Frederick Klein entered the President’s office, shook hands with Dieter, and then sat down opposite President Dieter Brandt. The man had expected there to be a genuine threat, or a corruption case he wanted to discuss with him, so Frederick said:

“Mr President, what is the matter?”

Dieter smiled, rose from his desk chair and sat directly opposite Frederick; only the small coffee table separated them. Dieter said in a calm voice:

“Would you prefer your coffee strong or sweet?”

Frederick replied simply:

“Strong, please… but what is the matter you’ve called me here for?”

Dieter leaned back in his chair and replied:

“It’s a matter concerning your new wife, Ashley Müller.”

Frederick’s eyes widened; he raised his left eyebrow in surprise and said:

“Ashley? What’s wrong with her? Her criminal record is completely clean; she’s a perfectly normal woman.”

“That’s what she’s trying to make you believe, but I’m certain she’s lying.”

“Mr President, what exactly are you saying?!”

Dieter leaned forward, then raised his head and looked at Frederick with a frighteningly bored expression, before continuing:

“You know her past, and you realise that her marriage to the Attorney General isn’t exactly normal, is it?”

A waiter entered, placed coffee in front of them, and left.

“Sir, are you starting to believe what the ‘One Hand’ group are saying?”

“This isn’t a conspiracy theory, Klein!! Ashley is definitely plotting something against the government, and it’s up to you to prove it.”

Frederick frowned and looked at Dieter with suspicion and confusion.

“Sir, I don’t quite understand what you mean. Please explain it to me.”

Dieter sighed, folded his arms, and replied with a grunt:

“Ashley was a left-winger, and from what her son Samuel said, I realised she was trying to push her own agenda.”

“Samuel? Have you spoken to him?”

“Yes, and it seems that Mia and Ashley didn’t get rid of him because he suited their purpose: to portray a marriage between two women as a real family, to attack the conservatives, and to present themselves as a model couple… All of this was for a purely political purpose.”

“You mean Samuel was just a political pawn?”

“Exactly. And if a mother would do this to her son… she wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to her husband.”

“What?!”

“Frederick, don’t be a fool… You and I studied law, and you may have more experience than I do, but I understand the human psyche better than you can imagine. So I don’t want you to tell her or show any weakness in front of her. Try to go along with her, or show support for her left-wing ideas, and record it all and keep it confidential until I contact you. Understood?”

“Understood, sir.”

Frederick rose from his seat and headed for the door. Just before he opened it to leave, Dieter said to him:

“Klein, remember: if you defend her or disregard my orders, your children will pay the price for your mistake… National security comes before everything else.”

Frederick looked at Dieter for a moment, then turned and left. As he walked out, he muttered to himself:

“Is Ashley planning something? But why would he say that? Did that scoundrel lie to him? … But I can’t ignore the boss’s orders; he might be right … or he might be wrong …”

He stopped in front of his car, which was covered in snow, then said to himself:

“I’ve got nothing to lose by doing what he asked. She’s probably changed anyway. Of course, it’s been 11 years since the war broke out and everything has changed.”

4.47 pm

Frederick arrived home, and Ashley greeted him with a smile.

“Darling, was it important enough for the President to call you in?”

Frederick looked at her with a puzzled expression, but he smiled at her and shook his head, making up a lie as he spoke:

“Yes, there was a file concerning the opposition.”

“The communists?”

“Huh? Yes, yes, about the communists.”

“Right, dinner’s ready. Do you want to eat now?”

“No… maybe in half an hour. I need to sort a few things out in my office.”

“Right, shall I make you a coffee?”

“No, thanks. I’ve already had some in the President’s office.”

Frederick climbed the stairs quietly, thinking to himself: Ashley is a good woman; she’s not malicious or a troublemaker. He couldn’t suspect her. He entered his office and noticed something strange – something he’d only just realised. Things in the office were changing; this happened every time he entered his home office. Ashley only cleans when the place needs it, but she’d left the office tidy.

“How did you even get into the office? I locked it!”

Frederick went back to the door and checked the lock; it was open… Had he forgotten to lock it? Or had Ashley opened it? Frederick closed the door, began looking around and said:

“Just suspicions. It’s all because of what Dieter Brandt said. My wife, Ashley, I can’t possibly…”

He fell silent for a moment, then opened one of the drawers containing files on the opposition and decided to check for himself. He took a file on the Hexagonal Rainbow, plucked a hair from it and placed it inside the file, then closed it. He left the office a few minutes later, and as he went downstairs he saw Ashley watching television. He approached, sat down beside her and said:

“There are investigations into the dissidents from the Six-Coloured Rainbow… I’ve added new information about them. I hope we can get rid of them.”

“Really? You’re right, those perverts are a danger to children, but why are you telling me this?”

“Huh? No particular reason, but there was collaboration between them and the communists, and I found that a bit odd.”

“Come on, communism is just an economic system.”

“I know that, but they might collaborate with anyone to impose their ideas.”

“I agree with you.”

To be continued…