“I’ve been gone too long, and I need to see her. Just let me go for a few days. I’ll come back; I promise.”
“Two days. Take the truck. I’ll cover for you.”
“Thank you.”
* * *
As the sun was setting, Eli walked into the yard and toward the trucks, his phony authorization hidden in his pocket. He did not intend to return. He motioned for Avram, the yard foreman. “Are you going somewhere, my friend?” Avram said.
“I’m going home to Lublin. I need to be with my wife and my son. Things are getting worse by the day.”
“I have heard that. There are rumors that Lublin will soon be what the Nazis call Judenrein.”
“Avram, you’re a good man. Between you and me, I don’t know what I’m going to find when I get back to Lublin, and I won’t know my next move until I get there. You may need to take on more responsibilities here at the brickyard. Maximilian cannot run the operation by himself. He will need you.”
“But you…”
Eli shook his head. “You’ll be on your own.”
Avram nodded. “I understand, and I would do the same under the circumstances. You may depend on me. Safe travels, my friend. Good luck to you and your family.”
“Goodbye, my friend.”
As Eli climbed into the driver’s seat, he saw Maximilian watching the two of them from inside the office.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
LUBLIN, POLAND
APRIL 1942
It was almost midnight when Eli pulled up to the curb in front of his house. His mind was set. His vision was clear. He was prepared for what he had to do and for the journey they were going to take. He had a truck, he had authorization to be on the road and, God willing, he could make it to the Baltic coast or find a safe haven for his family until the world came to its senses. His only regret was that he hadn’t made the decision earlier. He shut off the truck’s motor and hurried to the door.
His body ached to hold Esther. He could see her smile; he could feel her arms around him. Together, they would pack whatever they could, pick up Izaak, leave Lublin before dawn and set off for parts unknown. Together, they would weather the storm. Together, they could do anything.
When he opened the door, he stopped dead in his tracks. The interior had been ransacked. Furniture was overturned. Lamps lay broken on the floor. “Essie,” he screamed. “Essie, baby, where are you? Please answer me.”
A voice, barely audible, called out, “She’s not here.”
“Papa!” He dashed into the living room to find his father lying on the floor in a corner. There was blood on his shirt and pooled beneath his body. His right leg was twisted to the side. “They came tonight,” he said. “The Jew Hunters. They screamed at Esther and ordered her to return to Lipowa, that she had no right to be at home. When she tried to explain that she was allowed to come home at night, they slapped her and called her a liar.”
Every muscle in Eli’s body tightened. “Oh my God, Papa, what did they do to you?”
“It doesn’t matter. I didn’t tell them, son. They tried to get it out of me, but I didn’t tell them a thing.”
Eli lifted him and set him gently on the couch. His right leg was fractured. Eli ran to get a washcloth and some bandages from Esther’s medical supplies. “Let me clean the wound, and we’ll get you some help,” he said.
His father shook his head. “The clinic is shuttered. The doctors and nurses have all been taken away. That was right after they took Louis and his family.” He reached up and grabbed a fistful of Eli’s shirt. “But I didn’t tell them, Eli. They didn’t get nothing out of me.”
“Tell them what, Papa?”
“The big one, the fat ORPO pig, was yelling, ‘Where is the boy?’ Esther told him that he was dead, that she had buried him. He said, ‘That’s bullshit. I know he’s alive,’ and he slapped her to the floor. Then the other one, the skinny one, said, ‘Don’t hurt her, Gert. She’s not to be injured. Our orders are to take her back to Lindenstrasse.’ Then the fat one said, ‘Well, no one gave us any orders about the old Jew. He’ll tell us.’” Jakob paused and winced in pain. “They beat me with a club, Eli. But I didn’t tell them nothing.”
“Papa…”
“Finally, the skinny one said, ‘We gotta go. We have to get her back to the camp. Leave the old man. We’ll come get him tomorrow. He’s not going anywhere.’ The fat one took out his gun, said, ‘You’re right about that,’ and fired a shot at me. It hit me in the side and knocked me backwards. Then they left. But, Eli, they didn’t get nothing out of me. I didn’t tell them.” He strained to sit up, coughed and said, “He’s at the church, Eli. Esther took him to the lady at the church, just like you told her to. But they were never going to learn that from me.”
“Papa, I’m going to take you back to Lodz. We’ll get someone to fix you up.”
He started to lift his father, who groaned in pain. Eli’s hands were coated in blood. “I’ve got to get you to the truck. We need to go now.”
His father shook his head. “I can’t make it, son. It hurts too bad. Find Izaak and take him to safety. They’re looking for him.”
Eli shook his head. “I have to get you some help. Izzie is safe.”
Eli dressed the wound, tried to stop the bleeding the best he could and carried him to the truck. He drove back to Lodz at breakneck speed, all the way exhorting his father to hang on. When they arrived at Lodz and pulled into the lot, the sun had yet to rise and floodlights still illuminated the yard. The workers on the night shift were scurrying about, filling orders. Eli rushed around to the passenger side, gently lifted his father from the seat, turned and walked quickly toward the office, only to realize that he was carrying a lifeless body. He set him on the bed in the office, leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “They didn’t break you, Papa. You didn’t tell them anything. You saved Izzie’s life, and I’m so proud of you. But I have been proud of you every day of my life. I am so proud to be your son. God rest your blessed soul.”
As the day broke, Eli remained seated by his father. Avram came in with a clipboard in his hand and closed his eyes. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Eli. Is that your father?”
Eli nodded. “Tell Maximilian I want to see him. Before he takes another breath, he will answer to me.”
A short while later, Maximilian entered but kept his distance. “I hope you don’t hold me responsible for Jakob’s death. I knew nothing about it.”
“You sent them. Don’t deny it.”
“I do deny it. I sent no one. I learned early this morning that all Lipowa workers were to be permanently confined. There would be no future home privileges. Had you delayed your visit by one day, you would have known as well.”
Eli took a step forward. “You’re a liar. You’ve always been a liar. There isn’t a speck of truth that comes out of your mouth. They were there, the Jew Hunters, to take Esther into custody and to find Izaak. How would they even know about Izaak?”
Maximilian answered calmly. “The ORPO knows every single Jew in Lublin. Every child, every woman, every man. If you remember, there was a census conducted the first month of occupation.”