I'm a Profiteer in Cold War Germany

Chapter 118: Chapter 28: Matthias’s News

He flicked his cigarette ash, stood up, and walked to the window.

On the street below, a few workers in gray uniforms were lining up, waiting to receive their bread rations.

The line was long, stretching all the way to the street corner.

A young mother holding a child stood at the end of the line. The child was crying, and the mother, her face etched with exhaustion, bowed her head to soothe it.

Werner watched for a moment, then turned and walked back to his desk.

He pulled open a drawer and took out the shift roster Matthias had given him.

It was densely packed with the checkpoint’s schedule: morning shift, mid-shift, night shift, the names of the soldiers for each time slot, as well as their habits and temperaments.

"Joachim Miller, morning shift leader. Likes to smoke, gets distracted easily during inspections..."

"Peter Neumann, mid-shift. Just transferred from the countryside, lacks experience..."

"Kurt Stein, night shift. Veteran, very strict. Absolutely must not make a move on his watch..."

Werner underlined a few names with a red pen.

Peter Neumann. He was the breakthrough point.

He remembered Matthias telling him that this Peter was a young man in his early twenties, transferred from the countryside just three months ago. He was curious about everything in the city and got nervous easily.

This type of person tended to stick to the rules during inspections, not daring to improvise. As long as one was well-prepared, it was possible to find a loophole.

Werner looked at the roster again.

Peter’s shift was from 2 PM to 10 PM, with a guard change in the middle at 6 PM.

That was the most chaotic time of day. Vehicles were lined up waiting for inspection, soldiers were eager to hand off their duties, and attention was at its most divided.

"That’s the time," Werner muttered to himself.

He put the roster away, leaned back in his chair, and began to lay out the entire plan in his head.

’Step one, get an Isetta. Preferably one with West Germany plates and a clean owner history that can withstand scrutiny.’

He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

’Step two, find a technician for the modification. The seatback needs to be made into a movable hidden compartment. The seams have to be perfect, leaving no trace. I’ll have to find someone trustworthy, and pay them enough to keep their mouth shut.’

’Step three, test the compartment. Make sure a person can get in, can breathe, and can last for at least half an hour. Can’t rush this; it’ll need repeated testing.’

’Step four, pick the time. Peter Neumann’s shift, around 6 PM, during the chaos of the guard change.’

’Step five...’

Werner’s hand froze in mid-air. Ash from his cigarette fell onto the desk.

’What if something goes wrong?’

In his mind’s eye, a photograph he had seen in a museum in his past life surfaced—a captured escapee, prone on the ground at a checkpoint, hands cuffed behind his back, his face pressed against the cold concrete, eyes filled with despair.

If something went wrong, there would be no "if"s.

He took a hard drag from his cigarette, letting the bitter taste of nicotine suppress the thought.

’Nothing can go wrong. It has to be foolproof.’

’Step five, if successful, immediately destroy all evidence and cut contact with Joshua for at least two weeks.’

’Step six, observe the Stasi’s reaction. If Vonke comes asking questions—’

Suddenly, footsteps sounded from outside the door.

Werner shot to his feet, the cigarette butt dropping to the floor. He hurried to the door, his hand on the knob.

"Who is it?"

"It’s me." Matthias’s voice came from outside.

Werner opened the door, and Matthias walked in.

He was in civilian clothes—an old jacket and faded trousers—looking like an ordinary worker.

"What brings you here so suddenly?" Werner asked, closing the door.

"I have something to tell you," Matthias said, lowering his voice. "Word came from above. Starting next week, they’re tightening security at the checkpoint. All vehicles will be probed, the undercarriages checked with mirrors, and trunks have to be opened completely."

Werner’s heart sank.

"Why?"

"Heard someone’s trying to cross illegally," Matthias said. "Last week, someone reported that a person was asking about vehicle modifications on the Black Market. The Stasi are watching closely now."

Werner walked to the window and lit a cigarette.

"How closely?"

"So closely that every car will be inspected for over ten minutes," Matthias said. "Plus, they’ve sent an inspection team from upstairs. They’ll be doing spot checks. If a soldier is found being careless, they’re dismissed on the spot."

Werner took a drag from his cigarette and said nothing.

"So..." Matthias hesitated. "If you have any plans recently, you’d best postpone them."

Werner turned and looked at Matthias.

"How do you know I have a plan?"

"I don’t," Matthias shrugged. "But I know you. You’ve been asking me so much about the checkpoint lately, you must be figuring something out."

Werner smiled.

"You’re getting smarter, Matthias."

"Working at the checkpoint long enough, you get smart whether you want to or not," Matthias said. "Every day someone’s trying to slip through—hiding in trunks, forging papers, bribing soldiers. I’ve seen it all."

"So do you think there’s still a way to get past the checkpoint now?" Werner asked.

Matthias mulled it over for a moment.

"Yes, but it’s very difficult," he said. "Unless you can find a completely legal car with a driver whose record is clean and nothing suspicious in the vehicle. Even then, you’d need luck."

"What about an Isetta?" Werner asked. "A small car like that, would they really inspect it for ten minutes?"

Matthias froze for a second.

"An Isetta?" He frowned. "That car’s so small, what could you hide in it?"

"Yeah, what could you hide?" Werner smiled.

Matthias stared at Werner for a few seconds, then suddenly understood.

"Are you crazy?" he whispered, his voice low. "You want to hide someone in an Isetta?"

"Just asking," Werner said. "Theoretically, is it possible?"

"Theoretically..." Matthias scratched his head. "If the modification is good enough, maybe. But—"

"But what?"

"But the inspections are too strict right now," Matthias said. "No matter how well hidden it is, it could still be found."

Werner stubbed out his cigarette, walked to the desk, and sat down.

"What if you were on duty?"

The color drained from Matthias’s face.

"Werner, I—"

"I’m not asking you to go easy," Werner cut him off. "I’m asking, if you were on duty, how would you inspect an Isetta?"

Matthias breathed a sigh of relief and thought for a moment.

"I’d check the papers first, then walk around the car once, knock on the body to listen to the sound, use a mirror on the undercarriage, and finally open the front door to check the cabin." He paused. "But an Isetta is tiny. The cabin is plain to see; you can’t hide a person in there. So I probably wouldn’t inspect it too closely."

"And what if Peter Neumann was on duty?"

"Peter?" Matthias laughed. "The kid’s inexperienced. He’d definitely go by the book. He’d go through every single step, but that’s it. It would never occur to him that someone could hide a person in an Isetta."

Werner nodded.

"That’s enough."

Matthias looked at Werner, wanting to say something but holding back.

"Werner, I know what you’re thinking," he said. "But now really isn’t the time. They’re cracking down too hard from above. If something goes wrong, it’s not just you. I’m finished too."

"I know," Werner said. "So I’ll wait."

"How long?"

"Until they let their guard down," Werner said. "After some time has passed."

Matthias stared at Werner for a moment, finally letting out a sigh.

"Be careful," he said. "Don’t get yourself caught."

"I will," Werner said.

Matthias turned, walked to the door, then turned back. "And one more thing. If you really go through with it, tell me beforehand. I’ll figure out a way to switch the shifts so Peter is on duty that day."

Werner looked up at Matthias.

"Thanks."

"Don’t thank me," Matthias said. "I just don’t want to see you die."

He pushed the door open and left.

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

Werner had just put the sketches of the Isetta into his safe when a knock came at the door.

Werner glanced at the wall clock: 9:30 PM. ’Who could be coming at this hour?’

He went to the door and peered through the crack.

Anna was standing in the dim hallway, wearing a trench coat with the collar turned up to hide half her face.

Her eyes, gleaming in the shadows, were like a cat’s.