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‘Not about this – it’s disgraceful.’ Gunther stared sadly out of the window, shaking his head from side to side. ‘To do it behind your back…that’s not right. You are her mother, after all – that relationship is sacrosanct.’ He turned round to face Minki. ‘We need to act, Minki. What is the name of this school? Can we go there and visit her?’
‘No Papa. As I told you, I have no idea where she is. But I’m determined to find her. I’ll scour the country, if necessary. Will you look after the boys for me if I have to go away?’
‘Of course.’
‘I’ve found a school for them here in Augsburg. They’ll be able to catch the bus from the village into town every day. It will do them good – give them independence. They’re such delightful boys – funny, brave and strong. You’ll love having them here.’
‘Of course I will, my dear. But what about Max – surely he must take some responsibility and help you find Clara?’
‘I doubt it. He’s so weak, Papa. He’s frightened of people in power – Goebbels and the others.’
‘But Goebbels is your friend. He came to your wedding, after all.’
‘I know,but he’s changed. Everything’s changed – and for the worse. Anyway, I’m leaving Max.’
‘Oh, my dear girl…I don’t approve of divorce, as you know. But perhaps – given what he’s done – I can understand it. He must be devastated though.’
‘I’ve not told him yet. Clara is all I can think about. Besides, what’s a failed marriage in comparison to a child’s suffering?’
Her father squeezed her hand and looked into her eyes. ‘Minki dear, I realise I’ve not been the best father to you. You’ve been let down by both of the men in your life. You go and find that girl.The boys will be fine with me, I promise.’
‘Thank you, Papa. I’ll go to the library in Augsburg tomorrow. They will have records of every medical and educational institution in the country.’
Minki spent the next couple of days at the library compiling a list of residential children’s homes and hospitals. There were literally hundreds of them, and Clara could have been in any one of them.
‘I don’t know where to even begin,’ she told her father, laying out a map of Germany on the table in the drawing room.
‘If I were you, I’d start at the top.’
‘What do you mean? In the north?’
‘No. Go to Goebbels. He is your friend, after all.’
‘Papa, you don’t understand…he won’t help me. I suspect he is responsible for her abduction, after Max had told him about Clara’s condition. It must have been Goebbels who informed the authorities. Why would he help me now? And in any case how could I trust him?’
‘You must try, darling,’ said her father. ‘The journalist of your youth would have used every contact she had to get what she needed. She would have been ruthless in her determination. Find some of that courage now. Go to Berlin and confront Goebbels.’
Minki took the overnight train to Berlin station. Arriving first thing in the morning, she hurried to the taxi rank.
‘The Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda,’ she told the driver as she climbed into the back seat.
He looked at her askance in his rear-view mirror.
‘It’s in Wilhelmplatz,’ she added.
‘I know where it is, madam,’ he said darkly, heading out of the station forecourt.
The ministry was housed in Leopold Palace – originally, a fine classical eighteenth-century building opposite the Reich Chancellery. The palace had been greatly extended since Goebbels had commandeered it for his HQ. As the taxi drew up outside, Minki noticed the addition of a new façade – plain and imposing in the modern National Socialist style.
Her shoes echoed as she crossed the expansive marble-floored reception area, and boldly approached the guard on duty behind the desk. ‘I’d like to see the Reichsminister urgently.’
The guard looked up from his paperwork. ‘Do you have an appointment?’
‘No.’
‘Then I’m afraid it won’t be possible.’ He returned to his work, implying that the conversation was over.
‘Joseph Goebbels is a personal friend of mine,’ Minki insisted imperiously. ‘Please call his office immediately, and tell him Frau vonZeller is here…I can assure you that he will want to see me.’
