The House of One Thousand Eyes by Michelle Barker

Author:Michelle Barker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Annick Press
Published: 2018-04-23T13:56:54+00:00

— 15 —

you don’t really know anyone

Someone was watching her on the S-Bahn—a pinched man wearing wire-rim glasses and a black beret. He looked like the type who might work in a library, or in a building underground with lots of yellow lighting. Every time she glanced over, he turned away.

Erich always said she was pretty when she smiled, but this fellow wasn’t trying to catch her eye. He was trying to avoid it, pretending to read his book. What if he’s from the People’s Police? What if Friedrich So-and-So— Maybe they were just waiting for her to return to Prenzlauer Berg. This was a mistake. Or maybe it was all in her head. For sure it’s in your head. There are lots of things in there that no one would believe.

She considered getting off at a different stop, but what good would that do? If he was following her, he would get off too. Her stop was approaching. She waited until the last possible moment and hurried to the door. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him leap up. But she didn’t see if he got off after her. When she looked back through the train windows, he wasn’t there. Beside her was a crowd of passengers, maybe with him in it.

She set off for the theater, doing her best not to check over her shoulder. That in itself would attract the wrong kind of attention. She had the address, and she knew the neighborhood well enough to take a circuitous route. Yes, Auntie, we know what circuitous means. If the man really was following her, it would be obvious soon enough.

She stayed on the busier main street, repeating the slogans on the billboards she passed to keep calm, then turned abruptly onto a smaller road. Don’t run. Be purposeful. Not like the house is on fire, more like you’re determined to buy a decent pair of shoes.

Soon there were footsteps behind her. Don’t turn around. She turned. The man in the beret made no attempt to hide. She braced herself for a loud Halt or a subtler You’re coming with me.

Instead he said, “Wait.” And then, “Please.”

Lena allowed him to catch up to her. “Who are you? Why have you been following me?”

“I’m sorry, I had no choice.” He lowered his voice. “I’ve been watching you all day. I had to make sure it was safe to talk to you. You telephoned me about your uncle. I’m Günter Schulmann.”

Günter Schulmann—the man from Erich’s letter. Lena stared at him. “That’s not possible.”

“I assure you, it’s true.” He showed her his identification, and offered his hand for her to shake.

“But—” She lowered her voice. “You live in West Berlin. I thought visas took weeks to be approved.”

“I don’t have to apply in advance for a visa if it’s only a day trip,” Herr Schulmann said. “I just have to exchange some of our good Western currency for your Eastern nonsense—at a terrible rate. I come across whenever I like, as a tourist.

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