“There are laws, Dieter. She is entitled to little of it. We will get it back. In the meantime, I will help you with whatever you need. Where are you now?”
The boiling desert sun was still above the horizon, but it was growing as it neared the mountains, its fire threatening to roll over the dry desert and engulf everything. “On the freeway, heading toward the airport.”
“Where are you going to go?”
“I don’t know. After them?” The sun glared off the back windshield of the car in front of Dieter, a sudden white-hot flare of light. The highway and traffic snarls blurred, and he scrubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.
“Do you know where she and Hans went?” Wulfram asked.
“They’re probably heading to the airport. They would probably fly somewhere to get away so I can’t find them. I don’t know where they are!”
“No matter where they went, you can’t go after them seeking vengeance with a toddler in the back seat. Take the next exit. Come to the house.”
“You don’t think he would hurt her, do you? You don’t think it was about the money for him, and now he’ll hurt her?”
Wulfram sighed. “I’m sorry, Dieter. From the little Hans said, it didn’t seem to be about the money for him. I need you to come to the house, now.”
“All right. I’m taking the exit.”
“Good. I’ll stay on the line so I can buzz you into the development. We’ll handle this quietly.”
“Can Rae help with Alina?” he asked. He liked Rae. She was kind and gentle in a way that even made him feel quiet. He could trust her.
“There’s been a problem. She’s on bed rest, and she must not be disturbed.”
Shock zapped him. “Is she all right?”
“So far. And we hope for the best.”
“My God, Wulfram. Was this due to yesterday, at the hotel? Was this why I got the terse email from your sister about the wedding being delayed?” The whole world was in chaos.
“Unfortunately, yes, at least for the second part. About Alina, I’ll ask a favor of Frau Keller for tonight, and we’ll hire a nanny tomorrow. I had planned on adding staff for when our child is born, so you don’t mind if I use Alina as a guinea pig for a few months, do you?”
“You’re joking at a time like this,Durchlaucht?”
“I have alpine ice instead of blue blood,ja?You’ve told me this too many times. Have you taken the exit yet?”
Dieter turned the wheel and coasted down the freeway ramp to the stoplight. “Yes.”
“And you’re on your way to our house?”
Scots Road, which led toward the Apache Tears Ranch development, pointed a dark line between the tan shops and buildings toward the blue and fiery mountains. “Yes,Durchlaucht.”
“Good. Keep driving. Drive safely. Talk to me about what you need for the next few days.”
“I need to go after Gretchen!” They’d had their fights and their differences, but Dieter’s chest was collapsing into shattered bones and pulverized meat. He had thought that they had formed a family, a home together for their child, and now the very sky seemed to be ripping itself apart.
He should have known. That was the worst part: he should have seen her thieving intentions in her body and the way she walked across a room.
Wulfram said, “You’ll need to stay with us for a few days, at least. Perhaps longer. Yoshi is here, too, so the dining table will be crowded.”
Dieter snorted. Wulfram’s dining room seated forty comfortably.
“Where are you now?” Wulfram asked.
“Heading north on Scots Road. About to turn onto Range.”
“ETA?”
