My Name is Eva An absolutely gripping and emotional historical novel - Suzanne Goldring Page 0,35

place, had been freed. ‘He’s only served five years,’ she muttered aloud, almost choking with rage. Five years for his dreadful crime, him and others like him. It’s just not right.

At the time of the Frankfurt trials she had been relieved that more war criminals had been traced and sentenced, even though in her opinion, and that of many other righteous people, the sentences were far too lenient for the terrible crimes they had committed. But at least they’ve been named, she’d thought. At least everyone will know what they did. And how can they ever lead a normal life again once they’ve been singled out as monsters? But she’d read and heard, one by one, that normal life was still theirs to claim. That monstrous dentist, Willi Schatz, didn’t even go to prison, she’d thought, fuming. He was arrested at his private practice in Hanover and they tried him, but couldn’t make the charge of selecting prisoners stick. And Dr Franz Lucas, convicted for gas chamber selection, only served just over three years. These sentences are nothing for what they did.

Evelyn sat with the folded newspaper and her wrapped sandwich on her lap. She had no appetite now. She couldn’t eat after reading this terrible news, reminding her that she had never been able to make amends, taunting her with the thought that whatever she had done to live well and do good could never atone for the evil that had been perpetrated. We had such hopes of Nuremberg, she thought, having followed the trial closely. Such great hopes. But was the task simply too great? There were nearly four thousand cases, but most were dropped and fewer than five hundred went to trial. Of those, about two hundred were executed and nearly three hundred received life sentences, but a few years later, nearly all of them had been released. How could that be fair?

She stood up and brushed down her skirt, although no crumbs from the barely touched sandwich had fallen on her crisp, striped shirtdress, then began slowly to walk across the little park. She felt so sick, so disheartened, but then she remembered the face of the distressed prisoner who had pleaded for her help. Pull yourself together, Evelyn. You must try harder, she told herself, you must find a way. You might not be able to deal with the Germans, but he will return to London. He is nearby. He may be only one of many who do not deserve to live, but he is the one you can deal with. You must find out more about him. Where does he go, what does he do in his spare time? Does he like music, theatre or opera? You’ll have your chance one day if you really try.

She came to a halt by the park waste bin and was about to throw her sandwich away, but then she stopped. She tore the offending pages from the newspaper, folded them and tucked them into her handbag. Then she emptied the paper bag onto the grass and a pigeon stepped forward and began pecking at the bread.

You don’t need it, she thought. You can manage with an extra couple of Rich Tea this afternoon when the tea trolley comes round. She bent down to pick up a crisp packet that had been dropped on the path and popped it in the bin with her sandwich bag, then she lifted her head and walked briskly back to the office.

27

Kingsley

22 July 1970

My dearest,

Sometimes I wonder if we will ever be able to make this cruel world a better place. All the sacrifices we have made seem to me to have been for nothing when there is still so much injustice. Why you had to die, when the worst of mankind is getting off scot-free, I simply can’t understand. Surely, once convicted, they should serve the full custodial sentence and be reminded every day for the rest of their lives of their monstrous crimes? Early release only implies that their deeds weren’t so terrible after all. They leave prison and return to normal society, some of them to the positions they even held previously. It makes me so angry, darling, I just want to strangle them myself.

Oh, listen to me, ranting as if there’s the slightest chance I could nip over to Germany and track some of these bastards down! I may have been athletic in my youth and I may have earnt the praise of my sergeant when I was