Mendelssohn is on the Roof Read Free Page A

First he thought they’d go straight to Bredovska, where the Gestapo would receive the remains. But the black limousine was racing along, going somewhere terribly far away. He mumbled prayers under his breath. The Gestapo men were asleep. They crossed yet another bridge. Now Schlesinger recognised where they were – in Rokoska. Could they be taking their cargo all the way to the Reich on the Rumburk Highway? Or might they be going to Panenske Brezany, where Heydrich himself could check the contents of the wooden box? No, they turned off to the left and drove along the Trojsky embankment. The driver was obviously following instructions.
    Then the car stopped, right by the river. The Gestapo men woke up and stumbled out of the car along with Schlesinger. The driver pulled a big bag from under his seat. The Gestapo men began to gather stones and quietly gestured to him to do the same. Everything was happening quietly, by the blue light of a few shrouded torches. They stuffed the wooden box, together with the metal and thestones, into the bag. Then they gave it a few swings and heaved it into the water. Only now did one of the Gestapo men speak.
    ‘That’s it.’
    They dropped him off at the same place they had started from, the Old Town Square, near his apartment in a new house on Dlouha Street. And so ended the night of his mortal sin. Now the ghost was having its revenge. The statue of the Jewish musician was coming to punish him for helping remove the earthly remains of the Unknown Soldier. He had been living in fear from that night on, constantly reminding himself of his terrible crime, the dishonouring and desecration of the dead. But what else could he have done? How could he have got out of it when Krug had threatened him and those two Gestapo men were guarding his every step?
    Disobeying an order means death – that’s what Krug had said that time. And as long as there was a war on, it still held true, and maybe even after the war.
     
    There was no use tormenting himself with recriminations. Without a word he handed the roof keys to the guard, who didn’t ask any questions. He wouldn’t have dared.
    Schlesinger went out into the street. The workmen didn’t dare walk next to him, but glued themselves to his heels, as if they were rejoicing at his bad luck, as if they wanted to wait and see him carried off in the black car to Bredovska.
    ‘What do you want?’ he snapped at them.
    ‘Oh, nothing, Boss,’ Becvar began mildly. ‘We just sort of wanted to go to lunch, if nothing is happening with that statue. We’ll be right back after lunch, for sure, just in case something else happens with that statue.’
    ‘Get out!’ shouted Schlesinger. ‘When I need you I’ll find you. At lunch, if need be.’
    The workers went into the lunchroom and Schlesinger walked through the door of the Town Hall.
    ‘Yeah, sure,’ said Becvar.
    ‘That crazy Kraut, and there’s potatoes and gravy again for lunch.’ Stankovsky sighed.
     
    Schlesinger didn’t even ask if Krug was in his office.
    Krug sat at the desk without getting up. He only growled a greeting of sorts. Schlesinger could tell from his face that something was wrong. Krug was sly. Nothing got by him. He knew everything.
    ‘So, has the order been carried out?’ Krug asked severely. ‘Giesse has already been asking.’
    ‘No,’ answered Schlesinger softly.
    ‘What do you mean, no?’ Krug screamed. ‘Couldn’t those two idiots even manage a job like that? I’m going to have their heads. They stuff their bellies here in the Protectorate but they can’t knock down an ordinary statue. You should have helped them, Schlesinger, or forced them to do it. This is criminal neglect. There’s no other course for you but to work for your Iron Cross at the front.’
    Schlesinger stood at attention, shaking. With an effort he stuttered out, ‘Those statues have no identifying names. I couldn’t tell which one was the Jew.’
    Krug barked an obscenity at him. And