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I wait to see if Johann comes back downstairs. When he doesn’t, I close the black-out curtains and go upstairs, puzzled that he did not acknowledge me as he normally does.
* * *
I jerk awake with a gasp,my heart pounding, the nightmare of the Nazi banging on the front door fading. The nightmares are nothing new. Nor is waking up in the middle of the night because of them.
Desperately needing fresh air, I put on my robe, pick up my shoes, and tiptoe down the steps, taking care to avoid the creaky spots. Darkness enshrouds me, forcing me to navigate the journey blind.
At the bottom of the stairs, I stop and listen for signs Johann has heard me. The only sound chipping through the silence is the ticking clock on the mantel. I pull on my shoes and slip out of the house.
I gaze up at the inky-black sky. Millions of stars blink back at me. It’s the same sky Hazel sees in Bristol if she steps outside.
And suddenly, I feel that much closer to her. Now that I realise how much I miss her, it’s as if I cannot stop. An avalanche of emotion crashes down on me.
Memories of conversations we had under the starry sky play in my head. Conversations about school, about our futures, about boys.
“I miss you so much,” I whisper. If only the stars could relay the message to her.
My gaze drops to the barn. I am positive Johann hasn’t found the hidden trapdoor. If he had found the space, he would know what the bed and the lamp and the first-aid supplies are used for. And if he had found the hiding spot, he would have told his commanding officer.
I walk to the barn and reach for the door. A voice from inside—low and deep and masculine—causes my hand to freeze midmovement. I strain to make out the voice and the words.German.Johann? Or is someone else in the barn and Johann is still asleep in the house?
Another voice. Soft and female and high-pitched. The voice of a child.
Taking care not to make a sound, I walk to the hole in the barn wall that is barely large enough for me to see who is inside the building.
Three adults and a little girl are standing by the open trapdoor. Johann is holding a torch, a dim glow spilling from it. Whereas Johann is blond, the other three have dark hair and they look like they haven’t eaten in weeks. Their clothes are worn and dirty and too big.
“Remember, you cannot trust anyone in a uniform,” Johann says to the little girl, his tone tender but firm. “Those men are not like me. Do you understand?”
The girl nods, gazing at Johann like he is the sun at the center of her universe.
“I have something for you, little one.” He opens his satchel and removes a stuffed bear that looks like it has been much loved by its owner. Surprise and delight widen the girl’s eyes. “This bear will help you be brave while you and yourvatiandmuttiare hiding from the bad men. But you must promise me something, Sonja.”
“What is that,OnkelJohann?”
“You will need to be very quiet while you are hiding.”
“Like a field mouse?”
“Yes, exactly like a field mouse.” He presses his finger to his lips.
She nods vigorously.
And I sink to the ground, my legs unable to support me.They’re Jewish.
Shock crashes through me, sending my thoughts spiralling in all directions.How? When? What?The memory of the Jewish family in Paris collides with my panicked thoughts. The SS officers…they attacked the family and hauled them away.
Johann. The family in the barn. They know him. Sonja referred to him as Uncle Johann. He only mentioned he had a sister. Is that his brother or another sister he never told me about? But none of them share his features or blond hair. And he is not Jewish. Or at least I don’t think he is. Surely if he were, he would not be fighting for Germany.
He would have escaped Austria with his mother and deaf sister.
I ease out a long breath, stilling my thoughts, and push to my feet. I need to sneak back into the house and figure out the ramifications of the family being here. Figure out what their presence means to my safety as well as that of Jacques and the family.
I turn.
And find myself staring at the end of a pistol pointed at my head.
Bloody hell and fuck.
