Epilogue

'Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That wants it down.' I could say 'Elves' to him,
But it's not elves exactly, and I'd rather
He said it for himself.

--Robert Frost, "Mending Wall"

Wednesday, December 13, 1989
West Berlin
Tiergarten, outside the Brandenburg Gate
3:38 P.M.

The sun was setting behind him through the trees of the Tiergarten, gilding the quadriga and horsemen on top of the Brandenburg Gate. With Berlin's most famous landmark before him, Lee paused to enjoy the view. The Wall still stood between him and the Gate, though the pickaxes and hammers of thousands of Berliners had reduced its bulk somewhat over the past month. There were layers of bright graffiti covering it from top to bottom, some messages celebrating the joy of the past month, others years-old condemnations of the Wall and pleas for peace and freedom for East Germany.

The Berliner Morgenpost that morning had announced the Gate would be open within a couple of weeks, the remnants of the Wall removed and the boulevard that ran though the heart of divided Berlin open to traffic once again. Lee was sorry they were going to miss it. After all he and his fellow agents had done to bring it about, it would be nice to actually see the Wall falling. Who knew how much of it would still be standing by the time he managed to make it back here. It might be best to see as much of it as possible now. Then his thoughts turned to the woman he saw approaching from the Tiergarten, and he smiled. No, better that they were heading home.

Amanda was rubbing her gloved hands together, and he came forward to wrap his arms around her. "Cold?" he asked.

"A little, now that the sun's going down." She took advantage of the excuse to move closer to him. "I still can't get used to how early it gets dark here."

"It is a lot different," he agreed. "How was Round Two of debriefing?"

"Oh, the usual. I talked for about an hour, they asked some questions, I talked for another hour." She reached up to rub the front of her neck. "My throat's a little sore."

"There's a vendor selling hot cider over there." He nodded towards his left. "That might help while we're waiting."

"Thanks, I think it would." They started off towards the cart, hand in hand. "How was your debriefing?"

"Like you said, the usual. They raised a few questions I couldn't answer, mostly about Jaeger. I figure what you told them should fill in the blanks."

"I'm still surprised they believed us so easily the other night. I mean, he's been working with the Agency for over a decade, and all of a sudden we're saying he's a traitor."

"Well, that's the interesting part." They joined the short line in front of the vendor's cart. "It turns out Anders had his suspicions all along, which is the real reason he got personally involved with this case."

Amanda gave a snort. "It would have been nice of them to tell us."

"Yeah, I think so, too." He suppressed a smile as he remembered how vehemently he'd expressed that opinion to the station chief.

"So not only was Yannah using us to get Karin, but Anders was using us to get Jaeger." She shook her head. "Talk about a tutti-frutti business."

They shared a smile at her phrasing, but then they were at the front of the line before they could do more than exchange a quick kiss. They ordered their mulled cider, and walked away with two steaming, fragrant cups. "Mm. This does hit the spot," Amanda said.

"Yeah, it does." He checked his watch for the third time. It wasn't like a German to be running so late.

Apparently she had noticed his impatience. "She'll be here. She probably just got held up in her own debriefing."

"Her interrogation is more like it." Lee shook his head. "And she's got a few more days to go, even if it's in comfortable quarters compared to where Jaeger is."

"I can't believe he told them she was a triple agent." She shook her head in disgust. "And just so no one would wonder what happened when she disappeared from here and showed up in Moscow."

"Well, from what Jaeger's already spilled, that was Karin's idea, not his. And I don't think they believed him at that point, anyway."

"Still, it's going to be a while before they sort out all the damage Jaeger has done over the years." Amanda took another sip of her cider. "It's not fair."

"No, it's not," he agreed. "But that's the kind of business we're in."

She nodded resignedly and looked away. "Oh, there she is." She gestured behind him. As he turned, he saw Yannah slowly walking towards them along the Wall, trailing one hand against the broken concrete. He turned back to Amanda to find her draining her cup. "Come on," she said, tossing the styrofoam into a nearby garbage can.

He followed suit, taking her hand by habit as they walked across the sidewalk and street to where the other woman stood. She looked up as they drew near, her face framed by her hood. "Lee, Amanda," she greeted them. "Thank you for coming."

"We wanted to make sure you were all right," Amanda started. "You've been through a lot the past couple of days."

"More like the past decade," she replied with a trace of a smile. "But thank you for your concern."

"Are they treating you okay?" Amanda asked.

Yannah looked at her gloved hand, still resting on the concrete as if to give her something to hold on to. "They let me come here, didn't they?" She looked up and gave them a reassuring smile. "Yes, considering the circumstances, they have been fine. I was surprised they accepted my story so readily until I found out they were already on to Jaeger."

"So was your tape recording of Karin's plan necessary?" Lee tried to sound curious rather than accusatory. He'd accepted she had been using him to catch Karin because once again, she'd had to improvise on the spot. But it still bothered him, if only a little.

"Not for the purposes of catching Jaeger. For the purposes of catching Karin and helping to ferret out the others who were involved, yes, I think it will be. The Stasi found Herr Meyer in the basement on Ruppiner Strasse, and he is cooperating with them and the West Germans."

"So the meeting next week is safe."

"Yes, and many other meetings after that." Yannah shook her head. "They are, as you would say, crawling out of the woodwork. Karin's death appears to have scared the other Soviets who were involved in the conspiracy back to Moscow. They have left holes in their networks; if those holes can be traced, their East German contacts can be found and any future violence can be stopped as well."

"And that's where you come in," Amanda said.

The corner of her mouth quirked up. "My knowledge of both sides is turning out to be useful, yes? Especially since much of my work over the past decade may turn out to be meaningless."

"That's one of the things they'll be questioning Jaeger most closely about," Lee supplied. "It might mean a few changes in the way the Agency handles its contacts, depending on what he has to say."

She nodded. Brushing her fingertips against the graffiti-covered, jagged concrete, she withdrew her hand. "I would do it again, you know," she said. "Just to be standing here, on this side, and to see this." She gestured at the entry point several meters down the Wall where East and West Germans were freely passing through, only showing a passport or identity card.

"Would you really?" Lee asked quietly. "You won't know for a while what information got to our side, and what didn't. How can you be sure Jaeger didn't destroy everything?"

"Because I kept track over the years, of the people I helped past the Wall. They can't be destroyed. Because I know Modrow and Kohl will meet in safety next week to start the work of rebuilding my city and my country. For that, I would do even more." She placed a hand on his upper arm. "Do you remember what I said about this day? That East and West would come together, and we would forgive each other our mistrust? That is coming to pass, Lee." Her eyes flickered to Amanda's, and she lowered her arm. "I have made a difference, even if Jaeger did his best to muffle it. For that difference, I would do it again."

He slowly nodded. "Sounds like you have your work cut out for you."

She shrugged and pushed back her hood, smoothing her hair. "It is what I was meant to do with my life."

"I think I've heard you say that before, too." He remembered that first dinner in her apartment, and for the first time it was only bittersweet, not painful. While he now had someone who knew and understood him as a whole person, not just an agent, Yannah had been the first person to really understand what drove him. It was good to finally be able to acknowledge that, instead of pushing it aside.

Yannah glanced at her watch. "I am sorry, but Herr Anders expects me back at the Agency offices at 4:00. Perhaps you would walk with me there?"

"Sure, we have a few more loose ends to wrap up ourselves," Amanda replied. "If that's okay with you, Lee?"

"Ah, sure." He paused and looked at her. "How's your throat?"

"Still a little sore, but it's probably just tired."

"Would another cup of cider help?"

"Couldn't hurt!"

"Why don't you go on ahead, and I'll catch up," he said, placing a hand on each woman's elbow.

Amanda gave him a querying look, then nodded. "Come on, then," she said to Yannah.

Lee stood, the Wall to his back, and watched for a moment as the two women walked down the path into the Tiergarten. Yannah's blond hair flew across her face with a gust of wind, and she reached up to pull her hood back on. Amanda had done the same, and in their two black wool coats, they looked the same except for the slight difference in height.

He started walking, now several meters behind them, angling towards the cider vendor. He hadn't heard either of them say a word, and he was beginning to wonder if he had done the right thing by leaving the two of them alone. Amanda would usually at least make polite conversation, but maybe her throat really was too sore for talking.

Finally, he heard Yannah's faint voice, carried towards him on the wind. "So, how did you and Lee meet? Were you assigned as partners at the Agency?"

Amanda's laugh rang out, and he couldn't hold back a soft chuckle. "Not exactly," he heard her say. The two women rounded a bend in the path, and any further conversation was lost. Turning to stand in line at the cart, he smiled as he realized Billy's suggestion had worked. The ghosts of Berlin had been laid to rest.