I'm a Profiteer in Cold War Germany

Chapter 104: Chapter 14: Sharpness Beneath the Calm

For the next two weeks, an eerie calm descended upon East Berlin.

Werner continued his black market business and kept using the humanitarian channels to transport supplies for the Church.

But he stopped meeting with those who wanted to escape. When Pastor Weber asked, he simply said, "Things are tight right now. We should wait."

Anna didn’t contact him.

Werner tried calling the number on the business card Anna had given him, but every time he got a busy signal, or no one answered at all. He tried twice more, with the same result.

This wasn’t normal.

If Anna were just busy, she would have her secretary answer the phone.

If she were out of town, the call would be forwarded to someone else.

But as it was, the number seemed to have been disconnected. She was completely unreachable.

Werner put down the phone. He knew what it meant.

’Anna is in trouble.’

’Either she’s been arrested, or she’s under investigation.’

’The Stasi found out about the delay in her report and started investigating her.’

’Her phone line was cut, her work suspended, and her freedom of movement probably restricted as well.’

Werner tore the business card to pieces and tossed them into the wastebasket.

All he could do now was wait. Wait for the Stasi to clear up Anna’s situation, and wait for this whole affair to blow over.

*****************

「A few weeks later, at three in the afternoon.」

Werner was in the warehouse taking inventory when the door was suddenly pushed open.

Anna stood in the doorway.

She wore a well-tailored, dark blue suit, her hair immaculately styled and her makeup exquisite. She looked no different from their last meeting—in fact, she seemed even more professional and composed. Not at all like someone who had just been through an investigation.

"Werner." Her voice was calm and steady. "May I come in?"

Werner put down his checklist and sized her up. "Please, come in."

Anna entered the warehouse and shut the door. Her movements were fluid and natural, showing no signs of nervousness or panic. She sat in the chair across from Werner, her posture elegant and relaxed.

"Long time no see," Werner said. "I tried calling you, but no one ever answered."

"My apologies, work has been rather busy," Anna said with a slight, polite, yet distant smile. "There was a problem with the phone line. It’s fixed now."

"Is that so?" Werner smiled back. "Sounds like you’ve been doing well."

"Well enough," Anna said. "And you? How’s business?"

"Good. Since the Berlin Wall went up, demand on the black market has surged," Werner said. "Is there something you came for today?"

Anna’s smile slowly faded. She stared into Werner’s eyes. "I want to talk to you about the list from last time."

"The list?" Werner feigned confusion.

"The list you gave me," Anna said, her tone still calm. "The one with the names and addresses of people wanting to escape to West Berlin."

"Oh, that one." Werner nodded. "What about it? Was the information useful?"

Anna didn’t answer immediately, instead continuing to stare at him. "Werner, have you met all the people on that list?"

"Most of them," Werner said. "Some came to me directly, others were referred by the Church."

"The engineer named Erich Hoffman." Anna’s voice grew slower. "What do you know about him?"

Werner’s heart tightened, but his face remained calm. "Hoffman? The engineer who wanted his daughter to go to the West, right? I met him once, at the church. He said his daughter couldn’t get into university because of their family background and wanted to send her to West Berlin to stay with relatives."

"Is that all?"

"That’s all." Werner looked at Anna. "Why? Is there a problem with him?"

Anna didn’t answer, instead changing her line of questioning. "Before you gave me the list, did you verify the identities of these people?"

"Verify?" Werner frowned. "How would I do that? I’m just a businessman, not the Stasi. They came to me saying they wanted to go to the West, so I wrote their names down. I thought the information would be useful to you."

"Werner," Anna said, staring into his eyes, her tone more direct. "How long have you known Hoffman?"

"Just that one time," Werner said. "Anna, what are you really trying to ask? Did something happen to Hoffman?"

Anna fell silent for another moment before asking the crucial question. "When you gave me that list, did you know Hoffman’s true identity?"

Werner’s heart began to beat faster, but his expression remained one of confusion. "His true identity? Isn’t he just an engineer? Does he have some other identity?"

Anna said nothing, merely continuing to observe Werner’s reaction.

Werner looked at her, his mind racing.

’Anna is testing me.’

’She wants to know if I knew all along that Hoffman was a Stasi mole, if I intentionally gave her a compromised list.’

’Normally, if the intelligence I provided was faulty, the Stasi would have interrogated me directly, or even arrested me.’

’But Anna’s attitude is strange. She’s not interrogating me; she’s probing, carefully.’

’She wants to know if I did it on purpose, and more importantly, *why* I would do it.’

Werner suddenly understood.

’Anna is worried that I’ve figured out there’s something wrong with *her* identity, so I deliberately orchestrated this—slipping a Stasi mole’s name onto the list of defectors just to see how she would react.’

’If I really *am* testing her, it means I suspect she’s more than just a Stasi officer.’

’And now, she’s testing me in return, trying to determine if the list was a coincidence or a trap I carefully set.’

"Anna." Werner sighed, putting on an expression of sincerity and innocence. "I really didn’t know there was a problem with Hoffman. Those people all found me at the church. I just thought the information might be useful to you, so I put it together for you. If it’s caused you any trouble, I’m very sorry."

Anna stared at him for a long time, as if trying to discern the truth in his words.

"Werner, how long have we known each other?" she asked suddenly.

"A little over three months, I suppose," Werner said.

"A little over three months," Anna repeated, then gave a slight smile. "What kind of person do you think I am?"

The question put Werner on alert.

"A dedicated Stasi official," Werner said. "Cautious and principled."

"Is that all?"

"What else should there be?" Werner countered. "Anna, what is it you really want to say today?"

Anna didn’t answer directly. Instead, she stood and straightened her clothes. "There were indeed some complications with that list, but I have already explained everything to my superiors. I needed time to verify the information after receiving it, which is why the report was delayed. It’s a normal part of the process."

She walked to the door and turned to face Werner. "Werner, I hope our cooperation can continue. You’re a valuable source of intelligence. Very useful to the Stasi."

"Of course," Werner said. "I have always cooperated with the Stasi."

"Good." A slight smile played on Anna’s lips. "However, Werner, I’d also like to remind you of something."