Schröder said, rising from the divan in the sitting room of their suite. Jo Ann glided into the room, wearing Larisa’s best evening gown, red silk with an intricate, Russian-inspired pattern sewn in gold thread. It was a bit more conservative than one would see in Paris or New York, but for the wife of a Communist bureaucrat, Jo imagined it was somewhat daring. A gold shawl and handbag completed her ensemble. For accessories, Jo wore a honey amber beaded necklace, which Walter had bought for Larisa on a trip to Estonia, and a matching pair of amber earrings, also from the Baltic. Her only ring was Larisa’s plain gold wedding band, which Jo had found in her luggage, carefully wrapped in tissue paper. That particular discovery brought a lump to Jo’s throat. “Thank you,” Jo said. Since Marie’s warning two days earlier, Jo’s time with Schröder had been difficult, although she didn’t let on that she knew. Now, she approached him, smiling.
