“No!”
I spun and found Paulina once more in the doorway, her eyes filled with horror.
“Catrin—” she said. But her words stopped there. She would be putting herself in danger if she defended me. Her eyes met mine and I shook my head. I wouldn’t let her do it.
“Congratulations, sister,” Catrin said, getting to her feet. “You are German once more. No more American identity to hide behind.”
I heard a noise from the other side of the room and glanced at my mother who was watching the whole thing from her bed in weary fascination.
“I thought we weren’t sisters anymore,” I said. “Didn’t you say—” But my thought was cut off by the sound of someone knocking at the front door.
The four of us stared at one another, and then Paulina rushed from the room, only to return moments later with Lieutenant Schmeiden leading the way.
“Well, what do we have here?” he asked and I watched with curiosity as Catrin’s demeanor changed from steely to something almost meek.
“Good evening, Lieutenant,” she said, eyes downcast, shoulders slumping slightly.
“I see they’ve let you leave your post in Berlin again, fräulein,” he said.
“My superior is aware of Mrs. Holländer’s failing health, and my loyalty to her because of her years of sponsorship,” Catrin said.
I glanced at Paulina, but she was too engrossed in the conversation to catch my eye, her hands deep in her skirt pockets as she slowly moved in closer, her gaze moving from Catrin to the lieutenant.
“Of course,” the lieutenant said in a smooth, almost placating voice that set my nerves on edge. I got the distinct feeling there was no love lost between these two and began to feel like I’d somehow gotten myself trapped in a cat-and-mouse situation. But who was the mouse? And who was the cat...
“What’s that in your hand?” Lieutenant Schmeiden asked Catrin.
My heart nearly stopped. My German passport.
She held it out and the room went still as he examined it, and then looked from me to Catrin.
“And why do you have fräulein Klein’s identification?” he asked her.
At that, my mother began to cough, waving one hand while the other grasped at her throat.
“She’s choking,” I said, hurrying to the bedside and hauling her quickly but gently into a seated position. “Paulina. Her water.”
Paulina was instantly beside me, helping me hold my mother upright. But even as we were trying to help her, she was pushing against us. Pushing us aside, her eyes trained on my sister, more intent than I’d seen them since arriving.
I looked over my shoulder at Cat and saw her jaw clench, seeming to physically restrain herself from whatever it was she’d been about to say. The fear I’d felt before intensified as understanding about the dynamics happening in the room became clear. We were in a web of lies, and one truth could undo it all in front of the anxious lieutenant, risking all our lives. What he wanted was dependent on me and my sister not existing as the next of kin to our mother. As far as he knew, we were acquaintances, and the estate was up for grabs as soon as our mother passed. Were he to find out we were her daughters, our lives would be in danger. Meanwhile, my sister hated me. Would she risk revenge by revealing the truth about me? By doing so, she didn’t know if I’d reveal her in turn. If we were found out, our mother could be questioned. And then there was Paulina...who held all our secrets.
I felt my mother’s body falter, the strain of sitting up too much. Carefully, Paulina and I laid her back down and then moved back to our previous spots in the room, the lieutenant watching our every move.
“Why did you have this?” Lieutenant Schmeiden asked Catrin again, holding up the passport and then handing it over to me.
I shoved it in my pocket and looked to Paulina again, worried about the soldier’s focus on my sister.
“I wanted to know who this stranger was who’s been taking care of my friend,” Catrin said. “I was surprised to return yesterday and find fräulein Klein here. I was suspicious of her motives.”
“But she is a nurse. Brought here by Mrs. Holländer’s trusted servant. I would think you’d be happy to have help for your friend in her last days.”
“Of course,” Catrin said, sinking into herself as if trying to seem smaller. Insignificant and non-threatening. “I am very grateful.”
The lieutenant began to move around the room. “It’s you whose motives I question, fräulein,” he said. “It is you who began showing up as soon as Mrs. Holländer arrived back in her lovely, expensive home, knowing what treasures you might gain for yourself once she’s gone.”
Catrin shook her head and I could see her calculating her next words carefully as Paulina moved closer to me, her arm brushing mine. I ignored her at first, and then her arm pressed into me, as though she were trying to get my attention. I looked over and met her eyes, which moved downward purposefully. Frowning, I followed her gaze, my heart skipping a beat when I saw what she had in her skirt pocket.
A pistol.
