Where Shadows Linger (Intertwined Souls Series Book 2)

by Mary D. Brooks

  “You’ll get it,” Zoe assured her friend. “Could be that nice Mr. Jacobs.”

  “From your lips to God’s ears,” Elena said, and gave Zoe a grin.

  ***

  Amused, Zoe leaned on the doorframe and watched Eva as she got dressed. Eva had put on a trouser suit made of apricot rayon with sequins and beaded trim on the jacket that Zoe loved her to wear. Eva didn’t hate shopping but she hated the crowds. Zoe had caught sight of the suit, and she had known instantly it was perfect for Eva, and no amount of argument had deterred her. A determined Zoe had almost dragged Eva into the store to try it on.

  Eva looked into the mirror and her reflected gaze met Zoe’s. “How do I look? I really don’t want to go to this dance, but we have to, or else Mrs. Jenkins will think there’s something wrong with us. By the way, where’s Henry?”

  “Went to pick up his date. He’s going to meet us at the party,” Zoe replied and walked over to Eva to give her a hug. “You look gorgeous. Do you care what our landlady thinks?”

  “Yes and no. You look great, too,” Eva said, holding Zoe and kissing the top of her head. She smiled and pulled Zoe’s body closer. “Nice perfume. I love that scent on you.” She sighed, clearly savoring the moment, and rested her chin atop Zoe’s head. “Thank you for today.”

  “I didn’t do anything special, just got you to relax a bit,” Zoe mumbled into Eva’s shoulder. “We can do my special relaxation techniques again tomorrow, if you like.”

  “Hmm, let me think on that,” Eva said. Zoe could feel Eva’s grin on the top of her head.

  Eva leaned back a little, taking Zoe’s face in her hands and tilting it back. She gazed into Zoe’s eyes, and then she slowly closed the distance and pressed her lips to Zoe’s. Eva tasted sweet, and Zoe let her body melt against her warmth. Eva’s kisses slowly became more aggressive. Zoe slid her arms around Eva’s neck, tangling her fingers in her hair.

  They groaned when a knock at the door resounded through the room.

  “I’m going to kill whoever is outside that door,” a flushed Zoe muttered, following Eva out of the bedroom.

  Eva opened the door to reveal a grinning Earl leaning casually against the frame.

  “Don’t you look handsome!” Eva said as she gazed at Earl, who wore a black tuxedo with a red bow tie and matching red cummerbund.

  “Of course,” Earl said. He leaned down and gave Eva a kiss on the cheek, then spared one for a red-faced and scowling Zoe. “What’s the matter with you?” he asked.

  “Nothing,” Zoe mumbled. Earl chuckled as he took a seat to wait for them to finish dressing.

  Eva returned to the bedroom followed by Zoe, who pinched Earl’s cheek as she passed him by. He half-whined an “Ow!” and gave the retreating Zoe a mock glare. Zoe responded by sticking her tongue out at him before joining Eva.

  “What did Mrs. Jenkins want?” Eva called from the bedroom.

  “You are looking at Mr. Security Man,” Earl replied. Zoe re-emerged from the bedroom in time to see him strike a Superman-like pose. He waggled his eyebrows at her. His comic actions made Zoe start giggling. Eva exited the bedroom as Earl continued, teasing Zoe, “You clean up nice!” He got a hard poke in reply, but that did not seem to deter his good humor. “So, Miss Zoe, you’re going out with David, the super-spy.”

  Eva rolled her eyes. “Keystone Cop Number One,” she said, smirking. Any further comments were forestalled by a knock on the door. Eva answered it. The caller proved to be David Harrison, his blond hair neatly combed. He held a bouquet and shuffled his feet under Eva’s steady gaze. “Hello. I’m here to escort the lovely Miss Zoe Lambros to the dance,” he said.

  “Mr. Harrison, please come in.” Eva held the door open and David entered, clearly feeling a trifle intimidated with three sets of eyes on him.

  David shifted nervously and toyed with the bouquet of flowers in his hand.

  “Zoe, your date is here,” Eva called out. “Would you like to put those in some water?” she asked sweetly.

  Zoe gave Eva a quizzical look, which Eva seemed to ignore purposely as she gestured David to follow her out of the room.

  ***

  As soon as David entered the kitchen, Eva closed the door quietly behind him and turned to the surprised man.

  David leaned against the kitchen bench and crossed his arms across his chest, a casual pose that did not fool Eva for a moment. “You want to tell me something?” he asked.

  “What gave you that idea?” Eva asked as she found a vase and filled it with water.

  “We’re alone in the kitchen. I’m going to assume that you didn’t call me in here just to check out my suit,” David said.

  Eva glanced back at David and smiled. “So you really are an investigator,” she said.

  “Guilty as charged.”

  Eva arranged the flowers in the vase. “Does your wife know where you are going tonight?”

  “I’m not married.”

  “Do me a favor?” she said in German.

  “If I can,” David replied in the same language.

  “Twirl Zoe around the floor a couple of times this evening. She loves to dance,” Eva confided.

  “Is she a good dancer?” he asked after a pause.

  “She is,” Eva said.

  “That’s not really what you wanted to ask me, is it?”

  “Well, it was one reason.” Eva put the vase down on the bench and turned to David. “What are you doing to track Muller down?”

  “He is going to surface. We haven’t been able to pin him down because they move from one place to another nearly every day.”

  “Are you sure he will come after me?”

  “Yes.” David nodded. “He has unfinished business.”

  Eva sighed. “I hope you and your partner will be ready for him.”

  “I give you my word that we are both committed to catching these bastards.” He stopped speaking for a moment and looked at Eva, his gaze clearly assessing. “My wife was murdered by these swine and I aim to make them pay.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss. You can’t be older than twenty!”

  “I’m thirty years old, and my good looks come from my mother,” David responded, his face warming in a slight smile. “I lived in Germany for a few years and I married this beautiful girl. Her name was Winola and she was the most extraordinary woman I had ever met.”

  “That’s a beautiful name.”

  “She was a dark-haired beauty with blue eyes,” David said, still smiling. “Although she wasn’t as tall as you are.”

  “How did you lose her?”

  David looked out of the kitchen window, where city lights blazed against the darkness of the night. His smile vanished. “She was taken away and sent to a concentration camp,” he said quietly, a muscle in his jaw working.

  Eva sighed and closed her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said. So many good folk had lost their lives. There were times when she was ashamed of her native country.

  “I tried to find her, but it was futile.” David stopped and ran a hand through his blond hair. “I escaped from Germany and fled to Britain. I joined the army as an interpreter, and when D-Day rolled around, I was in the thick of it.”

  “Did you ever find out where she was sent?”

  David nodded. “Bergen-Belsen,” he said. “She was murdered a month before we liberated the camp. I found Anna, her sister, but she was so sick with typhus that she didn’t survive.”

  Eva wiped the tears that tracked down her face with the back of her hand. “Elena was also in Bergen-Belsen. You can ask her if she knew Winola.”

  “There were so many people, I don’t think—”

  “She might remember her, David. You never know.”

  David smiled sadly. “I’ll ask her.”

  They remained silent until the door opened, startling them.

  Zoe came in with a quizzical look on her face that soon turned to a deep scowl when she saw Eva’s tear-stained cheeks and slightly swollen eyes. “Are you all right
?” she asked Eva, shooting David a dirty look.

  “I’m fine,” Eva replied. She stepped closer and put an arm around Zoe’s shoulders. “We were talking about the war.”

  Zoe glanced at David again. “You’re only depressing yourselves, and tonight is supposed to be fun.”

  Eva kissed the top of Zoe’s head. “That’s true.”

  “While you two depressed each other with talk about the war, Elena and Friedrich arrived. I’m having a hard time keeping the conversation going out there. Elena is so shy around Friedrich, and Friedrich is looking away every time Elena turns to him.” Zoe threw her arms up in exasperation. “They won’t say ‘boo’ to each other all night.”

  “Friedrich is a little shy around women,” David observed.

  “Well, can you two stop your war talk so we can get going to this dance?” Zoe shook her head and left the kitchen, quickly followed by Eva and David.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Once the group was finally ready to leave, they headed off to the two cars. Earl and Eva went in Earl’s car, followed by David, who drove with Zoe, Elena, and Friedrich in his car. When they arrived to the site of the dance, they parked the vehicles under a stand of jacaranda trees. Exiting their cars, Zoe and Eva smiled at each other once they heard the music coming from the building.

  “It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?” Zoe said to David as they walked along.

  “Yes, very beautiful,” David replied. “Eva tells me you like to dance.”

  Zoe nodded enthusiastically. “I love it.”

  “Would you dance with me?”

  “Aren’t you my date?”

  “Yes,” David said with a chuckle.

  “Well, then who else would I dance with?”

  “I’m quite sure your dance card will be rather full,” David said. “They’ll be standing in line.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Hey, Zoe, this looks great!” Elena said, coming up behind them. She was quickly followed by Friedrich.

  Zoe and Elena bumped into each other and smiled. They entered the big auditorium filled with people. The band was playing waltzes to warm up before getting into the swing of things. Streamers hung from the rafters, and a few couples were already on the dance floor.

  Elena took Zoe’s hand as soon as they entered and dragged her into the ladies’ bathroom.

  “El, I don’t need to—” Zoe protested.

  “I can’t dance,” Elena said. She twirled around in the tiled bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. “I bet Friedrich is a great dancer.”

  Zoe rolled her eyes. “Friedrich can’t even talk to you, let alone dance.”

  “Maybe he doesn’t like me...”

  Zoe let out a frustrated groan. “Elena, you are being silly. He likes you.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I’ve seen that shy look before. That means he really likes you.”

  “Where have you seen it before?”

  Zoe smiled. “On Eva, silly.”

  “You tried to kill her, Zoe. I don’t think that’s the same thing.”

  “I meant after that,” Zoe said, dismissing Elena’s statement with a wave of her hand. “She was really so shy, getting her to talk was like drawing blood. Just like Friedrich is behaving. She would look at me when she thought I wasn’t looking, and I saw that she would have this really sweet smile...” Zoe stopped as Eva’s image sprang to mind. They had flirted with each other for so long, testing the waters. Zoe wasn’t even aware that she was flirting, and Eva was ever so careful not to be too obvious. It was quite transparent to Zoe, now, how Eva felt about her back then. She mentally shook herself from the memories.

  “All right, so what do I do?”

  “You don’t have to talk, just go dance with the man,” Zoe said. She leaned against the wall, heedless of her dress.

  “I can’t dance!”

  Zoe put down her purse with a sigh of resignation. “Come here,” she said, tugging Elena’s hand. “I’ll show you.”

  She took Elena in her arms. “Okay, look at my feet and follow me,” she said. They waltzed around the bathroom with Elena stepping on Zoe’s toes a few times. A couple of women came in and laughed good-naturedly at their efforts.

  After a short time, Eva entered the bathroom, where Zoe was still trying to guide Elena in the steps of the waltz. “I think the dance is supposed to be out there,” she suggested.

  Zoe turned and stuck out her tongue. “I’m teaching Elena how to dance.”

  “Well, David wants to dance with you, and Friedrich thinks Elena left.”

  The two friends giggled and passed Eva on their way back to the dance floor.

  ***

  Friedrich looked very relieved when Elena joined him again. She smiled shyly at her date. “Do you want to dance?”

  “I’m...uh...I’m...” Friedrich stammered.

  “Yes, he does,” David interjected, slapping him on the shoulder. “Don’t let him talk your ear off.”

  Elena and Friedrich joined David and Zoe on the dance floor. Apparently feeling very awkward, Friedrich held Elena at arm’s length as they moved about.

  “Dear God,” David muttered under his breath. “Excuse me for a moment,” he said as he guided Zoe around to get closer to the couple. “Hold her close,” he whispered in Friedrich’s ear before twirling Zoe around and heading in the opposite direction. This was not to Zoe’s taste, so she nudged David until he guided her back within listening distance of the couple.

  Friedrich took a deep breath and gently pulled Elena to him. “I don’t know how to dance all that well.”

  Elena smiled. “You’re pretty good.”

  “Yo-you think so?”

  “Yes.”

  Friedrich smiled broadly and held Elena a little closer. “Um...are...you enjoying yourself?”

  “Very much so,” Elena replied. She caught Zoe’s gaze. They looked at each other and Elena winked, making Zoe grin. Satisfied that matters were well in hand, Zoe allowed David to lead her to the opposite side of the room where they continued to dance.

  “So what did you say to upset Eva?” Zoe asked him matter-of-factly.

  “I talked about my first wife,” David replied. “She was murdered in Bergen-Belsen.”

  “Oh.” Taken aback, Zoe did not offer another word for the rest of their dance.

  Finally, David asked, “Zoe?”

  “Yes?”

  “This is supposed to be fun, so let’s not talk about the war, all right?” He smiled down at her.

  “Deal.”

  ***

  The evening wore on, and to Zoe’s delight, Friedrich and Elena began talking to each other and appeared to be having a very good time. In the meantime, Zoe found the punch bowl and downed a few glasses before realizing that the drink was spiked with alcohol. David had proved to be a good dance partner, but he had also been distracted, keeping an eye on Eva. He had just joined Zoe at the punch bowl when a strange man came up and spoke to him. From his manner and the irritated way that David greeted him, Zoe knew the stranger must be a colleague.

  ***

  “Berckett’s dead,” the man said without preamble.

  “Are you sure it’s him?” David asked.

  “Very sure, according to the police. They found his body in the bush.”

  David sighed. “Oh, that’s just bloody perfect. All right, I’ll go and get Jacobs.”

  David beckoned to Friedrich, who abandoned Elena and came over in answer to the summons, his face like a thundercloud.

  “What is so important that you have to drag me away?” Friedrich asked angrily. Zoe did not blame him for his annoyance. From what she had observed as the evening had progressed, Elena had joked with him until he had got over his stammering and nervousness. Zoe knew that Elena was interested in getting to know Friedrich better, and she wished them both well.

  “Daniel just told me the police found Berckett,” David said.

  “And?�
�

  “He’s dead.”

  “Oh. Damn!” Friedrich replied tersely.

  “We have to go stake out the apartment.”

  “Now?” Friedrich asked, his tone incredulous.

  “Well, I don’t think they’re going to wait until the dance finishes, do you?” David said, sounding more irritable than before. “We’re close to arresting these bastards and there’s no way I’m going to miss the opportunity to get those rats. Look, since the girls are here, they won’t be in the way. They’ll be safe in the crowd.”

  “Okay, okay,” Friedrich muttered. He cast a final look of longing at Elena and followed David, his heels dragging in a show of reluctance.

  ***

  Rounding the corner, the car slowed down and pulled over to the curb. Klaus stopped the car and shut off the lights. The night was dark and quiet except for the ticking of the engine as it cooled.

  “Wait here,” Muller ordered him as he opened the back door and got out.

  Rhimes got out on the other side of the car and followed Muller up the path. Both men wore jackets and kept the collars up and their hats pulled down low to reduce their chance of being identified. Once they got closer to the building, Rhimes pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. “The report says she lives in number five,” he said.

  They casually walked down the corridor and stopped at the door to number five. “Won’t she be surprised?” Muller muttered. He rapped on the door with his knuckles. Not hearing a sound after a minute, Rhimes looked down the darkened hallway and was just about to kneel to start picking the lock when a woman popped her head out of her door.

  “Can I help you, gentlemen?” Mrs. Jenkins asked and came out into the corridor. “I’m Mrs. Jenkins, the landlady.”

  “Good evening, um...we’re looking for Eva Muller,” Rhimes said.

  “Why?”

  Rhimes smiled while Muller stood silently by, fuming. “We’re her uncles,” Rhimes said.

  “Oh!” Mrs. Jenkins came out of her apartment. “I didn’t know she had uncles living in Australia.”

  “We just arrived from Germany,” Rhimes replied. “I’m Erik and this is my brother Hans.”

  “Oh, how nice!” Mrs. Jenkins enthusiastically replied. “Kali nikhta,” she said in Greek.