by Martha Carr
Wallis leaned to her right trying to take some pressure off of her shoulder. “It looks like it might be dislocated,” said Helmut. Wallis ignored him. It was a lot to take in to think of Harriet as gutsy for a worthy cause and especially to protect her only child. “It’s not possible,” whispered Wallis. “Where’s your proof?”
“That’s all to come,” said Father Donald. “There is something more important right now that I need to get you to understand. You are not the only heir apparent. Norman is a direct descendant from the other side. He and his brothers are part of the handful of survivors from an enormous tragedy.”
“Even though everyone in the Circle swears they don’t believe in that sort of thing there’s still a certain amount of reverence given to anyone involved in the emigration from Europe. I must confess, I wonder about that a little myself,” said Helmut.
“But pay attention to what really matters, Wallis. We are all adults and while an early death for any of us would be tragic we at least got to try out a few things while we were here. That list you keep mentioning, that’s what is of vital importance. Those children, your child, they deserve a chance at life as well.”
“My child, what about Ned?”
“He is the only one of his kind in this world. A child born out of two dynasties who are trying to tear each other apart. A child who is one of the last descendants of the original founders of both sides. To be able to claim him as a member would boost the morale of one side and crush the other. It would give Management the spiel they need to recruit and grow to a size we may not be able to stop.” Father Donald let out a tired sigh.
“However, Ned has more power to crush or rekindle the Circle’s efforts than they as yet realize. Until now, Management only knew about half of his inheritance, your half. Part of what’s on that thumb drive you protect is the other half of that secret,” said Father Donald.
“And just a little bit more,” said Helmut.
“We can address that later. Just remember, Wallis, Norman followed his heart and then he had to play catch up his entire marriage and be careful to always keep his head in order to keep both of you safe from detection. He had to sit there at all of those family functions right under Walter and even Harriet’s noses knowing they’d have turned him in if they’d known who he really was in this world. It would not have mattered that he was their son in law or the father of their grandchild. That would have been asking too much, even of Harriet. But Norman chose to play the game because of how much he loves you.”
“Wallis! Are you alright?” Norman came rushing in the back of the church looking frantic.
Chapter Seven
It was the first time Wallis could ever remember hesitating in front of Norman. He was the one person she had always told everything to, unfiltered, without even trying to edit what was okay, what needed to wait or what needed to stay hidden. He saw the look on her face and stopped halfway down the aisle as if he were afraid to find out that something fundamental to who they were as a family had changed.
Helmut started to say something but Father Donald put his hand firmly on Helmut’s arm and shook his head, no.
Wallis was trying to weigh the evidence in her mind just like she’d seen a jury do hundreds of times but it wasn’t working. The worth of their family couldn’t be added up and determined by their mistakes or their virtues.
“I’m sorry,” said Norman. He was still standing a distance from her. Wallis had never seen him look so vulnerable. “I knew from the first time that I met you, you’d be better off if I just stayed away. Loving you has been the most selfish thing I’ve ever done.”
She knew he was pleading his case. “Don’t,” she said. He let out a gasp and his face quickly grew ashen.
“How could you not tell me about Ned?” she said, letting out a sob as her entire body shuddered in a rolling wave.
“I made a choice from the beginning. I couldn’t go back and forth just because circumstances changed,” he said, his arms outstretched like he was hoping she’d fill them.
“You, you made a choice!” she screamed. “You did! Where was I in any of this? I had a right to know, at least from you. I know about all of it. They told me what I come from,” she said, gasping.
“And then what? Watch you try to reconcile every good memory you have of Walter. And what about Harriet?” He was saying everything in a calm and even voice that must have taken him years to develop, thought Wallis. But his eyes gave him away. There was a panic in his eyes that told her how hard he was trying to say all of the things he had spent years acting as if he didn’t even know.
“Even if you could do it, why would I want to be the reason you had to always keep your guard up around your mother?” he said. “You know, I know that hell. Watching every word, every gesture. No one gave me a choice, ever. I had to listen to long lectures about the common good as if my entire lifetime was an offering to a cause. The best I could hope for was to try and balance between the two worlds.”
“What two worlds? The Circle and Management? They are two sides of one big, plotting world.” Wallis was finding it far more difficult to mute how she was feeling. Her one good arm was making pinwheels in the air and her face was splotchy with streaks of dirt and a bruise that was already turning purple. “When did you start to think that I wasn’t a part of this team?” she yelled, waving her arm between the two of them.
She saw his shoulders sag and she felt herself give in just a little but then she remembered Ned and the anger welled up inside of her again, making her stomach churn.
“I have never held anything back from you. Never!” she said, jabbing the air with her finger. “We have a son, together, Norman. Even if you didn’t think I could bear it as well as you could, I had a right to know, to work this out with you. Please tell me, how often did I skate right alongside something that could have harmed Ned and didn’t even know it?”
“I wasn’t,” he said, halting, “I wasn’t trying to make all of the decisions. I was trying to give you what I wished for so often back when I still let myself even think about it,” he said. He looked worn out, like he had done his best and failed.
“What was that? What did you wish for that you’ve apparently never told me?”
“To not know there was so much that was decided all of the time. To be able to believe that it was possible for something random to happen that was good and unexpected.” His voice had grown flat and he was no longer looking directly at Wallis. “I had to choose you, to be with you. I had to believe there was something I could do in this lifetime that was without reason and just because I believed in it. If that wasn’t possible, well, I wasn’t going to hurt you the same way.”
Wallis lowered her arm.
“You were trying to believe,” Wallis said, quietly. She stopped for a moment and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She willed herself to take each step in front of her till the gap was closed and leaned into his body. “Don’t tell me why you had to love me. You don’t have to explain,” she said, her arm gently cradled between their bodies.
Wallis’ shoulder jiggled slightly as Norman cried, holding onto her tightly, burying his face in the crook of her neck and her tangled hair, his hands holding on to her wounded shoulders. It was hard for her to endure the pain.
“I’m sorry if I ever let you down, Norman,” she whispered. “And I’m sorry if I made you carry all of this by yourself. Maybe, maybe you were right,” she said, feeling exhausted.
Norman lifted his head and took a deep breath, clearing his throat. He gave himself a good shake trying to regain his composure.
“I knew a Weiskopf wasn’t going to be able to be that vulnerable for very long,” she said gently, trying to remind him of what she had thought were more normal times. He made an attempt at a smile and took her face in his hands. She slowly took his hands and held them close to her chest.
“I only have the one good arm,” she said, smiling. “Norman, I’m not sure I would have even believed you bef
ore tonight. I’d like to think I would have tried but as we both know, I have a very practical mind, and to ask me to believe that Harriet was going against protocol to defend me. That’s still the hardest part.” They both laughed until Wallis felt the pinch in her shoulder again and let out a soft moan. Norman gently lifted her arm, cradling the elbow to take pressure off of the shoulder.
“You see, this is how we do things, Weiskopf,” Wallis said, quietly. “We carry the crap together.” She took a sudden step back, remembering the leer on Oscar’s face as he tried to push her car off the bridge. “I have no idea what lengths they’ll go to, this Management.” She pushed her hand against her stomach as she thought of what it all meant. “Oscar wanted me dead and he was only taking someone else’s orders. Apparently, I’ve become expendable. Does that mean Ned is too?”
“Oscar did this to you?” asked Norman.
“The first thing we have to do as a team is figure out how to protect Ned. I’d prefer not to use Harriet’s plot of a willingness to kill as a strategy this time.”
“She was probably thinking off the cuff. It made me respect her and give her some points and that made being around her all of these years, possible. I’ve been thinking about how to keep Ned away from all of this from the moment you said you were pregnant. I’m not sure how to do that beyond a day-to-day plan.”
“I might be able to help with that a little,” said Helmut, who was still sitting in the pew next to Father Donald. He stood and stretched out his arm across the pews, waiting for Norman to walk toward him and shake his hand. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Helmut Khroll.”
“Yes, I’ve heard your name before,” said Norman. “You’re the journalist who keeps turning out stories about what Management’s been doing overseas. I’m surprised you’re still in one piece.”
“Thank goodness for the internet and a little training on how to move around unnoticed,” said Helmut.
“You knew about him?” asked Wallis.
“I’ve noticed his postings. If you follow all of the pundits you see the patterns and can tell who’s playing on what side. Helmut Khroll is the only one who seems to take issue with everyone,” said Norman. “He’s what you’d call a pain in everyone’s side.”
“We used to call that news,” said Helmut.
“I liked your piece on the new farms China is creating in Africa,” said Norman. “I haven’t read about that anywhere else.”
“Yeah, that was a good one. Getting out of the country was a little tricky. I have a nice scar to show for my efforts,” said Helmut, pulling the collar of his shirt to expose a ropey scar along the top of his right shoulder. “I was never sure if the border guard knew who I was or was pissed off that my cheap watch was a little too meager as a bribe.”
“It’s like you think you can get the ignorant masses to do something if you keep exposing the insides of the machinery,” said Norman.
“At the very least I can make it more difficult for them to starve out the villages on their own land or maybe control all of the power in America,” said Helmut.
“Yes, you’ve always aimed low,” said Father Donald.
“You two already knew each other?” asked Norman, looking at Father Donald and Helmut.
“Oh yes, I’ve sought refuge more than once from the good minister and his ilk. It amazes me how little is getting written about what these new leased farms in Africa will do to the local people. It’s horrible enough to be starving and there is nothing growing and you know you’re doing the best you can, given the circumstances, for your family. But it’s genocide on an entirely different level to grow food in front of someone, on their land and then refuse to share. Not only is there no outcry, there’s not even a murmur. Why is the Circle being so quiet?” asked Helmut.
“As worthy as the topic is, can I interject so we can move things along?” said the Reverend. “My old friend, I saw what Oscar tried to do to your bride and he struck me as the sort who only acts upon orders from above. However, that doesn’t mean the orders came from the appropriate sources. There have been quite a few slip-ups lately.”
“You think someone is trying to clean up their mess,” said Norman.
“Yes, and it’s someone who isn’t high ranking enough to realize who Wallis really is or what a bigger mess they just made. We may be able to use that to our advantage."
“But first things first, we need to fix that shoulder,” said Helmut, as he grabbed hold of Wallis’ arm and shoulder. “Brace yourself, this may hurt a little.” Helmut jerked the shoulder back into place before anyone could stop him.
Wallis let out a scream and started to black out, falling back into Norman’s arms.
“That ought to do it,” said Helmut. “Try your arm. What? I’ve had to do that a few times in the field.”
Wallis moved her arm around and her shoulder was still sore but moved a lot more easily. As the pain calmed down she knew what had to come next.
“I’m going home to see my son,” she said.
“I understand,” said Father Donald, “but we’ll need to revisit what to do next.”
On the drive home Norman kept patting Wallis’ leg like he was trying to reassure both of them that they were still intact.
“Can I tell you something I’ve never said out loud?” asked Norman.
“There’s more?” Wallis blurted out. She immediately regretted it. She was usually so good at not passing along her opinion of anything, relieving everyone of the burden of competition. She tried to smile at Norman to cover her slip. “I’m sorry,” she said, “I know it’s complicated and I don’t understand. Go ahead, tell me and I’ll listen.”
“I believe we can be happy,” said Norman.
“There were a few dozen things I was thinking you might say, Norman Weiskopf and that wasn’t one of them,” said Wallis. “Especially today.”
“It’s what’s kept me sane. This battle that’s been going on for over two hundred years and takes so many innocent lives into it to keep it all moving, it has no end.”
“It sounds crazy to think there could even be a conspiracy that vast that goes undetected by the masses,” said Wallis.
“That’s why they do battle right out in the open most of the time. People accept that there’s going to be conflict and everyone at the top is generally part of one side or the other.” Wallis watched as Norman kept checking the rear view mirror to see if there were any cars that seemed to be following them. She wanted to ask him about it but she knew her only intention was to get Norman to say something that would reassure her and she knew there wasn’t anything. She didn’t want to make him point that out to her.
“It’s a family feud that can go on in some form forever and probably will. But, there was this moment when I met you.” Norman stopped talking and stared straight ahead at the traffic along Three Chopt Road.
“Norman, why was that enough to make you believe in happiness of any kind?”
He hesitated, his jaw working from side to side. “Imagine falling for this girl whose family started the machinery that twisted my life and killed my grandfather and his entire family, including every cousin, every man, woman and child they could get their hands on. When I stand in the same room with Harriet I wonder if somewhere inside of her she’s glad they all died.”
“What a horrible thought,” whispered Wallis.
“I knew that Harriet had done something to protect you. I had heard the rumors. Besides, we all had to wonder why you weren’t a part of Management, given your blood line.”
“It must have really tweaked my mother’s nerves when I married someone of the Jewish persuasion,” said Wallis.
“Actually, I’m not sure that matters as much as you think it does. There is a lot of animosity that’s built up quietly between most religions and Management and they’ve all done battle with the organization at some point. Some more quietly than others,” he said. “It’s the Episcopalian Church that’s like a flea on their neck right now.”
“Father Donald,” said Wallis.
“He’s just one figure. The Episcopal Church has a few things going for it that have made it easier for them to claim small victories. They’re organized like a corporation with an elected presiding bishop at the top so there’s a centralized system but they don’t have the visibility of the Catholic Church so they can maneuver more easily without the notice. No one cares nearly as much if you’re Episcopalian than if you’re Jewish or Catholic or even Baptist and the Episcopalians sent out just as many people posing as missionaries around the world to establish bases.”
“You’re kidding me? There were political motives?”
“Of course, I would have thought that was obvious,” said Norman as he passed Larry Blazney’s house.
Wallis looked at the black wreath on the purple front door. “Was Larry part of it?” asked Wallis.
Norman shook his head. “No, he wasn’t and if he’d gotten nosy around any other house than ours they probably wouldn’t have cared. I don’t know.”
“Why did they kill Ray Billings? Was it really over this thumb drive?”
“Thankfully, you still have it. There has to be something on there that they want so much, they lost some of their control over one of their main Mid-Atlantic offices. Have you looked at the drive?”
“No, there hasn’t been time. I’m not even sure I’d know what to look for without Ned’s help and I haven’t been able to bring myself to cross that line.”
“We may have to. Ned is the only human being I know that is capable of keeping secrets from anyone, including us and Management won’t harm,” said Norman, as he turned off the engine at the bottom of their driveway.
“You know, we’d be doing to him the very same thing that was done to you. We’d be dragging him into an awareness that you’ve hated all of these years,” said Wallis.
“I know but what if they took Ned from us and I never warned him or told him about the other half of his heritage. What would have been the wrong move then?”