Over the sound of movements, Amber finished with, “Once we finish the run-through of Act Two, we’ll work on the blocking again. We’re down to less than six weeks, folks. Let’s make every moment count.”
Everyone was in place. She looked to the piano again.
“Okay, Hermann, hit it.”
Chapter 34
“Halt!”
The three laughing apprentices came to a sudden stop in front of a short man with a very loud voice who was obstructing their path with his hand upheld.
“Sir?” Martin asked. He was the oldest, tallest, and loudest of the trio, so he took the lead in most everything they did. At the moment, he was acting a bit pugnacious.
“You,” the hand suddenly became a spear with a finger that rammed under Martin’s breastbone. “Get back there and pick up the woman you just knocked over.”
Such was the tone in the man’s voice and the expression on his face that there was no hesitation. Martin spun and hurried to assist the young woman who was struggling to arise with the aid of her cane.
“You and you,” the pointing finger now aimed at the two younger members of the trio, “stand there against the wall.” The pointing finger moved, and so did they, as if attached to it.
The older youth meanwhile had lifted the young woman by main strength, and set her on her feet, all the while apologizing profusely. He was now hovering over her, hands almost outstretched as if he was about to try to dust her off, but couldn’t figure out a way to do it that wouldn’t get him in more trouble.
“That is enough,” the man called out. “Get back over here with your friends.” In a moment, there were three nervous faces in a row, looking back at him.
Gotthilf frowned fiercely. “I am Detective Sergeant Hoch, of the Magdeburg Polizei.” He pulled a case out of his coat pocket, and flipped it open.
Two of the faces went ashen at the sight of the snarling lion badge now displayed in front of their noses; the youngest boy’s face lit up and he leaned forward just a bit. “Cool,” he breathed. That word had become almost as ubiquitous among the youth of Magdeburg as okay had. One of his friends elbowed him, and he straightened in a hurry.
The boys watched as the sergeant put his badge away and took out a small notebook and pencil from an inside pocket.
“Names.”
The stammered responses were jotted down in the notebook.
“Martin, Phillip, and Johann. The three most common names for boys in Thuringia. Why could your parents not have had some sense of originality?”
The pencil stopped.
“Masters.”
Those names were also jotted down in the notebook. The boys’ eyes watched as the notebook was closed and returned to its resting place. If anything, the boys were looking even more nervous.
“Now, what are you doing running loose on an afternoon when you should be at work?”
The two younger boys looked at the hapless Martin. “It, um, it is the commemoration of the Lord’s Presentation. Our masters were called to the guild halls, and said we could take this afternoon off.”
“And what were you going to do? Besides get into trouble, that is.”
Again the glances, again Martin had to speak. “We thought…”
“Yes?”
“We heard about the fights out at the old bear pit,” one of the younger boys—Phillip—piped up.
“The fights, huh? And what do you know about them?”
“That Hans Metzger is the best fighter,” Johann said.
“Is not,” from Phillip.
“Is too!”
They both shut up as a red-faced Martin almost knocked them down with nudges from his elbows.
“Hans Metzger, huh?”
Nods from all the boys.
“Well, you had better pray that you don’t meet Herr Metzger, since that was his sister that you sent sprawling in the dirt and gravel.”
Three faces suddenly achieved a corpselike pallor.
“Somehow I do not believe your masters would countenance your running wild in the streets of the city, knocking young women off of their feet.”
The sergeant’s expression had just gone from stern to flinty.
“And I hate to think what might happen to anyone who Herr Metzger thought had given his sister less than the respect he believes she is due.”
Two sets of eyes were very wide; young Phillip’s were half-closed, and he wavered a bit as he stood there.
“I suggest that you go provide your most profound apologies to Fraulein Metzger, then get out of my sight. Is that clear?” He pointed toward the young woman, who was standing where Martin had left her, leaning on her cane. The boys timidly approached her. Each bowed in turn, and attempted to apologize to her, stammering all the while and casting sidelong glances at the sergeant.