As I descended the stairs, Klaus appeared. "Supper is prepared, Mein Herr," he said.
"Thank you, Klaus, and thank your entire family for braving the weather to look for us," I replied.
"It is nothing, I assure you. We are all quite efficient at it. The Estate requires tending no matter the weather. Herr Fletcher asked to be shown to the study. I hope you do not mind," Klaus said, giving me a questioning look.
"Well done, Klaus," I said, shaking his hand. It may not have been ideal to leave Herr Fletcher unattended in the study, but there was no way I would have admonished Klaus at that moment. A small thing for them or not, they saved us from a cold, hungry night camped a stone's throw away from my bed.
A slight disquiet settled over me as I went to the study. I would be meeting an unknown party under these irregular circumstances, to say nothing of the information in the study.
"Henry, as always, your timing is excellent, my friend, thank you for your efforts today," I said, trying to express my most sincere thanks. We shook hands with genuine gratitude. "I am happy to see you have made yourself at home," I added, indicating the drink on the table. I was happy to note that the unknown man was not present in the study.
"Klaus insisted on offering me everything but the house," Henry laughed. Pouring a schnapps for myself, I tapped his glass on the way by. "Jim, you have outdone yourself. Of course, I will want you to break down all the information you have gathered here. However, your analytical charts are, as ever, impeccable," Henry said, retrieving his glass and making a grand sweeping gesture at all of it.
"Franz and I had quite a run at getting it all down in time."
Henry swallowed what I took to be the honey whiskey he had become fond of here. A look of slight bliss crossed his features, confirming my guess. "My companion will not have gone unnoticed, Jim. He will stay in his room and leave at the first break in the storm. Please forgive the secretiveness; identity is everything, as you well know. There will be no introductions, and his face will stay covered," Henry explained. I crossed over to turn on the lamp above the drawing table for Henry to take a good look at the information laying there, as well as the now converted wall of information which occupied this side of the study.
"Understood. I will let Klaus know to bring meals to the room. He will not be disturbed," I assured Henry.
He nodded, "The damned storm came on us on our way over. No help for it, as you know." We both laughed. Henry moved over to the chart of the government offices and their occupants. I excused myself, found Klaus, and relayed the instructions.
Franz appeared, fresh from a power nap, if I had to guess. "Wonderful invention, hot water," Franz laughed.
"Indeed, join us in the study?" I said, more as an acknowledgment than a question.
"Joining you in the dining room is more like it," Franz laughed. We were both hungry. However, we must maintain the proprieties catering to the comfort of our guest, not ourselves. Henry heard us; his hand was extended to Franz as he entered, teasing about getting lost and found and falling behind—the undertones of another racing challenge.
"You two may have to wait until you have somewhere to run," I laughed. The snow had not let up one bit. I had lingered at the sitting room window in my bedroom before coming down. I admired its beauty and expressed gratitude for not being stuck in it for the night.
"You chaps must be starving. Please do not let me keep you from supper." Henry said. Franz shook Henry's hand again, motioned him through the door, and they were off. I chuckled as I followed behind, hoping that Greta remembered Henry's last visit and had prepared accordingly.
The soup turned out to be traditional Hungarian Goulash. My entire dinner could have begun and ended there. However, with the soup came dumplings, rolls, beet relish, and Käsespätzle. It was too late when Apple and raisin küchen showed up. Klaus whispered about putting a piece back for me in my hiding spot. I nodded in gratitude, a little sad to decline now. He brought my coffee, and I excused myself, allowing the two champion eaters to have the room.
I found myself making my way back up to the Turret. Eva filled my thoughts for a moment. Just briefly, I could smell her, feel her hand in mine, and then the feeling slipped away like a ghost. All the revelations in the study crept in. I pushed them back, not yet ready to relinquish my mind to those depths. I set my coffee down, relaxed my breathing, and let my mind float, watching the snowflakes reflected in the window's light. Again, she filled the air around me. I was closing my eyes, resting in her presence. Whether imaginary or not, she lingered beside me, peaceful, comforting. Henry unknowingly interrupted my meditative state ten minutes later when his voice rang up the stairs. "Jim, are you there? We are heading to the study."
"On my way," I said, standing and stretching. A tiny feather brushed my hand as I reached for my coffee. It lay nestled next to the cup, barely detectable. Where did that come from? I allowed it to fall into my hand, blowing it into the air. "I love you, Eva," I said to no one.
Taking my cup, I proceeded to the study, off to the fray.
"Amazing meal, Jim, just wonderful. You two do not know how good you have it," Henry said, accepting the honey liquor from Franz.
"We are incredibly fortunate and grateful to be blessed with Greta's cooking," Franz said.
"To your health," Henry said. We all sat and sipped our respective beverages. Engaging in light conversation, Henry explained how well the Eigners had settled in. Golda held a job at Henry's covert operation. Her brother and sister were both at the university. He ended with the Elder Eigners.
"She and her father have an interesting code they use. He relayed the urgency of their departure from Vienna in his last message. Therefore, it will be one of the items to handle while I am here. I realize the danger it puts you in, Jim, but I would like to handle it in the same manner as we did for Golda," Henry said, looking to me for approval.
"Perfect, we have a little surprise for you. A surprise related to just this subject," I said. Henry looked suspicious. We both laughed, proceeding out the door without explanation. I turned back, waving for Henry to follow.
"Trust me, it is on your wish list," Franz told Henry. Passing through the kitchen, I waved at Greta to indicate that we didn't need anything. I retrieved a flashlight from the pantry and went to the cellar door. We passed through the wine cellar and entered a corridor. Klaus and his family had outdone themselves. The place was immaculate. At the end of the corridor were two doors.
"On the right, there is a route to escape through a tunnel. The tunnel goes almost to the edge of the property. The passage was constructed during the initial groundwork for the house. On the left is a sanctuary for those who need it," I indicated.
Henry opened the door on the left. The room held a false wall with a private room containing a large bed. A full lavatory was adjacent to it. There were extra beds in the large main room, next to the false wall. A very modest kitchen with a table, chairs, an icebox, and so forth occupied one side of the room. The sitting room had several chairs, a Chesterfield, and side tables. "It isn't the Hotel Sacher, but it is safe," I said. Henry, still looking around, whistled.
"You may thank Klaus, the miracle worker," Franz said.
"Well then, it seems you have anticipated the possible needs of my request. I will surely express my gratitude to Klaus," Henry said.
"The other surprise we will not show you. We are unable to show you, in fact. An antenna was installed for the radio on the mountain. It is hidden and will remain so. The antenna will prove difficult to find, even for those who know where it is," I said, leading Henry back upstairs.
"Well, you gents make me feel like I have come to the party empty-handed. There is a certain piece of equipment, but I would like to wait until my unplanned guest departs," Henry said.
"Of course, we will leave those decisions to you, Henry. Shall we return to the study?" Franz said.
Franz freshened drinks while I stoked the fire, and a leisurely feeling settled in. I expressed my thanks to the powers that be. We all relaxed back in our places. Henry relayed news from The Earl and a few other mutual friends from university. We compared notes regarding the happenings in Germany and how the war was playing out in Britain, America, France, Italy, and Belgium.
"Say, Jim, you have an estate in Munich, don't you?" Henry inquired.
"I do. We were using it as a sort of jumping-off spot. Most of us were lecturing or teaching in some capacity at the universities there and in Innsbruck. Considering recent events, though, we closed it up for the winter since Karl and Wilhelm replaced us in Vienna. Do you need to use it, Henry?"
"Possibly. I will know for certain within the next few days."
Franz anticipated my line of thought. "Henry, I believe you know of Karl and Wilhelm?" Franz asked.
"Your chums from the gymnasium, aren't they? Comrades in arms and still fighting the cause with you?"
"Well put," I added.
"Indeed, we have asked them here for reasons we will cover tomorrow. If you have no objections, we would like to have them here. We want you to train them on the radio equipment," Franz said.
"If you and Jim trust them, I am alright with it. You understand the limited amount of information I am free to share beyond the three of us?" Henry gave us both his dead serious look.
"I speak for both of us when I say we would protect you to the death, Henry. Nothing more will be revealed beyond what you choose to reveal yourself. Right now, you, The Earl, and others are just names they have heard since I went to England," I assured him. Franz is the only one to meet any of you.
"Well, gentlemen, I hate to be the one to give up first, but I surrender," I said, standing up. I went to the fire and stoked it up. Franz and Henry also admitted their willingness to exchange bed for the conversation in the study. We all said our good nights. The possibility of sleeping upstairs tempted me. I thought it pointless but shut down the study for the night. The feeling of being in my parents' room still felt a little wicked. I was waiting for them to catch me every second. It belonged to me now, though, and it was time to settle in. When we arrived, Klaus or Greta had already moved all my personal effects over to my parents’ room.
I was too tired at that moment, but over the next few days, I would try to rearrange things and bring them around to my taste. I undressed, getting into my robe. The stranger in the house did not seem to bother me. No tingly foreboding, suspicion, nothing, almost as if he genuinely was not there. How did I know he was indeed a man? A question I had no answer for, but I knew, nonetheless. After a quick toilette, I climbed into bed and grabbed the book from the nightstand—a preemptive strike for the sleep that would not come. Sleep did come, almost immediately, and with it, the dreams.
Suddenly, I was buried in snow, Franz was trying to dig me out. I could hear him. I kept trying to move, but nothing. Franz kept screaming, "I'm coming, Jim; I'm almost there." Wait, he does not call me Jim. I was suffocating, clawing toward the voice, trying to call to him. Then the sensation of floating in the air, high above a mountain. Then falling; somehow, I had lost the ability to float. Suddenly, the ground was rising fast. I awoke, sitting up in bed, gasping for air. My head hurt. "God, my head," I said, holding the left side of my head. A guy with blond hair and intense blue eyes was standing over me, laughing. I tried to get out of bed, but I was on the ground.
My eyes opened, and I was awake, lying in bed, not sitting up. My head was fine. Franz was staring at me. "You were screaming for me. I have been trying to wake you for a few minutes," he said, sitting on the edge of the bed. I sat up, trying to get my bearings.
Propping up a few pillows, I said, "I'm not returning to the hospital. Besides, we couldn't get there right now anyway."
Fritzy shook his head, saying, "No reason to take you. All your tests came back perfect. You are the very specimen of virile male health." He tapped his fingers. You could almost see the gears turning. "I think we are dealing with something else. I know you will think this is mad, but what if your dreams are warnings?"
"Warnings, Fritzy? You mean premonitions?"
He shrugged. "Yes, Sandy, premonitions, like with Amalia." Ouch, that cost him. I could see the pain in his eyes. If Amalia had lived, they would have been long married now.
"Fritzy, my suggestion was just a feeling I had. No dream showed me what..." I did not know how to finish the sentence, could not finish the sentence.
"Look, Sandy, all I am saying is there is so much we do not understand about the human brain's workings. There are hundreds, probably thousands of cases of people seeing, feeling, thinking, dreaming things before they happen." He was doing well, and I tried to cut him off, but he continued, putting his hand up to stop me.
"As your doctor, humor me. Whenever you have one of these dreams, jot it down. You don't have to write a novel, but jot down the basics, please." He said it with such heartfelt conviction, I could not deny him.
"Alright, I am unsure what we are looking for in this. However, I will do as you ask." He got to his feet, watched me for a moment, and told me to get some sleep.
It was only one in the morning. I read for who knows how long. I fell asleep, though, with the book in my hand. It lay on my chest when I awoke in the morning. If there were more dreams, I remembered none of them.