The Secret Healer (21 page)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Johannes took the time to write a long letter to the archbishop, informing him that he was in the process of tracking down the secret healer. He didn’t reveal her identity but announced that it wouldn’t take much longer until he’d be able to bring this woman as his prisoner to Trier.

He gave the letter to Elsbeth to send. His mother promised to send it, even though she hated the thought that there would be no turning back once the message was delivered. Afterward, Johannes packed up some things, tied up the bundle, and said good-bye to his parents. He went to the harbor, where the skipper was waiting for him.

“I’m bringing another passenger. He’ll help me with loading and unloading.”

Johannes scrutinized the young man and nodded his approval. They unmoored the boat and pushed off the dock into the deep waters of the Rhine, sailing quickly downstream. Johannes had not informed the Heidelberger of his journey. Though Trauenstein had wormed his way into becoming an official investigator for the archbishop, Johannes’s own trials and tribulations weighed far heavier on him than the threat of this Heidelberg nobleman accusing him of misconduct.

Thoughts swirled through his mind as Worms shrank into the distance. A few days ago, his wife had seen the same view. Was she sorry that she had to leave him? He wondered whether everything had been a lie or whether Maria had really loved him, even just a little. Or had she used every opportunity to manipulate him, to cover up the devil’s evil activities by being at the side of a respected citizen? He shook his head. No matter what she felt or didn’t feel for him, it was his duty to catch her and denounce her as a handmaiden of the devil. Terrible images loomed in his mind’s eye; he saw his pregnant wife with a rope around her neck. He felt his heart beating violently. Could he bear the sight of that?

“Are you all right?”

Johannes flinched when the young man approached him from the side.

“Oh forgive me, I didn’t want to frighten you. I thought the rocking of the boat might be bothering you.”

“No, that’s not it. I was just . . . oh, it’s not important.”

“Let me know if you need anything. I promised to lend the skipper a hand so that he would take me with him.”

“Where are you going?”

“To Rotterdam. And from there, I’ll be taking a ship over the big sea.”

“I’ve never understood that.” Johannes shook his head.

“What do you mean?”

“The longing to go to foreign lands. I could hear it in your voice.”

“Was it really that obvious?” The young man grinned. “But yes, you’re right, my lord. I’ve wished for this my whole life.”

“Then I hope that you find what you’re looking for.”

“I thank you, my lord.”

“What’s your name?”

“Andreas.”

“Well, Andreas, we’ll be spending some time together over the next few days. You can call me Johannes.”

“Thank you, Johannes. And you? Where are you going?”

“To Emmerich.”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

“It’s usually a four-day sail. However, I’ve made an agreement with the skipper to keep sailing well into the night. We should be there in three days or less.”

“Are you in such a hurry?”

“Oh, yes.” Johannes looked pensively over the water.

“May I ask why?”

Johannes thought about it briefly. “I must ensure that justice is served,” he said.

“Justice in whose name?”

“In the name of the archbishop.”

Andreas whistled through his teeth. “I hope you succeed.”

Johannes, who had been clutching the railing so tightly that his knuckles were white, loosened his grip. “I will. You can bet on it.”

Over the course of the next two days, Johannes studied the landscape bordering the Rhine, sometimes with such intensity that he didn’t see it at all. The young man, Andreas, was a pleasant traveling companion. They talked for long stretches about this and that, though Johannes took care not to reveal too much. Andreas told Johannes that he hadn’t been in Worms for long before he had the great fortune of running into the skipper, who agreed to take him in exchange for a few pennies and his help in loading and unloading. Emmerich wasn’t far from the border of the Netherlands. Andreas would not have to go much farther to reach his destination. Johannes listened carefully as he spoke of other countries and cultures. Something seemed vaguely familiar about this Andreas. He couldn’t say why. Probably because the men had understood each other so well from the beginning. Their social standings were worlds apart, yet Johannes had a feeling that Andreas would become an asset to him.

“You should lie down and rest a little. We’ll be arriving in Emmerich early tomorrow morning,” reported the skipper, who used all his might to keep the boat in the middle of the river’s strongest current.

“Good. You’ve kept your promise,” Johannes said. “You’ve truly earned the bonus.”

The skipper acknowledged this with a smile. Johannes rolled up in his blanket and closed his eyes. When his wife’s image appeared to him, he opened his eyes again. He didn’t want to think about her now. When he dreamed of her, try as he might, he couldn’t conjure up thoughts of revenge or condemnation. Rather, he saw her smiling in front of him—beautiful, charming, and seductive. No, he didn’t want to see her.

“Tomorrow, you’ll be close to fulfilling your duty,” Andreas said suddenly in the dark of the night.

“I know,” Johannes said a little bit irritably. “That’s why I’m going to sleep.”

“Good night.”

“Good night,” Johannes replied and pulled his blanket a little bit higher, although he could still feel the warmth of the sunny day. Thoughts swirled around his head again, but he stopped trying to suppress them. She was still alive and well. Soon, other gruesome pictures of his wife burned in his brain. He wanted to enjoy them.

They arrived in Emmerich before dawn, as promised. The harbor was quiet. The boats floated calmly, and nobody seemed to be awake. Johannes paid the skipper the promised fee.

“It was my pleasure,” the skipper said as he gratefully held the money in the palm of his hand. “If there’s nothing else I can do, I’ll go to lie down now.” He pointed to a back corner, where he’d rested only briefly in the last few days in order to sail as much as possible.

“Sleep well.” Johannes gestured to Andreas. “Let’s get off the boat and let this man have some peace and quiet.”

The skipper touched his finger to the brim of his cap. “I wish you good luck.” He waited until both men walked over the plank and had their feet on the ground. Then he slid the plank back into the boat. It was securely moored, and the skipper soon fell fast asleep.

“Where are you going now?” Johannes asked Andreas.

“I want to take a look around. If I like it here, I’ll stay a few days. And you?”

Johannes paused then yawned. “It’s too early to ask myself that question.” He scratched his chin. “If you want, we can look for a guest house.”

Andreas seemed to think it over.

“It’s on me,” Johannes added quickly, guessing that his companion’s pockets were light.

“All right, I’ll go with you.”

They strolled through alleyways and streets. So far, there seemed to be no signs of life; the whole town was sleeping soundly. Johannes had always liked this time of day, even as a child, looking around a town that normally pulsed with life. He often snuck out of the house in the wee hours. The early morning air was so special—like the arrival of the first snow. He imagined how it was here in Emmerich when people went to work or took care of their business affairs or simply stood on the street, chatting with neighbors, discussing this and that.

The men jumped out of the way when, suddenly, a woman flung open a door and poured out a bucket of water onto the street. She laughed when she saw their startled faces. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there.”

“Hopefully, you were emptying out some old water and not the chamber pot,” Johannes replied, unable to suppress a smile.

“Don’t worry, it was just water. And I missed you.”

“But not by much.”

“We’ve just arrived here. It seems that the whole of Emmerich is still sleeping.” He looked up at the sign: “The Golden Rooster.”

“And you’ll find no shelter at this hour.” She shook her head. “But at least it’s not cold. You can thank your lucky stars that it’s not winter.” She gave them a broad smile. “Well, then, welcome to Emmerich.” With that, she went back inside and shut the door.

Johannes and Andreas continued walking but weren’t able to find an inn that was open. They lay in a small meadow underneath a massive oak tree and slept until the rest of the city woke up. Suddenly, Johannes awoke with a start.

“What is it?” Andreas asked anxiously.

Johannes looked around. “Strange. It almost seemed like someone was watching us.”

Andreas didn’t mention that he’d had the exact same feeling. “Who would be watching us?” he asked. He kept his attention on the surrounding environment. If there really was someone, he wanted to recognize their face.

Although they both wanted to stay alert, they both fell sound asleep until awakened by the noise of Emmerich’s hustle and bustle. Johannes sat up with a great deal of effort. The people didn’t notice them at all, although they must have made a peculiar sight, sprawled in the grass with no place to stay. Johannes touched his companion and shook him a little. “Andreas, it’s time.”

Immediately, he stirred. “Where do you want to go now?”

“I have to ask around a bit.” Johannes wondered whether it was smart to ask Andreas to accompany him. “Do you want to come with me?”

“My pleasure,” he said. “I’ll be staying here for at least one more day.”

“All right.” They left the meadow and went toward the market. As if by magic, dozens of booths had appeared to offer their wares where it had been empty hours before.

Johannes strode forward, searching people’s faces, while Andreas followed behind. It was impossible to walk side by side in this crowd. When he could, Johannes stopped and waited for Andreas to catch up to him. “This place is packed. I don’t think I can go any farther.”

“If you tell me what you’re looking for, I might be able to help you,” Andreas offered.

“It’s a long story,” Johannes sighed. “For better or for worse, this is something I have to do by myself. What do you say we meet for a beer later this evening?” Johannes asked evasively.

“I’m in no hurry,” Andreas replied. “Where?”

“At the tavern we were at earlier—the Golden Rooster.”

“All right. I’ll be there,” Andreas agreed.

“Then good luck with whatever plans you have for today,” Johannes said in parting. “We’ll see each other later.” With that, he disappeared into the crowd.

Andreas walked through the throngs. He still had the feeling that he was being followed. But though he craned his neck as much as he could, he didn’t see anyone. He shook his head.

Johannes stood in front of a spice merchant’s stand. “My good man?”

“Yes. What can I do for you?”

“I’m looking for a woman.”

“Who isn’t, my good fellow, who isn’t?” The spice merchant laughed throatily.

Johannes rolled his eyes, but he needed information from this man. “She has long, dark hair, down to here.” He pointed to his waist. “Blue eyes and”—he touched right above his lip—“a mole right here. She’s strikingly beautiful. Have you seen her? Maybe she wanted to buy herbs from you. There could have been another woman with her, a little older.”

The spice merchant thought it over. “Hmm. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone like her. Strikingly beautiful, did you say? No, nobody like that here today.”

“It wouldn’t have to be today. It could have been a few days ago.”

The man shook his head. Many people come by here. I don’t notice every person’s face. But I would probably recognize someone like that. No, so far I haven’t seen her, that’s for sure.”

“I thank you for your time. Have a good day.”

Johannes asked around at a few other stalls, but the answer was always the same. He strolled through the entire market, stopping by every spice or herb merchant. Then he went around the market and asked all the cloth merchants and weavers. But no one had seen the women. Finally, Johannes conjured up a new plan. “My good woman,” he said to the cloth merchant. “Tell me, do you know Emmerich?”

“I would like to think that I know the area. Why?”

“How many inns and taverns would accommodate two women?”

“Two women without a man?”

“Correct.”

“The White Stallion or perhaps the Golden Rooster. There are lots of taverns that will accommodate strangers as long as they have money; it doesn’t matter to the hosts whether they are men or women. And there are two widows right at the harbor that will accommodate anyone.”

Johannes nodded. “Where exactly do these widows live?”

“Right on the harbor. The house is a little bit crooked, and the door is painted quite colorfully. No one knows why. But you can’t miss it.”

Johannes struggled to find his way back to the harbor. Soon after he arrived, he looked around and found the house with the colorfully painted door. It was a little lopsided, as though the tides had tried to pull it out to sea. Resolutely, Johannes walked up to the house and knocked on the door. It creaked open, and a servant looked at Johannes expectantly.

“Is this the house where the widows live?”

“Who are you, and what do you want?”

“Just some information.”

Again, the servant waited. Johannes described the women and asked the servant whether he might have seen them or if they’d ever stayed there.

“What do you want with them?”

“Just answer my question.”

The servant grimaced, scrutinized Johannes, then went to close the door.

“Wait.” Johannes held up a money pouch and counted out three coins. “Here. For you. Are the women here?”

The servant accepted the money. “No, they’re not.”

“Give me back my money right now, you cutthroat bastard.”

The servant put the money in his pocket. “I answered your question. Have a nice day.” He slammed the door in Johannes’s face.