by Susan Finlay
Max looked at Ryan. The boy apparently already knew, for it was written on his face.
“When she found out about the tryst in the stable, she came to me and insisted I go outside with her and talk. Then, outside, she told me that I must punish my grandson—kill him. She said that if I did not, she would.”
Max nodded, one hand stroking his beard. He was getting the picture now.
“I got angry. We quarreled. I gave in.” He looked away and hung his head down for a moment. When he raised it, he continued. “We did not know where Ryan was, or where Max was. I told her we should go back inside, act normally, and go to bed when the others did and handle it in the morning. Only, after everyone was asleep, she woke me and insisted we go outside to look for Ryan again. We still could not find him, but we saw Max walking into town. We hid behind some bushes. As you walked past, Birgitta grabbed a heavy tree branch and hit you over the head. I was angry and demanded she tell me why she did that. Birgitta told me Ryan was Max’s no good son and it was Max’s fault, too, so she punished him. I did not know what to do. I dragged Max to side of the road to keep him from getting run over.”
Max shook his head in disbelief.
Karl hesitated, his voice crackling when he spoke again. “We walked around for what seemed like two hours after that, maybe more. We had checked the stables earlier and he was not there, but Birgitta had idea to check again. That is when we saw the boy. Birgitta went after him with the knife. I had tried to tell myself that I could go along with her plan, but he was my own flesh and blood. I could not allow her to kill him. I tried to talk her out of it. I even told her about Anneliese. That only enraged her. We struggled. I was trying to get the knife away from her.”
He stopped talking and slumped his shoulders.
The silence was deafening. Max was torn between sympathy and anger. He stood up, intending to walk away. But he turned and looked back at his family. Walking away was his usual response. It was time to grow up.
“You were planning to kill your own grandson,” he said. “Then you lied to everyone and let people think that Ryan or I had killed Birgitta. I almost died while hiding out in that barn. Then you tried to put the blame on Lotte. What are we supposed to think? What are we supposed to do with you?”
“I take responsibility. I will turn myself in to Feld gendarmes. It should not have happened. I would give anything to do it over again and change what I did. If I could go back, I would tell Birgitta the truth right away and make her understand we all make mistakes and should not judge other people harshly. Maybe I could have calmed her down. She might have forgiven Anneliese and Ryan. I am sorry for all of it. Oh Gott, please forgive me.”
He bent his head, covered his face with his hands again, and wept. Max might have thought he was faking it except for his shoulders bobbing up and down. He walked over to Karl, leaned down, and hugged him. Karl pulled him close, looking up at his face from his position on the rock. Tears streaked his cheeks and scruffy beard. “I am sorry, Max. Can you ever forgive me?”
Max nodded, and patted the top of his grandfather’s head, suddenly understanding how difficult it must have been for the old man to choose between his own wife and his grandson. He understood, too, that his grandfather had been in shock after Birgitta had died, and he had not been thinking clearly when he let people think Max and Ryan had murdered her.
SOFIE WIPED HER eyes again and took a deep breath before she entered the house. Inside, she looked for Tante Lotte and found her in the kitchen, cooking and talking about food with Anneliese and Hanna.
“Could I speak to you in private, Tante Lotte?”
“Ja. Where do you want to talk?”
“We can go outside.”
They walked outside and sat under a tree. “What did you want to talk about?”
“Why did you run off during the meeting?”
Lotte shrugged. “Karl was blaming me for everything, the way he always does. Nothing I said would have made a difference.”
“We know you did not kill Birgitta. I am sorry we suspected you.”
She nodded, but her expression was grim. At first she sat with her arms crossed and didn’t say anything. Then she looked at Sofie and asked, “What changed your mind?”
“It is complicated. Let us just say that we know it was not you, and we are not going to talk about it again. We are going along with Karl’s plan about changing Max’s and Ryan’s identities.”
“It was Karl, ja? I watched you, Birgitta, and Karl that night. Do not worry. I will not say anything. I do not blame him one bit. In fact I am glad he killed her, because it saved me the trouble.”
Sofie bit her lip, seeing Lotte in a new light, as she tried to figure out how to respond to her shocking statement. “Did you start the rumors about Max and Ryan?”
“I had to take the suspicion off of me. I knew everyone would try to pin it on me.”
Oh my lord, who is this woman I have lived with all this time? “What is your relationship to Karl?”
“We dated ages ago. Now we are—I do not know what. Friends? Maybe. We fight, we talk again, and we fight.”
“Monika said that you knew Margrit and that you helped her lock them inside the time tunnel. Is that true?”
Lotte didn’t answer. Sofie studied her for a moment. Ever since she’d known the older woman, her hair had been long and brown, and for the past twenty-five years or so was kept brown by dying her hair. She wore it in a tidy braid wrapped up into a bun near the top of her head. Now, roots were coming in gray and although she still kept it in a bun, it was looser, messier. Lotte was wilder looking, angrier looking somehow.
“We were friends, Margrit and I. She was afraid and miserable because they wanted to take her back to the eighteenth century. Neither of us knew Karl planned to go with her. How would we? They did not tell us.”
“Why did you never mention her to me? Not even when I asked you about her when Max was looking for her house.”
Lotte shrugged and they sat in silence for a long time.
Finally, Sofie said, “Do you know who my parents are? Do you know why Vikktor took me away from here?”
“No. Even if I did, I could not tell you.”
Sofie clenched her jaw and wanted to shake the woman.
“Are we really related? Can you at least answer that?”
She shrugged again.
“If we are not related, I will not be disappointed any more than I already am. You and Vikktor have lied to me my whole life. I cannot begin to tell you how angry I am with both of you because of your subterfuge.” Sofie stood up and walked back toward the house without looking back.
MAX OPENED THE front door of the farmhouse and froze. Tobias, following on his heels, crashed into him before he could stop. Max’s face grew warm under the scrutiny of at least a dozen pair of eyes. Quietly, he stole into the room like a cautious cat.
“Why are there so many people here?” he whispered to Sofie, who walked over and put her arm around his shoulder. “Did I miss something while I was helping Gerhard in the barn?”
“Tante Lotte and I have been outside, talking. We got back a short time ago and the house was full of people. It looks like a party, doesn’t it?”
As everyone turned their attention back to their various activities, Max relaxed. After giving him a peck on the cheek, Sofie walked away, heading toward the kitchen, toward the delicious-smell of meat cooking, a smell that was already tantalizing Max’s nose. Max watched the crowd, trying to decide whether he should remain in the living room full of chatter and cheer, or the kitchen full of clanking pots and dishes.
Monika’s middle son, Konrad, and several other fellows Max didn’t recognize were talking and laughing with Ryan. Gunter and Hanna were sitting near the hearth holding hands, while Monika’s too youngest kids, Sigrid and Henrik, appeared to be in the midst of arguing over something with two others teens Max didn’t recognize. Max decided to retreat and went into the kitchen.
Monika smiled at Ma
x. She set down a bowl, and wiped her hands on her apron, then walked over to his side.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” Monika said. “Did you have a nice talk with Sofie earlier?”
Max looked down at his feet and smiled. He knew his mother well enough to know that she wanted to ask about their decision, but didn’t want to appear pushy. He guessed she hadn’t changed quite as much as he’d originally thought.
He looked at Sofie, giving her a conspiratorial smile.
“We enjoyed the outing,” Max said, taunting his mother a bit, knowing full well what she wanted to hear. “Tobias and Ryan skipped rocks on the pond, and we stopped back here to pack another picnic bag.”
Tobias gave Max a questioning look but kept quiet.
“You’re going back out?” Monika asked. She looked so disappointed that Max gave a tiny chuckle.
“I’m just giving you a hard time,” Max said. “The food smells delicious, by the way.”
“Does that mean you—”
“That we’ve made a decision?” Max said.
Monika nodded.
He looked again at Sofie, then back at his mother. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he finally said, “I guess we’re going to give it a try. I’m not sure we’ll be able to build the house, mind you. Someone else may have to take over if we can’t do it, but we’ll try.”
“Oh, I’m glad you’ll stay,” Monika said, clasping her hands together. She was beaming and her smile was infectious.
Max smiled at Sofie, and she flashed him a huge smile back. He still wasn’t sure if they’d made the right decision, but his mother’s delight helped ease his nervousness.
“It won’t be easy,” Max said. “We’ve got a lot of things to work out first. This might turn into a fiasco.”
“Just keep a positive attitude,” Monika said. Her motherly voice, relaxed and reassuring, soothed Max.
Monika stepped into the living room, said something in German, and everyone immediately cheered and shouted their approval, the room suddenly full of merriment.
“You have a lot of supporters here, as you see. We’ll help you plan everything. And some of these young men in here are interested in working for you, too.”
Max raised his eyebrows, then gave her a broad smile. “Thank God,” Max said, “We were hoping for help, but were reluctant to ask, especially since we don’t have a way to pay anyone yet. Speaking of which, how are we going to do that, pay them I mean?”
“Gerhard and I, and some of the others have been talking,” Monika said. “We have an idea.”
Max and Sofie glanced at each other, curious, waiting for Monika to continue.
“Come sit,” Monika said, as she walked back toward the kitchen table. “I will tell you our idea.”
When Max and Sofie were seated, Monika continued. “My boys’ friend, Wilhem, has two brothers and all three of the young men are eager to have their own places. Konrad and Ulla will need a home of their own soon, too.”
Monika paused, and Max gestured for her to continue, not knowing where this was going.
“Well,” Monika continued, “according to Gramps the property is quite large.” She paused again.
“What are you suggesting?” Max had no idea where this was going and didn’t want to be guessing.
“If they could also build small cottages of their own there and live on the property, that could be their payment for working for you,” Monika said. “That way, you wouldn’t need money, which you don’t have, and they would have some independence and a place to live.”
“Then you’re saying we should subdivide the land?” Max asked.
“No, no,” Monika said, raising one hand. “You would still own the land. Gramps is giving the land to you. That won’t change. You would have tenants.”
Max opened his mouth in surprise, closed it, then opened it again, considering. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I keep forgetting property works differently here.”
Monika smiled. “It would be nice to have your own community of family and friends nearby, would it not?”
“You wouldn’t mind having Konrad and Ulla move away from here?” Max asked.
“Of course I would like to have them nearby, but they need their own home. This gives them an opportunity to have one. We’ll be visiting you and Gramps when we can. This way we can see all of you in one visit.”
“Wilhelm is fond of a young local girl named Greta. He will be pleased if she can go along with you.” Monika leaned forward, smiled, and whispered conspiratorially “I see a potential match.”
“What would she be doing?” Max asked.
“I think,” Monika said, “she could help with cooking and sewing.”
“But the others, Wilhelm and all of them,” Max said, making a broad motion. “They don’t know about our ‘little secret’ do they? I mean, they don’t know about the reason for building the house, right?”
“No, they don’t know. The family has all agreed to keep that to ourselves.”
Max sighed, resting his chin on his hand, with his arm propped on the table. He thought about her suggestion and about their options. After a few minutes, he glanced over at Sofie who was standing nearby, watching and listening. He raised one eyebrow and asked, “What do you think?”
She smiled and said, “It sounds like a great idea. We could all be helping each other.”
Max nodded, feeling suddenly sure that they were making the right decision. He didn’t know how long they would be here, but it felt like they were at least meant to stay for now.
“If you are agreed, we need to make arrangements,” Monika said.
“Arrangements?”
“Well, we need to decide who is going. Then we need to plan what to take and when to go.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Max said. He sighed, and then added, “But don’t we also have to figure out where we’ll live until we get the house built? Before long, it will be fall and then winter. We can’t live outside indefinitely.”
Monika looked troubled. “You’re right, which means the cottages need to be built first, and very quickly.”
Max pursed his lips and nodded.
“And we have Hanna and Gunter’s wedding coming up in less than a month.” She paused and wrung her hands, and then continued, “I was hoping you and Sofie could marry at the same time.”
Max was floored. They’d barely gotten engaged and were just beginning to make plans for their future and here his mom was, talking about their wedding.
“If I remember history right, don’t you have to post wedding bans ahead of time?” Sofie asked.
“Yes, but there is still time,” Monika said. Monika excused herself to go talk to Gerhard for a moment.
Max opened his mouth to protest, but Sofie put her hand on his arm, and he closed his mouth, waiting. “Do you want to have a double wedding?” he asked in a voice barely above a whisper when his mother was out of earshot.
“I’m happy with whatever you decide,” she whispered back. “I didn’t want you to argue with your mother. She means well.”
“I know,” Max said. “Everything is happening very quickly. A double wedding isn’t a bad idea. It’s just not as romantic if everything is planned just for us. I want you to be happy with our wedding.”
“Honestly, we have more than enough things to keep us busy,” Sofie said. “Having someone else plan the wedding would be kind of a relief.”
“Yeah, I guess I hadn’t thought of that,” Max said. “When you put it that way, I’m all for it as long as you are happy.” Sofie reached over and kissed her fiancé long and tenderly.
Moments later Monika sat down. Max turned to her and said, “Okay. I guess a double wedding works for us. That means you’ll make the wedding arrangements while we make the plans to go to Riesen?”
Monika clasped her hands together and gave him a brilliant smile. “Splendid! Of course I will.”
THREE WEEKS HAD passed and Max sat next to Sofie in the farmhouse, feel
ing thoroughly contented. He glanced at Sofie sitting next to him and put his arm around her, pulling her closer. Lotte had disappeared and to everyone’s surprise left had behind two letters. One, addressed to the captain of the Feld gendarmerie, was an admission of guilt in the murder of Birgitta Kimmel. The second was a private letter to Sofie, apologizing for the lies and subterfuge. Lotte still hadn’t given any more details about Sofie’s true identity, but she did say that she was leaving with Vikktor and that her confession—though untrue—was her way of making amends.
Sofie looked up at Max and smiled. “What’s on your mind?”
“I was sitting here thinking about how lucky I am. A couple of months ago, I would never have expected to find myself stuck in a foreign country not knowing the language, much less in another time.” He paused, thinking about his initial arrival in Riesen. He recalled how he’d stumbled around town, grumbling and groaning about not being able to find a rental car, a taxi, or a map and about no one speaking English. He smiled at the irony.
“Do you remember how frustrated and worried I was being lost in Riesen for a few hours?” He chuckled, then continued, “And now here I am, happy and content and about to get married. For a long time I thought I was unlovable. I never expected to trust another woman, either. It’s amazing how much has changed since I met you.”
Sofie nodded and laughed. “We’ve both changed, Max. I also could never have imagined I’d be getting married again. I hadn’t even gone on a date in years.”
“Who would have thought?” Max said, smiling like the Cheshire cat who recently ingested a canary.
Suddenly he grew quiet, his smile faded, and Sofie asked, “Is something wrong?”
“No, I was just thinking about something.”
She raised her eyebrows, but waited for him to speak.
“I’m guessing there’s a scientific explanation for the time portal but I suppose it could be magic, don’t you think? Either way, I’m glad now that we went through it together.” Max smiled again and hugged her. He couldn’t believe they were getting married tomorrow and that he felt everything was okay with his world. His wounds were completely healed now and he was a free man, no longer a murder suspect. He closed his eyes and kissed the top of her head, and said, “I love you so much.”