Free When the Doves Disappeared by Sofi Oksanen Page B

an excellent post. There’s a lot of work to be done in the Haapsalu Aussenstelle. First report to the B4 Referentur’s office at Patarei. You’ll receive further instructions from them.”
    “Herr SS-Untersturmführer …,” Edgar stammered, “may I ask to what I owe such an honor?”
    “The most obvious Bolshevik cells have already been cleaned up, but I’m sure you know how important a thorough disinfection is when it comes to stubborn vermin. And you, Mr. Fürst, have an excellent understanding of vermin.”
    Then Mentzel turned on his heel and went back into his office, leaving Edgar standing in the hallway. He had succeeded after all.
    AS HE STEPPED inside the prison walls of Patarei, Edgar felt dizzy. He was alive when many others weren’t. He would begin familiarizing himself with the Jewish question that very evening. These walls, meters thick, had silenced the screams of thousands of executions. They breathed death, death past and death to come, death that didn’t distinguish between nationalities or leaders or centuries. But his steps rang through the hallways, advancing purposefully toward life. He was well received at the B4 bureau, where he filled out the forms with Eggert’s information, in Eggert’s handwriting, and didn’t see any familiar faces. He felt like he was in the right place. He even got permission to visit Auntie Anna before he started his job in the Haapsalu office. He was told to be prepared for long hours, and that suited him, though he didn’t know yet how to explain the situation to Roland. It would be good to have his cousin along, because his background was so trustworthy, and because Edgar needed to keep an eye on him. What better way to do that than to keep him as close as possible? Besides, you should never go into a fight without a wingman. Roland was a closemouthed, reliable type. Edgar knew that Roland wouldn’t blow his cover. Roland didn’t ask a lot of questions. Like when Edgar showed up at his place after he left the Commissariat for Internal Affairs. Getting caught in that bribe had been amateurish. Edgar knew that, and it upset him. But Roland hadn’t pried, he just brought Edgar with him to Finland. He’d had that same weary look on his face that he had when Edgar got caught selling border passes at the Estonian border guard post, where they were both fulfilling their military service requirement. Roland had lied for him, said they’d been told that you had to pay for the pass, and Edgar had avoided going to jail. Roland had felt that Edgar’s discharge from the army would be punishment enough, and he was right. All in all, the risks he’d taken for Roland had proved useful.Without Roland, without his recommendations, without the time in Finland, Edgar wouldn’t have such a trustworthy background, and he would never have met Mentzel. He knew he could count on the family. Rosalie’s mother obeyed Rosalie, Rosalie obeyed Roland, Roland obeyed Auntie Anna—and Anna obeyed Edgar. Auntie Anna had learned his new name so quickly, without asking any questions. It was enough for her to look into Edgar’s eyes and see that he was serious. She was just happy that her nephew, her favorite boy, had returned home alive from the gates of death. All he had to do was assure her that everything was fine and he had a job. Life was good for Eggert Fürst. He would think of a way to get Roland on board. If Roland wouldn’t listen, Anna would find the right words, or she could talk with Rosalie. After all, she wanted a bright future for Roland, too.

Taara Village, Estland General Region, Reichskommissariat Ostland
    M Y COUSIN EDGAR WAS standing in the cabin doorway and his mouth was moving. He was saying something about Rosalie, his hands gesticulating, but I didn’t understand why he was talking about my beloved. The wind blew in through the open door. My shirt flapped. The floor was dark with rain.
    “Are you listening? Do you understand what I said?”
    His shouting