by Susan Finlay
Karl said, “I . . . am very sorry. I am in shock, myself.” He leaned against the door frame and then slid to the floor. “We need to get word to the nearest Feldgendarms, but I have no idea how to do that.” He stopped, and Konrad looked down at him in time to see him wipe tears from his eyes.
“Who killed her?” Dieter’s brother, Ernst accused. He was standing beside Dieter and Felda.
“I do not know,” Karl said. “But we may have another problem. Your father and Max are both missing. I am not sure about your other sisters. Do you know where any of them went?”
“Ja . . . .” He tried to say more but choked up. Karl rose and put his arm around Ernst’s shoulder. Ernst nodded and squeaked out, “Danke. I . . . I heard that Erma and Gitta . . . went to our nearest market. They left before lunch and should be back before dark. I do not know about Papa or Max.”
The other brother, Jakob, said, “Erma and Gitta took one of the wagons. They wanted Anneliese to go with them, even told her she could lie down in the back of the wagon, but she said she was too tired even for that. If only she—” He let his words trail off.
Konrad wanted to ask Karl if he thought Raimund had killed his own daughter and then fled, but that seemed inappropriate with the family within hearing distance.
“I will find the authorities and bring them here,” someone yelled out.
“Gut,” someone else yelled. “I will find the doctor.”
Karl said, “I will stay with the family. Konrad, can you gather some men and search the area? See if you can find any trace of Max or Raimund.”
Konrad assented, turning to get started.
“Before you go,” Karl called out to him, “make sure you have something you can use as a weapon to defend yourselves. You may be dealing with whoever murdered Anneliese.”
Chills ran up Konrad’s spine.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
SOFIE AND RYAN set out together after lunch to search the west side of the town, while Werner and Helmut searched the east. Sofie would have preferred going alone, but the men refused, saying that they should work in pairs. Ryan in tow, she walked straight back to the spot where she’d seen the man last night. “I want to check with the residents of those two houses,” she said, pointing. “It’s probably nothing, but I have to know if anyone there saw the man from last night.”
“Okay, I guess that’s as good a place as any to start,” Ryan said. “I’ll just wait over here. Holler if you need me.”
After knocking on the first door and talking with a young woman holding a squealing baby, who said she had not seen the man, Sofie trudged over to the second house. This time, an elderly man answered. He obviously wasn’t the man she’d seen last night, because he was shorter and stockier than the mysterious man.
Sofie said, “Guten tag. I am visiting a family friend, Herr Furst, here in town. My name is Sofie.”
The man nodded. “Ja, I know the Furst family. Sorry about Johan. I miss him dearly. Would you like to come inside?”
“Oh, thank you, I cannot right now. I was wondering if you saw a man outside your house last night. He was quite tall and lanky and wore a hat and cloak. I wondered if he might be a friend or relative of yours.”
“Hmm. I did not see him last night, but I may know who you are describing. He wanders around when it is dark sometimes.”
“He lives here in town, then?”
“Ja. Or perhaps nearby. I do not know his name, though.” He hesitated. “I believe he was a friend of Johan.”
“What makes you think that?”
“I saw them talking together numerous times.”
“Oh, really, where was that?”
“Hmm.” He scratched his head. “Sorry, it is not easy remembering things when you get to be my age. Ah, I saw them sometimes outside Johan’s workshop. It’s at the back of the house facing the other street and the town wall. I walk my dog along that road in the evenings and early mornings.”
“The other street?”
“Ja, the house is on the corner, near the wall. There is a dirt road running between the side of the house and the wall. Johan’s and Helmut’s workshop faces it.”
“Oh, I did not realize that.” She didn’t add that she hadn’t even noticed another building behind the house, or if she did catch a glimpse, which she didn’t remember, then she must have figured it was a neighbor’s house. “What makes you think they were friends? Might the man have been a customer, perhaps having Johan build something for him?”
He pursed his lips and tilted his head from side to side. “Perhaps. But they sometimes sat together in the tavern, too, laughing and joking. Mostly late at night.”
“Do the night watchmen not enforce curfew here?”
“Oh, ja, they do, but that is only for people coming into town. Everyone inside the walls are free to stay out late.”
Sofie smiled. “Thank you for your help. If you think of anything else, you can find me at the Furst house.”
As she turned to leave he said, “Why are you asking about the man? Do you think he had something to do with Johan’s death?”
“I cannot say.”
She walked over to where Ryan was standing and related what the elderly man had told her.
“Should we go to the tavern and ask around?” Ryan asked.
“That’s in the area where Helmut and Werner are checking. I have another idea. Let’s see what we can find out from Johan’s workshop.”
“Okay. Lead the way.”
Walking along the cobbled road, between the houses and the town wall, they passed Helmut’s front door and continued to the edge of the house. About four or five feet beyond the house, the town wall turned ninety degrees, running along the side of the house. Sofie turned her head to the right, spotting the narrow dirt street the man had told her about, resembling more of a rough dirt path than a street, narrow and bumpy with lots of loose rock. She couldn’t imagine trying to maneuver a wagon on it. The path followed alongside the wall all the way to the wall’s next ninety degree turn. Five or six streets just like the one on which Helmut’s house sat, ran up to the path, from what she could tell at this distance, with houses on most of the corners.
Hmm. So someone could potentially walk all the way across much of the town on this path without being seen. Was that how the murderer came and went? She shivered at the thought.
She started walking again. Behind Helmut’s—correction, Johan’s house— stood a rather large separate building with an artisan’s shop-front sign that showed an etching of a man putting up walls for a house. That’s what Johan was? A house-builder? Hmm. Helmut had told her he’d been an apprentice to Johan. She would have to keep that in mind. He could be a big help to them later on.
She walked over to the door and turned the knob, half-expecting it to be locked, but was surprised when the door opened. Not knowing what to expect, she walked inside and glanced around the smallish shop space, reminding her of Karl’s clock shop. However, instead of the furnishings being simple as they were in Karl’s shop, beautiful handcrafted furnishings adorned the front room, including; three elaborately carved high-backed chairs, a small but attractive table, and two walnut shelves, oiled and shiny. Near the front door, a sturdy wooden counter greeted customers. Behind it, hand drawn floor plans and furniture design drawings were displayed on the wall. Max would have loved to talk to Johan, and would have loved to get his hands on the paper he used for his floor plan drawings. She would have to ask Helmut if he might have some of that paper he would be willing to share. Max was struggling enough not having his computer and software at hand, his principal tools for designing buildings. At least pencils and paper—drafting paper, she thought was the correct term—would be a big help for him, she was sure.
She peered behind and underneath the counter. Ledgers, loose papers, and more rolled-up drawings like those on the wall were stuffed into cubby holes.
“Shouldn’t we check out the rest of the building?” Ryan asked, looking slightly bored,
having walked in behind her, unnoticed.
She sighed because she wanted to examine some of the papers and ledgers, but Ryan was right. Glancing around, she spied two other doors. Picking one—the first door leading off from the entrance—she opened it and froze.
The large room, obviously a mill shop, she guessed, was a cross between a barn or stable and a lumber yard. It retained a pervading smell of wood and smoke. Stacks of lumber of various sizes and types occupied one section of the room. Wood shavings were swept into a sizeable pile in another area. The remainder of the room held various mysterious machines, tables, shelving with dozens of tools stacked upon them, and at least two large furnaces—at least that’s what they looked like to her. Sofie figured Johan had probably known exactly where to find anything he needed.
Heavy barn-like timbers made up the structure of the room, with massive vertical studs filled between with wattle and daub panels, and various overhead beams, from what she could tell. Max had described something similar to her when discussing the plans for their house. The room was lit by one wall of large windows, mounted high on the back wall, as well as two overhead skylights that had cranks to open for ventilation.
Sofie and Ryan browsed around the room, Sofie running her hand over the surfaces of several machines, marveling at the complexity of the wood-cutting tools even in this century. Max could use tools like these.
“Wow, this stuff is really cool,” Ryan said. “Do you think Helmut would sell us some of this stuff?”
“He may be using them if he’s a carpenter, too. Besides, I don’t know how we would get the money.” She paused, studying the tools and machines. “Even if we had the money, how would we get this heavy stuff to Möbius? I doubt we could transport them even on a wagon that we could rent.”
“Yeah, I guess there is that. Hey, maybe he can tell us where to find similar stuff near Riesen.”
Sofie smiled and nodded. Good intentions, but they still didn’t have money or anything valuable to trade.
“I guess we should check out the other room in the building,” Sofie said. She turned and walked out into the front room again. Seeing the other open door, she strode over and peeked inside, while Ryan studied one of the floor plans on the wall.
Inside was a small room with a single bed, nightstand, and wash basin. Hmm. That’s odd. Did Johan stay in here on nights when he’d had a big project? It wasn’t his usual bedroom, she knew, because Helmut had shown them Johan’s room and said he dreaded sorting through his belongings.
A bit of dust kicked up as she walked around, making her wish for a broom to help clean up. Helmut had his hands full right now and didn’t need the additional work. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a small piece of paper on the bed, half hidden under a cover. She reached down and picked up the paper.
Sofie, meet me on the dirt path outside tonight, V.
Oh my God!
Vikktor was here and knew that Sofie was here, too. Did that mean he was the man she saw last night? But how would he know she would look here? Was he watching right now?
She quickly glanced around the dimly lit room. There wasn’t any hiding place that she could see, but he might have been outside and came in while they were in the large workroom.
She tried to remember—was the door to this room open or closed when they’d first entered the building. Ugh! Why hadn’t she paid more attention? Max was often complaining that she didn’t notice details. Evidently, he was right.
Bending down and looking closely at the floor, she made out several large shoe prints in the dust, besides her own smaller shoe prints.
Now what? Should she wait until dark? Should she tell Helmut and Werner about the note?
“What’s going on?” Ryan asked, walking in. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Is this placed haunted by Johan’s ghost or something?” He was grinning.
“Ha-ha, very funny.” Could she trust him not to say anything to anyone else? She studied his young face and decided she could. “I found this,” she said, holding out the note. It was written in English, ostensibly because he knew, or thought, Helmut and Werner didn’t know any English, and didn’t want to take a chance in case they’d been the ones to find the note. Vikktor and Sofie had spent time in London while Sofie was growing up. That’s how she’d ended up going to college in London.
“Whoa, this is from him, from Vikktor?”
“I think so,” Sofie said.
“How did he know we would come in here and find the note?”
“Good question. He must have been watching us, maybe even following us.”
“Holy crap!” Ryan said. “He could still be here.”
They spread out, each searching a section of the building, and then rushed outside. “He was here on the path,” Ryan said. “Look there. Those are our footprints, but there are larger ones, like the ones you found in that little room.”
“You’re right. Let’s try to follow them.” The footprints ended halfway down the path, where a street intersected the path. They hurried down that street. Not a trace of him anywhere. He could have gone into one of the houses, or gone into the marketplace. He could be anywhere now.
Sighing, shoulders slumped, Sofie turned around and returned to Helmut’s house. Neither she nor Ryan said a word.
As they turned the corner onto Helmut’s street, Ryan said, “At least we know he’s in town and we’ll get to see him tonight and get some answers.”
“We? You can’t go. And you definitely can’t tell Helmut and Werner. Please promise me.”
“You can’t go alone. He could hurt you or kidnap you.”
“I don’t want to scare him off, either. I have to do this alone.”
Ryan stopped in his tracks. “No way. Dad would have my hide if I let you go alone, and you know it.”
Sofie stopped, too, and turned to face him. “Look, if Vikktor didn’t care if I was alone or not, he would have talked to me in the workshop. He didn’t. He asked me to meet him later.”
“And why do you think that is? You don’t think he has something evil planned? If he only wanted to talk, he could have done it there.”
“He doesn’t know you. He doesn’t know whether or not he can trust you.”
Ryan grabbed her shoulders. “Sofie, you’re not thinking clearly. I can’t let you go alone. Either I go with you or I tell Helmut and Werner.”
She didn’t answer, anger boiling up. Why did men always tell her what she could and couldn’t do?
On the verge of tears, giving in, she said, “All right. You can go. Perhaps this can be a good thing. But I need you to stay out of sight. The last thing I want is to scare him off. He’s our only hope of getting answers and I doubt he’ll talk to me in front of you. Okay, look, I know we think he could be dangerous. Stay out of sight. If he does get physical, run and get Helmut and Werner, don’t try to be a hero. You promise me? ”
“Okay. I promise. You know, the note didn’t say what time to meet or exactly where.”
“I’m pretty sure now that the man I saw last night was Vikktor. I think we should just go outside around the same time as last night and go to the entrance of Johan’s shop.”
“How do we sneak out of the house?”
“That’s a good question. I guess we’ll have to go to bed when Helmut and Werner do, and then tiptoe out after they fall asleep. They both snore loudly, so we’ll know when they’re asleep.”
“Yeah. Okay. I guess we should go in the house and see if they’re back. Maybe they discovered something, too.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
WHAT IF MAX and Tobias aren’t there at the farm?” Ingrid asked, becoming unsure of herself, wringing her hands together, as she sat in between her twin grandchildren on the wagon. “I cannot explain it, but I feel it in my bones that something is wrong. The closer we get to the farm, the more intense the feeling.”
“Try not to worry too much, Oma,” Johanna said, reaching over and squeezing her hand. “We will be there soon. We are
getting close, right, Peter?”
“Ja. And it is a beautiful day to be out on a journey. Think positive thoughts and enjoy the scenery. That is what Mutter would tell us all if she were still alive.”
Yes, a change of topics might help, Ingrid thought. “Tell me about your mother. How long has she been gone?”
“Eight years,” Peter said. “Her heart stopped working. She should not have died so young, but Opa said her mother died the same way, and her mother did, too.” He glanced at his sister. “We hope Johanna will live longer, like you, Oma.”
Ingrid nodded. “My family comes from hearty stock. Werner and Vikktor are both in their eighties and I am not far behind them. Let us hope Johanna has a good dose of those genes in her.”
“Will you live with us?” Johanna asked, turning her head to study Ingrid.
Ingrid wasn’t sure how to answer. Did she want to live with them? Ja, of course she did. Did she think Helmut would allow that? Nein, most likely he would send her away as soon as the searches were over. “We will have to wait and see what comes. We are all getting to know each other—even your father and I. It has been too long since we saw each other last. We have both changed. We barely know each other now.”
“I can understand that,” Johanna said. “But I hope you do live with us.”
“You are very sweet,” Ingrid said, patting her granddaughter’s hand. “Tell me more about your mother. I wish I could have known her.”
“She was always smiling and happy, even when she was ill,” Johanna said.
“And always wanted to help other people, like you do,” Peter said. “I think that is why we feel as if we already know you. You have our mother’s heart. Well, not her actual heart, but you know what I mean.” His face was flushed.
Ingrid smiled, then reached over and gave him a quick hug. “Danke. It means a lot to me to hear that. I have missed having family around.”
No one spoke for a while, apparently each dwelling on their own thoughts, Ingrid thought. That was fine. She would get through the upcoming confrontation with Karl and Vikktor. If they had Tobias, she would get him back, and if they didn’t, she and her grandkids would keep on looking. They, too, had their mother’s heart. She was sure of it.
