The Secret Healer(104)
During dinner the previous night, Peter Goldmann had chatted amicably, but the conversation was one-sided; Elsbeth and Johannes replied tersely. They were too caught up in their own world.
Johannes reached Heidelberg at noon. His first order of business was to speak to Andreas.
“So you’re not sure whether anyone will testify on Madlen’s behalf?” Andreas said wearily.
Johannes shook his head slowly. “I hold very little hope.”
“Then we have to find other people willing to testify.” Andreas tapped his finger on his lips. “Like the women Madlen helped with their births.”
“We would have their testimonies but also the accusations that they were healed in the name of the devil.”
“We at least need someone who’s been healed of the cough.”
“As far as I know, that only happened in Worms.”
For a moment, neither one said anything.
“You have to take care of that then,” Andreas said finally. “I have to do everything I can to disprove these allegations of murder.”
“What kind of approach are you planning on taking?”
Andreas shook his head. “I haven’t been allowed to talk to this Barbara, though I’ve tried numerous times; Trauenstein’s guard hasn’t come forward, either.”
“And Barbara’s family or friends? What about other people who have something to do with Trauenstein’s house?”
“That’s just it. No one seems willing to step forward. I’ve talked with Kilian about it. He says that Barbara once trusted Irma unconditionally.”
“Who is Irma?”
“The young woman who wore Madlen’s bloodstained dress and helped her escape from the city. She and Kilian are together. But Barbara has become more and more withdrawn since she entered into service as the Trauensteins’ maid.”
“Do you believe that Matthias has been violent with her?”
Andreas nodded. “Kilian suggested there was some evidence of that.”
“But then she must certainly want to press charges against Trauenstein so that justice can be served.”
“Unfortunately, that does not look likely; he’s a nobleman and does whatever he pleases.”
“Then we must focus on what it will take to convict him,” Johannes said thoughtfully. “Are there more women in the Trauenstein house?”
Andreas shrugged. “I don’t know. That could be a viable approach.”
Johannes nodded. “Let’s try to find out. I’ll speak to Kilian so that he can send this Irma to Barbara. She might be able to find her.”
Andreas felt hopeless. He hadn’t heard from Barbara in a long time. Most importantly, he didn’t know how Matthias Trauenstein had treated her after she’d testified in court. He regretted never looking into Barbara’s well-being after her court appearance. He briefly wondered whether she was even alive.
“What are you thinking?” Johannes asked.
Andreas pressed his lips together. “I didn’t look into how Barbara fared. She was quite distraught when she was forced to testify in court. I saw it. Terror was written all over her face; she was deathly afraid when she looked at Matthias. But I didn’t follow up. When we won the case, Madlen was exonerated. After that, Madlen escaped, then I just left.”
“And now you blame yourself?”
Andreas nodded.
“It was your responsibility to defend your client, and you did just that.”
“But it was my responsibility as a person not to abandon Barbara; I should have offered to help.”
Johannes shook his head. “I have years more experience than you do. Believe me, this will not be the last time you doubt yourself. We’re lawyers. We stand for justice. But what is justice?”
“Doing the right thing?” Andreas replied.
“I’ll prosecute Madlen and you will defend her. Ostensibly, we’ll be on different sides, though secretly we want to accomplish the same things. We’ll craft clever, convincing speeches, but in reality, we’re nothing but jugglers trying to manipulate the system and the minds of the people. And if we do our jobs well, we’ll get what we want in the end.”
“Has this profession made you cynical?” Andreas asked.
“Maybe, but I have never felt it like I do now. The entire prosecution, which took weeks for me to prepare, the investigators I hired, the many leads I had to follow up on . . . I was completely convinced that I was hunting for a woman in whose body the devil himself resided,” Johannes said, shaking his head sadly. “I was completely sure of myself. Then I met with Madlen and found out what she’d been accused of. The law, which we have both sworn to uphold, hunted down this wonderful woman and made her suffer. Is it any wonder that I feel cynical?”