"I'm not so sure. There's a directory in every phone kiosk in Prague."
"And no one vandalizes them?"
"Not usually. But there's one at Prague airport that's missing the page with the names starting with Eis."
Ken stirred his coffee. "Eis for Eisler, I imagine."
Matt grinned. "I've been writing to all the Eislers I can find, asking if they're related to a Hana Eisler who lived in Prague at the start of World War Two. I gave Hana's date of birth and hinted that there's a legacy involved, possibly for them. Surprise, surprise, everyone replied, and one of them says Hana Eisler is a distant aunt, and she's still living in the city."
"So you are going to Prague again?"
"Of course I am. I've arranged to phone Hana at her relative's house this evening, to see when we can meet." He gave a big grin. "All of a sudden Zoé's playing Smetana and Dvorak on her flute. She says it's more exciting than French music, and her next concert will be a selection of Czech music. But she's still upset about Martin Smith. She says he was such a good conductor of her orchestra, and they can't find a replacement."
Ken looked worried. "I hope Zoé isn't going with you. It sounds dangerous over there. That farming couple might still be on the warpath."
"Zoé insists on going with me."
"Are you sure she's well enough to travel?"
"She's fine now."
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The present
Masaryk Railway Station Prague
Czechoslovakia
HANA SITS on the platform bench, waiting for the Englishman and his wife to arrive. They are bringing the brooch she left at the Helios Academy when she was just a child. She has the precious music in a shopping bag at her feet. She recalls waiting here with these same papers many years ago. A different lifetime. Some of the trains are red and some are blue, and they are all electric now. No longer do they leave a plume of smoke as they approach from around the hill. The trees are taller, and modern buildings and the new road obscure some of the view, but the scene is much the same.
She must remember to thank the Englishman for reminding her of this treasure, and for offering to go through it with her. She wonders why she left everything in the church for so long. Maybe the trauma of wartime Prague blotted out the memory. The woman who helped conceal them in the war is dead, but the papers were still in the hiding place behind the wooden confessional. Some of the pages are badly stained, but they are easy enough to read. She has been looking through them, and is surprised that Papa did not tell her about the Mozart compositions, and the short pieces by Smetana and Dvorak. But the greatest treasure of all is the collection of violin concertos by her great great-grandfather, Vasek Tesar.
Her feet feel damp from the slush on the road. If these papers are valuable she will be able to buy good boots. She feels excited that Vasek Tesar is to be famous at last. She is proud to be part of his family. If only Papa could be here.
For a moment she frowns. Something has been spilt on the platform. The dark patch looks like blood, but it is probably only oil. She shakes her head wryly. The stain left by the dying captain may have gone, but other memories have stirred her heart. Poor Kitty, taken away with the music case, taken away to Terezín. Lovely Papa, beaten to death in the street outside the family home, and his body left for the neighbors to stare at.
A dark shadow falls across her face. A man and a woman stand with the sun behind them. "Hana?" says the man. "My name is Matt Rider, and this is Zoé."
Hana bursts into tears, a mixture of sorrow for the past and happiness for the future. The woman is expecting a baby.
THE END
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