Part 21 (1/2)

”But even when I try to sneak up on you, you still know it's me.”

Willi held his hands out and shrugged. That caused water drops to splash out of the cup, and he licked them from his hand. ”I don't know how. I just do.”

He felt her plop down beside him. ”So where were you today?” she asked.

”By the cathedral.”

”The cathedral? No wonder you were so late getting back. You'd better not let Uncle know you went there. He's told us more than once to stay away.”

”Well, I won't tell him, so if you stay quiet he won't hear, now will he?”

Erna swatted his arm. ”Why did you walk so far? Weren't you afraid of getting lost?”

”I've heard Fritz and Moritz talk about it, so I knew the way there. I hoped the folk coming out of the church would give alms, but they were as cold as the building itself. And what they did give, someone else took.”

”That really happened?” Erna leaned close.

”Yeah. Someone tossed a coin in and then someone else s.n.a.t.c.hed it back out before it stopped ringing.

It was so fast I felt nothing, saw only a dart of shadow.” It wasn't the first time that Willi had cursed his ruined sight. It wouldn't be the last.

”Well, next time take someone with you, to watch over you.”

”Who? You?”

Willi was knocked sideways by her punch on his shoulder. ”Yes, me. I can watch from a ways away and make sure n.o.body robs or cheats you.”

Willi shrugged. ”If you want to. But how will you earn your bread if you're near me?”

”Uncle's been teaching me some new stuff. I'll manage.”

Willi wanted to ask what new stuff, but just then Uncle called out, ”Lights out.” As usual, his stinginess with lamp oil was getting the lamp blown out at the earliest moment.

Erna left amid the sound of scurrying around. A moment later she was back. ”Lie down and I'll cover us.” Willi curled up on his left side facing the old trunk, wrapped his arms around his stick and hugged it to his body. He felt the weight of first his blanket, then hers, covering him. Erna wiggled under the blankets and put her back against his.

The two of them were too small to gain a s.p.a.ce close to the fireplace and its few coals-Uncle not being any less stingy with the firewood. Those went to the older, harder children; older than Willi's eight years.

Forced into the outer part of the room, they had learned that if they shared their blankets they stayed warmer than if they slept alone. Even so, there were many nights that they s.h.i.+vered together as the cold cut through the meager coverings.

Erna went to sleep as soon as she stopped wiggling to find the right position. Willi was kept awake by his growling stomach for some time, but at length he drifted off.

The next morning Erna ripped the covers off of Willi. ”Come on! It's daylight. If we don't get out there, we won't get anything.” She barely let him use the chamber pot, and then they were in the street. ”So, where to this morning?”

”Not near the cathedral, that's for sure.” Willi pondered. ”How about Zenzi's? I haven't been there in a few days.”

”Zenzi's it is. C'mon.” And so, stick in one hand and Erna tugging on the other, Willi was towed to one of his favorite places, a bakery that was several blocks away.

”Here we are,” Erna announced in triumph. ”You want your usual spot?”

”I can find it.” Willi pulled his hand away and reached out to touch the front of the building, then walked along the front to where a beam jutted out. He put his back to that bit of corner and settled to the ground with a sigh. Reaching inside his ragged jacket, he pulled his bowl out and set it on the ground in front of him. He leaned back against the corner, set his stick against his shoulder, settled to wait for opportunity.

Erna crouched in front of him. ”Lean forward.”

”What?” Willi was confused.

”Lean forward, I said.”

Willi did so. He felt a band of cloth cross his eyes and get tied behind his head. ”What did you do that for?” His hand fumbled at the cloth, only to get slapped.

”Leave that alone.” Erna leaned close enough that he could feel her breath on his face. ”Willi, you can't see. But the people can't tell that unless they get a really good look at your eyes. This way they can tell right away and you'll most likely get something from them.”

”But I can see!” Willi's voice broke, to his embarra.s.sment.

”Willi.” Erna's voice was full of pity, which only deepened his embarra.s.sment. ”It's been almost four years. You only see light and shadow. You try to see more, and all you get is more falls and more of those bad headaches. Just wear the rag. You'll feel better, and you'll make more coin, too.” Willi heard her sit back. ”I'll be up and down the street, doing my thing and keeping an eye out. Won't n.o.body dip into your bowl without my seeing it.”

”All . . . all right,” Willi choked out, feeling as if he was giving up on his dreams to see again.

Erna patted his cheek, for all the world like she was the mother he could hardly remember instead of a slip of a girl not much older than him. ”That's my Willi. I'll keep watch.” He heard her stand and walk away.

Willi sat in his darkness. The rag soaked up his tears.

Magdeburg February, 1635 The two men with sergeant stripes on their sleeves marched into Frank Jackson's office, stopped in front of his desk, then saluted smartly-or as smartly as a couple of West Virginia hillbillies with no military service could manage.

”Cut it out,” Frank said in a weary tone. ”Bill, shut the door. Siddown, both of you.” He looked at Bill Reilly and Byron Chieske. ”We,” Frank emphasized that word, ”have a problem. You guys are going to help solve it. You know who Otto Gericke is?”

The two men looked at each other. Byron shrugged. Bill turned back to Frank. ”He's some kind of mucky-muck here inMagdeburg , right? Burgomeister, or something like that?”

”Yep, he is; one of several. He's also the engineer appointed by Gustavus to rebuildMagdeburg . And a more thankless task I can't imagine.” The other two men nodded in agreement. ”But when he's wearing his burgomeister hat, he's the only one of the city council who can pour water out of a boot even when the directions are written on the heel. As a consequence, he's the one who's in charge of anything important, including the city night watch. And he's asked for help in upgrading them into something resembling a police force.”

Bill looked to Byron again. Byron looked puzzled. ”So why doesn't he approach the admiral for some help from that investigative unit he set up?” Although there had been pretty wide-spread deprecation of the ”NCIS” unit at first, after a few successes in investigating some crimes, including a b.l.o.o.d.y double murder, no one thought they were a joke now.

Frank grimaced. ”There's been one too many exchanges of insults. That wouldn't stop the navy guys from working at it-the admiral keeps them on a pretty short leash. The city boys, though, have been 'insulted,' they claim. They refuse to work with the navy.

”Mike's pretty p.i.s.sed about it. He doesn't need extra trouble right now, and for a squabble to boil up between the navy and the civilian government is just not a good thing in more than one way. I wasn't in the room, but my understanding is that he more or less told the admiral that if his investigators couldn't keep from talking trash, he'd better muzzle them. Oh, it was a little more polite than that, but the message got across.” Frank grinned an evil grin. ”I also heard that the admiral's subsequent talk to his crew chief was a bit . . . ah, blunt.” He sobered. ”But the city watch still won't have anything to do with them.”

Frank folded his hands on his desk. ”Bill, I know you were about done with your degree. What was your major again?”

”I was in my last semester for a degree in Business Admin, with a concentration in business law and contracts.”

”Right. And you worked for that security firm inFairmont for a while, right?” Bill nodded.

Frank turned to Byron. ”And I know you were majoring in criminology and had just qualified to serve as a reserve officer for the county sheriff. Correct?” Byron nodded. ”I checked with Dan. He said something about you doing some ride-alongs.”

”Yeah, some for Dan and some with the sheriff's deputies.”

”Were you bucking to join the Grantville PD?”