The Man In The Window [Mannen i vinduet - no]

Theprofessor's trembling finger pointed to the right: 'Can you see the one withthe side-parting and the thick lips…?'

'Yes?'

'That'sFromm, her husband – and he does indeed look fromm in this photo – it'sGerman for pious. He must have just delivered a couple of death sentences.'

'Ithink he looks like the writer, Sigurd Hoel,' Gunnarstranda said and added:'With those round glasses…'

ProfessorEngelschøn furrowed his brow for a few seconds. 'Well…' he mumbled, clearly notconvinced, and pointed to a man and a woman on the right of the picture. 'Andhim, the one sitting next to the other blonde, him, you see, that's Müller -the German propaganda boss in Norway – and the one joining in the flirting,that's Carlo Otte himself, the man responsible for running the German economyin Norway.'

'VeritableVIP lounge.'

'Indeed.No small fry here.' The professor chuckled.

'Asyou can see, finding information about Amalie Bruun was not difficult. She hadgood connections, let's put it like that.' He toddled around the desk and satdown.

'And youhave no idea what the occasion here was?'

'No.But there is a sense it is some kind of delegation, with the visitor fromBerlin, Otto Baum, there.'

'Buthow did she – a girl of twenty-three – get here, get into such circles?'

'I'mnot sure when this photo was taken, but I assume it must have been some time inlate '43, or early '44,' Engelschøn chuckled, puffing on his pipe. 'One of thereasons for my conclusion is that I have seen Baum's list of decorations. Andin this photo he's missing a couple of medals that he was awarded in 1944 -so…' Engelschøn straightened up, '… the photo must have been taken at least sixmonths before she married Fromm. Hence she is probably his escort at thisparty, I imagine. But how…' Professor Engelschøn chewed his lip. 'How peoplefind each other and get married is of course like the birds and bees, but theydid find each other. You know they worked together?'

'Workedtogether?'

'Atany rate she was employed as a secretary in the German administration. It'snothing new for work colleagues to be united in the bonds of matrimony.'

Gunnarstrandastudied the photograph – the Germans with the insignia on their shoulders andself- assured expressions on their faces. He scrutinized Fromm. There wassomething that caught his eye. He stared at Fromm again. It was the samefeeling you have when you are trying to remember a name that has slipped yourmind. There was something about the way he stood that drew his gaze. But he hadno idea what. The feeling was unpleasant. So he decided to study Amalie Bruuninstead. He tried to imagine this woman being the centre of attention when theformalities were over and the band struck up. He asked: 'Was she an avowedNazi?'

'Ihaven't a clue. But there's nothing to suggest she was a member of theNorwegian Nazi party, the Nasjonal Samling, if that's what you're wondering.'

Gunnarstrandasat gazing at the picture. His eyes were still drawn to Fromm.

'Shehad worked for a newspaper, Aftenposten, amongst other places, beforeshe started her job with the Germans.'

'Aftenposten?'

'Ibeg your pardon?' The professor was taken aback by Gunnarstranda's exclamation.

Gunnarstranda'slips were trembling. 'When did she work for Aftenposten?'

Engelschønshrugged. 'Until some point in '40 or '41. She was making use of her formaltraining – yes, you can guess what her qualifications were. Your lady had takenexams in German commercial correspondence – and she began shortly afterwards asan office help in the Ministry of Justice, but she packed it in and went towork for the German administration. But it's impossible to know why – I wouldguess her knowledge of German played some part in it.'

Hetook another look at the photograph and suggested: 'She's very presentable…that may well have had some significance.'

'Soshe had a background in journalism?'

'Notat all. She was office-trained. In those days women journalists were rare. Iwould presume she had had an office job.'

Gunnarstrandapassed back the photograph. He sat looking into the distance as he planned hisnext question: 'What happened to these people after the war?'

'Well,good point… I suppose the same as other Germans. They were arrested, deported,some went back home. Some became lawyers – that I do know – in Germany. Thepropaganda boss, Müller, became a property developer. As far as Fromm isconcerned, I have no idea what happened to him. But all the judges working inBrydevilla were arrested and put on trial here. But, you know, the NorwegianHigh Court decided that SS und Polizeigericht Nord had to be considered amilitary court in line with the Wehrmacht's own courts, so the judges could notbe punished as they were only doing their jobs, so to speak. However…'

Theprofessor scratched his head.

'Yes?'

'Therewas a case they tried to pin on these judges, you know. Well, you're too youngto remember much from the war, but I am not. In February 1945 – just threemonths before the German capitulation – some Norwegian hostages were shot in areprisal execution…'

'Whywas that?'

'Hostageswere often being shot in fact, but this time the underground movementliquidated a Norwegian Nazi – Major General Marthinsen – the boss of thesecurity police in the Nasjonal Samling. A number of Norwegian hostages wereexecuted afterwards…

Engelschønstood gazing at the floor, lost in thought. He mumbled: 'One of them was thebrother of a boy in my class. I went to Ila school, you see. And that was the worstschool day of the whole war. Everyone knew, all the pupils, the teachers,everyone knew that Jonas's brother had been taken from his flat and shot. ButJonas didn't say a word about it. He sat quietly gazing into the air. None ofus said anything…'

Engelschønshuddered as though he were shaking off something nasty, then trudged back tohis chair behind the desk. 'Yes, well,' he said, heaving a deep sigh. 'The endof the story was that it was decided that these court martial judges had notcontravened international law.'

'Allthe judges were acquitted?'

'Yes,but this legal issue was not resolved until 1948. Fromm may have been in prisonall that time.' The professor shuffled over to his untidy work station, satdown by the computer and typed something in. 'It will be harder to find… howlong the man was in prison,' he declared, swinging round on the swivel chair.

'AndAmalie?'

'Unknown.'

'Shedisappeared?'

'Well…I doubt it. If she had disappeared, the police would have investigated and thatwould have been recorded in the sources to which I have access.'

'Butyou don't have anything about her?'

'No.'

'Butthe treason trials? After all she was working for the Germans.'

'Membersof the Nasjonal Samling were punished after the war, not people who worked forthe Germans.'

'Whatdo you think happened?'

Engelschønshrugged his shoulders. 'As a woman she may be part of our bad conscience. Afew German spouses were deported to Germany. Or she may have been sent toHovedøya – the women's internment camp.'

'Imprisoned?'

'Strictlyspeaking, women's camps were not prisons – but institutions established for thesafety of the Teuton tarts, as they were called. But this case is a littlespecial… because Fromm's case had to be appraised in the light of internationallaw. Either she was deported to Germany or she stayed here. I have to confessit is very difficult to say anything concrete about this.'

'Buther husband, Fromm? You have no idea what happened to him?'