“Wow, your job is amazing,” Lyn said from the doorway of Mitch’s bedroom as she watched him throw a week’s worth of clothes into a travelling bag. “You really can’t make any long-term plans can you? And how do you keep a relationship?” she asked.
“Yeah, well that’s the tricky part.”
“You know I have a good friend who is really independent and likes her own space,” Lyn said. “She has always said she would love to live next door to the guy she marries—that’s after they marry. I could introduce you.”
Mitch looked at Lyn and smiled. “Thanks. But I’m kind of keen on a finding a woman who wants to be with me, but can cope with me being away if I have to travel regularly.”
Lyn came in and dropped onto his bed. “Well then you’re going to have to go out with someone you work with who gets it.”
“Yeah I’ve heard that suggestion before too,” Mitch said.
“So have you? Been out with someone you work with?” she asked.
Mitch shook his head. “Not really. I took a girl from our library out to dinner one night but that was a bit of a disaster.”
“But there must be good-looking females there; someone like Ellen?” Lyn said.
Mitch grinned. He zipped up his duffel bag. “I knew you’d get there eventually. I think you’re a bit keen on her. Should I warn Sandy?”
Lyn laughed. “Not likely. I think Sandy might be the one.” Lyn rose and hearing a car pull up, she pulled open his bedroom curtain.
“Your taxi is here. There’s someone in the back seat already.”
“That’s Adam.”
Lyn waved and Adam waved back. She dropped the curtain and followed Mitch out of his room to the front door.
“I’ll see you in a week,” he said. “Behave.”
“Always.”
She locked the screen door behind him as he started down the stairs.
He turned halfway on the front stairs to look back up at her. “You’ve locked the back door haven’t you?”
“Yes and this front screen too,” She assured him.
“Good. You’ve got my number if there are any dramas. Even if I’m not in the country, I’ve got friends who are.”
She smiled. “Mitch, you’re so sweet. You know I’ve been living here for a year before you moved in. I’m okay.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t know you then,” he said. “Now I have to worry about you.”
She opened the screen door, raced down the stairs and gave him a hug. “Thank you for caring.”
He rolled his eyes. “Now the door is unlocked again. Get up there.”
She smiled and ran back up, closing the screen door and locking it.
He smiled. “See you in about a week, maybe.”
He walked to the taxi and greeted the driver and Adam.
“Damn waste.” Adam shook his head.
Nick took his tie off and threw it over into the back seat of the car.
“Ready?” he asked Ellen.
She took a deep breath and nodded.
“You look lovely dear.” He smiled at her, appreciating the fitted red wool dress and boots she was wearing.
“Thank you, hubby, I know this is one of your favorites.” She smiled at him sweetly. “Shame we’re an old married couple or you might have ripped it off me later.”
“Yes, shame,” he agreed. “Let’s get it over with.”
They exited the car for the Friday night meeting of The New Aryan Order and entered the building. They looked around the foyer. To their right was a large room with chairs set up theater style. Around the edges of the room, close to a hundred people were milling, with coffee cups in-hand.
They saw Stephanie Schmid coming towards them.
“So glad you are both here tonight,” she said warmly. “After the presentation, we’ll have time to socialize and you can get to know some of our other members better. But for now, help yourself to tea or coffee. We’ll open the bar after the meeting. Excuse me.”
She was gone just as quickly to greet another couple that had entered behind them.
Nick looked to Ellen. “Coffee or tea?”
“Tea, make it a double,” she said.
“Is this your first meeting?” a young woman asked Ellen. She was at least a foot taller, glamorous in leather pants and a pink sweater. Ellen noticed the huge diamond ring on her finger.
Bet she didn’t need a scholarship.
“Our second meeting if you count the induction night,” Ellen said. “I’m Ellen Bauer and this is my husband Nicholas.”
“Sophie,” the supermodel said, shaking both of their hands. “My husband Eric is over there.” She pointed to a tall, athletic man also in his twenties. “This is our last meeting here.”
“Are you leaving the group?” Nick asked.
“No!” she exclaimed dramatically. “We’re moving into the next group.”
Ellen looked surprised.
“Oh, you don’t know yet. There are levels, five altogether, and you progress through them when you are ready, or earlier if Dirk thinks you should progress sooner.” She looked over and smiled at her partner. “We’ve been accelerated early.”
“Bravo,” Nick said. “So what is this group about?”
“You learn the ideology of the group here, what we stand for and how we can make a difference. In the next group, you begin to contribute,” Sophie said.
“I’m keen to contribute,” Ellen said, looking up at her. “How can we do more?”
Sophie smiled. “Dirk will love you guys. I’m sure you’ll be accelerated too if you feel like that. We do.”
Sophie was about to continue when Thorsten Schmid took to the microphone and invited everyone to take a seat. With a wave she went to join her husband.
“How long is it going to take us to work up five levels?” Nick whispered in Ellen’s ear.
“Too long,” she mouthed back. They took seats near the door, training kicking in.
“Dirk must be in one of the other meeting groups,” Ellen said.
“Yes, we’ve got to work our way up to him. I think we need to be expressing our desire to do more sooner rather than later.”
Thorsten Schmid cleared his throat and welcomed everyone. He didn’t have the confidence or presence of his brother and looked uncomfortable in the limelight.
“Welcome everyone, it is great to be together again, where we belong.”
The room broke into enthusiastic support. Nick and Ellen joined in.
“Today’s subject is our belief in the importance of motherhood and family. I look around the room and see so many noble and beautiful women here with their husbands, some with their children. To The New Aryan Order, the family unit is the backbone of a healthy Aryan society. Adolf Hitler recognized and valued the role of motherhood. Our Führer’s mother died at forty-seven years of age when he was only eighteen. You will have read the beautiful poem he wrote about motherhood. The NAO believes motherhood is the noblest position to which any Aryan woman can aspire.”
Again the room broke into applause. Ellen sat up and applauded enthusiastically, her movement catching Thorsten Schmid’s eye. He smiled at her. Nick placed his hand on Ellen’s back and she turned to smile warmly at him.
Thorsten Schmid continued. “A stable family unit is very important to the NAO. We do not tolerate divorce. Both the Aryan man and Aryan woman have clear roles to play as role models for the children. The woman is tender, looks after the home, is the nurturer and carer; the man must provide for and protect his family. Ladies, you are the carriers of our next Aryan generation, you can instill their values. We do not encourage women to work and abandon the most important role you have once your children are born; allow your man to succeed in his career so he can ensure you and the children want for nothing.”
The members rose to their feet. Schmid held up his hands. “Please join me now to meet and greet one another, get to know each other and talk about the great nation we can create.”
Mitch and Adam made their way onto the plane.
“Did you bring a good jacket?” Adam asked, eyeing Mitch’s light-weight pullover and jeans.
“Yes thanks, Dad,” Mitch answered.
Adam grinned. “And your toothbrush?”
“I was going to use yours.” Mitch found their seat number, stuffed a small bag in the overhead locker and looked to Adam. “Window seat or aisle?”
“Aisle.”
“Me too,” Mitch said. “I’ll take the window seat there, you take it on the way back.”
“Deal,” Adam agreed.
Mitch dropped into the seat and stretched out. John always booked the emergency exit row for his agents so there was plenty of leg room.
“I haven’t told Dieter we’re coming to collect the items in the chest in person,” Adam said in a quiet voice.
Mitch looked around to see who was sitting around them. He returned his attention to Adam. “Good, let’s not. Just in case Dieter or the items go missing. We’re not really sure what’s going on with Benjamin or Julian Schmid so let’s just keep our cards close to our chest,” Mitch said. “Why would Benjamin go with Julian? What has Julian got over him?”
“Unless he went willingly,” Adam said. “Although the body language on the footage wasn’t chummy.”
“Benjamin’s in the middle of a successful book tour and his agent has two more cities booked after D.C. A stop to Berlin wasn’t amongst them,” Mitch said.
“What’s the Schmid connection? There’s got to be something we don’t know about Benjamin or his father, otherwise, like Thorsten said, there would be no reason to bother with a Jew like Benjamin,” Adam said.
“Unless they’re in the habit of bullying Jews who speak up. But taking them out of the country is a bit extreme,” Mitch agreed. He tapped his fingers impatiently. “C’mon, let’s get this plane up and get moving.”
Adam smiled. “This is a nine-hour flight. Are you going to make it?”
Mitch looked over at him. “Do you sleep on flights?”
“Every time,” Adam said.
Mitch shook his head. “I need a drink.”
Ellen and Nick entered the home at 14 Lilac Avenue where they were to remain for an hour in case they were followed.
“I’m thinking we should redecorate,” Nick said, looking around at the neutral living room.
Ellen laughed. “Can we afford to dear? After all you are the provider—how’s the money supply?”
Nick shook his head. “I thought that was a performance worthy of an Academy Award nomination,” he said to Ellen, dropping onto the couch. “When you leaned forward and caught his eye, just beautiful.”
“And see the look I gave you.” she fluttered her eyelids. “It was saying ‘get me knocked up now and go out and kill the beast for dinner’.”
“Speaking of which…” Nick looked to his watch. “It’s after eight and I’m starving.”
“Those canapés didn’t fill you up? Want to call a pizza?” Ellen asked.
“No. If anyone is watching that wouldn’t be very good homemaking behavior on your behalf. Can’t you whip up something?”
Ellen’s eyes narrowed. “Mm, I’ll see if they’ve actually supplied anything.” She opened the fridge to find it stocked with long-life milk and condiments. The freezer had a number of frozen meals in it, bread rolls and a loaf of bread. Ellen looked at the use-by date and everything was still safe. She moved to the pantry to find tinned soup and spaghetti sauce.
“You’re in luck.” She smiled at him. “I’m sure I can rustle up something. That should kill an hour or so before we can leave.”
“I’d help, but I’ve got to conserve my strength to go to work and provide for you,” Nick said.
“You’ve got one minute to get your butt in here.”
Nick leapt from the couch and headed for the kitchen.