Tidal Shift

by Dora Heldt

  Suddenly, a thought came into her head. She didn’t even have the certificate yet! Mark had been planning to bring it by and accompany her to the court with it. But he hadn’t been in touch since the break-in. She would phone the lawyer’s office tomorrow morning. First though, she had something else to do.

  “Shall we go there now? So the two of you can look at the house?”

  Anika nodded eagerly. “I’d love to. It would be wonderful if it works out.” She turned around to her son. “Till, put your jacket on. Inge wants to show us something.”

  “We’re almost there. It’s that one on the right, the red brick building.”

  Excited, Inge turned around to face Till. She had directed Anika through Wenningstedt to the street where Anna Nissen’s house was located. She looked back at Anika.

  “It’s probably best if you park here…What’s going on over there?”

  Startled, she leaned forward while Anika steered the car onto the verge and turned off the engine. Realizing that Inge had gone pale, Anika followed the direction of her gaze.

  The front door and the windows to Anna’s house were wide open. A silver Mercedes with Hamburg plates was parked directly in front of the house, and next to it stood two men. The smaller of two, blond-haired, wearing jeans and a sports jacket, was talking to the taller, dark-haired one. Both held clipboards in their hands, and the taller one was making notes.

  Inge seemed paralyzed. “I don’t understand. What are they doing there?”

  Anika had already gotten out of the car. “Till, stay in the car for a minute—okay?” She looked at Inge with concern. “Inge, I think I know the dark-haired man. Let me talk to him. I’ll find out what’s going on.”

  She walked quickly over to the house. But Inge was too agitated to stay in the car; she trotted up behind Anika.

  “Jörn?” Anika called out toward the men. “Jörn Tietjen?”

  The dark-haired man turned around and stared at Anika in amazement.

  “Is that…Anika? It is you!” He beamed broadly and came toward her. “Anika Jakob. How wonderful! What are you doing here? Are you trying to give me competition?”

  She turned around to Inge. “May I introduce Jörn? Jörn Tietjen, an old colleague of mine from my student days. Jörn, this is my…erm…my aunt.”

  “Pleased to meet you.” He shook Inge’s hand heartily, even bowing a little.

  It took a moment for Inge to realize what Anika had said.

  “From your student days?”

  “Your niece and I studied architecture in Berlin together,” he explained. “Until she transferred to Hamburg, that is. Have you set up by yourself now, Anika, or are you working in an architecture firm?”

  Inge tried to keep her facial expression neutral and waited, intrigued, for Anika’s answer.

  “Neither, in fact,” she answered. “I work in a completely different field now. Are you here on business?”

  “Yes. I’ve been commissioned to convert this lovely house into eight vacation apartments.” Jörn made an encompassing gesture, which included the house and its grounds. “It’s a huge project, and I love this kind of thing.” He looked at the blond man. “Guido, this is a former colleague of mine, Anika Jakob, and her aunt. And this is Guido Schneider, one of the owners of the management company the house belongs to.”

  Inge made a gurgling noise and sagged at the knees. She gratefully registered Anika’s tight grip on her arm.

  “Hello, Herr Schneider.” Anika looked him up and down. “So the house belongs to you? We thought it belonged to Anna Nissen.”

  “Did you come here to visit her?”

  Inge noted that Guido Schneider hadn’t even said hello to them. There was something unpleasant about him, and he was staring at Anika in a patronizing way. Jörn, on the other hand, was gazing at her in a completely different way.

  “Well, she’s dead,” he said abruptly. He was chewing gum, too, which Inge hated. “Died two months ago. Did you know her?”

  “No.” Anika stared back at him with the same cold expression. “Not really. But my aunt used to come here on vacation years ago. She wanted to see how Anna was doing.”

  “Well, Frau Jakob…” Guido Schneider looked at Inge disparagingly, who wasn’t in the mood to put him right about her surname. “Unfortunately, you’re too late. And Frau Nissen didn’t have any children or other family I could put you in touch with either. She left the house to my business partner and me. We were the only ones who looked after the old woman.” He bobbed up and down on the tips of his toes impatiently. “Is there anything else I can do for you? Otherwise, you’ll have to excuse us—we still have a lot to get through here.”

  Inge was silent, filled with disbelief. But Anika’s nerves were stronger.

  “No, thank you.”

  Inge felt like she was about to faint. With the last of her strength, she managed to utter, “Good-bye,” then she slowly made her way over to the car.

  Jörn Tietjen grasped Anika, who had also turned to go, by her elbow. “Wait a moment. Which hotel are you staying in?”

  “I’m not. I live here.”

  “Really?” He looked at her in surprise. “Well, I’ll be on the island until next Saturday. Shall we go out for dinner? We have to celebrate. I mean, the fact that we bumped into each other here. I don’t believe in chance—everything is fated. Here, this is my cell phone number.” He rummaged frantically through his jacket pocket and eventually pulled out a crumpled business card, which he handed over with a flourish. “Give me a call, anytime…if you’d like to, I mean. I’d be very pleased if you did. Really.”

  He clearly likes her, thought Inge as she stood there waiting. Maybe he even used to be in love with her before. Despite being preoccupied with worry, she hoped that Anika would take him up on the invitation, and Inge watched with contentment as Anika put the business card in her bag.

  As they got into the car, they noticed thankfully that Till had stretched out on the backseat and had gone to sleep. Inge rubbed her eyes.

  “There’s foul play going on here—I’m sure of it,” she said, dejected. “Anna never mentioned a Guido Schneider. Why would the house belong to him? I’ve got the will.”

  “Where is it right now?”

  “In the side compartment of my cosmetics bag. I didn’t want Walter to stumble across it.”

  “Well, then this is all easily solved.” Anika started the engine. “I’ll go for dinner with Jörn. Perhaps I can get some information from him. And you need to make an appointment with your lawyer right away. Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out. And by the way…”

  “Yes?”

  “The house looks great. I love it.”

  In the side mirror, Inge noticed Jörn watching them drive off with a dreamy look on his face.

  Chapter 27

  * * *

  Christine and Johann stayed seated in the movie theater until the lights came back on.

  “I don’t know why people always feel the need to jostle their way through the darkness as soon as the credits start rolling,” said Christine, pulling on her jacket as she stood up. “It’s much easier like this.”

  “Perhaps they’re desperate for the bathroom,” answered Johann, letting Christine go ahead of him. “And so am I, as it happens. Shall we go for a drink in Westerland?”

  “Why don’t we go to the inn’s bar instead? It looked warm and lively.”

  “Okay, sounds good to me.”

  Johann went off to the bathroom, and Christine took her cell phone out of her bag and turned it back on. As soon as her phone powered on, she was assaulted by a long series of beeps—her voice mail.

  You have twelve new messages. Today, received at six thirty p.m.…

  “Hi, it’s Dad here. Is Mom with you?”

  Today, received at six forty-one p.m.…

  “Well, if she is there, ask her when she’ll be back.”

  Today, received at six fifty-four p.m.…

  “Walter’s hungry. We’re go
ing out to eat.”

  Today, received at seven-oh-three p.m.…

  “We’re at the docks.”

  Today, received at seven twenty p.m.…

  “…”

  Today, received at seven fifty-five p.m.…

  “This stupid machine.”

  Today, received at eight nineteen p.m.…

  “…of course this is Christine’s number. Hello?”

  Today, received at nine forty-nine p.m.…

  “We’re back home now.”

  Today, received at nine fifty-two p.m.…

  “Christine! Your mother’s gone!”

  Today, received at ten twelve p.m.…

  “…”

  Today, received at ten eighteen p.m.…

  “Where are you? Call me!”

  Today, received at ten twenty-five p.m.

  “…”

  Christine jumped as Johann tapped her on the shoulder.

  “Trouble?”

  She handed him the cell phone. “It seems my father neither listened to the message I left for him on the machine, nor saw my mother’s note. And now he’s panicking.”

  “Which means?”

  “Twelve messages on my voice mail. Ach! I’ll have to go there.”

  “No, just call him.” Johann was already searching through the saved numbers. “Tell him where she is and that we can’t help right now.” He held the phone out to her.

  A man’s voice answered on the first ring.

  “Yes?”

  “Dad, it’s me.”

  “Pia?”

  “No.” Christine moaned and laid her head on Johann’s shoulder. “It’s Christine. Pass me to my father, please. And, Walter, answer the phone properly next time!”

  “Speaking of which, do you have a new cell phone number? We’ve been trying to reach you all evening.”

  “So I saw. I was at the movies. Could I please—”

  “Heeee-iiiinz, do you want to speak to your daughter?”

  Christine pulled the phone away from her ear while Walter bellowed loudly.

  She heard Kalli’s laughter in the background, then Heinz mumbling something. Then the phone was dropped. All the noise was putting her on edge.

  “Yes, Christine. Is that you?”

  “Hello, Dad. Didn’t you listen to the answering machine? Or see Mom’s note?”

  “Oh, Christine, don’t play guessing games. What do you want? We’re playing Skat, so I can’t stand here talking to you for too long.”

  “I thought you were looking for Mom.”

  “She’s at your brother’s in Hamburg. You should know that. You were the one who took her to the train station.”

  “So why did you keep calling then? If you already knew?”

  “I only phoned three times—the other times were Walter and Kalli. Everything’s fine now.”

  “So have you spoken to Mom?”

  “Of course. She’s fine, everything’s fine, don’t worry. Right, it’s my turn. ’Bye.” The line went dead.

  Christine stared at the phone for a moment, then said to Johann, “Come on, I need a drink.”

  They sat in a quiet corner of the bar, a bottle of red wine and two glasses in front of them. Christine played her voice mails to Johann. He listened with a concentrated facial expression, breaking into a grin now and then. When Christine had recounted her conversation with her father to him, he burst out into laughter.

  “Unbelievable,” he said, wiping away his tears of laughter. “You can’t make stuff like this up. The three of them are going to have a lot of fun together, believe you me.”

  “Well, Kalli’s heading back tomorrow or the day after. He’s planning to go back by train.”

  “I very much doubt that.” Johann reached for his glass and tried to look serious. “They’re not going to lose their third man for Skat. Especially now that there’s extra room in the house.”

  Christine looked at him thoughtfully. “I’m sure you’re probably right. And it’ll take Walter a few days to find him the cheapest train connection, in any case.”

  “Or weeks.” Johann’s grin was even broader now. “Well, at least we’ll have some peace here. All we’ll need to do is pop by the house now and then. Right?”

  Christine reached silently for the small bowl of nuts on the table in front of her. Johann pulled his chair closer to the table until their knees were touching.

  “I was thinking,” he said. “What would you say about the idea of me moving to Hamburg?”

  She looked up in surprise. “You want to hand in your notice? Why?”

  “To move in with you perhaps?”

  “Johann!” She entwined her hand with his. “Are you so sure that things will work out between us?”

  “Yes.” He looked at her seriously, then his eyes gleamed. “After all, I’m being tested under pretty extreme conditions here, and I’m still doing okay. And besides, you need a new apartment anyway. Had you forgotten that your building is going to be refurbished? Two years of noise, dirt…”

  Christine waved her hand impatiently. “Yes…Believe me, I hadn’t forgotten.”

  “Well, the head office phoned me today. A colleague in Hamburg is retiring, and he recommended me as his successor.”

  She looked at him, her eyes wide. “Starting when?”

  “September first. That gives me three months to give notice on the apartment in Bremen and look for a new one in Hamburg. So now it’s up to you to decide whether I look for a big apartment or a small one. What do you think?”

  He looked so unbelievably handsome at that moment, but he was right. The “vacation” had tested their bond, and she could see behind the movie-star looks that had wowed her at first to notice something else: his consistent calm and his constant support. And the fact that he was able to cope with her family spoke volumes. Christine nodded confidently.

  Chapter 28

  * * *

  The next morning, Johann suggested that they drive by to see Heinz. “It’s probably best if you let me out between Kampen and List, and I’ll run the rest of the way. That gives you about an hour to sort out the troops, and I’ll be there before it gets dangerous. Then we’ll have the perfect excuse to leave. That I have to come straight back to shower so I don’t stand around sweating and stinking up the house!”

  Christine looked at him beseechingly. “There’s a shower there, too, you know. So that’s no reason for us to take off right away.”

  Johann tapped his finger against his head. “You don’t seriously think that Heinz will let me have a shower when Charlotte’s not there?”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I would hazard a guess that he doesn’t know how to clean the bathroom afterward. And then there’ll be the stress of searching for towels…”

  “Come on, Johann. He’s not that bad.”

  “Okay, wait and see…but I’m willing to bet he’ll be quite happy for us to take off rather than have me take a shower there.”

  Half an hour later, Christine picked up the bag of freshly baked rolls from the passenger seat and got out. She glanced briefly at the deserted front yard and went around to the back door. She was relieved to hear the gurgle of the coffee machine and smell the fresh brew. So Heinz could do things for himself if he put his mind to it. As she opened the kitchen door, the first thing she saw was her mother’s lilac bathrobe.

  “Mom? I thought…”

  “Huh?” said the figure in lilac, turning around.

  “Oh…Morning, Kalli.”

  “You scared me!” Kalli pulled the bathrobe around him in embarrassment; it was a little too small for him. “Morning, Christine. Would you like a coffee?”

  Christine stared at him. “Very sexy. Lilac suits you.”

  “Is it lilac?” Kalli looked down at himself with a giggle. “Just don’t take any photos. It may be a little too small for me, but it is so fuzzy and warm. I don’t have anything with me.”

  “Did you borrow one of Mom’s nightdresses too?”
/>
  Kalli snorted. “Of course not.”

  He lifted the robe a few inches. The edge of a pair of Heinz’s red pajamas came into view. “They’re your father’s. He said he’s never worn them, and I know why now. They itch like crazy. But I shouldn’t complain, he’s helping me out by lending them.” He turned back around to the kitchen and opened the nearest drawer. “I thought I’d make breakfast. The only problem is, I can’t find anything.”

  “Where’s my dad?”

  Kalli looked at her over his shoulder. “He’s still sleeping, and so is Walter. They stayed up late last night, but I went to bed early.”

  Christine looked at the clock; it was nearly ten. Her father never normally slept in this late. “I’ll go and see what’s keeping them.”

  She stood up and went upstairs to the bedroom, tiptoeing past the guest room so as not to wake Walter. She opened the door to her parents’ room carefully, and she couldn’t believe her eyes at the sight before her. Her father was on his back, his hands folded over his stomach, staring up at the ceiling. Walter lay next to him and had one leg flung over Heinz.

  Heinz lifted his head and put his finger to his lips. “Shhh. Walter is sleeping.”

  “Come out then!” Disturbed, Christine shut the door.

  He came out a few moments later, rubbing his eyes. “Morning. You’re here early.”

  “It’s nearly ten. Kalli is in the kitchen wearing Mom’s lilac bathrobe and making coffee. He can’t find anything, whatever it is he’s looking for. What’s going on with you two?”

  “What do you mean?” Heinz scratched his head and yawned. “Walter came over to my room because Kalli snores so much. After all, I’m a very quiet sleeper.”