The Valkyrie Song

5

‘I’ve never seen you on the telly,’ said the old woman as she set the tray with coffee and baked biscuits on the table.

‘It’s a satellite station.’ Sylvie smiled as she took the cup handed to her. The coffee had a caramelly aftertaste. Rondo Melange. ‘I see you don’t have satellite. Our station covers most of the North. You really should have satellite. Don’t you watch a lot of TV?’

‘Oh yes — I have the TV on all day. Company, you see. And I would love to have satellite, but I can’t afford it.’ The old woman sat down. ‘Who is it you said you were looking for?’

Sylvie estimated that the woman wasn’t really that old. Maybe seventy. But, like many women of that age, she had given up: she was slightly overweight and saggy, and her pale skin looked rough, with a reddened eczematous disc to the right of her chin.

‘You worked for the MfS? Back then, in the old days, Frau Schneeg?’ Sylvie asked.

‘Oh yes…’ Frau Schneeg raised her hands and emptied her expression of anything that could be interpreted as guile. ‘But I wasn’t anything to do with all that kind of thing. You know, the snooping and stuff. I was just a filing clerk.’

‘I understand that, Frau Schneeg.’ Sylvie smiled. ‘Naturally. But you were involved in the personnel records department.’

‘Yes — pensions, staff allowances…’

‘Exactly. I was wondering if you could tell me if you knew any of these people.’ Sylvie laid the sheet out on the table, next to the embroidered doilies and the coffee and biscuits.

‘I really don’t want to get involved. You know what I mean: people here don’t know I worked in the ministry. I moved here to Halberstadt after the Wall came down. I have a niece here.’

‘I understand, Frau Schneeg.’ Sylvie replaced her smile with a concerned frown. ‘But I promise no one will know. I just want to find some of these people and no one need ever know where I got the information. That’s if you can help me at all. I’m looking for people who worked with either Colonel Adebach or Major Drescher.’

‘I don’t know…’

‘My station would be most grateful if you could help,’ said Sylvie. ‘I’m sure we could fix you up with a satellite box and dish — and a few subscriptions.’

For a moment Frau Schneeg looked at Sylvie intently, then said: ‘Let me have a look at your list…’