by Susan Finlay
That woman—his wife—was pretty and didn’t look a whole lot older than these girls. Jenny had to give Max credit for snagging a young pretty wife. Well, I’m still attractive. I’ve put on a few extra pounds, but so will Sofie if she really is pregnant. Wait ‘til she continues ‘filling out’ after the baby comes.
The five girls started giggling, and Jenny looked over, wondering what she’d missed.
One of them had flour all over her face and was trying to wipe it off, but was actually making it worse, because her hands were covered in flour, too. She even managed to get some of it in her hair.
Jenny smiled, then somehow it reminded her about Sofie’s reaction when she found out Max and her son were missing. She hadn’t hesitated going out to search for them, but what would she say to Max later? Would she blame him for losing her son? Wouldn’t she be angry with him and dump him?
Poor Max. He was overworked, anxious, and now missing in this time period, too. Well, when he gets back and his marriage falls apart, like Jenny’s relationship did, they would have each other. She wouldn’t be on her own anymore. Their children were here. They could be a real family again.
Yeah, looking forward, it might not be as bad as she’d thought last night when she was trying to get to sleep on the little kid’s bed and was squeezed so tightly up against her daughter that she could barely move. She might get her husband back and, hopefully, they would find a way back to their own time and home. California, even with its earthquakes, heavy traffic, and high costs of everything would be a dream compared to this prehistoric nightmare place.
“Wo ist Lisa?” Ulla asked, looked at Jenny expectantly.
“Oh, uh—” Hell, she understood the question, but how was she supposed to answer it? “Uh.” She glanced toward the open doorway and pointed to where the two horses were grazing.
Ulla nodded and smiled.
Hmm, were they asking because they expected Lisa to help in the kitchen, or were they just trying to be polite and show an interest?
Jenny stood up, motioned again toward the horses, and slinked out of the kitchen.
“Hey, there, you,” she said to her daughter who was brushing one of the horses. “How did you get that job?”
She shrugged. “I just took it, you know. Seemed like everyone else was busy. Besides, I’d rather be out here than in that stuffy kitchen.”
“Can’t say I blame you there.” Jenny sat down on a pile of logs. “I wanted to talk to you.”
“What about?”
“You want your dad and me to get back together, right?”
“Well, yeah, I did. But he’s married and in love. Why do you ask?”
“I want him back. I was stupid to divorce him. I might need your help.”
Lisa stopped brushing the horse and turned to her mother. “What do you want me to do?”
“I don’t know yet. Just be there for me and help encourage him to see me as his wife instead of as the woman who left him, okay?”
Lisa shrugged, turned, and resumed brushing the horse, not saying anything further.
What was that supposed to mean? Jenny shook her head and walked away.
THIS ISN”T WORKING, Max fretted, after he and Konrad had traipsed all over Riesen and found not a hint of Tobias. The most helpful information they’d gotten came from a merchant who sold big slabs of meat. The man apparently knew Karl and told Max that Karl had asked him where he might get animals for his grandson’s farm that was just getting started. He said he’d suggested that Karl find a well-established farm and buy them there. He could get better choices and perhaps better prices than if he bought from someone in town.
Pausing in the center of Riesen, near the big church, to rest, Max observed the wagon and pedestrian traffic. With school in session, almost no children were on the streets, except for babies and toddlers being carried by their mothers.
He thought about Tobias and his desire to get the farm animals Gramps had promised, giving him an idea. “Hey, Konrad, what if Tobias went to see Gramps after all, and they set out to Anneliese’s family’s farm to get animals? They would have rented a wagon. We should check back with the stable master and find out if he rented a wagon instead of just a horse or two, then we might have a lead.”
Konrad looked confused.
Crap. He didn’t understand, and I don’t know how to say all of that in German. He muddled through a clipped version with a mixture of German and English.
“Ja,” Konrad said. “We go to stable.”
They traipsed over to the stable and Konrad talked with the stable master again. Max tried to follow the conversation and thought he was doing okay.
“He say Karl rent wagon and horses.”
Max grinned. He understood correctly. Too bad he couldn’t speak in German as well as he could understand it. “Ask if we can rent horses.” He pulled some coins out of his pocket and handed them to Konrad.
Ten minutes later, they were on the road.
Since Max knew approximately where the farm was located, he took the lead. Karl had told him about the farm a few months back, shortly after they’d arrived back in the Riesen area, after finding Max’s mother and Karl’s daughter, Monika. At the time Karl had seemed reticent to visit Birgitta’s son and daughter-in-law, even though he knew they would want to see their daughter, Anneliese, and find out more about Birgitta’s death. He’d said it would be too hard on Anneliese. Instead, Gramps had paid a messenger to deliver the information. Now, it seemed, Karl had changed his mind. Odd.
After a brief respite at the halfway mark, Max and Konrad continued their journey in silence into the woods. They slowed their pace as the afternoon faded into evening and darkness made it quite difficult to see. The gentle lope of the horse almost rocked Max to sleep, given his sleep the last few nights had been lacking because of his anxiety. Thoughts drifted by in an almost dream-like trance and at one point he thought he was still in the cave where he’d found his daughter and ex-wife.
He shook himself, trying to remain awake and guide his thoughts into different territory. Unfortunately, that would prove nearly impossible. Almost everything lately had been stressful, everything except the news that Sofie was pregnant. Well, no, even that was stressful. Great news, but loaded with concern. Who would deliver the baby? He’d been thinking about that ever since Sofie told him about her condition. He assumed she would use a mid-wife, his mother maybe. She’d delivered a few of her neighbors’ babies. And then there remained the question of how he was going to support his family, and another mouth to feed didn’t lessen that concern. That thought brought him right back to his daughter and ex-wife. Crap! Was he supposed to support them, too? What was he supposed to do—marry them both off to some Baron or something? OK, Max, now you’re just becoming delirious.
Well, on second thought, that might not be such a bad idea, at least as far as Jenny was concerned. He smiled to himself, but his smile fell apart almost immediately. Yeah, like he could get Jenny to do anything he suggested.
Pushing that thought far away, his mind meandered back to the immediate mystery of Tobias’s disappearance, his grandfather’s secrets, and his own life in this century.
The night before Tobias disappeared, Max had thought they’d had fun talking, just the two of them, and telling stories. Had he been mistaken? Was Tobias still upset with him over something? God, he hoped not. He loved that kid like his own, and if he found him, he would make sure he knew that no baby would take his place.
In the distance, Max spied a farm field. He leaned forward, trying to get a closer look. “That might be their farm,” he said.
Konrad nodded, and they both picked up their pace, arriving at the farm a few minutes later.
Konrad said, “I go and ask if they know Karl Kimmel, ja?”
“Ja. I’ll wait here.”
Several men were still working in the field. Max wished he knew more about farming. He would have to learn more once he finished building the damn house.
“What are
you doing here, Max?”
Max turned toward his grandfather’s voice, not that he’d seen him and knew for sure it was him, but who else would be speaking in English out here? Gramps was walking toward him, trailed by Konrad. “I’m glad we found you, Gramps. Is everything okay? We were surprised that you up and left while your great-grandson was missing. We were hoping that maybe he came with you to get some farm animals for Möbius.”
Karl frowned. “Nein, I have not seen the boy.” He glanced over his shoulder at the front door, then lowered his voice and said, “I did not want to come here, but Anneliese needs her family. She is—how you say?—emotional troubled.”
“Hmm, yeah, I guess I kind of knew that about her. Sad. Ryan was really smitten with her but, well, he didn’t know how to deal with her problems.”
“I worry she would try to kill Lotte or Ryan. One minute, she asks to see him, the next minute she wants to kill him. She not taking their breakup good.”
Max’s spirits sank, though he tried not to show it. “I’m truly sorry to hear her condition has grown worse and I’m sorry to be barging in. I was really hoping you knew where we could find Tobias.”
“You didn’t bring Ryan with you?”
“Nope. He’s with Sofie and Lotte.”
Karl nodded. “Then you boys come inside. We will eat dinner and drink. In morning, we search for Tobias.”
Max was too damned tired to ride anymore today, and the thought of a home cooked meal and a bed lifted his spirits slightly. Maybe tomorrow will be better, he hoped.
GOOD GRIEF! MAX had thought the long evening of listening to German conversations between Konrad, Karl, Birgitta’s son, Raimund Braun, his wife, Felda, and five of their six children would never end. Anneliese was present, but sat staring into space most of the time or nodding off. Max understood bits and pieces of their conversations and had stopped trying after the first two hours. Maybe Anneliese had the right of it, nodding off. Finally, he tromped up the stairs, bringing up the rear of the herd of elephants—at least that’s what it sounded like—when Raimund announced it was time to sleep. Max and Konrad were escorted into a long bedroom that looked more like a military barracks with bunks stacked along both walls. Karl climbed into one, and the grown children each took their own beds. That thankfully left two empty bunks, which Max and Konrad took.
Max laid on his back, hands behind his head, wanting nothing more than to sleep and put all thoughts out of his head. Fat chance of that. Moments after he lay down, snoring filled the room loudly enough to awaken the dead. How could anyone sleep with all that racket going on?
In the morning, as they were preparing to ride again, Karl asked, “Where we go now? Is long way back to Riesen. Did you search between there and here? If the boy tried to follow me, he might still . . . .”
Max ran his hand through his messy hair. “No, we didn’t search on the way here. We were trying to get here quickly and we don’t really know the area. Where should we search? Should we get the Feldgendarms involved?”
“Nein. They be no help.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
“Maybe he try to go to Dinkelsbühl to find his mother?”
Max sighed. “That’s a long way away from Riesen, isn’t it? I mean, I don’t know, I can’t really see him going there on foot all the way from Möbius.”
Karl shrugged. “We make search party, then. Search the area between Riesen and here. Will take me a while to gather men. Your brother, Konrad, he will help, ja?”
“Yeah, Konrad is still in the house. He’ll be out shortly.”
Karl nodded. “I talk to Raimund, first. Get his sons and some of the men who work here at the farm. You wait here for me.”
Karl went into the barn where Raimund was working. Max stood about ten feet from the entrance, not expecting to hear any of the conversation, which was fine with him since he wouldn’t understand much of it anyway. Raimund spoke only German, as far as Max knew. After a few minutes, though, their conversation grew louder, obviously heating up. Max tried to make out the gist of it, without much luck. Raimund suddenly yelled. Several words that Max was sure were curse words. Max moved closer to the partially open barn door and peeked inside. Raimund was standing close to Karl, his fists held up and his face bright red. Was he going to hit Karl? No matter how mad he was, Max couldn’t imagine him hitting an eighty year old man, but anything was possible.
Karl took a step backward and said something. Raimund yelled a few more words and then turned toward the door. Max ran back to where he’d been standing and hoped the two men hadn’t seen him.
Silence. Then more cursing and shouts that sounded hateful.
After that, Karl hurried outside. He walked over to Max about the same time as Konrad came out and joined Max.
Karl’s mouth was downturned and his forehead creased. He swiped at his face with the back of his hand, wiping sweat away, and said, “Raimund says we cannot take his sons or his workers to help search for the boy. He says he has done more than enough by putting the three of us up in his home. Time to go. Konrad and I take horses, go further out in the area and find other men to help.”
“Huh? What about me?”
“You stay here, Max. Keep an eye on Raimund. He is crazy mad right now. I don’t know what he might do if he doesn’t cool down. Konrad, kommst du nun, oder was?”
Konrad nodded.
Okay, I guess I’ll be on my own for a while, Max thought, understanding what Karl had said in German. Konrad was going with Karl.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
SOFIE FOLLOWED HELMUT and Werner into Helmut’s house. It was dark inside, so Helmut went to find candles. A warm glow suddenly illuminated the parlor, brightening moments later by the addition of a second candle.
Ryan was in the stable taking care of the horses. He’d told Sofie he would be in shortly. They’d ridden as fast as they could to get to Dinkelsbühl by nightfall. It was later than they’d hoped for, but they’d apparently arrived before curfew, as the night watchmen hadn’t stopped them.
Helmut got a fire going in the fireplace, then turned to look at Sofie. “In the morning, we will check with the Feldgendarms and see if they have made any progress with the investigation into Johan’s murder. We will ask if they know anything about Vikktor or your son, as well.”
“Thank you.”
Helmut nodded.
Sofie looked at Werner. He only shrugged, so she asked, “Do you know anyone in this town, someone who might know Vikktor?”
“I know someone that Mathias and I helped many years ago. He may be in contact with Vikktor or with others who came through the portal.”
“And this man lives here in town?” Helmut asked. Werner nodded.
Sofie looked from one man to the other. Were there other time travelers around? How many? How long had the time traveling been going on?
“Who else knows how to work the portal, Werner? Do you know how?”
“Nein. As far as I know, only Mathias and Vikktor know how.”
Sofie squinted at him. “You’re telling us Mathias taught Vikktor, his second partner or apprentice or whatever you want to call him, but he didn’t teach you, his first one?”
“I told you before. I was only helping Mathias temporarily, and he knew that. It would have been foolish for him to give out that kind of information to someone who wasn’t committed to the job.”
Sofie didn’t respond. She wanted to believe him, and what he said made some sense, but something niggled in the back of her mind, whether it was intuition or exhaustion, she couldn’t say. She usually got more insecure and worried late at night, especially when she was tired. Maybe that’s all it was.
Ryan walked into the house at that moment and came over to the fireplace to warm his hands. “Getting chilly outside,” he said. “Do we have a plan for tomorrow?”
Sofie filled him in on the conversation, and he nodded.
Helmut said, “Let us all get some rest now. We will make a fresh start in the m
orning.”
In bed, Sofie was having difficulty falling asleep. Her mind replayed the scene where she had chastised Tobias, catching him trying to sneak food out of the communal kitchen. She’d been watching him for half an hour, hiding in a corner of the kitchen where he couldn’t see her. Finally, she leaned out from her hiding spot and said, “What do you have there in your pouch?”
He’d swung his body around, his eyes wide with surprise. “Uh, uh, just a snack. I . . . I thought I would take Valkyrie on a picnic. Soon it will be too cold for that, right?”
Hmm. She stepped out into the center of the kitchen work space. “I would say that sounds about right.” She stood there staring down at her son, her hands on her hips. “You do know we have to be careful with our food supply, do you not?”
He nodded, then looked down at the ground.
“That’s a pretty big pouch you have.”
He wouldn’t look at her, scuffing his shoe on the floorboards.
“All right, I think I need to see what you have there. Hand it over.”
He looked at his mother with his round, innocent eyes, and she instantly felt sympathy for the little guy. She put her arm around him, and together they walked outside where they sat on a rock together.
Sofie opened the bag and gasped. “My God, Tobias, how many people are going on this picnic?”
“Uh, only me. And Valkyrie.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Really? You expect me to believe that? You’ve been acting strangely since you got back home yesterday. What have you been up to?”
He turned his head and stared off into space.
“Out with it. I know you’re up to something. Tell me or you will not be allowed to leave here for the whole day.”
He turned and faced her, his shoulders slumped in defeat.
