linked to Lobach, and he was summoned for an interview. He acknowledged the
relationship and his paternity, but he stated that he had no idea where his
daughter might be, and he had not had any contact with her in ten years.”
“So where was the daughter?”
“I had seen her every day in the Lobachs’ home. A sweet and quiet twenty-year-old
girl who cleaned my room and helped serve dinner. By 1937 the persecution of the
Jews had been going on for several years, and Edith’s mother had begged Lobach
for help. And he did help—Lobach loved his illegitimate child just as much as his
legitimate children. He hid her in the most unlikely place he could think of—right
in front of everyone’s nose. He had arranged for counterfeit documents, and he
had taken her in as their housekeeper.”
“Did his wife know who she was?”
“No, it seemed she had no idea. It had worked for four years, but now Lobach felt
the noose tightening. It was only a matter of time before the Gestapo would come
knocking on the door. Then he went to get his daughter and introduced her to me
as such. She was very shy and didn’t even dare look me in the eye. She must have
been up half the night waiting to be called. Lobach begged me to save her life.”
“How?”
“He had arranged the whole thing. I was supposed to be staying another three
weeks and then to take the night train to Copenhagen and continue by ferry across
the sound—a relatively safe trip, even in wartime. But two days after our
conversation a freighter owned by the Vanger Corporation was to leave Hamburg
headed for Sweden. Lobach wanted to send me with the freighter instead, to leave
Germany without delay. The change in my travel plans had to be approved by the
security service; it was a formality, but not a problem. But Lobach wanted me on
board that freighter.”
“Together with Edith, I presume.”
“Edith was smuggled on board, hidden inside one of three hundred crates
containing machinery. My job was to protect her if she should be discovered while
we were still in German territorial waters, and to prevent the captain of the ship
from doing anything stupid. Otherwise I was supposed to wait until we were a
good distance from Germany before I let her out.”