Juliana Frink and Joe Cinnadella

Juliana Frink and Joe Cinnadella's relationship is a whirlwind of attraction, manipulation, and violence that serves as a crucial turning point in the novel, exposing the reach of Nazi power into the American heartland and forcing Juliana into a decisive confrontation with evil.

Meeting and Initial Attraction

Juliana first encounters Joe Cinnadella at Tasty Charley's Broiled Hamburgers in Canon City, Colorado, where she has been living and working as a judo instructor. Joe is a truck driver, and his dark, intense presence immediately draws her attention. She notes his "wild, strong eyes" and feels a mixture of nervousness and fascination, sensing something "special" about him, a quality she identifies as the breath of death. Their conversation quickly turns to politics and the novel The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, which Joe carries with him. He is bitter about the book's portrayal of Italy betraying the Axis, a subject that clearly angers him. Juliana, intrigued and perhaps seeking escape from her own monotonous life, agrees to drive him to a motel. The next morning, she finds him still in her apartment, having deliberately missed his truck. Their physical relationship begins that night, but Juliana feels a strange detachment from him, as if his body goes through the motions while his mind is elsewhere.

The Relationship Deepens Under a Veil of Deception

Joe moves into Juliana's apartment, and their relationship quickly becomes a volatile mix of intimacy and ideological conflict. He is a fervent admirer of the Nazi regime, praising the "dignity of labor" under the Organization Todt and defending the Nazis as saviors from Communism. Juliana, whose ex-husband Frank Frink is a Jew, is horrified by his views. She challenges him, calling his idols "monsters" and "freaks," but he dismisses her arguments as "empty talk." Despite their clashes, Joe is attentive to her needs, claiming he can "relax" her and improve her, and he promises her a trip to a big city. He shows her a fountain pen that is actually a two-watt transmitter and receiver, a detail she later realizes is a key piece of his true identity. He also reveals a tattoo on his arm, a blue letter "C" for Cairo, and an Iron Cross Second Class medal, claiming he fought in North Africa with the Brandenburgers, a Wehrmacht commando unit. Juliana, however, begins to suspect that his stories are fabrications, a line to make himself appear romantic. She wonders if he is insane, and the thought that she might have to use her judo in self-defense crosses her mind.

The Trip to Denver and the Revelation of Purpose

Joe convinces Juliana to drive to Denver, promising a luxurious spree. He pays for everything with Reichsbank notes, buying her an expensive Italian blue dress and other clothes. He also gets his hair cut short and dyed blond, a transformation that shocks Juliana. She realizes he is not the Italian truck driver he pretended to be, but a German agent. When they check into the President Garner Hotel, Joe reveals his true purpose: he is an SD assassin sent to kill Hawthorne Abendsen, the author of The Grasshopper Lies Heavy. He needs Juliana to act as a lure, believing Abendsen is attracted to dark, libidinous women. Juliana is horrified. She tries to escape, but Joe threatens to kill her if she does not cooperate. In a moment of desperation, she takes a razor blade from the hotel's courtesy pack and, as Joe attempts to stop her from leaving the room, she slashes his throat, cutting his carotid artery. She then gathers her belongings and flees, leaving him bleeding on the floor.

Aftermath and Transformation

Juliana drives away from the hotel, her mind reeling. She consults the I Ching, which tells her to "resolutely make the matter known at the court of the king" and to go to Cheyenne to warn Abendsen. She drives through the night, eventually reaching Cheyenne. The next day, she reads a newspaper article about the incident, which reports that Joe Cinnadella is dead, his throat slashed in what police believe was a marital quarrel. The article misidentifies her as his wife, giving her a false name. Juliana feels a sense of relief and a strange calm. She has not only survived but has also prevented an assassination. The experience has transformed her. She no longer feels the same fear or anxiety that had plagued her. She goes to Abendsen's house, warns him of the danger, and reveals the truth about his book: that the oracle wrote it, and that it is a true vision of a world where the Axis lost the war. Her confrontation with Joe, and her act of killing him, has given her a new clarity and purpose. She is no longer a passive victim but an active agent of change, a "daimon" as Abendsen calls her, who roams the earth doing what is instinctive to her being.