“I understand.”
“Maybe you do; maybe you don’t. He describes the day in vivid detail. His mother wrested him from his bed in the middle of the night. She grabbed a pillowcase full of clothes, took him by the hand and ran through the streets to the church. The church was empty, but for a light coming from beneath a closed rectory door. All of this was frightening to Izaak. I can only imagine the effect such an imposing ordeal would have on a seven-year-old.
“The priest quickly ushered Izaak and Esther into his room and closed the door. Then he threw on a coat and left. Minutes later, he returned with Lucya Sikorska, whom Izaak recognized from his uncle’s celebration. Izaak doesn’t know what was said outside his presence, but ultimately his mother returned and knelt on the floor. She hugged him and told him he would be staying with Lucya. He was told to obey her and follow her instructions without question. Esther couldn’t tell him when or if she would come back to pick him up. He remembers crying and begging her not to leave. He remembers his mother crying as well but insisting that it was for the best. Lucya and the priest were holding him tightly when Esther walked away. He remembers screaming for her to come back. That was the last time he saw her.”
Eli’s heart was heavy as he took it all in. “I have imagined that scene over and over in my mind, and it has haunted me. Indeed, I have asked myself, how does a man leave his son at a time of utmost danger and retain his self-respect? It’s only because you tell yourself it must be done in order to save his life. Now I’m at peace with it because Izaak survived and because Esther had the courage to do what had to be done. I know he has fears, but I continue to assure him that no one will ever leave him again.”
“But he can’t be certain of that, can he?”
Eli slowly shook his head. “No one can.”
“Exactly.”
Eli nodded. “Thank you for being here for Izzie. He has asked me if you could live here. I don’t know how you feel about that, but you may stay for as long as you like.”
“He has asked me as well.”
Eli took a deep breath. “Adinah, I…”
“He doesn’t want me to be his mother. He prays that he will be reunited with his mother, though I think he harbors serious doubts. I don’t want to replace his mother in his eyes or in yours. Maybe I could just be a placeholder until Esther is found, or until he is older. I know I don’t want him to suffer another person leaving him. Perhaps that is me talking. Perhaps I am the selfish one who fears separation. Perhaps I need him as much as he needs me. I don’t know the answer.”
“I meant it when I said you could stay with us as long as you like.”
Adinah nodded.
Eli smiled. “But that’s not the same as asking you to stay, is it?”
“No, it’s not.”
“Then let me be more direct. I can partition off a section of our front room. I can make it very pretty and very private. You don’t have to leave. Will you please stay with us?”
Adinah bowed her head. “Thank you.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
FÖHRENWALD DP CAMP
AMERICAN ZONE
DECEMBER 1946
Major Donnelly, Eli and three military policemen headed north out of Föhrenwald in the predawn hours, confident that they would terminate the illegal visa sales and arrest the impresario who went by the name of Max. For Eli, there was a more pressing quest—if Max was indeed Maximilian Poleski, then Eli would soon learn the truth about Esther. Maximilian would know.
Eli continued to wonder: How did Maximilian possibly survive? That last day in Globočnik’s office played out in his memory. Maximilian’s crimes were exposed, and his fate was sealed. He should have been executed on the spot. Maximilian had urged Eli to lie about the missing money on the premise that he would protect Esther and get them all safely to Sweden, yet he had to have known Lipowa was closed and the women had been transported away. Maximilian had to know where Esther was sent. If she was transported to Belzec, sadly, that would have been the end of the road. Half a million Jews were murdered in Belzec’s gas chambers.
But Maximilian had sworn to protect her. Maybe there was an opportunity for him to have Esther sent to another workshop, if for no other reason than to continue to use her as a hostage against Eli’s threat to leave the brickyard. If that was the case, she could have survived and Maximilian would know where she was. All of these conflicting thoughts went through Eli’s mind as he drove west toward Landsberg. In a few hours, he would have the answers.
* * *
“He told me that noon was a bad time to make the exchange,” Bruchstein said to the group. “Max will only do it under cover of darkness, and then only on the road outside of the camp. The plan is for me to have the Davisons’ money and meet him at eight p.m. Alone. He doesn’t want Aaron Davison or anyone else present. He said he doesn’t trust anyone but me. If he sees anyone else, he’ll bolt. He’s very skittish since the incident at Föhrenwald.”
Eli exhaled. “I don’t like it. It’s a dark wooded area.”
“I’m sure he’s considered that,” Bruchstein said.
The major waved off the concern. “No worries, we’ve done dark operations before. This is not new to us. We’ll be out of sight, and when the time comes, we’ll take him into custody. You have my assurance.”
Eli pulled the major aside. “When you grab him, before he’s taken away, I need a few minutes alone with him. I need to confront him. In private.”
“Colonel Bivens told me about the man who betrayed your family. I’ll give you the time, but I have to be present. I can’t risk you taking out your revenge.”
“Please, Major. I need to be alone in a room with him. I need to find out about my wife. He might not say anything if you were in the room, but he and I go back a long way. We had a relationship of sorts. I’m hoping a vestige remains. Information about my wife is far more important to me than revenge. It may lead me toward locating her, or it may simply give me closure. Please, just give me a few minutes, and you can have him. You have my word.”
* * *
As it happened, the road to Landsberg wound through a thick pine forest, perfect cover for Donnelly and his men. Light from a gibbous moon gave a soft glow to the snow-covered terrain at the point of exchange. Eli stationed himself behind a clump of evergreens and anxiously awaited the crescendo. Answers to his five-year quest lay in reach.
At precisely 8:00 p.m., a solitary vehicle approached from the east. Bruchstein took his place by the side of the road, and as the car drew nearer, he waved a flashlight. The car slowed to a halt a short distance in front of Bruchstein. Max left the motor running and walked forward. Twenty paces before reaching Bruchstein, Max suddenly stopped. “Shael, do you have the money?” he called.
“Of course, twelve thousand francs. Did you bring the two visas?”
He gestured back over his shoulder. “They’re in the car. Where is the money? I need to see the money first.”
Bruchstein held up an open envelope and thumbed through the bills. “It’s right here.”
Max took a step forward. “Hand it over, and I’ll go back and get the visas.”