The next afternoon, Karl found me in the library, hunting for a book on Palestine for Danny. “What do you want?” I asked, flustered. I craned my neck to see if Miss Bentley had spied him. She noticed everything.
Karl looked victorious. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. Dramatically, he slapped the object in the palm of my hand. “I found it. I found proof!”
He explained he had discovered the ring in a pawn shop in Bisbee. Working on his assumption that Herr Mueller was nearby, Karl had the idea he might be trying to sell off assets to stay alive. Karl went into local pawn shops to ask if the shopkeepers had seen a man that fit Herr Mueller’s description. And one had, quite recently.
I clenched my fist around the ring. “I need to show this to Robert.”
His face became subtly guarded. “Of course,” he said.
I went directly to Robert’s office and entered without knocking. He smiled when he saw me, but it quickly faded as he listened to me. “Robert, Karl found proof that Herr Mueller is nearby.”
Robert covered his face with his hands and groaned.
I went to him, took one of his hands and held it out, palm up. In it, I placed a gold wedding band, inscribed with the words: “To Ruth, with love, Robert.” The very ring Ruth had placed on his pillow when she left him. He looked at the ring, stunned.
Afterwards, Robert and I walked over to the kitchen together, surprised to find Karl seated at the table, helping Elisabeth with her arithmetic homework.
“Elisabeth?” Robert started. “Would you mind if I spoke to Karl privately?”
“Vhy?” Elisabeth asked.
I grabbed her hand and pulled her upstairs.
“Dat Reverend doesn’t look happy,” Elisabeth said loudly. “Did Karl do something to make him mad?”
“No. And it’s time you got started on your homework. Danny and William are in their room studying.”
“No, dey are not. Dey are in da garage building da vorld’s biggest rocket. Tante Marta is taking a nap. She has a…kopfweh.” She pointed to her head.
I was starting to have a headache, too.
Elisabeth leaned over to kiss the baby, asleep in her bassinet, then left to go to her room. I closed the door behind her, trying, oh so hard, not to do what I knew I was going to do. But I couldn’t help myself. I went over to the radiator pipe and unscrewed the cap.
I heard Robert pull out a chair, scraping the leg on the kitchen floor. “Karl, my wife has told me that you shared a past with her.”
“Then she told you about her father? About what I did?” I heard Karl ask.
“Yes,” Robert answered.
“I owe a great debt to her, as I’m sure she told you.” Karl’s voice cracked, as if caught by emotion. “I made a grave error, Reverend. A foolish mistake that caused her great pain. I am only trying to make amends.”
In his pulpit voice, Robert said, “There are times when we have to live with the consequences of our actions. Karl, sometimes the only answer is to ask God for forgiveness.”
“Perhaps, but in this situation, I hope to rectify what I have done, Reverend.”
“Yes, but—”
“Have you ever wished you could have a chance to make something right?”
There was a pause. Then I heard Robert quietly answer, “Yes.”
I wondered what or who Robert was thinking about right now.
“This is my chance to make things right for Louisa. Surely you can understand that.”
“Not if it means a wild goose chase to find Mueller.”
“Wild goose chase?” Karl sounded confused.
In that patronizing, end-of-discussion tone that I knew quite well, Robert said, “Mueller is long gone.”
“But I have proof he is near!”
“Louisa showed me the ring. Chances are that Mueller tried to pawn the ring off years ago. Or even that my…Ruth…might have tried to sell it.”
“That’s not so, Reverend,” Karl politely corrected. “The pawn shopkeeper purchased it just weeks ago.” Karl’s chair scraped against the kitchen floor. I heard him pace a few steps. “I am sure Mueller is near. Maybe even in Copper Springs.” His voice grew with excitement, as if he was holding an excited dog on a leash. “I think—”
“That’s enough!” Robert’s voice had a brittle edge to it. I heard his chair scrape on the floor, too. “It’s over and done with. I don’t even want to think about him anymore.” He pounded his fists on the tabletop, angry.
Then there was an eerie silence, until Karl spoke, in a tone of icy staccato I had overheard once before, when he argued with those two youths at the bus stop. “You sound just like Louisa after she killed the SS officer.”
My eyes went wide with shock.
“Surely she’s told you that story. It’s quite a tale. It put a bounty on her head.”
Robert must have been stunned. He didn’t respond to Karl.
“Pardon me, Reverend. I thought your wife had told you everything about her past. Please forgive me.” Karl stood up and walked to the door. “Again, my apologies.” And he left, having detonated a verbal grenade in our kitchen.
I went into Elisabeth’s room and told her to watch baby Meg for me for a while. She looked alarmed. “Vhat if she starts dat crying?”
“Just do what I ask!” I said sharply.
Her eyes looked hurt, but I didn’t have time to worry.
I hurried down the stairs, not sure what to say or do next.
Carefully, I turned the corner into the kitchen and saw Robert leaning against the kitchen table as if he might fall over if something didn’t hold him up.
Trying to sound calmer than I felt, I said, “Is there somewhere we can go to be alone?”
He stared at me as if I was a stranger.
We drove up to the Mesa, where we’d gone before to have important conversations. On the way up, Robert concentrated on his driving. I remained silent.
Please Lord, give me the right words, I silently begged.
The truth, I sensed the Lord’s guidance. Just the truth.
After he parked, I turned to him and told him the story of how I had killed a SS officer. Robert’s eyes remained fixed ahead.
“One evening, two Resistance workers were supposed to meet with someone who worked for Hitler’s personal staff. Someone who was willing to give information about Hitler’s daily schedule.” I paused. “Do you remember that Dietrich wouldn’t let me talk to anyone on an assignment?”
Robert gave a short nod, his eyes still on the windshield.
“But, that night, Dietrich asked me to accompany the two as a lookout. The meeting place was in a remote part, outside of city limits, far in the country. I had kept myself completely hidden, but I could see my two colleagues and the man they were meeting far below me, in a ravine. I was positioned so I could throw a rock down by them if there was any cause for alarm. Suddenly, a military jeep drove up. He cut the engine and coasted in the last few hundred feet. Then the guard got out of the jeep. He seemed to know exactly what, or whom, he was looking for. I was positioned behind him. There was no way I could let my colleagues know they were being watched. The guard pulled out a Schmeisser and aimed at them. I realized we had walked right into a trap.”
“What’s a Schmeisser?” Robert interrupted, turning his body toward mine.
A good sign, I hoped. He was still talking to me.
“It’s a submachine gun. With the Schmeisser, the guard could fire as fast as his trigger finger could squeeze a round. He kneeled down at the edge of the ravine, preparing to shoot. I did the only thing I could think to do. I released the emergency brake of the jeep, and it…silently…rolled straight into the guard. He lost his balance and fell off the ledge, far below. The jeep went over, too.”
“What happened to the Resistance workers?” Robert asked, peering at me intently.
“They heard the guard scream as the jeep hit him. They watched the whole thing happen. We left as fast as we could.”
&nb
sp; Robert turned and faced forward again.
I watched the moon for a long while. Finally, I broke the silence. “Had I not released the brake, the two would have been killed. I would do it all over again.”
Robert didn’t say anything for a long while. Then he turned his head slightly to look at me, lifting one dark brow. “How many more surprises are there?”
“None.” I glanced up at him. “Well, not exactly like that one, anyway. That guard…that man, he was the only one whom I think I killed.”
“Louisa, why didn’t you ever tell me about this?”
“I didn’t mean to keep it from you. I just wasn’t interested in remembering it. And…I thought you’d never let me drive.”
Robert bowed his head. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He exhaled, as if relieved, then wrapped his arms around me and held me close.
Despite sharing this dark secret, I felt closer to Robert than I would have ever expected to feel. Karl’s slip could have put a permanent wedge between us. Instead, it drew us together.
But was it a slip?
That thought sent a shot of panic through me, rising up like a flock of frightened birds. I pulled back to face Robert. “I don’t know how Karl could have ever known about that night. Unless…”
Robert looked at me curiously. “What do you mean?”
“I know for a fact that there were only five people who knew about that meeting. Dietrich, the two Resistance workers, me—”
Robert’s eyes widened. “What are you saying?”
“—and the man who met with them in the ravine.”
“But that would mean—”
“Karl was that man. He was the one who set up the trap.”
* * * *
Finally, finally! Robert was willing to discuss Herr Mueller’s whereabouts. Robert quizzed me carefully about every comment Karl had made to me recently about Herr Mueller. He looked for Karl the next day, but he was nowhere to be found. Robert called over to the Copper Queen Hotel but they said Karl Schneider had checked out the night before. We drove around town, asking people if they had seen him or his motorcycle, but Karl seemed to have vanished.
Robert spoke to Judge Pryor. The judge called the International Red Cross to see if they knew where Karl was. It turned out the IRC had been looking for Karl, expecting him to have returned to Germany a month ago, after escorting Danny to us.
Armed with that information, the judge agreed to call his nephew and ask him to come to Copper Springs. His nephew said that he would take the next train to Copper Springs.
Finally, finally! People were taking me seriously about Friedrich Mueller.
As distracted as we were by the hunt to find Karl, William had another agenda. He and Danny had plans to launch their most recently built rocket that weekend. The biggest, most improved rocket to date. They named it Copper Fire. William decided to invite everyone in town to see the rocket launch. He put posters up around the town, inviting people to come out to the desert at 8 o’clock Saturday night, when the moon would be at its fullest, to witness Danny’s latest rocket invention.
Why at night? Everyone asked.
Because this rocket will reach the moon, William earnestly promised.
On the ride out to the desert, William was strangely quiet as Danny reviewed details for the blast-off with Robert.
I nudged William with my elbow. “Are you feeling all right?” I asked.
He nodded and turned back to look out the window. He didn’t look all right. He looked preoccupied, somber, almost.
William had already scouted out a new launch site for Danny to set off the rocket—right in front of an old, abandoned copper mine. Danny objected. “Ve vill see the rocket better if it’s out in the open.”
William shook his head. On this point, the launch site, he was adamant.
“Danny is right, William,” Robert said. “It’s possible that the explosion might cause the mine to collapse.”
“I’ve checked out the mine, Dad. It’s okay.” William insisted.
“When did you check out the mine, William?” I asked, suspicion starting to mount, but he had turned away from me to look at the site and didn’t hear me. Either that or he was ignoring me. Probably the latter.
Robert turned to me. “Louisa, the rocket will only fly a few feet. I think it’s okay.”
Something didn’t seem quite right, though.
As the boys set up the rocket, a small crowd arrived to see the rocket launch. Rosita and Ramona, along with Esmeralda and Juan, watched from the safety of their Ford truck. A little braver, Mr. Ibsen, Ernest, and the Catholic priest stood at a cautious distance, curious about the bold claims of Copper Fire. At the very last minute, the judge zoomed in with his nephew, freshly snatched from the Tucson railroad station. The two men hurried to join us.
Danny looked at the crowd and turned to William. “Ready?”
William nodded. “Go ahead, Danny. Light it.”
Danny tossed a flaming gasoline-soaked rag to light the fuse that ran through the large metal pipe, packed with gun powder. Danny ran back and ducked for cover, but William hesitated. He kicked one platform leg out so the rocket was now tilted, then he hurried to join Danny, hiding behind a steel garbage can lid. “Vhy did you do that?” Danny asked.
William shook his head, eyes focused on Copper Fire.
Watching the light on the ignition fizz, everyone quieted. As the fire slid up the fuse, the rocket sputtered. “Uh oh. It is a dud,” Elisabeth whispered loudly to me.
Just then, sparkles of fire dribbled out of the rocket’s base. The rocket roared to life, leaping off the platform. A tail of fire lifted up into the darkness, spinning and spewing bright sparks. But its angle from the tilted platform caused it to soar sideways, arcing toward the opening of the old copper mine. The crowd watched, wide-eyed and silent.
As the rocket hit the mine, it exploded. A burst of fire illuminated the opening of the mine. Smoke from the gun powder billowed forward.
Suddenly, silhouetted against the smoke, two dark figures emerged, running, coughing, gasping for air.
For an eternity, we remained frozen, stunned, until the smoke cleared. One of the men, clearly, was Karl Schneider. The other, looking as if he had been an outlaw for quite some time and badly in need of a shower and shave, was Friedrich Mueller.
William seemed to be expecting him.
He set off in a gallop toward Herr Mueller and began to kick him. Mueller grabbed William’s neck, pulling him toward him. With the other hand, Mueller pulled a knife from his pocket.
Robert gasped and took a step forward, but the judge pulled him back.
“Don’t hurt him, Herr Mueller. Please!” I begged. Panicking, I turned to the judge’s nephew. “He will kill him. He would kill anyone.”
Herr Mueller started backing toward the cars with a tight grip around William’s neck.
I practically threw baby Meg into Aunt Martha’s arms. Then I started walking slowly toward Herr Mueller. In a voice so steady it could not have been my own, I said, “Herr Mueller! Nehmen sie mich. Lassen Sie meinen Sohn frei.” Take me. Let my son go.
Karl’s face lit up with undisguised delight. “Ja! Ja, Friedrich, sie koennte uns von Nutzen sein. Der Junge wird uns im Weg sein.” Yes! Yes, Friedrich, she could be useful! The boy will get in our way.
Encouraged, I cautiously took a few more steps closer to Herr Mueller.
“Louisa, do…not… move,” I heard Robert say.
Herr Mueller stared at me for a moment, with that same hungry glint in his eyes that had unnerved me from the first moment I had met him. Then, his eyes narrowed, as reason took hold. He spat at Karl. “Du Idiot! Wir haetten schon vor Wochen weggehen sollen, so wie ich es vorhatte. Aber Du wolltest sie nicht verlassen! Du musstest in dem Klavierkonzert spielen! Sieh, was Du angerichtet hast!”You stupid fool! We should have left weeks ago, just as I wanted. You wouldn’t leave her. You had to play in that concert. Look what you’ve done now! He tightened hi
s hold on William. “Throw me your keys,” he shouted to the judge.
“Take mine!” yelled Robert, throwing the keys at Mueller’s feet. “It’s the car closest to you.”
I looked sharply at him, horrified, but his eyes were locked on Herr Mueller. Why would he offer his car?
Karl reached down and picked up the keys. They started to move toward the car. William’s eyes were bulging by the firm grasp Mueller had around his neck. No one moved.
In the stillness, Robert whistled.
Dog, that glorious beast who received so many deserved and undeserved scoldings from Aunt Martha, heard Robert’s familiar whistle, leapt out of the back window of Robert’s car and lunged at Herr Mueller. William wiggled out of Herr Mueller’s grasp and ran to Robert. It seemed like time stood still as Herr Mueller and Dog were locked in a wrestling match.
Then Dog dropped.
While our eyes had been on the battle, Karl had reached for the car keys and jumped into Robert’s car. “Friedrich! Das Auto!” he shouted.
Herr Mueller jumped into the car as Karl veered around and peeled off.
The judge and his nephew jumped into their car to follow them.
William threw himself on Dog, sobbing. Robert pulled William off of Dog, tossing me a handkerchief as I quickly tried to create a tourniquet. Blood was pouring out of Dog’s abdominal cavity.
Behind me, I heard a wail that broke my heart. It was Elisabeth. Danny turned her away from Dog and held her close to him as she wept. Robert and William crouched next to Dog’s big head, softly stroking him. Dog’s tail thumped a few times, like the needle on a metronome, before it went silent.
William turned and flung his arms around me, crying loudly. Slowly, Robert stood up. He reached into his pocket and pulled out Ruth’s wedding ring. He squeezed his eyes shut as he tightly gripped that ring. Then he opened his eyes, lifted his arm and hurled that ring with all of his might, far out into the desert.
Chapter Sixteen
In the middle of the night came a persistent rapping on the kitchen door. Robert bolted out of bed to open the door, hopeful for news of a capture. I threw on my bathrobe and hurried behind him.
“We nailed them, Robert,” the judge said, grinning ear-to-ear. “The Chrysler broke down on Mueller and Schneider near the border. We nabbed them without a fight.”
The Copper Series Page 47
