"Why didn't he tell us then?" Amanda asked. "Why wasn't he specific?"
"I don't know. He may not know who's at risk. Or maybe he doesn't want us to know."
"You sound like a conspiracy theorist, Mom. You sound like Grandma."
Susan smiled.
"Don't get carried away."
Elizabeth laughed.
"So what can we do?" Elizabeth asked.
"We can think," Susan said. "We can try to reach conclusions and, if necessary, act on them. I don't think any one of us wants to leave 1939 knowing we put others in harm's way."
Elizabeth lowered her eyes. She thought about the letter she had withheld from Amanda and wondered if the girl would have told Kurt less had she seen it.
"I think we can handle that," Elizabeth said. "What's the third thing we need to do?"
Susan sipped her coffee.
"We need to be honest about our intentions."
"What do you mean?"
"You know exactly what I mean, Mom. We've all formed deep friendships here. We may not want to end those friendships when the time comes."
"Are you saying we should end them now?" Elizabeth asked.
"No," Susan said. "I'm saying we should be forthright. If we're thinking about breaking one of Professor Bell's Ten Commandments, we should discuss it first. We owe it to each other."
"That's fair," Amanda said.
"Then let's start with you," Susan said. "What are your plans? What are your plans with Kurt, Heinrich, Johanna, and even Karl?"
"I already told you. I gave Kurt until September 10 to return. If he comes back to Princeton, I want to bring him to Los Angeles. I don't care what Professor Bell wrote. I'm waiting until at least the tenth. I'm not leaving now."
Elizabeth thought about the man who had sent them to the thirties. She wondered what he would think of all this plotting and planning. She knew the answer.
"I'm not asking you to leave now," Susan said. "No one is ready to leave now."
"Then what are you asking?"
"I'm asking you to tell me your plans. I want to know, for example, what you plan to do if Kurt returns with his parents or even his entire family. What will you do?"
"I don't know," Amanda said. "I haven't thought about it."
"Well, think about it. Think about it now," Susan said. "We can't bring people back with us unless we are prepared to take care of them. Do you want that responsibility?"
Amanda lowered her eyes.
"I don't know."
"That's my point, Amanda. You have to know. We all do," Susan said. "We have to think this through. We have to be prepared to make decisions when the time comes to leave. There's more to consider than your feelings for one young man. There's a lot more."
"I know," Amanda said.
Susan looked at Elizabeth.
"What about you, Mom?"
"What about me?" Elizabeth asked.
"What are your plans with your family?"
"I'm not planning to kidnap Lizzie!"
Amanda laughed.
"I know you're not," Susan said softly. She smiled. "At least I hope you're not."
"Then what are you getting at?" Elizabeth asked.
"I'll tell you. I'd like to know if you're planning something else. Do you intend to tell Erich and Ella who we are? Do you intend to invite them to come with us?"
Elizabeth looked at Susan with eyes that started to water.
"No," Elizabeth said. "When I say goodbye to them, I'll say goodbye for good. I don't want to mess with the past any more than I have."
Elizabeth admitted that the temptation to do otherwise was great. She wanted badly to tell her parents about a disobedient daughter, a family rift, and a car accident in 1962, but she knew she had no right to do so. She had an obligation to leave the past as she had found it.
"I think that's best," Susan said.
"What about you?" Elizabeth asked. "What about Jack? What are your plans with him?"
Susan smiled.
"I guess I'm in the worst position of all. Unlike you and Amanda, I haven't decided what to do with my special friend."
"Do you think Jack is going to propose?" Amanda asked.
Susan nodded.
"I'm sure of it."
"Then why don't you say yes? I wouldn't mind."
"Neither would I," Elizabeth said.
"I know you wouldn't," Susan said. "I appreciate the support too."
"Then what's the problem?" Amanda asked.
"The problem, honey, is that I haven't reconciled my past with my present. Nor have I placed a value on my happiness."
"What does that mean, Mom?"
Susan reached across the table and touched Amanda's arm.
"What it means is that, like you, I have to make a decision," Susan said. "I have to figure out my life. I have to choose a path."
CHAPTER 78: AMANDA
Monday, August 28, 1939
Amanda knocked on the door twice. She didn't want to bother the manager or anyone else, but she knew she would have to bother someone in 1A to gain access to 10B. For the first time in months, Kurt Schmidt had locked his apartment.
She lowered a bag of cleaning supplies to the ground and knocked again. She knocked until she heard a man mumble an obscenity and something about patience.
A moment later, a middle-aged man sporting a five o'clock shadow, a beer belly, and a wife-beater undershirt opened the door. He looked at Amanda like his ship had come in.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Amanda Peterson. I'm here to collect a few things from Apartment 10B."
"That place is empty," the manager said.
"It isn't according to its tenant," Amanda replied. She pulled a postcard from the pocket of her frumpy housedress and handed it to the man. "Kurt Schmidt asked me to pick up some boxes. I'm here to get them."
The manager looked at the card and returned it.
"What's in the bag?"
"Cleaning supplies," Amanda said. "I figured I might as well clean the place while I'm here. I don't want Mr. Schmidt to lose his deposit."
The manager laughed.
"What are you? His dame?"
Amanda sighed.
"I'm a person who doesn't want to spend all morning standing in front of your door. Are you going to let me into the apartment or not?"
"Hold on a minute."
"OK."
The manager closed the door halfway and retreated into his lair. He returned a minute later with a set of keys, a broom, a dustpan, and a smirk that Amanda didn't like. He gave her the goods but kept the smirk.
"Bring back the keys when you're done," the manager said.
"What about the broom and the dustpan?" Amanda asked.
"Bring them too."
"All right."
"There's one more thing," the manager said.
"What's that?"
"Don't steal anything."
Amanda stared at the halfwit and forced a smile.
"I won't. I promise."
"Good."
The manager grunted, frowned, and shook his head. He gave the pretty cleaning lady one last look, closed the door, and returned to his cave.
Amanda laughed as she picked up the bag, turned around, and walked across a small parking lot to a building that contained the other half of the complex's twenty apartments. She couldn't believe the things people did for love. Then she reminded herself that Kurt Schmidt was worth it.
When she reached 10B, she opened the door, pushed her way in, and gazed upon a furnished living space she hadn't seen in weeks. She saw a soda bottle on a table and a wad of paper on the floor but few other signs of neglect. Kurt had done a fair job of cleaning up before packing his suitcase, shutting his door, and leaving Princeton for the most dangerous nation on earth.
Amanda walked to the kitchen and went to work. She swept the floor, emptied the garbage can, cleaned the sink, and wiped the counters, cabinets, and refrigerator. She cleaned most of the bathroom but drew the line at the toilet
. She didn't have a toilet brush or a burning desire to clean something that the manager probably wouldn't notice anyway.
Amanda dusted the furniture in the living room, shook the drapes, and wiped spots and smudges wherever she found them. She kept it up until she was convinced that even the throwback in 1A would give his seal of approval.
Amanda placed the cleaning supplies, the broom, and the dustpan next to the front door and walked to the main attraction. She smiled when she considered the irony of entering her longtime boyfriend's bedroom for the very first time.
She opened the door and found two things she expected to see and one thing she didn't: a double bed, a dresser, and a roll-top desk with a lockable top. She ignored the furniture and walked straight to an open closet that faced the end of the bed.
Amanda peeked in the closet and saw the boxes on the floor. She carried both to the bed, lifted their tops, and inspected their contents. She found magazines in the first, stationery in the second, and nothing of interest in either. She could see why Kurt had wanted to discard them.
Amanda placed the smaller box atop the larger and started to lift them off the bed, but she stopped and released the boxes when she glanced at the roll-top desk. She stood up, pulled the keys out of her dress pocket, and walked to the desk.
She inserted the key in the keyhole, turned it until she heard a click, and then pushed the top open. She checked several small drawers and found them empty. Then she opened the large center drawer and found it stuffed with knickknacks and correspondence. She grabbed more than thirty letters, jumped up on the bed, and rested her back against the headboard.
Amanda needed only a minute to determine that the letters were keepers. They included a birthday greeting from Heinrich Schmidt, a supportive message from Johanna Schmidt, and a fragrant love letter from a University of Maryland coed named Deborah.
She sighed when she saw a note from Johanna that referenced her cancer and laughed when she discovered another perfumed plea from Debbie. She didn't sigh or laugh when she stumbled upon dozens of handwritten letters from Karl Schmidt. She sank.
Amanda quickly thumbed through the dates: 14 May 1937, 26 August 1937, 4 October 1937, 14 December 1937, 12 February 1938, 18 April 1938, 7 July 1938, 10 September 1938, and 22 November 1938. She then remembered what Kurt had told her on Valentine's Day.
"We haven't been close since he returned to Germany. I haven't spoken to my brother in two years. I haven't corresponded with him since May 6, 1937."
Amanda picked up a letter dated January 27, 1939, that referred to a Princeton girl and a February 2, 1939, offering that mentioned Amanda by name. Karl had known about his brother's girlfriend two months before meeting her.
Amanda moved on to four letters Karl had sent from New York in 1939. In the letters, written on April 10, April 25, May 4, and May 27, Karl drew attention to statements Amanda had made in Georgetown, the restaurant in Manhattan, and Kurt's apartment.
Three of the letters referred to comments by Kurt. All focused on his "pretty new friend with the curious mind." One raised questions about the Peterson family's "true background." In his correspondence of May 27, Karl described his argument with Amanda in great detail. The letter triggered memories of Amanda's conversation with Kurt on the Harrison Street Bridge.
"Are you ever going to tell me what happened at the apartment?"
"Hasn't Karl filled you in?"
"No."
Amanda dropped the letters and lowered her hands to the bed. She tried her best to remain steady as waves of nausea, fueled by lies, swept through her body.
She examined the recent letters from Karl and saw more troubling details. Karl had reminded Kurt of "our common interests" on April 25 and "our unshakable bond as brothers" on May 4. On May 27, Karl Schmidt, Nazi party member, had advised Kurt to remain vigilant against those who would "undermine the family's position and standing."
Amanda tried to make sense of the correspondence but couldn't. She couldn't understand why Kurt had hid it in his room or kept it from her. She set Karl's letters aside and reexamined the ones from Heinrich and Johanna.
Heinrich had encouraged Kurt to work hard, make friends, and "integrate himself" as best he could in the Princeton community. In a letter written on September 10, 1938, the day Kurt began work at the Nassau Institute, Heinrich told Kurt to "learn as much as you can as fast as you can." He reminded Kurt that he may "never have an opportunity like this again."
Johanna, good, sweet Johanna, had been less circumspect. In her final message to Kurt, a letter sent from New York on June 5, 1939, she advised him to "keep a low profile," to be true to himself, and to "be cautious around those who might do us harm." She encouraged him to "keep up the fight," to "yield to no one," and to "remember the cause."
"Whatever you do, my dear son, always remember the cause."
Amanda sank as she came to grips with the magnitude of her mistake. She had told a Nazi spy about coming German defeats at El Alamein, Stalingrad, and Normandy and thus given the Nazis an opportunity to change their tactics. She had given Adolf Hitler the knowledge he needed to win World War II and alter the course of history.
She set aside the letters, closed her eyes, and asked herself how she could have been so reckless, naïve, and stupid. Then she remembered another letter and realized that she had more immediate matters to attend to.
"By ignoring my warnings, acting independently, and taking matters into your own hands, you may have put lives at risk. Please cease communications with the Schmidt family and return to Los Angeles immediately."
Professor Bell had wanted Amanda to see his letter of June 22 because he had been rightly concerned she might reveal something important. He had advised the time travelers to keep their mouths shut because he had fully understood the consequences of loose talk.
Amanda started to cry when she considered what she had done. She had put at risk not only the lives of countless strangers but also the lives of her own family.
The Nazis now knew of three time-traveling women who had priceless knowledge of future events. Amanda knew it was only a matter of time before they came for them.
CHAPTER 79: SUSAN
Saturday, September 2, 1939
Susan sighed as she stared out a restaurant window and reviewed the most difficult week of her life. In the span of six days, she had comforted a guilt-ridden mother, consoled a despondent daughter, and confronted her own fears, concerns, and doubts about an important relationship, a looming departure, and a world at war.
She had assured Elizabeth and Amanda that they had not given Adolf Hitler the keys to victory or put their own lives at risk. She reminded both that Kurt Schmidt was just one man with a fantastic story and limited access to leaders who would probably not be receptive to predictions of military defeat the day after Germany had plowed into Poland.
Susan turned away from the window, glanced at a menu, and pondered a dozen culinary options described in French and English. She studied the menu until a retired naval officer entered the dining area, walked to their table for two, and returned to his chair.
"Are you feeling better?" Susan asked.
"I am," Jack said. "I guess I just had a case of the nerves."
Jack took a sip of red wine.
"Are you nervous about anything in particular?"
"I'm nervous about a lot of things."
Susan decided not to press the matter. She knew that Jack was nervous about everything from their relationship to his book to developments in Europe that had nearly everyone on edge.
"You look nice tonight," Susan said.
"So do you," Jack said. "You look good in that dress."
Susan couldn't disagree. She did look good in a backless red silk gown that seemingly flowed into the plush red carpet. She felt good too. She hadn't felt this good on a date since Bruce had taken her on a surprise trip to San Francisco on their twentieth anniversary.
"Do you need time to order?" Susan asked.
"No. I know wha
t I want," Jack said. "I'm going to get the ratatouille and save the frog legs for another day."
Susan laughed.
"You're not very adventurous."
"I'm prudent," Jack said with a laugh. "I learned long ago to stick with the tried and true at ethnic restaurants. It makes for better eating and fewer trips to the bathroom."
"OK then. I won't push you. You've already made one trip."
The admiral smiled and sipped more wine.
"How is your mother?" Jack asked.
"She's doing great," Susan replied. "She's still a little weak, but she's getting stronger every day. She's lucky. Most people who suffer strokes are never the same."
"I'm glad to hear she's improving," Jack said. He put down his glass and gazed at Susan for several seconds. "Is Elizabeth looking forward to going home?"
"She is. She's looking forward to seeing her friends, resuming old routines, and doing the sorts of things she's done most of her life," Susan said. "She's ready for a change."
"Is Amanda also ready for a change?"
"I think so. She's had enough of Princeton. She's had enough of a lot of things."
"I figured as much," Jack said. "She seemed preoccupied and withdrawn when I spoke to her tonight. She barely said a word to me."
"Don't take it personally," Susan said. "She's still reeling from her breakup."
"Has she heard from Kurt Schmidt since he returned to Berlin?"
Susan shook her head.
"No. She hasn't."
"Is she thinking about his safety?" Jack asked.
"She's thinking about a lot of things. She fell in love with a boy from Germany, a boy who may someday take up arms against this country. That's a lot for anyone to bear."
"I agree."
Susan didn't add that the "boy," a twenty-three-year-old man, was also a suspected spy who had probably monitored Jack's own work and used his position at the Nassau Institute to gather information for the Third Reich. She saw nothing to gain by saying more.
"Let's talk about something pleasant," Susan said.
"All right," Jack replied.
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