AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Frieda said: "Heinrich's father is in the government."
Werner snapped his fingers. "The very man. He used to belong to the Centre Party, but he's a Nazi now, and something important in the Foreign Office."
Carla said: "Will Heinrich take us to see him?"
"He will if Frieda asks him," said Werner. "Heinrich will do anything for Frieda."
Carla could believe that. Heinrich had always been intense about everything he did.
"I'll phone him now," said Frieda.
She went into the hall, and Carla and Werner sat down side by side. He put his arm around her, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. She did not know whether these signs of affection were merely a side effect of the tragedy, or something more.
Frieda came back in and said: "Heinrich's father will see us right away if we go over there now."
They all got into Werner's sports car, squeezing onto the front seat. "I don't know how you keep this car going," Frieda said as he pulled away. "Even Father can't get petrol for private use."
"I tell my boss it's for official business," he said. Werner worked for an important general. "But I don't know how much longer I can get away with it."
The von Kessel family lived in the same suburb. Werner drove there in five minutes.
The house was luxurious, though smaller than the Francks'. Heinrich met them at the door and showed them into a living room with leather-bound books and an old German wood carving of an eagle.
Frieda kissed him. "Thank you for doing this," she said. "It probably wasn't easy--I know you don't get on so well with your father."
Heinrich beamed with pleasure.
His mother brought them coffee and cake. She seemed a warm, simple person. When she had served them she left, like a maid.
Heinrich's father, Gottfried, came in.
He had the same thick straight hair, but it was silver instead of black.
Heinrich said: "Father, here are Werner and Frieda Franck, whose father manufactures People's Radios."
"Ah, yes," said Gottfried. "I have seen your father in the Herrenklub."
"And this is Carla von Ulrich--I believe you know her father, too."
"We were colleagues at the German embassy in London," Gottfried said carefully. "That was in 1914." Clearly he was not so pleased to be reminded of his association with a Social Democrat. He took a piece of cake, clumsily dropped it on the rug, tried ineffectually to pick up the crumbs, then abandoned the effort and sat back.
Carla thought: What is he afraid of?
Heinrich got straight down to the purpose of the visit. "Father, I expect you've heard of Akelberg."
Carla was watching Gottfried closely. There was a split-second flash of something in his expression, but he quickly adopted a pose of indifference. "A small town in Bavaria?" he said.
"There is a hospital there," said Heinrich. "For handicapped people."
"I don't think I was aware of that."
"We think something strange is going on there, and we wondered if you might know about it."
"I certainly don't. What seems to be happening?"
Werner broke in. "My brother died there, apparently of appendicitis. Herr von Ulrich's maid's child died at the same time in the same hospital of the same illness."
"Very sad--but a coincidence, surely?"
