The Secret Healer (17 page)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Johannes was a nervous wreck. Two days earlier, Maria had disappeared from the face of the earth, as had Agathe. He searched all over Worms, but any clues to his wife’s whereabouts led nowhere. Was it possible that the women had fallen victim to a crime? He ran through the streets, asking everyone he met if they’d seen his wife. The answer was always the same. Consumed by panic and despair, he ran like mad, calling their names again and again. He went to the harbor, and for the umpteenth time went to Agathe’s house and knocked on the front door. Nobody opened the door, and there were no signs of activity inside. A boy no older than ten walked by. He looked at Johannes. “They’re gone,” he said simply.

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.”

“Did you two have a fight? Did you say something that you now regret, insult her somehow? Please, Mother.”

“As I’ve already told you,” Elsbeth said loudly, “there wasn’t the slightest disagreement between us. Never. I loved her from the first moment I met her. You know that.”

Johannes covered his face with his hands. “I just don’t understand it.”

“What is it, Johannes? What’s happened?” His mother looked at him pleadingly.

He took a deep breath. “She’s gone, Mother. Maria left me.”

Elsbeth looked at him in disbelief. She wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. She opened her mouth and then shut it again.

“I ran into a little boy. Maria and Agathe left Worms two days ago on a boat. She’s gone, Mother. Simply gone.” He rubbed his eyes.

“That can’t be,” Elsbeth insisted. “I simply don’t believe it. The little boy must have been mistaken. Or he deceived you. Maria would never leave you. She loves you, Johannes. I know it.”

“Yes, that’s what I thought,” he replied bitterly. “But she must have fooled us.”

They both sat there for a few minutes, trying to comprehend what had happened.

“You have to look for her,” Elsbeth said finally.

“As soon as the skipper comes back, the boy will let me know. I’ll find her and confront her.”

“I’ll go with you,” Elsbeth said immediately. She put her hand on her son’s arm. “I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for this. Perhaps someone got sick. I thought you said that Agathe was a good friend of her mother’s? That’s it.” Elsbeth raised her index finger confidently. “Her mother. She’s ill, and the two women went to help her.”

“And Maria didn’t have time to let me know?” He raised his eyebrows. “You really don’t believe that, do you, Mother?”

“It’s the only explanation. They were in a hurry, a big hurry. She had no other choice. Or”—she held up her finger again—“she came to tell you, but you weren’t here. She couldn’t wait because the boat wanted to set sail. In a couple of days, she’ll be back and tell you all about it. Yes, you’ll see.”

He sighed. “The boy told me that both women quietly boarded the boat and left Worms. Neither of them appeared to be rushed. No. She didn’t think it was necessary to let me know. No woman that loves her husband would do that.”

“But your child?”

Her remark cut him like a knife. His mother was right. Maria was carrying his child. How dare she snatch their unborn child away from its father! “I’ll wait until the skipper returns to Worms. And then I’ll find them, even if I have to beat it out of him. I’ll find her, Mother.”

She quickly grabbed his arm. “Don’t become bitter. You don’t know the truth.”

He smiled joylessly. “It will be difficult for me to do that.” He turned to go.

“Oh, Johannes. Earlier, this Heidelberger you were expecting came here. I told him that you were away on an urgent matter. He’ll come back tomorrow.”

Johannes sighed. He hadn’t thought about Matthias Trauenstein at all. It didn’t suit him to fulfill his duty and meet this man right now when his thoughts were on his Maria’s disappearance. But he knew that he had no other choice. “Did he say when he’d be back?”

“Tomorrow around noon. I offered him accommodations here at the house, but he rented a room in the tavern instead.” Elsbeth was clearly displeased. She wouldn’t approve of her own husband staying in a tavern on business trips instead of accepting the hospitality of his business partners. Beyond any doubt, Peter Goldmann was a proper and magnificent husband, with a spotless reputation. But Elsbeth did not delude herself: when Peter was gone for several weeks, she’d rather not know what he did to make his time more pleasurable.

“Under the circumstances, it’s better not to have him in the house right now,” Johannes confessed. “But I do need to speak with him. I am obliged by the archbishop.”

“Agreed.” Elsbeth pressed her lips together. Though she was only too happy to contribute some words of comfort to her son, she still couldn’t believe her daughter-in-law had deceived them.

“I’ll be in my bedchamber, thinking all this over in peace and quiet.”

“Supper is almost ready. Helene has prepared a lovely—”

“Thanks, Mother, but I’m not hungry. I need to lie down.”

“All right. I’ll let you know if something comes up.” She smiled at her son as he returned to his room. The sadness in his eyes pained her.

When Johannes opened his eyes, it was morning again. He felt miserable; he’d gotten virtually no sleep, racking his brain for what prompted his wife to take this step. But he couldn’t think of a thing that could have led her to turn her back on him and Worms.

He swung his legs sluggishly out of bed and sat for a moment on the edge of the mattress. He turned, as though he might find Maria lying next to him. The sight of the unused pillows made his blood boil. He stood up with a jolt, got dressed, dipped his hands in the washstand basin, and splashed cool water onto his face. But that didn’t help clear his head. His whole body hurt, and he would have preferred to fall right back into bed. He rubbed his eyes as he left his bedchamber and entered the hall. He heard muffled sounds coming from the kitchen.

Slowly, he descended the stairs, pushed his hands through his hair, and went into the kitchen. “Good morning, Helene. Are my parents home?”

“Your mother went to the market with Tilda, and your father’s working in his office. Can I serve you your breakfast?”

Johannes still wasn’t hungry but decided to eat anyway. He couldn’t think without something in his stomach. On one hand, he had to speak with the Heidelberger. On the other hand, he was burning with anticipation. The little boy would probably come to the house today.

“Yes, but not much. Just a slice of bread and ham.”

Helene nodded and immediately set out to perform her duties. Johannes sat on the small kitchen bench and began to eat as soon as Helene served him. She gave him some spiced wine to wash it all down with. The wine smelled terrible to Johannes. “Just give me some water and take this away.” The maid was somewhat puzzled but did what her young master asked.

Johannes ate and brooded quietly. When he was finished, he stood, said good-bye, and went to his father’s office. As he approached, there was a knock at the front door and the guard opened it. Elsbeth came in carrying a basket on one arm, with Tilda following close behind.

“Oh, Johannes, you’re here. You look terrible.”

“And a good morning to you, too, Mother.”

“Go upstairs quickly, put on some decent clothes, and comb your hair. I just ran into this Heidelberger, and he asked whether it was possible for you to receive him as soon as possible. It would have been rude to put him off. He’ll be here any minute.”

Johannes nodded, let go of the office doorknob, and went upstairs to his room. Just as he finished grooming himself, he heard the visitor arrive. Johannes looked down from above as a tall, dark-haired man entered the house. He was rich, you could see that at a glance. Johannes was used to sizing up people as quickly as possible. He thought of Maria, the one he’d failed to size up accurately, and it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Oh, there he is now,” Elsbeth said, pointing up at him.

Johannes forced himself to smile as if he was actually looking forward to meeting with the Heidelberger. He walked down the steps calmly and stretched his right hand out to the man. “Johannes Goldmann. Welcome.”

“Matthias Trauenstein. Thank you for your kindness in receiving me so early in the day.”

“Please.” Johannes pointed over to the dining room door. “Let’s go in there so we can speak in private.”

“Helene, please serve our guest.” Elsbeth clapped her hands.

Matthias Trauenstein bowed compliantly, and he and Johannes went into the dining room. “Please. Sit down.”

“Thank you.” Matthias took a seat. “I must say, your home is quite impressive.”

“My mother,” Johannes explained. “She had a hand in the decoration of the entire house. You won’t find a room that wasn’t decorated exactly to her taste.”

Matthias Trauenstein sighed. “I know very well what you mean. My wife, Adelhaid, was equal to your mother in every way.” He put on a sorrowful expression. “But as you already know, she’s gone.”

Johannes was surprised how quickly the Heidelberger got straight to the point.

Helene knocked, then set a tray carefully on the table. The visitor stared at her backside. It almost looked as if it was everything the Heidelberger could do to keep his hands off her. There was something in the eyes of this stranger that Johannes loathed. “Thank you, Helene. I’ll serve our guest myself.”

The maid nodded, curtsied, and left the room.

“A pretty young thing, I must say.” Matthias grinned lasciviously. When he noticed the disapproving glare on his host’s face, he changed his demeanor instantly. “It’s hard for a widower,” Matthias tried to explain. “Since my wife passed on, or rather, was murdered, my world hasn’t been the same.”

“Tell me, please, how it all came about. I only know bits and pieces.”