Where Shadows Linger (Intertwined Souls Series Book 2)

by Mary D. Brooks

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  The sound of crashing came from the bedroom and Eva popped her head out of the kitchen. More crashes were followed by a screech and then a loud thump. She listened intently, not at all worried about the strange noises.

  For the last couple of weeks, Zoe had been able to laze about while she was on her annual holiday. Zoe was not a morning person. She had had most of the past month to enjoy being at leisure, and now it was difficult to convince her to get up early. Eva had tried to get her out of bed as soon as the bell on the clock started to ring that morning. Zoe stubbornly refused to budge, except to grab the annoying alarm clock and toss it out of the open bedroom window. They would have to buy another clock, since things had a tendency to stop working when Zoe reacted violently to their insistence that she rise on time.

  Eva smiled, watching Zoe hop out of the bedroom on one foot, seemingly unable to find her other shoe. Her bangs fell across her eyes as she turned to peer at the wall clock, then she fell on the floor, grunting her displeasure.

  Morning in the Haralambos/Lambros household was anything but serene. Yesterday was a red-letter day for us, but today is proving to be somewhat more of a challenge, Eva thought. Aloud she asked, “Zoe, are you all right in there?”

  “Argh! I’m going to be late!” Zoe exclaimed. “Found it!” she said, spying the missing shoe under the coffee table.

  “You know if you had gotten out of bed when the alarm clock went off, you wouldn’t be rushing.” Eva held an inviting mug of tea in her hand.

  Zoe looked up at Eva, giving her a sheepish grin. “It’s not my fault we went to bed so late.”

  They had spent the previous night at Earl’s home playing poker. Eva hated poker, but Zoe wanted to go, so they went. Eva kept losing, and the more she lost, the more determined she was to recoup the matchsticks she had lost to Earl. Elena had got out of the game early. The rest of their friends had watched the remaining two players, their game as serious as if they had had real money at stake. The contest had gone on until midnight, when Zoe had dragged a reluctant Eva away after promising Earl another game.

  “He took all my matchsticks!” Eva objected.

  “Oh, yeah, we were going to go bankrupt,” Zoe said. She tied her shoelaces, got up, and gave the smirking Eva a quick kiss before heading into the kitchen.

  “You’re late,” Eva warned, putting the tea mug on the counter.

  “I know,” Zoe said as she grabbed a piece of toast and began munching.

  There was a knock on the door. Eva answered it. Elena stood outside, wearing a harried expression on her face while she tried to juggle her breakfast as well as her handbag.

  “Morning, Elena.” Eva ushered her inside. “Come in. The tortoise isn’t ready yet.”

  Elena smiled. She hurried over to the sofa and dropped her handbag on the floor. “Phew, I couldn’t wake up this morning,” she said, flopping down on the cushions and beginning to devour the piece of toast she had brought with her.

  Zoe came out of the kitchen with a piece of toast in one hand and her cup of tea in the other. “Hey, El,” she said through a mouthful of crumbs.

  “Hi, Zoe. Aren’t you ready yet?”

  “Nope. I’m just having breakfast.” Zoe swallowed. “Want some?”

  “I have mine.” Elena held up her toast. “I think someone was late getting up today,” she teased.

  Zoe hastily finished her piece of toast, washing it down with tea. “I didn’t see you banging on my door to get me up. Were you out with Freddy last night after the game broke up?”

  “In a manner of speaking,” Elena said quietly, a blush tingeing her cheeks pink. “Come on, we’re going to be late!”

  “Okay, okay. The restaurant isn’t going anywhere!” Zoe mumbled. She was about to go and put the mug in the kitchen, but she was blocked from going into the kitchen by Eva, who had been listening to the conversation between Zoe and Elena with a great deal of amusement.

  “I love you, gotta go. I can’t wait to hear about your first day,” Zoe said, rapid fire, trying to give Eva a quick kiss, but Eva held her in place for a moment, then smirked again and kissed her more thoroughly. Upon being released, Zoe picked up her handbag and rushed out of the door.

  “Eva, are you ready?” Henry called out.

  “In a minute,” Eva called back from the bedroom. Judging from the sounds coming from the lounge, Henry was tidying up the messy room. Eva came out of the bedroom, pulling on her sweater.

  “This is such a beautiful drawing,” Henry said as his gaze fell on a drawing of a young woman reading, the trailing edge of the curtain lightly draped over her shoulder as if a breeze had blown it on her.

  “Zoe’s is really good,” she said, indicating the artwork with a nod. “She’s very talented.”

  “Hmm. How long did you sit for it?”

  “A couple of days,” Eva replied. She picked up her lunch and put it in her bag. During the posing session, she had enjoyed just sitting there reading and occasionally looking up at Zoe while the budding artist attempted to capture her image on the paper. She had loved watching Zoe draw, sometimes seeing a furrowed brow and the tip of her tongue sticking out while she concentrated on a difficult area. Bringing her thoughts back to the present.

  “Did you go and see Father this morning?”

  “Yes, he’s looking forward to meeting some of the congregation. He was quite excited.” Henry smiled. “I think you had better hurry, or you’ll miss the bus. I could drive you into work instead.”

  “It’s your first day back after the shooting, Henry. You will have to go the opposite way to where I’m going, so today it’s no bus for me.”

  Eva closed the door to the apartment behind her, and they made their way down the steps and into bright sunshine.

  ***

  As the bus made its way through the rush hour traffic, Eva looked out the window at the scenery blurring past. She had managed to find a seat just before the bus became “standing room only.” She sighed as she recalled the many days of riding the bus and standing for most of the journey, her feet tired and sore. She watched her fellow passengers and played a game that Zoe had invented, trying to match the person to a job. Sometimes Zoe had come up with the strangest occupations, which had amused Eva and, of course, had taken her mind off her sore feet.

  The bus went down City Road and past the entrance of Sydney University. She wondered how Zoe would enjoy going to college. It was going to be very different for her partner, who had never experienced anything like university life. Eva still remembered her time at the Berlin campus. She had had a great time once she had got over her jitters. She had met so many different people and learned so much in the brief time she was there.

  Her thoughts somehow turned to the one woman who would one day turn her life upside down. Greta Strauss. She had met Greta at university. She was older than Eva and was charming and very attractive. She wasn’t awkward or shy like Eva had been. Eva had not thought about Greta in a long time and felt a little guilty that she had not been faithful to the memory of her first love.

  This was a pleasant memory compared to what had happened later. Eva had been so young—she had truly been a different person back then. If Greta had been present now, Eva was sure she would be most surprised at the woman Eva had become. Greta had been five years older than her.

  Eva was drawn out of her trip down memory lane when the conductor tapped her on the shoulder. The bus was nearing their stop. The driver smiled pleasantly at her and she got off the bus, heading into the John Curtin Memorial Building, which housed the translation section of the Interpreter Division.

  When Eva had found out where she was going to be working, Zoe had insisted they discover what the building looked like. To that end, they had taken a bus into town, going over the route, and then done a little window-shopping, much against Eva’s inclinations.

  The elevator doors opened and a young woman in a blue and white uniform popped her head out. “Going up!” she
announced. A few people entered the elevator along with Eva.

  The elevator stopped on the ninth floor, and the doors slid open, admitting a buzz of voices. They got out and were greeted by the sight of an overcrowded waiting area. Eva’s eyebrows rose when she looked around at the refugees sitting huddled together and talking, and she smiled. They were speaking in a dozen different languages. It’s like the Tower of Babel, she thought.

  She went to the reception counter, where a harried young woman was answering telephones. To her surprise, she knew the woman. She couldn’t remember the woman’s last name, but she did know her first name. She had been Henry’s date at the dance. It was unfortunate for Henry that she had to go home because she was ill.

  Eva stood waiting patiently until the receptionist finished with her current call.

  “I hope you understand English,” the receptionist muttered. “May I help you?” she asked more clearly. She looked at Eva and then smiled. “Oh, hello again, Miss Muller…”

  “Hello, Debbie.” Eva smiled and handed her paperwork.

  “Wonderful! You’re the new interpreter?”

  Eva nodded and received a huge grin from Debbie. “How is Henry? I’m so sorry I had to go home at the dance. He was such a lovely fellow,” Debbie said. “As you can see, I’m the receptionist. What language area will you be in?”

  “German and Italian,” Eva said.

  “Excellent! I need to learn how to ask our clients to sit down, so when you have a free moment and when I can get unchained from these telephones, will you teach me a few phrases?” Debbie asked, getting up and coming around her desk.

  Eva followed her down a corridor which housed several offices. Debbie tapped lightly at the door of the end office and opened it. “Be seeing you around, Miss Muller,” she said, excusing herself.

  Eva was at a loss of what to do as she stared at the unoccupied desk. Was she supposed to wait? Who was she waiting for? Before she could decide what to do next, a middle-aged woman entered the office and sat down, staring at her expectantly. Eva introduced herself and got a wide smile in return.

  “If everyone appears to be happy to see you, it’s because we are!” The woman motioned for Eva to sit down in the chair that stood in front of her desk. “My name is Edith Andrews, and I’m Mr. Andrew’s secretary. We are severely short-staffed, and as you can see outside, our clients are getting rather restless.”

  “It’s always nice to be needed,” Eva stated, and Edith chuckled.

  “We need you desperately,” Edith said. She stood up again and knocked on a nearby door. “Mr. Andrews, Eva Muller is here.” She showed Eva into the man’s office and gave them a smile as she shut the door.

  A man in his fifties sporting short salt-and-pepper hair, with more salt than pepper, Eva noted, politely came around his desk and extended his hand. “Welcome, Miss Muller. My name is Adam Andrews. Welcome to the Interpreter Division. Please, have a seat.”

  He waited until Eva sat down, then circled back around his desk and took his own seat. “So, I gather you came through our waiting area? It’s a jungle out there. We have plenty of work there today. Our German division needs about ten more interpreters than we currently have. I understand you grew up in Germany?”

  “Yes. I grew up in Berlin,” Eva explained. “I have a letter here about my name.” She took out the letter from the Interpreter Division and handed it to him. “It came yesterday and I didn’t have time to send it in to Personnel.”

  Adam took the letter and read it through. “I don’t see this as a problem. We will make a note and send a copy to the Personnel Department.”

  “Thank you.” Eva smiled at her new boss.

  “Ah, so, Berlin; beautiful town. I was there before the war. I guess it’s in ruins now. What a shame.” Adam sighed. “Okay, now, where were we before I took a mental holiday? Ah, yes, most of the clients are Jewish. You don’t have a problem with that?”

  Eva was taken aback, but bit back an instinctive retort. “No, I don’t have a problem with Jewish people.”

  “That’s good. Two of our previous translators had problems with Jewish clients. I won’t tolerate racism here. We are here to help people, and since the majority of our clients are refugees, I think we need to show a little patience and a great deal of tolerance.” He looked at Eva and gave her a sheepish grin. “I’m sorry. I do tend to get carried away. Your workload is going to be rather heavy over the next few days, not because we want to see how good you are, but because the Patris docked yesterday. We have to process everyone so they can start their new lives. Hopefully, we will get some slow days soon. Have I scared you enough?”

  Eva shook her head.

  “You are a welcome addition to this department, Miss Haralambos. I’m sure you will find a lot of interest in you around here.”

  “Why is that?” Eva asked, already knowing the answer to the question.

  “We have a very large Jewish community, and the Nuremberg trials are followed with interest. Your father’s arrest also made the newspapers so…”

  “I understand that, sir.”

  “If you find that you are uncomfortable—”

  “I won’t be,” Eva interjected. “I’m here to work and help people.”

  “Very good,” Adam said, glancing down at his files. “Your immediate supervisor is Richard Farmer, but he is away today. You’ll get to meet him tomorrow. Edith will show you the staff cafeteria, which has some very interesting meals, and give you the slow tour of the place. I guess after that you may want to familiarize yourself with the various government departments that handle refugee matters, even though I know you just completed the three weeks of training as a government employee. As much as I would love to get you working, I think you need some time to get to know how we do things before I throw you into the deep end.”

  Adam escorted Eva to the outer office and Edith led her outside once again.

  It was a whirlwind of a morning as Edith patiently explained some basic procedures and showed her where she should go. Eva had her own little office where she could meet with clients and assess the various problems and needs that would be presented daily.

  Some time later, a bemused Eva sat in her office, looked at the volumes of information in front of her, and smiled happily. To her amazement, the tiny office also had a radio, not a standard item in a government office. She was delighted when she saw it. She was told it was given to the interpreter who occupied the office previously. He had left it behind when he had moved on to another position. This was going to be a lot more interesting than packing biscuit boxes every day. It would be a challenge, but she did enjoy challenges. She could not wait to tell Zoe about her day when she got home.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Sydney Art College was a short bus trip away from the restaurant, so Zoe had decided that she wanted to go and see it. Convincing Elena to go with her was not difficult and, at the end of their shift, the two young women boarded the bus and headed towards the College. It proved to be a large institution, and Zoe was mesmerized by the sight of it.

  “So do we stand here or do we go in?” Elena asked. They were standing on the College grounds.

  “Are we allowed?” Zoe asked, a little uncertain as to how a college actually worked. “Is it like a normal school?”

  “I don’t know. I guess if we get stopped, we can say we are just looking.”

  “That’s what we are doing, isn’t it?”

  “Yes,” Elena said. “Come on, let’s go.” She tugged on Zoe’s sleeve to get her to move. After a short hesitation, Zoe followed her through the gates. She looked around at the students sitting on the grass, talking in couples or small groups. Elena pulled on her arm again, regaining her attention.

  “Does this intimidate you a bit?” Elena asked.

  “Yeah,” Zoe mumbled as they wandered into a reception office and walked up to a desk where a severe looking older woman sat, scribbling on a collection of papers. From her deep frown, she seemed very unhappy. Z
oe looked at Elena, who shrugged. “Is this where students register?” Zoe asked the woman.

  “Yes, it does say Registration Desk,” the woman replied tartly, pointing to the sign in front of the desk. “Are you here to register?”

  “Yes, sort of, but not today,” Zoe stammered, which only earned her a disapproving look.

  “You sound Greek,” the woman said, sneering. “Are you Greek?” She made it sound as if Zoe’s nationality was a disease.

  “Yes,” Zoe replied. She had been intimidated by the woman at first, but now she was getting annoyed by her tone. “Do you have a problem with me being Greek?”

  Elena rolled her eyes. “Not now, Zoe,” she whispered.

  “Got too many Greeks here,” the woman muttered, opening a large ledger. “What’s your name?”

  “My name isn’t down in the book yet,” Zoe replied. She was startled when the woman closed the book with a loud thump.

  “Well, stop wasting my time then!” The woman sniffed and returned to her work, ignoring them.

  “Racist cow,” Zoe muttered as they walked away. She glanced back and shook her head in disgust at the woman’s behavior.

  “You’re not going to make life easier for yourself if you get annoyed at everyone who is racist,” Elena pointed out.

  “No, I guess not.”

  They walked several minutes before deciding to claim a patch of grass that was not already occupied. “I can get used to this.” Zoe smiled, forgetting the minor annoyance at the registration table. “Oh, this is nice. So, El, what’s with you and Friedrich?”

  Elena fidgeted with the information sheets she had picked up while in the office. “I like him a lot. He’s funny and smart.”

  “Friedrich is funny?” Zoe asked.

  “He is. He’s funny and he makes me feel comfortable. He is so sweet and gentle. He lost his family in Germany too, and we’ve been talking a lot.”