by Mark Spaid
“Yes, I do and you’re right we all do and not just me. I said I wasn’t going to be an albatross on this trip and I’m not. I can wait like the rest of you.”
“Ms. Fanelli, when we get back, I’ll take you and your family to Shannigan’s…on me,” Captain Shellhause said.
“I like the when instead of if but I have a better idea. I’ll take everybody to The Evergreen Club on me, except it’ll probably be on Ariel. Anyway, we’ll live it up with the best food and drink in Bloomington.”
“The Evergreen Club; whoa how do you get in there?” Tom asked.
“I use my wily skills,” Belinda said with a big grin. He wasn’t entirely sure what she meant but he had an idea.
“I’ll take the first watch,” Little Wolf said as he walked over. He’d been checking all possible entrances to the room and there were many. They’d managed to secret in the plexiglass knives and he had two in his belt plus he found a steel knife on the next floor. It was rusty but sharp.
“Well, I’m tired so no one has to convince me to go to sleep,” Tom said and laid down along with Captain Shellhause.
“Here, Lind, use my coat for a pillow,” Tatiana said to her friend.
“Won’t you need it if it gets cold?”
“I’m Russian, we were born cold.”
“Thanks, Tatiana, and thanks for not being mad at me.”
“Oh, I’m mad at you…putting yourself in danger like this, sneaking after us through the portal. I’m not happy with you.”
“But you do that all the time while I just sit around and watch. It’s time I did something too.” Tatiana brushed the hair out of Belinda’s face and held her hand to Belinda’s cheek.
“I cherish your friendship, girl, I hope you know that.”
“I know and I love you too.” Tatiana chuckled.
“Get some sleep, we’ll be on the run tomorrow,” Little Wolf said as he walked up to them. He’d been exploring the floor and the building in general, looking for entrances. Germany in 1939 had a booming economy with high employment and an abundance of consumer goods. Munich was a successful and wealthy city but, in any place, some fall through the cracks. There’s always the other side of the tracks and that’s where they were to be sure. He went upstairs and peeked out a window and saw the same three guys who’d walked by and eyed the building and those inside it earlier. They were walking around the building waiting to make their move. It was impossible to keep them out; there were too many ways to get inside. There were three of them and who knows how many or what kind of weapons they might have. So, it was up to Little Wolf to watch and wait. Tatiana knew what he was doing and she wasn’t about to fall asleep either. After Belinda, Tom and Captain Shellhause were asleep she sat up against the wall and perused the room. She saw the places where someone could sneak in and she catalogued all of them. She had her knife out laying on her lap. It was dark in the room now and she could see practically nothing except for a gleam of moonlight that filtered in to her right. So, she did the one thing she could under the circumstances; she listened. The night was quiet with an occasional police siren that one might hear in a large city, a dog barking and two people talking and laughing as they passed under the window. Around midnight it was quiet then she heard a shuffling sound below and a creaking on the stairs. They were coming up. She looked around the room but couldn’t see Little Wolf. She knew he was somewhere but she had no idea where. She heard whispers near the top of the stairs and she stood up and slid quietly along the wall to the left of the stair entrance and waited. She strained to see through the darkness and finally made out a silhouette of two men creeping forward with their intent on Belinda, Tom and Captain Shellhause. They got closer and raised their arms over their heads suggesting they were armed with knives of some sort. They said something in German and moved in for the kill; then suddenly the first one stopped, dropped his knife and put a hand to his throat that’d been cut...he was bleeding profusely. The other one looked around but could see nothing. He was stabbed in the throat and fell on the floor with the other guy and was bleeding to death as well. Little Wolf was on his knees checking to see if they were dead and didn’t see the third man approaching him. Tatiana stabbed him in the back, pulled out her knife and stuck it in his throat. He fell with the other two.
“Little Wolf, are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“What’s all this?” Captain Shellhause said as he woke up after hearing the sound of bodies hitting the floor.
“What happened?” Tom asked as he also sat up.
“Some intruders,” Little Wolf said. “We told them to come back another time.” He and Tatiana were dragging the bodies to the far side of the room and making a pile. They took their knives and money then went back to the group.
“I’ll take the next watch” Tom said and stood up looking all around the room and glancing at the three dead bodies in the corner.
“I guess she’s tired, Little Wolf said to Tatiana as they both looked down at Belinda who never woke up.
“That’s for the best.”
“Well, I’m going to get some sleep,” Little Wolf said.
“You knew there were three of them, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“So, why’d you kneel to check on the first two?”
“To make sure they were dead.”
“But the third one could’ve killed you.”
“No, I didn’t worry about him.”
“Why not?”
“You were there.”
“But what if I’d failed.”
“I’ve never associated you with failure.”
“But…”
“Miss Tatiana, we can discuss tactics tomorrow but for now I think we need some sleep. We have much to do when the sun comes up.” He laid down and closed his eyes. Tatiana sat looking at Little Wolf. She finally shook her head, sighed and lay down to sleep.
* * *
“Justin, they’ll take care of Lind, you know they will,” Jozette said the next morning when she saw him staring out the window.
“I know but I’m still worried. She has no skills like you and Tatiana. They’re in a terrible place and if they’re taken prisoner you know what the guards will do to…” He stopped and Jozette grabbed his arm.
“Don’t go there, Justin; it’ll do no good. We have to trust them to take care of her and besides she may not be as helpless as we think.”
“I know, the whole South America thing…I get it and I’ll try to stop worrying.”
“Good because we have to take care of the ones we have here.”
“Papa, I’m hungry and I miss Mama,” Gabby said as she looked up at Justin and he picked her up.
“I miss her too but she’ll be back and, in the meantime, how about cheese and crackers?”
“I’m tired of that. I want something different.”
“That’s all we have.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Gabby, what have I said before?”
“That there are many boys and girls in the world who have nothing to eat and I should be happy that I have food no matter what it is.”
“That’s right, so now what do you say?”
“I’m thankful for what I have to eat.”
“Very good, Gabby, I’m proud of you, now here,” Justin said and handed her a package of cheese crackers. She ate a couple then ran off to be with Beth and the other girls.
“She’s a sweetheart,” Justin,” Jozette said.
“I know but I wish she and Beth were closer.”
“I do too but they’re very different just like Lind and I. Gabby’s a fountain of emotion just like Lind and Beth’s colder and less emotional like me.”
“Yeah but you and Lind are close now.”
“We are but I’m not sure I would’ve gravitated towards her as a child. Adults can overlook differences in personality and still be best friends but kids are more circumspect… they’re pickier about their friends.”
> “I suppose you’re right. Maybe they’ll grow closer as they get older,” Justin posed.
“I think they will at least I hope so”
“Gabby does raise a good point about the food. We can’t feed everyone on the few snacks we have left.”
“I know but what do you propose…a trip to the grocery store in our hearse. That wouldn’t attract much attention, now would it?”
“Alright, I get it but we have to get some food somehow.”
“I have an idea,” Janet said as she and Mario walked into the room from outside having heard the conversation about food.
“Let’s have it,” Justin said.
“I know a guy who works at the food bank. He’s one of us,” Mario said.
“One of us?” Jozette asked.
“Resistance.”
“So, how does that help?” Jozette continued.
“You drive Janet and me about a block behind the food bank and we get an armful of items then we get back here, maybe without being seen,” Mario said. Jozette looked at Justin and nodded.
“Sounds good, let’s go,” Justin said and the three took off. Justin parked a block and half away and waited.
“Hey, Mario,” a man behind the counter said. Mario put his finger to his lips and the guy looked away. There were SS agents everywhere; always looking for any reason to arrest anyone. A woman in a blue pants suit watched out of the corner of her eye and Janet saw this. She began sacking up canned goods and boxed items as fast as she could then nudged Mario and he did the same thing. When they were finished, they sat them down on the counter and the man looked them over. “Of course, you know you can’t sell any of these items to anyone.”
“Yes, sir,” Mario said.
“Okay, have a good day,” the man said and they left. Quickly they ducked around a corner, down the block and hid in a hedge and sure enough the woman in the blue pants suit was walking briskly down the block and talking into an ear piece. She was SS.
“Get out of here, we’ve been made,” Mario said as they jumped in the back seat. Justin took off and sped out of town as fast as he could.
“She’s watching us,” Janet said as she peered through the back window.
“Okay, we’ll have to abandon the cabin and go overland,” Mario said.
“Why?” Justin asked.
“They know where we’re headed and the SS are good at tracking if they know the general direction.”
“So, we’ll have to give up the hearse,” Justin said.
“That’s an occupational hazard of our business,” Mario said. They got back and told everyone to pack and get ready to move. The food was put in backpacks and they didn’t wait long to move out.
“Let’s go,” Andy said and they began walking briskly. They left the car along the road and it wouldn’t take long for security forces to find the cabin.
“The thick woods will work in our favor,” Janet said. They can’t see from overhead.”
“You mean they’ll send helicopters,” Andy said.
“For certain and probably very soon,” Janet answered.
“We have some time until they locate the hearse and the cabin. So, we need to put as many miles as we can between us and here. Resting isn’t an option,” Andy said. They slugged their way through the thick brush. Andy carried Beth and Justin carried Gabby. Paulita and Mallory helped Melanie through the rough spots and Dave gave Sol a hand.
“Do you know of any other places?” Mario or Janet?” Justin asked as they fought their way through briars and wild roses. There were cuts and scrapes to go around for all.
“No, I’ve never been this far into the woods,” Mario said.
“Me either,” Janet said but Fort Gregory should be coming up in a few miles.”
“What’s that?” Dave asked.
“A small town, maybe a thousand people,” Janet answered.
“I hope, we find something soon, we need a rest,” Lexi said.
“Look, a barn,” Dixie said and they all stopped and peered through the trees and she was right.
“Let’s go there and hope for the best,” Jozette said and they walked to within a hundred yards of the building and stopped.
“Hey, there’s a house, out buildings and smoke from the chimney so, somebody lives there,” Andy added.
“Lexi and I’ll go investigate,” Jozette said and they took off.
“Keep out of sight until we say it’s alright,” Lexi said over her shoulder. They went right to the back door and knocked.
“Shh, quiet, Blackie,” a woman’s voice could be heard and the door opened.
“Ma’am,” Jozette said.
“What can I do for you?” The woman asked.
“That depends; we’re kind of lost in a way,” Lexi said.
“What does lost in a way mean?”
“We’re on the run from the SS,” Jozette said.
“Who isn’t these days. Come inside.”
“Thank you, Ma’am,” Lexi said.
“I’m Edna so, you can forget the Ma’am stuff.”
“Very well, Edna. I take it you’re not enamored with the SS,” Jozette posed.
“I hate those murdering savages; all the Nazis for that matter. My grandfather fought in France and Germany against Hitler. Then one morning I woke up and they’d taken over the country. How’d that happen?”
“We experienced the same thing and it’s complicated,” Lexi said.
“Here, sit down and rest,” she said and poured them each a glass of iced tea.
“Do you live here alone?” Jozette asked.
“Yes, my husband, John died ten years ago. Since then it’s been the animals and me.”
“I’m sorry,” Lexi said.
“Don’t be; we were married at seventeen; parent’s permission. We had forty-three years of wedded bliss. It wasn’t always bliss but we endured and loved each other. What more is there? The farm was my grandfather’s and he left it to me. I have two milk cows, pigs, chickens and an ornery goat named Simon. They’re my company and of course Blackie, my Boston Terrier. They’re odd little critters. Their ears stick up all the time and their eyeballs are too big for the sockets. But he loves me, sits on my lap every night when I watch television and lays at the foot of my bed every night.” Blackie was sitting looking up at Jozette and Lexi.
“Does he want a treat or something?” Lexi asked.
“He always wants a treat,” Edna said. She took a couple of bacon treats from a bowl on the table and handed them to Blackie. “Here, now go over to your bed and stop bothering these folks.” He did just that and laid down in his bed to devour his treats.
“You sure have him trained,” Jozette said.
“Or maybe he has me trained. I’m never quite sure when it comes to animals. My milk cows are ready at four and four every day. They begin lowing and I go out and milk them. I don’t call them; they call me. So, who’s running the show? I’m never quite sure but I don’t complain.”
“Edna, we have to tell you that we’re not alone,” Lexi said.
“Oh, well, where are the rest of you?” Lexi and Jozette exchanged glances.
“Well, that’s just it; There are thirteen more of us,” Jozette said.
“Where?”
“We didn’t want to overwhelm you so they’re waiting behind the barn,” Lexi said.
“Are they hungry?”
“I would imagine,” Jozette said.
“Well, get them in here and I’ll make a meal for them. I hope they like eggs,” Edna said.
“I’m sure they do,” Lexi said as she and Jozette went out to bring in the rest. She waved, Dave saw her and they all came walking towards the house.
“Come on in,” Edna said and they walked in gingerly so they didn’t suggest a mob. “My goodness, some of these girls are scratched up by briars. Here, come with me to the bathroom. You girls can clean up and put mercurochrome on those scratches.”
“What?” Jessica asked. Jozette chuckled.
&nbs
p; “Come on girls, Lexi and I’ll help you,” Jozette said and they went down the hall.
“What’d you do exactly that has the SS on your tail?”
“That raid on the SS Patrol Station,” Dave said.
“You did that?”
“Not me. Sol and I were prisoners along with my wife. Little Wolf, who’s not here right now and his wife Julieta, over there,” Dave said pointing to Julieta, “They hit hard and killed all the guards. As it happened, I killed the major in charge so they really would like to find me.”
“Okay, so, now I know what I have,” Edna said then she lapsed into deep thought.
“Something wrong?” Sol asked.
“Maybe; they’ve been here before.”
“The SS,” Dave asked.
“Yes, they were looking for someone and my place is off the beaten path and would appear to be the perfect hiding place.”
“Is it?” Justin asked grinning.
“I see, you’ve divined my family’s place in this world,” Edna said smiling.
“Well, I’m lost,” Andy said.
“You want to tell them,” Justin said.
“A long time ago this farm was a stop on the underground railroad.”
“But the house is rather new,” Julieta said.
“Yes, it was built right after the war in 1947. The original house was built in 1842. A huge structure; my great, great grandparents had twelve children. Ezekiel was my great grandfather’s name and he ushered through hundreds of runaway slaves.”
“In the house?” Justin asked.
“No, the barn.”
“And, that’s the original barn?” Andy asked looking out the kitchen window.
“Yes; it’s been repaired numerous times after storms and a steel roof was added but other than that it’s the original lumber from 1842. Ezekiel was trained as a structural engineer. He designed the floor of the barn with a cellar. The floor opens up and a stairway leads down to the basement where he hid runaway slaves. He gave money and supplies to help them get to Canada.”
“Wow, what an incredible story,” Andy said. “Can we see the barn?”
“You’ll probably see more of it than you want. After supper I’ll take you out there and show you where you’ll spend the night.”
