Infinite Faith Infinite Series, Book 4)

by L. E. Waters

  He pulls an ID tag out of his pocket and, even in the dark, I can see Fridric’s beautiful picture, the one I stared at so many times while in our meetings. I rub my thumb over his name.

  “Our source took this off his body before…”

  I wait for him to finish his sentence, but he doesn’t. Fridric’s now floating in the Elbe. No one was there to help him. I hear his last words to me, ‘I’ll see you after the storm.’ It’s a few minutes before I say something. “This whole time I wondered which would be worse, finding out he was killed or worrying about him locked away somewhere, tortured liked Georg.” Tears start to fall, but I keep my voice still so that he can’t tell. “Now I know.”

  No one makes another sound until we reach the border.

  “Wake them up,” Lee says as we slow down. I sweep up Teresia, tuck her away in the tote again, and put it safely on the floor.

  I lean over the front seat to shake Verena, Elfi, and Kathrin awake. Verena and Elfi quickly sit up to look out the window, but Kathrin only stirs then settles back between them.

  “Kathrin won’t wake up.” I try to shake her again, with the same outcome.

  “She’ll need to.” He checks over his shoulder at her. “We all have to get out for the search.”

  Verena pushes me away and picks Kathrin up by the collar and slaps her face with a crack that makes me wince. Kathrin’s eyes open and she slurs something unintelligible.

  “What will they do to us if they find out who we are?” Elfi panics. “I’m so scared.”

  Lee tries to calm her. “Everything will be fine if you let me talk. The less you say, the better our chances will be.”

  Elfi looks at Kathrin. “They’ll never let her through like this. She’s going to get us all killed.”

  The car stops and immediately we’re surrounded by Nazis, some with guns, others with their hands free to open the car doors.

  “Get out of the car for inspection, and have your identification ready,” a guard demands.

  Everyone hops out except for groggy Kathrin. The winter wind makes it hard to breathe.

  “Get out of the car!” the guard barks.

  Kathrin flinches and she starts to inch out. I move to help her, but the guard thumps his gun against the car, blocking me from getting to her.

  “What’s wrong with her?” a guard closest to her asks, eyes narrowed upon her.

  Elfi struggles to keep her mouth shut. Verena looks to Lee.

  Lee answers, “We were celebrating her birthday and she had too much beer.”

  “She must get out of the car or you will be denied passage.”

  Kathrin swings her legs around to the ground and carefully stands up, with great support from the car door.

  The soldier moves closer to study her and he softens a bit to see her unexpected beauty. Lee hands another guard our fake paperwork, as another guard digs through our things in the trunk. Only Verena enjoys the pat down, making a much younger soldier blush. My guard is a little too careful to check every possible hiding spot, but I keep my chin up, concentrating on getting out of Germany. Lee watches everything closely. Gustav’s carload is going through the same search ahead of us, and I hear Gustav’s excessive, merry banter from where we are. I hope he doesn’t say too much. It gets harder to breathe with each minute we stand there. Was Georg arrested at a barren place like this? If he had made it through that night, would he have ever contacted me again? I stare at the other side of the barricade, to a landscape that looks nothing different to where we are but means the difference between life and death for us. A silly, invisible line separates the two.

  “You are a long way from Berlin. What business do you have in Switzerland?”

  “The girls want to go skiing and I have some friends to stay with in the mountains.”

  Gustav shakes a guard’s hand and they’re given the command to get back into their car. I control my relief and only check to Lee, who pretends not to notice it as well but gives me a quick eyebrow raise in hope.

  Kathrin’s legs give out and I try to catch her, but she falls to the ground before I can get to her. A guard shouts for me to stand back up, but I pull her up with me, wiping the dirt from her coat. Kathrin stares at me in the darkness with a profound heaviness. She will never be the same again.

  “Back in the car,” a guard yells as another car pulls up behind us. Elfi’s face lights up, but I lower my eyebrows to tell her to not act so surprised.

  The guard leans into the open window and tells Lee, “Next time, wait for her to sober up before returning.” He checks to all us girls once again and smiles. “Four pretty girls all to yourself, you lucky bastard.”

  Lee paints on a giddy smile. “If you weren’t working, I’d share them with you.”

  “You can go fu—” Elfi spits, but Verena covers her mouth.

  “You can have that one, I’ll take the blonde.”

  Verena breaks into a proud smile. The guard chuckles and knocks on the car. Lee slowly pulls away and we all take a deep breath. Well, all except for Kathrin, who just stares out the window.

  Chapter 26

  The Swiss let us right through when Lee tells them we are on our way to England. I’ve always wanted to see other countries, but I only see Switzerland and France through the passenger side window. Lee drives until he can’t keep his eyes open any longer, and then we find a simple hotel to rest in. But we’re up again with the sun.

  Once we reach the coast and the ship that will take us to England, Gustav is forced to leave his beautiful car behind, but he gives it one last pat. “I sold it for a fraction of what I bought it for.” He shrugs. “I still have the things that count, right?” He sets his eyes on the hateful flag. He rips the flag from his car and sticks it in his pocket.

  I ask, “How could you save that?”

  He slowly turns back to me. “Ever since I set my eyes on this, I’ve had the strongest urge to wipe my ass with it. I’ll save it for such an occasion.” He grins.

  As we try to board a ship for France, Elfi starts to scream, “The spiders told me that they will sink the ship and we’ll all float like crackers until we’re soggy!”

  Odelia tries to calm her. “Those are just the voices, Elfi. You must ignore them.”

  Elfi throws herself on the ground on the ship ramp. “No, I know the voices. I know when they’re not real. But I saw the Nazis aboard the ship and they were shouting to me to save myself. They were really there!”

  Lee goes to pick her up to continue up the ramp. She thrashes against Lee and he almost gets her to board until Ursel chimes in, “There are vampires driving the ship. We must go back!”

  I was happy enough that Kathrin was boarding on her own, even though she hasn’t spoken a word to anyone or consumed anything but tea the last few days. I never thought that Elfi and Ursel would prove to be a problem.

  Lee shouts to me, as he tries to block their escape, “What’s wrong with them?”

  And then it hits me. “They haven’t had their medication for five days. They need to take them every morning.”

  Lee puts his hands up in the air. “They can’t wait until we get to London?”

  Verena releases a crazy giggle at seeing Ursel and Elfi run back to Gustav, who’s still unpacking his car, and she never stops. Bystanders keep their distance from us.

  “I don’t think so. It will only get worse.”

  “I didn’t sign on for all of this.” He slaps his hand on his thighs and says, “You watch them and I’ll try to find a doctor in the area.”

  Verena finally stops laughing when she realizes we’re not boarding today. “No, I’m going without all of you. I’ve got my eye on two sailors and one of them winked at me.”

  Kathrin comes to life enough to grab her other arm so we can pull her away from the ship. We’re held up in a hotel for ten days until the medications kick in and Elfi, Ursel, and Verena are back to their usual crazy. It’s good that we treated them when
we did, because they had started banging their heads on walls, shouting at nothing in the corners, and laughing uncontrollably. Juliane wouldn’t even eat because she thought we were slowly poisoning her, and she rubbed her skin raw from washing constantly. Gitta rubs her with moisturizer three times a day, but she hates the greasy feel. We would’ve been turned in and sent back if anyone saw this behavior.

  We keep Tereisa in the bathtub with newspapers and feed her anything Lee brings home from the street markets. Verena hates to go to Ursel’s and Elfi’s room to use their tub, but Kathrin barely even gets out of bed. A surprise comes to all of us when a doctor discovers that Sibylle truly does have an illness and it’s not in her head. After a simple blood test, they confirm she has a thyroid disease and a daily medication will take away all of the symptoms she was having. Tears won’t stop streaming down her face for hours after she gets the validation that she always dreamed of.

  Ten days is long enough for Gustav to change his mind. As Lee is leaving to buy our tickets again, Gustav stops him and announces to us, “Don’t buy a ticket for Odelia and me.”

  “You can’t stay in France, Gustav. It isn’t stable,” Lee says, since I can’t utter a word.

  “After much discussion, I’ve decided it would be best to head to America. I’ve decided to help make parachutes with my brother in the Garment District. It will bring me so much pleasure to know that my parachutes will be landing on top of Hitler.”

  Gitta looks like she’s about to cry, and I speak up. “Odelia, do you want to go as well?”

  Odelia looks distraught. “I’ve only agreed to go with Gustav as long as he invites you all to come live with us as well. Plus, it’s nice to get an ocean away from war.” She sighs. “I’ve had enough danger to last us a lifetime.”

  She checks with Gustav, who smiles back with enthusiasm.

  Gitta cries out, “I’m coming with you.”

  “Me too.” Minna claps.

  Sibylle frets. “I already wrote to my daughter in Belgium in hopes that I can visit with her in London, now that I’m healthy. If I leave for America, I’ll never see her again.”

  Odelia looks at me with eager eyes. I shake my head and her shoulders immediately sink. “I can’t go so far away with Georg still alive.”

  The word alive hits Kathrin like a dagger. Lee appears relieved. I wonder if I wouldn’t be allowed to go to America anyway. “Kathrin, where would you rather go?” I say, unsure what I’ll do if she says she’d rather go.

  “It doesn’t matter where I go anymore. Wherever I go, Carsten’s still gone.”

  It hurts that she doesn’t say she only wants to stay with me.

  Elfi breaks the silence. “I’m going to London with Annelie. What about you, Ursel?”

  “There are too many vampires in London. I don’t think they can fly over the ocean. I’ll come with you, Odelia.”

  I can’t believe we’re splitting now. Saying goodbye to Gitta will be hardest of all. I know that I can’t get her to stay with me, since she’s so connected to Odelia.

  “Jules, I want to see what London’s like. You staying with me?” Verena asks.

  Juliane looks unsure. “I heard American cities were filthy. Full of disease from the immigrants.”

  I laugh. “We’re the immigrants now.” I never thought I’d ever leave Germany.

  Verena grabs her arm and sits too close beside her. “Good, then. We stick together.”

  Lee grabs the doorknob and does a final count of who needs tickets. With one last look to Gustav, he asks, “You sure?”

  Gustav sways back and forth of the balls of his feet. He checks with me. “You could always come with us and go back to London if Georg is ever freed.”

  “When,” I correct him. “When Georg is freed.”

  He gives me a sympathetic smile. “Of course. When Georg is freed. You can always return to him. But stay with us until the time comes.”

  I can see that he doesn’t think I’ll ever see Georg again. “I’ll stay in London, and if he never returns, I can always meet you all in America.” I confirm that with Lee, who opens the door and sweeps his hand for Gustav. “I’m sure you would like a ride to the ticket office as well, then.”

  Once they both return, we’re told that the ship to America leaves first. Kathrin, Elfi, Sibylle, Verena, Juliane, and I hug the others tightly, promising that we will see each other again soon. Gustav embraces me last, and with a tear in his eye, he says,

  “May the road rise up to meet you.

  May the wind always be at your back.

  May the sun shine warm upon your face,

  And rains fall soft upon your fields.

  And until we meet again,

  May God hold you in the palm of His hand.”

  Reminding me of all I’ve loved of the Captain.

  “Thank you for everything you’ve done for us, Captain.”

  He gives a crooked smile. “I like that much more than Molly.” He puts a heavy arm on my shoulder. “I’m beginning to think we may have had a past together. I still doubt I was ever a woman, though, but you may have something there.”

  Watching them leave is like heading out in a lightning storm without your umbrella. They might not be able to save you from a greater threat, but they sure would make things more comfortable. It’s the first time I wished I could know once and for all if I would ever see Georg again. With Kathrin so erased and the others slightly crazy on their best day, Lee is my only strength. I’m going to miss the others so much.

  We have to wait over a week for our ship to leave. It keeps getting delayed by war hostilities. At least boarding goes smoothly, even though Verena disappears immediately with a crewman.

  It’s a clear night, so I go out for a stroll above deck. With all the blackout curtains drawn and the ship’s lights turned off to remain as invisible as possible, a saturated darkness surrounds us. The stars are like nothing I’ve ever seen in Germany, but they remind me of the Egyptian desert stars so long ago. Now I look out on an ocean desert, with only white-capped black waves for miles and miles below me. A chill runs up my spine as I remember jumping into such an angry ocean as our ship crumbled to pieces while trying to get back to Spain. Sometimes I forget which memories come from the past or from this life. They all feel the same, just as close and just as real. What’s wrong with me that I actually thought this life was going to be different? Somehow I thought if I knew about the other lives I could make everything right. How silly that I supposed it would get better when it’s just another difficult life. Same struggles, different times.

  “Don’t jump.” Lee sneaks up beside me at the railing, and takes the opportunity to wrap his arms around me to pretend to catch me.

  I immediately stiffen. I don’t realize how cold I am until he pulls his warmth away. I can see his dimple even in such a faint light.

  “You look so somber, I want to make sure you aren’t thinking of ending it all. The worst is behind you now.”

  “I’m not so sure about that.” I think of Kathrin and Georg’s suffering.

  “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, and I don’t know why I am, but the fact that they didn’t execute him right away means they’re holding him for some reason that will benefit them later.”

  “What could that be?” My heart races at such a thought, but my suspicions warn me that it can’t be a happy reason.

  “We think they’re going to try to make a case that Georg was not acting alone and was conspiring with us.”

  “Wasn’t he?” I shrug. “Isn’t that why you’re helping me?”

  He smirks. “I’m only telling you that Georg needs to be alive if Germany wins the war to prove that we made the first strike. Whether or not it’s true is moot.” He takes a step closer next to me. “They will need to justify any future aggressive actions.”

  “Will I ever find out the truth?” I search his eyes and find a glimmer of sympathy.

  “Once Georg is f
ree, I’m sure he’ll tell you more.”

  “If he is ever free.” I look back out to the dismal ocean. “Just because they need him alive at the end of the war doesn’t mean they’ll keep him alive after.”

  “Hopefully we will free him ourselves.” His smile glows in the darkness. “Now I’m not leaving you alone on this deck. Let me walk you back to your cabin or we’ll both freeze up here.” His hands are deep in his pockets, seeking warmth.

  I nod and take his arm. Kathrin’s still in the same position on the bed as when I left her an hour ago. Tereisa hops up to me in greeting, but then goes back to her box to nibble on the lettuce I left her. Even though I get into bed, I can’t sleep thinking about what Georg must be struggling with today. The goose fattened for Christmas slaughter.

  We reach the foggy English coast early in the morning, and only Lee is relieved at coming home again. Kathrin and I stare at another strange land. I turn to Elfi. “Go and find Verena and Juliane. We’re almost ready to dock.”

  Ten minutes later, Elfi runs back out of breath, pulling the two girls with her. “They don’t want to come.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Elfi spits out, “I found them with a group of sailors. Verena was sitting on one of their laps. His hands were all over her.”

  “We’re having so much fun, Annelie. We’ve met some great friends and they want us to stay with them. Anton, gorgeous Anton, has said I can live with him back in France. I’ve never been so happy!” Verena jumps on me like a disobedient puppy. “The French truly know how to embrace life.”

  “Juliane, are you coming with us?” Sibylle asks.

  Verena abandons me to cling to her. “No! She’s promised to stay with me. We’re going to see France together. Anton even has a brother I want her to meet. You only live once.” She glances back to me. “Or maybe only twelve times.”

  We lurch as the huge ship docks.

  Verena tugs on Juliane. “Come on! We’re going to get stuck going against all the passengers getting off. I don’t want to lose Anton. He’ll think we left after all.”

  I grab Juliane for a hug and whisper in her ear, “You don’t have to go with her. Come with us.”