Chapter Twenty-Four

AVA

Ava stood beside the driveway to her family home, careful to conceal herself behind the cover of trees while she watched the house. There were no cars outside, and she couldn't detect any movement or anything out of the ordinary, so she decided to run up the driveway and go through the back door, just to be certain.

The only sound outside was the occasional chirp of birdsong, and Ava slipped through the door, closing it quietly behind her and then standing, dead still, to listen out. Her heart was beating so loud, her breathing was so ragged, that she could barely strain her ears to hear anything else.

‘Ava!'

Zelda dropped the folded stack of bed sheets she was carrying, her shriek making Ava almost jump from her skin.

‘I'm so sorry,' she said, bending to help Zelda collect the fallen load. ‘I've come home because I'm feeling unwell, and I had to pause there a moment to catch my breath. I didn't mean to take you by surprise.'

Zelda put her hand over her heart for a moment, before shaking her head and laughing at Ava. ‘Well, now that I've recovered my fright, let me make you some soup to help you feel better. You go on up to bed.'

‘Oh no, please,' Ava said, handing her the sheets. ‘I don't want you to go to any trouble. In fact, you should go home for the rest of the afternoon.'

‘Home?' Zelda looked as if Ava had suggested something most absurd. ‘I have beds to make and—'

‘Please,' Ava said. ‘I wouldn't want you catching this, it would devastate my mother if you became unwell and couldn't help her with her dinner party this weekend. My father told me today that she will be hosting some senior party members this weekend. Has she told you?'

Zelda's eyes widened. ‘This weekend? You're certain it's this weekend?'

‘I believe the date has just been set. I overheard talk today at the office.'

Ava touched Zelda's arm, trying her best to stay calm even though her heart was racing. The SS could arrive at any minute, and she needed to find her mother and get Zelda out of the house as quickly as possible so she wasn't drawn into whatever was about to happen. She wanted to believe that they wouldn't suspect her mother of being involved, but she had no way of being certain.

‘Now, where is my mother? If she doesn't yet know, then I'll have to tell her all about it.' Ava hoped her lie was convincing Zelda.

‘Your mother isn't here, Ava. She left in a hurry late this morning.'

Ava balled her fists, digging her fingernails tightly into her palms. ‘Did she mention where she was going?'

Zelda shook her head and turned as if to go up the stairs. ‘She didn't tell me.'

‘Zelda, please!' Ava said, taking the sheets forcibly from her. ‘I shall take these up. Take the rest of the afternoon off, and perhaps you can plan what you will serve for dinner this weekend? Mama will be most impressed if you have a menu for her to look over when you arrive in the morning.'

Zelda threw her hands up in the air, muttering something beneath her breath.

‘I promise I'll tell her that I sent you home, that it was all my idea. See you tomorrow.'

Ava stood at the foot of the stairs, watching as Zelda moved almost painfully slowly, gathering her bag and then eventually letting herself out. The moment she was gone Ava dropped the sheets and ran to the door, locking it and then running to the front door and locking that too. She glanced around, making sure there were no windows open, before sprinting up the stairs as fast as her feet would carry her.

She stopped beneath the attic door, fumbling around for the catch to pull the stairs down.

‘David! Herr Goldman!' she called. ‘We have to go! Quickly!'

She hurried up the stairs, her eyes adjusting to the dim light, and the first thing she saw was the fear written all over the faces staring back at her. They'd been playing a game of cards from the looks of it, and they were all frozen, cards still in hand.

‘What do you mean we have to go?' David asked, dropping his cards to the makeshift table.

‘I'll explain as we move, but quickly. Gather up warm clothes and follow me.' She paused. ‘We might not be coming back, so we need to prepare for colder weather, too.'

She rushed back down the narrow stairs, waiting impatiently at the bottom as Frau Goldman came down first, followed by the men. Ava took her arm, realising how frail she'd become in the time she'd been up in the attic.

‘Ava, tell us what's happened. Where are you taking us?' David asked.

‘Where is Eliana?' Frau Goldman asked, her face almost contorted as she fretted about her daughter.

‘I don't know what's happening, I don't know what they know or what they're going to do, but—'

‘What who is going to do?' David asked, moving to block her way.

‘David, we have to hurry!' she said, pushing her way past him. ‘We have a bunker in the field, just out from the garden, and we have to hide there. Papa told me that if anything happened I was to hide you there. That we were all to hide there until he came for us.'

‘Ava, what danger? Please, what has happened?'

‘They know,' she said, pausing at the door to unlock it and turning to face David. ‘I don't know what or how, but my father warned me – there were SS at our apartment, and I came here as quickly as I could to make sure you were safe. I don't know how long we have before they get here, or which of my family members they're even looking for.'

‘Where is my daughter?' Herr Goldman said. ‘Is she in danger, too?'

‘Eliana has gone to get Hanna, they'll be here soon,' Ava said. ‘But for now, we have to get to the bunker. It's the only place we'll be safe.'

‘The SS are coming here, aren't they?' David asked.

‘Yes,' she replied. ‘I think so.'

The moment the words were out of her mouth, David grabbed hold of his father's arm and moved even faster across the back garden than Ava.

Ava felt as if she'd been watching the house all day, when in fact she knew it couldn't have been for more than two hours. Her legs ached from being in the same position for so long, and her heartbeat hadn't settled since she'd left the office that morning. Now, darkness was slowly starting to creep across the sky, and she had no idea what to expect, what to do.

‘Do you hear that?' David asked.

‘Yes, I hear it.'

She wished she had binoculars so she could see what was coming, but her ears told her that it was more than one vehicle travelling up the road or already turning into their driveway. Their home was secluded and surrounded by trees, which meant they were able to hear any motor vehicle approaching.

A flash of black confirmed her fears – the SS had arrived, so there was no chance Eliana and Hanna were going to be joining them anytime soon. She only hoped they would realise before it was too late, and manage to turn around instead of being accosted by the men when they arrived, or by a patrol on the road.

‘Is there any chance that could be your father arriving?' David asked her.

She moved closer to him, wanting to make certain she was completely obscured from sight. ‘I don't know.' If she were being truthful, she didn't think there was any chance it could be him. Her father had managed to warn her, but she doubted he'd have been able to escape the city, and if he had, he certainly wouldn't be in an SS motorcade. Her greatest fear was that he wouldn't come at all, and then she wouldn't know what to do.

Ava watched as two men stepped out of the first car, but it was the second car that captured her attention. The driver turned to open the back door of the car, and she couldn't imagine who their passengers might be. Could it be her father?

No. No, no, no!

‘Eliana,' David whispered, at the same moment as Ava murmured her own sister's name.

She watched in horror as they were dragged from the car to the house, the men pounding on the door before kicking at the timber until it gave way, and then disappearing inside.

‘What do we do now?' David asked, turning to her.

Ava blinked away her tears. ‘We wait,' she said. ‘If we try to go in there now, they'll only kill us both, and then we won't be any use to anyone.'

She reached for David's hand, intertwining their fingers as they stood together and watched the house. She dropped her head to his shoulder as she tried not to imagine what they were doing to her beautiful sister, and to the girl who'd become her best friend.

Ava woke with a start, scrambling to her feet as she realised she'd fallen asleep. Everything came rushing back to her then, as David reached out a hand to steady her. Hanna. Eliana. Mama. She was grateful he was holding her as she stared at the house.

‘You should have woken me,' she mumbled. ‘I don't know how I fell asleep.'

‘You were barely asleep for thirty minutes,' he said, and it was then she realised she was still holding his hand. He must have noticed too, for he looked down and then let go of her, their fingers slowly parting.

‘Has anything happened?'

‘Two of the SS men just left,' he said.

She looked at the house, wishing they were able to get closer without being seen. ‘So you think there's only two of them left in the house? No one else has arrived?'

David nodded. ‘That's right.'

Ava stood for a moment, thinking through what her father would do in this situation, what Hanna would do, if she were in her shoes. She imagined Hanna would be far better at coming up with a plan, would have no doubt already thought through exactly what to do if she were faced with this very situation.

‘You didn't see any sign at all of my mother?' she asked, knowing it was unlikely that there'd been a sighting of her in the short time she'd been asleep.

‘No,' David replied, his face falling. ‘No sign at all.'

Ava didn't want to acknowledge the fact that she could have been taken already. Zelda had said she'd left in the morning, so what if she'd gone to the apartment to wait for her daughters, and been accosted there by the men Ava had seen? ‘I think we should go through the woods, get as close to the house as we can, and then make our way inside through the back door.'

‘It's our one chance to get Eliana and Hanna,' David said. ‘I agree.'

‘If we wait, if more men return when we're in the house...'

‘We move quickly,' he said. ‘We watch the house, see where the guards are, and then find them.'

Ava swallowed, looking at David, who appeared as uncertain as her, despite his words.

‘Do you have the gun?' she asked.

He reached into his waistband and took out the pistol she'd given him. ‘I do.'

They had only one gun between them, but this was her home, which meant she knew how to get in and move around inside without being seen. It was her only advantage, and she had to hope that it was enough.

After making their way through the woods and near the back door, Ava was confident that they could get inside undetected. There was only one car parked outside, and she knew that the longer they waited, the greater the risk.

‘You go in,' David whispered. ‘I'll go around the front.'

‘No!' she hissed. ‘You need to come with me. We go together.' She was already terrified of going in with him, let alone on her own.

‘Someone needs to keep a lookout. If they hear you, if they leave their posts, I can do something to get their attention. You need to go alone.'

‘David, they'll kill you if they see you.'

He looked into her eyes. ‘You think they'll treat you any differently? I'm as scared for you as you are for me.'

Ava knew he was right, even though she was loath to admit it. ‘Be careful,' she murmured, moving to stand from her crouched position, knowing she had to be brave and do this. If it were her inside, she had little doubt that Hanna would risk everything to save her.

‘You too.'

She didn't wait around to second-guess herself, running as fast as she could to the door. She waited for a moment, listening, before slowly turning the door handle. She'd locked it the day before, but thankfully it opened and she closed it behind her as quietly as she could. Ava could hear the two men talking, and she inched along the wall on tiptoe before darting along the hallway and going up the stairs. She was going to search upstairs first, and she took each step carefully so as not to make the floorboards squeak.

Every breath, every placement of a foot, sent a fresh wave of terror rolling through her body, but she forced herself to keep going, wishing there was some noise in the house so that every tiny movement didn't sound so loud. What worried her most was that she couldn't hear anything coming from any of the rooms, which made her wonder if Hanna and Eliana were even up there. Could they have escaped without her or David seeing? Or left with the other SS officers? A shudder ran down her spine. Were they downstairs? She doubted they'd escaped, because the SS officers would have sent for dogs and she knew the men would have searched the forest and hunted the girls down, not stopping until they'd apprehended them.

She reached the top of the stairs and pressed herself against the wall, her heart pounding so loud she was convinced it was audible outside of her body. Ava inched her way along, peering into her bedroom. No one was there. She moved slowly to the next door, a closet, and then tiptoed to her sister's room. She swallowed, trying to calm her breath as she continued on. There were only three rooms left to check, and she hurried down the short hall that led to her parents' bedroom.

Hanna.

Ava almost forgot she was supposed to be silent. She ran to her sister, taking in the dishevelled state of her hair, her ripped blouse, her undergarments showing as she fought against her restraints. But it was the cloth stuffed into her mouth and her cuffed hands that upset Ava the most.

She reached her sister, tears falling down her cheeks as she thought of all the hours she'd been up in the room alone, of what might have happened to her while Ava herself was hiding, safe, away from the house. She should have come sooner, should have fought for her the moment she'd seen her arrive.

‘Hanna,' she whispered. ‘I'm going to get you out of here. We just have to find Eliana, we—'

Hanna fought to speak, groaning as Ava's fingers worked as fast as they could to untie the crudely tied rag across her sister's mouth.

‘Ava,' Hanna croaked, her eyes wild with fear in the way that a cornered animal's might be, knowing their life was about to be taken. But it was only then that she realised her sister wasn't looking at her, but past her. ‘Ava—'

The hairs on the back of Ava's neck lifted when she sensed someone behind her, and suddenly understood her sister's panic. She froze, fear pulsating through every inch of her body. The sound of a heavy boot-step made her turn, her fear turning to panic as she saw the man standing in the doorway, his lips pulled tightly together. He narrowed his eyes, staring at her. But it wasn't the anger of his expression that terrified her so much as the pistol he was aiming at her chest.

Heinrich.

She had no doubt that he'd kill her without a second thought. A man she'd once loved so fiercely, but whom she now despised as much as he clearly despised her. And that's when she saw the half-naked woman in the adjoining room, took in Heinrich's untucked shirt, watched as Eliana lifted her head from behind him, her nose crusted with thick blood.

‘Heinrich, please,' Ava began, drawing her gaze back to him, but even she could hear the tremble of fear in her own whisper as she tried to reason with him. ‘Please put down the gun. We've done nothing wrong, this has all been a misunderstanding.'

Ava heard her sister move behind her, knew that he would kill both of them in an instant if she didn't do something to stop him. If only she'd managed to rid Hanna of her restraints, if only they had something to defend themselves with.

‘Heinrich—'

‘Shut up!' he screamed, the whites of his eyes flashing as he spat on the carpet in disgust.

‘Heinrich—'

‘You don't speak to me, you Jew-loving bitch!' Spittle formed in the corners of his mouth, a deranged man if ever she'd seen one.

Ava knew the only advantage she might have would be taking him by surprise; he was staring at her with so much hatred that she knew he wouldn't hesitate in pulling the trigger, but if she could just wrestle the gun from him or knock him off balance, at least her sister might have a chance.

She lunged forward without hesitation, diving to the side as the gun fired, lowering her body and quickly scrambling to her feet and charging at him with her shoulder, reaching desperately for the gun, her hands flailing while she struggled to connect with it.

He was so much bigger than her, so much stronger, and even as her fingers wrapped around the pistol, even as she fought with every bit of strength in her body to pull it from his grasp, she knew it was useless. Heinrich was going to kill her and her sister and Eliana, and then he'd find her mother, too.

When he wrestled the gun free from her grip, she only had a moment to find her feet before the butt of the pistol connected with the side of her head, sending her reeling. Ava staggered backwards, hand raised to her face, watching through blurry eyes as he cocked the gun once more, smiling as he did so, and she tried to focus on him through her blurry vision.

I'm going to die. He's going to kill all of us.

There was a cracking sound when Heinrich squeezed the trigger, the sound of her sister screaming behind her echoing through the room, and Ava looked down at her stomach, expecting to see crimson blood staining her top. She dropped to her knees and the room swam around her.

But that was when she realised that the scream piercing the air in the room wasn't coming from her sister. She scrambled backwards while Heinrich collapsed, the gun falling from his hands as Ava began to scream again, and the blood she'd expected to see on her own body pooled under his. She began to shake uncontrollably as she crawled across the room, tears streaming down her cheeks.

For Heinrich's wasn't the only fallen body in the room.