Frau Gresser hesitated when she heard the question.
“As she has said, Johann had no head for-”
Frau Gresser hesitated again and was silent. Her plump face had become red and shiny with embarrassment. At last she spoke.
“She would prefer not to discuss the matter,” said Miss Kolin.
“All right. Ask her about Franz Schirmer. Does she know what happened to him?”
He saw the relief in Frau Gresser’s face when she understood that the subject of Friedrich Schirmer’s departure was not going to be pursued. It made him curious.
“Franz was reported missing in Greece in 1944. The official letter addressed to his mother was forwarded to Frau Gresser.”
“The report said: ‘missing, believed killed.’ Did she ever receive official confirmation of his death?”
“Not officially.”
“What does she mean?”