‘How odd,’ said Lisa, who had just appeared in the kitchen, trailed by Alexei. ‘We just ran into Oksana Nikolaevna. She didn’t mention anything about the village.’ She fixed her eyes on Natasha. ‘Did she, Alexei?’
‘No, she didn’t,’ confirmed Alexei.
‘Must have forgotten,’ mumbled Natasha.
Mother picked up a can of meat and, adjusting her glasses, turned it this way and that. ‘What strange writing. What language is it?’
Natasha panicked. Because she didn’t know what to say, she nearly opened her mouth and told her mother everything. But Lisa’s mistrustful eyes stopped her. ‘Hungarian,’ she muttered. ‘They have a Hungarian officer living next door.’
‘He shared his food with Oksana? That’s nice of him,’ said Mother, examining a tin of tomatoes.
‘I thought the food came from the village?’ demanded Lisa.
‘The potatoes did,’ mumbled Natasha, suddenly feeling like a wild animal caught in the headlights.
‘I think Natasha’s got a secret admirer and she doesn’t want to tell us,’ said Lisa, tickling her.
Natasha pulled away. Trouble was, in their small kitchen she couldn’t step back far enough to get away from her sister. ‘Don’t be silly, Lisa.’
‘Is that who you were wearing make-up for? Look at her face, Mama. And she’s wearing your shoes.’
‘I can wear what I want.’
‘Don’t get so defensive, I’m only joking.’
‘Why are you wearing my shoes?’ asked Mother distractedly.
‘Couldn’t find mine.’
‘Oh, really?’ Lisa pointed at Natasha’s old boots that were in their usual spot in the corridor. ‘Who are you trying to impress? The Germans?’
Alexei chuckled. Natasha frowned. Mother groaned. ‘Girls, stop bickering and help me make lunch.’
They were busy cutting potatoes – whole potatoes and not just peels, thanks to Mark – when there was a loud knock outside that was immediately followed by another one, even more demanding. The Smirnovs fell quiet, exchanging a worried look. Mother went to answer the door, while the sisters poked their heads around the corner cautiously, ready to disappear back to the safety of their kitchen if the situation called for it.
The two Gestapo officers whom Natasha had seen downstairs pushed their way into the small corridor, followed by a young Ukrainian girl. Natasha guessed she was their interpreter. Lisa glared at the girl and muttered, ‘What a disgrace,’ to which Natasha squeezed her elbow and whispered, ‘Be quiet!’
The taller of the two Nazis barked something in German and the girl translated, ‘Any men here aged sixteen to thirty-five?’
Mother shook her head. ‘No, there aren’t. No men here at all.’ She glanced at Lisa, who turned around to warn Alexei. But it was too late. He had just appeared in the crowded corridor, wondering what all the commotion was about.
Lisa tried to protect Alexei, to shield him from view, to push him back in the direction of the kitchen. But she wasn’t fast enough. The men saw him. ‘Kommen Sie mit,’ said the shorter of the two. His words didn’t require translating because the gesture that accompanied them made it very clear what the officer wanted. When Alexei didn’t move, one of the officers wrestled him away from Lisa’s desperate embrace. As they were exiting the apartment, Lisa threw herself between the Germans and Alexei, but the officers pushed her away and ushered him out the door. Lisa stood as if rooted to the spot, watching Alexei until he disappeared down the stairs. When she could no longer see him, she slid down the wall onto the floor, whimpering. Glancing at her distraught sister, Natasha ran down one flight of stairs, catching up to the Ukrainian girl and pulling her by the sleeve. ‘Where are they taking him?’ she asked quietly.
‘I can’t tell you that,’ cried the girl. ‘They’ll shoot me.’ Her eyes were two dancing pools of silent fear.
‘They won’t shoot you. Listen… What’s your name?’
‘Tanya.’
‘Tanya, did you see my sister? She’s devastated. They’re getting married next month. Just tell us. It won’t do any harm.’
Tanya hesitated.
Natasha continued, ‘You aren’t German. You’re one of us. Help your own people. Please.’ She wanted to squeeze the girl’s hands until she cried out, wanted to shake her scrawny body until the truth came out. She resisted.
Tanya looked around cautiously. ‘It’s to do with the murder of the officer in the park a few days ago. They arrested a hundred people so far. That’s all I know.’
‘They arrested a hundred innocent people? Why?’
‘To make an example out of them? To make sure it doesn’t happen again? How the hell do I know?’ Tanya shrugged as if to say, What is it to me?
‘What do you mean, make an example?’ cried Natasha but Tanya was already running after the officers, her high heels click-clacking sharply on the sandstone of the stairs.
Slowly Natasha walked up the stairs. She didn’t know how to face her sister. If she could, she would have run after Tanya and onto the sunlit street, where she wouldn’t have to endure Lisa’s tears. Lisa was still on the floor, sobbing loudly and wiping her face with her fists. Natasha’s hands shook when she told her sister what she had discovered.
‘What do they want with him?’ wailed Lisa.
Natasha shrugged, her heart heavy, her eyelids heavy, everything of hers heavy, even the palms of her hands that were stroking Lisa’s quivering back.
‘Mama, what do they want with him?’ repeated Lisa, almost hysterical.
‘They’ll probably question him and let him go. He had nothing to do with the officer’s murder. They’ll see he’s innocent.’ Mother put her arms around Lisa. ‘They will, darling, don’t you worry. It will be okay.’ She tried to make her voice steady but failed.
Lisa sat up straight as if struck with a sudden idea. Her moist eyes glistened. She turned to Natasha. ‘You saw who killed the officer in the park, didn’t you?’ When Natasha didn’t reply, Lisa raised her voice. ‘Didn’t you?’ She shook her sister the way Natasha wanted to shake Tanya a few minutes ago. ‘Natasha, you have to tell them.’
‘Tell them? Tell them what?’
‘Tell them who it was.’
For a few seconds Natasha couldn’t speak. The words died under Lisa’s indignant stare.
‘Natasha, did you hear me?’ Lisa shook her one more time.
‘I heard you.’
‘You have to tell them.’
‘I wish I could Lisa. But I didn’t see who it was. It all happened so quickly.’ When she heard the lie slip effortlessly off her tongue, Natasha was horrified at herself. She realised she had told more lies in the past few hours than she had in her entire life. The effort of it all made her lips tremble.
‘I’m your sister,’ said Lisa. ‘Where is your loyalty?’
Natasha extricated herself from Lisa’s grip. ‘Lisa, I can’t tell them something I don’t know. I have no idea who it was. I was in such a shock, I hardly looked at him. I wouldn’t recognise him if I ever saw him again.’ Natasha lowered her eyes.
‘In