn’t believe their luck.

As soon as Derek and Helene were home, they took a long shower and sat outside on the balcony. Kaiser nestled in between, and the three of them watched the Pariser Platz foot traffic. Every time a thought about the Secret Library of Berlin flashed through her mind, Helene’s heart raced. They had managed to put a sizable number of books away, but how safe would they be?

Helene took Derek’s hand and started to cry.

Part 2

The Moringen Library

Chapter 16

Threats

Berlin

July 2, 1934

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.”