Page 30 of Wicked Deceptions
In an effort to keep warm, I get up from the park bench and begin to pace. Perhaps if I get my blood flowing, I won’t be so cold. Moving around usually helps, but today, it doesn’t seem to be doing the trick. I can’t shake the chill that has rooted itself deep into my bones.I’m not gonna like what he has to tell me. I know deep in my heart my worst fears have come true.
I’m anxious and worried about this meeting, and fearful of what he has to tell me. It’s been almost a year since I’ve seen him, and quite frankly, I was surprised when I received his post two days ago. Truthfully, I expected him to wait longer, but there must be something new on the horizon and we need to close this up quickly.
Just when I turn to pace back the other direction, I spot him. He’s dressed in a long wool coat, scarf, and a very stylish derby. He looks very British, but I know he is not. He was always a handsome man. There was a time when he thought there might be more between us, but I never had those kinds of feelings for him. I always portrayed complacency with our friendship and working relationship.
When he approaches, he says in almost a whisper, “Guten Tag, Fräulein Mueller.”
“Guten Tag, Heir Wagner.”
He then continues in English, in case we are overheard. “Well done, Katerina. The information you provided us on the Zeppelins, the listening station, and the special ammunition has helped our cause immensely. You will be rewarded for your efforts.”
“Thank you, Gerhardt. It was my pleasure. I was only doing my job.” I hate every minute of it, but I must continue to make him believe I love my job. My life depends on it for I know now that they can erase a life in a blink of an eye.
“I’m here to tell you we are so pleased with the work you have done here that we are allowing you to return to Paris, with Madame LaRue. Your next mark is an American soldier, a Lieutenant Christian Barnes. We’ll have his dossier sent over to you by courier within the next few days. You should plan to return to Paris by the end of the week.” He hands me an envelope. “Your transportation is all arranged.”
“Why an American, may I ask?”
“Now that the Americans are involved in the war, everything is changing. It is my understanding he holds one of the highest security clearances in his country and he is key to upcoming negotiations with the Allied forces. All the information you will need is in your packet.” He winks at me and leans in close. “Remember, Katerina, play nice with this one.”
“Oh, Gerhardt, I always play nice and do what I am told. Isn’t that what you taught me?” He smirks and then turns to leave, and I call after him, “Gerhardt, wait.” I walk toward him. “Lieutenant Stanley, what happened to him?” Please let him still be alive. I don’t want the blood of another soldier on my hands.
“His plane was shot down testing the special ammunition you reported. We found him.” He hesitates. “He was barely alive. We took him out of his misery and left him in a field.” He looks around to see if anyone is nearby who could be listening. “You know,love, it’s all part of the job.” He emphasizes the word love, and chills run down my spine. He was watching Ben and me all along, or he would not have said it in that way. He knows I cared for him.
I buck up my shoulders. “Good. So all loose ends are tied up.” I cannot show him any weakness or sadness about Ben. He has to know I am still the monster he trained.
“Yes, all neat and tidy. Until next time, Fräulein Mueller.”
I nod and watch him walk away.
Yes, all neat and tidy. I repeat his words in my head. For a brief moment, my heart aches for Lieutenant Stanley, but as he said, it’s all part of the job. Why did I ever allow myself to get involved with the Germans?Because you were desperate and wanted a better life,I quickly remind myself. My grand plan to destroy Germany for all it took from me. Hell, I’ve been helping Germany, and it makes me sick to think about all I have done for them. I’ve been so naïve to think that I could hurt a country like Germany. My feelings don’t matter. I’ve made my choice, and I and I alone have to live with it, no matter the cost.
Chapter 15
Paris
July 1918
I’m now back in Paris and on to the next assignment. I have not made contact with my mark as of yet, but I’m curious. His dossier really did not give me much information about him, and I am still trying to make sense of how he is key to the German war effort. But as I have been told on many occasions, it is not my place to ask why but to play nice and do as I’m told. Thoughts of Chris, my first love, fill my head with dreams of a life that will never be.
I’m living at Madame LaRue’s again. She was so pleased to see me that she insisted. She refuses room and board so I have insisted that I work to keep my room. It is the only way I can repay her for her kindness, and I have always been known to bring in a good income for the house. She treats me like her own daughter, and I feel so bad I have to lie to her. But nobody can know why I have returned and what my intentions are.
My morning tea arrives, along with the news of the day. I take a sip of the tea and reach for the newspaper. The headlines read:Tsar Nicholas II is Dead!I read the article.
In Yekaterinburg, Russia, Czar Nicholas II and his family are executed by theBolsheviks, bringing an end to the three-century-oldRomanov Dynasty.
The Czar was crowned in 1896 and reined until his abdication in March 1917, when revolution broke out on the streets of St. Petersburg. That November, the radical socialist Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, seized power in Russia from the provisional government, sued for peace with the Central Powers, and set about establishing the world’s first communist state. Civil war broke out in Russia in June 1918, and in July, the anti-Bolshevik “White” Russian forces advanced on Yekaterinburg, where Nicholas and his family were located, during a campaign against the Bolshevik forces. Local authorities were ordered to prevent a rescue of the Romanovs, and after a secret meeting of the Yekaterinburg Soviet, a death sentence was passed on the imperial family.
Late on the night of July 16, Nicholas, Alexandra, their five children, and four servants were ordered to dress quickly and go down to the cellar of the house in which they were being held. There, the family and servants were arranged in two rows for a photograph they were told was being taken to quell rumors that they had escaped. Suddenly, a dozen armed men burst into the room and gunned down the imperial family in a hail of gunfire. Those who were still breathing when the smoked cleared were stabbed to death.
I cannot stop the tears that fall down my cheeks. My family and all it stood for, gone. Everything and everyone I have ever loved, gone.My aunt and uncle and all my cousins gone. I think about Anastasia and sob.I raise my eyes to the heavens. “How much can one person take?” I demand of God. I don’t get an answer. After all this, I begin to wonder, does He even exist? Never in my life have I questioned my faith until now. How can a loving God allow all this devastation, unrest, death, and turmoil happen in such a short amount of time? Are we being tested? Am I being tested? When will it end?
I wipe the tears from my face.You can never lose your faith, Katerina. Without faith, we have nothing.My mother’s words ring loud in my head. She is right. I must persevere and continue for my family. But how? Currently I am working for the German government. My goal was to get revenge, but I’m just a little person in a sea of a dangerous government.
“Your choice to support Germany is a lifelong choice. Nobody gets out alive.”
“In our world, there is no place for love, Katerina. Surely you know that.”
Gerhardt’s words come back to haunt me. I can never escape.
