Eli stared at his friend. Bernard had given so much to his people and now in his last hours, he deserved the truth, and nothing less, but Eli’s words caught in his throat. He couldn’t tell him the truth.
“Well, we caught him in the act,” Eli finally said. “Just like you planned, and I can assure you that his black-market visa scheme has come to an end.”
Bernard smiled weakly, a smile of accomplishment. “Tell me what happened in Garmisch? When is the trial?”
Trying his best to hold it together, Eli answered, “There’s no need for a trial, Bernard. Max confessed to his crimes. He pleaded guilty. He knew his crime spree had come to an end, so he gave it all up. He even gave up his contact in the United States. They’re all going to jail. There will be no more black-market visas through Max or anyone else.”
Bernard coughed hard. A spot of blood hit his pillow. “Good work, Eli.”
“It was all you, Bernard, from the very beginning. You were the driving force, the man who did what had to be done. Like everything you’ve ever done for us. You set up the operation and made the contacts with General Clay and Colonel Bivens. You spearheaded the whole thing. I was simply there at the end to mop up.”
Bernard suppressed another cough, and his pain was palpable. “Thank you for coming to see me today. You have an important job ahead of you, Eli. You must keep working to rebuild our community. They may not express it often enough, but they depend on you. Our people have been devastated, nearly annihilated, and every single surviving Jew is important.”
Eli nodded. “I know. I learned that from you.”
“I have treasured your company, Eli. You are a good man. You take care of yourself, your son and that nice young lady. She needs a hand.”
“I know. She’s a terrific girl.”
“And she’s very fond of you.”
“Bernard, I can’t let my mind go there.”
He coughed again and wiped blood from his lips. “I understand, and I truly hope you find Esther. I won’t be around to know either way, but I’ll be looking down on you and wishing you the best.”
Eli struggled to hold back his tears. “It has been an honor to know you, Bernard, and I will think of you often. May God be with you.” He started to bend over to hug Bernard, but the nurse stopped him.
Bernard smiled and nodded. “Goodbye, my friend,” he whispered. “The honor was all mine.”
* * *
“I lied to him this morning, Adinah,” Eli said as the two sat at the table late that night. “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t tell him that there would be no trial, that Maximilian had slithered away. It was more important for me to leave Bernard with a smile on his face than it was to tell him the truth. Now I feel guilty that the last words I ever said to my good friend were a lie.”
“You did the right thing. They said he died peacefully this evening.”
Eli took a sip of tea. His hand was shaking, and he set the cup down. “In his last hours,” Eli said, with a catch in his throat, “Bernard thought of you as well. He told me to take care of you. He said, ‘Take care of that nice young lady.’” Eli hung his head and turned away to hide his tears. Adinah reached over and put her arm around him.
“It’s okay,” she said softly. “It’s okay to be sad. Lord knows our people have learned that lesson. Bernard was a great leader who was here right when we needed him. I will miss him as well. I remember the first night we met, when he asked me if I knew ‘Tumbalalaika.’ I am honored that he thought of me in his last hours, but it’s not your responsibility to take care of me.”
“It’s not a matter of responsibility; we care for each other out of love, and it seems to me that you are the one who ministers the most around here. You take care of Izzie, you take care of our home, you make our meals and you do it all with love. You’ve given our home a woman’s touch, and you’ve filled the role that’s been missing from Izzie’s life for a long time.”
“Thank you. It is all done with love for you both, I assure you. I love that boy with all my heart.”
“And he loves you.” Eli sat back. “Adinah, I need to say something.” He paused and cleared his throat. “Esther could be alive, and Izzie and I pray that we will find her somewhere in Europe. If we do…”
“Eli, don’t you think I understand that? I’ve always understood that. I know my place here, and I pray for Esther, too. Her return would mean so much to you and Izzie, and your happiness would be mine as well. But if you feel like my presence here is a betrayal, if I make you uncomfortable, I will understand, and I will go. And I will still love you both.”
“No, it’s not like that at all. I don’t feel a sense of betrayal. Izzie and I are very lucky to have you in our lives. We love you, too. I just thought I should say…”
“You don’t have to say any more.”
“Major Donnelly told me about the Central Tracing Bureau and the work they are doing. They’ve been collecting information about people missing in the war since 1943. The offices are in Bad Arolsen, where the three occupying zones come together. They have records from the concentration camps. They may have answers. I’m going to go up there.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
FÖHRENWALD DP CAMP
AMERICAN ZONE
FEBRUARY 1947
The memorial service for Bernard Schwartz drew the attendance of the entire camp. His accomplishments were praised, along with his leadership, his guidance and his steadfast integrity. Death had visited this community so many times in the past few years that eulogies had ceased questioning the fairness of it all. It was what it was. The residents simply came to laud the goodness of the man. Föhrenwald was fortunate to have had him for as long as it did.
At the gravesite, after prayers were offered and when the last of the mourners had stepped away, Eli remained. “I have a confession, Bernard,” he said to the mound of dirt. “I lied to you, and I’m feeling bad about it. You deserved to know the truth, though perhaps now, in some mystical way, you do. We did not send Maximilian to jail, nor did we expose his pipeline. He got away, just like he did in Föhrenwald, just like he did in Lodz. Just like he always does. I didn’t stop him. I failed. I didn’t have the courage to tell you that. I wanted you to leave this world in peace.
“I’m headed up to Bad Arolsen today. I’ve been told that the Central Tracing Bureau has the most recent information about missing people. If anyone would have information about Esther, they would. Pray for me, Bernard.”
* * *
The offices of the Central Tracing Bureau were staffed with dozens of women—many in white bonnets and Red Cross nurses’ smocks. Others were dressed in civilian clothing, as they would be in any London office. One large room was filled with rows of typing stations, and their Olivetti typewriters clicked away. There were rooms of steel shelving filled with boxes of records—boxes with names like BERGEN-BELSEN, DACHAU, AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU, CHELMNO, BELZEC, and RAVENSBRÜCK.
There were correspondence rooms where women opened letters from people searching for missing relatives. The letters described the lost loved ones in rich detail and told of their last known location. The women dutifully answered those letters and then retained them in permanently indexed files.