Johannes turned to him. “What did you say?”
“You can stop knocking,” he explained. “The women left on a boat. Nobody’s home.”
“You saw which boat they got onto?”
“Yes, I did.” The little boy put his hands on his hips.
“What did the women look like?”
The youngster cocked his head to the side. “One of them is a seamstress. Her name is Agathe, and she owns this house. And the other one was younger.” He scratched his head. “She had long dark hair. And she had”—he tapped his finger right on his upper lip—“a spot right here.”
“A mole,” Johannes murmured as a cold chill ran up and down his spine. Thoughts raced feverishly through his brain. “Can you say whether they were somehow forced? Was somebody with them? Did you see any signs of violence?”
The youngster shook his head. “Nope. The skipper helped them board, and they took sail.”
“When was that?”
“Just two days ago,” the boy said.
Johannes shook his head in disbelief; he was completely confused. The boy turned and started to walk away.
“Do you know which skipper it was?”
The boy thought it over for a moment. “Yes, but he’s not back yet.”
“Tell me his name.”
Johannes walked over to him and put a coin in the little boy’s filthy hand; he smiled, greatly satisfied. “His name is Hugo. He used to be a fisherman, but now he transports merchandise.”
“Hugo. And you know for sure that he’s not back yet?”
“I was just at the pier. His boat wasn’t there. Can I go now?”
“One moment,” Johannes said and took another coin out of his pocket. “I’m giving this to you so that you’ll keep your eyes open. As soon as Hugo comes back, you let me know.”
The boy wrinkled his forehead.
“I’ll give you another coin.”
“Two.”
“Fair enough, two. But you have to be very vigilant.”
“I promise.” The youngster solemnly put a hand to his chest.
“Good. Then we have a deal.”
The boy gave him a broad grin. “I’ll run to your house right away. You can count on me, my lord.” With that, he disappeared around the corner.
Johannes sat limply on the front stairs of Agathe’s house. Maria was gone. He couldn’t believe it. She had left him because of a little disagreement. Or was she afraid to come home because something happened with the baby? The last time they saw each other, she had some pain but rejected medical treatment from the doctor. Everybody knew that bloodletting helped bring the bodily fluids back in balance. Why had Maria reacted so squeamishly? And when the doctor had gone, she had given him a look of such contempt, the likes of which he’d never before seen from his wife. What had happened? His stomach hurt. He needed to speak with his mother as soon as possible. Elsbeth had to tell him every word of what Maria said when he went to fetch the doctor. When he reached home a few moments later, he was completely out of breath. One of the guards opened the door and let him in.
“Is my mother here?”
“Yes, she is with your father in his office.”
“Johannes!” Elsbeth entered the hall. “You’re here. I need to speak with you.”
“I have to speak with you, too. Come on.” They both went into the adjacent dining room, and Johannes closed the door behind him. “What happened when I went to fetch the doctor?”
“Excuse me? What are you talking about?”
“The evening when Maria suffered her bout of weakness. You were alone with her. What happened when I was gone?”
Elsbeth looked quite confused. “Nothing,” she answered.
“But something must have happened.”
“Wait a minute. Let me think about it.” Elsbeth closed her eyes. “You said that Maria wasn’t doing well and asked me to take care of her while you fetched the doctor.”
“Correct. And what happened after that?”
“I went to her. Maria’s whole body was trembling. She was terribly pale, the poor thing. I believe I told her that it would be better for her to lie down.” Elsbeth looked over at the chair that Madlen would sit at during meals. “Then she stood up and vomited. I called for Helene, and we brought her upstairs to your bedchamber. You know the rest.”
“No. There must be something else. Did she say anything? Were things going poorly for the baby? Can you remember anything else?”
“Johannes, what is this? You’re frightening me. I promise you, there was nothing else. As soon as she lay down, you came in with the doctor.”