Touch the Sky (Young Underground #8) (3 page)

             
As they neared the dock, Matthias pushed in the throttle to slow them down, then put his hand on Henrik
’
s knee.
“
Look, I know I frightened you boys up there, and I
’
m very sorry for what happened.
”
He took a deep breath.
“
But I would appreciate it if you wouldn
’
t tell anyone else about this just yet. There
’
s no need to concern your mother about this, Henrik. Can I count on you?
”

             
Henrik swallowed hard and looked straight ahead. Elise waved at them.

             
“
If this were known,
”
continued Matthias,
“
I would probably lose my pilot
’
s license.
”

             
Henrik closed his eyes for a second, and Peter could still feel the awful, helpless feeling of falling backward, the cold panic of seeing Matthias go limp at the controls. His jaw hurt, and he could taste blood from biting his tongue.

             
Outside, Elise jumped over the dock and got ready to catch them as they came in.

             
“
Okay,
”
Henrik finally answered.
“
We won
’
t say anything if you promise to go see a doctor again soon and get yourself checked out once more.
”

             
“
As soon as I get a chance,
”
agreed Matthias, putting out his hand.
“
Thanks for understanding.
”

             
Henrik shook the man
’
s hand while Peter gave him a worried look. They bumped the dock gently, and Henrik threw open the door as soon as Matthias had shut down the engine.

             
“
Hey, you guys,
”
Elise called to them as she threw Henrik a long rope from the dock.
“
How did it go? You looked like you were training for the air circus up there.
”

             
“
Did anyone see us?
”
Henrik asked, jumping to the dock.

             
Elise held the plane away from their dock.
“
I don
’
t know. I was inside the boat, and I just came out a minute ago. I
’
m glad I didn
’
t go, or I probably would have gotten sick.
”

             
When it was Peter
’
s turn to jump to the dock, he slipped and fell to his knees. He looked up at his sister, then back at the plane.

             
“
I know the feeling,
”
he whispered.

2

N
o One Believes

             
“
I
’
m telling you, it was a gun,
”
Peter whispered to Elise and Henrik as they set up a folding card table in Henrik
’
s living room.
“
Right there in his plane.
”

             
Henrik looked around as if to see if anyone was listening. Matthias was stirring a steaming pot in the kitchen. Mr. and Mrs. Andersen were standing next to Henrik
’
s mother near her stove, laughing at a joke Peter
’
s Uncle Morten had just told. It was the first time all three families had eaten together in months, and all the adults were in a festive mood.

             
“
But you didn
’
t actually look at it, right?
”
asked Henrik.
“
I
’
m sure it was just a flare gun, like they have on boats for emergencies.
”

             
“
I know a flare gun when I see one,
”
Peter whispered urgently.
“
This was a real gun.
”

             
“
Well, why don
’
t we find out from Matthias right now? He could tell us.
”

             
Peter grabbed his friend
’
s arm to keep him from stepping into the kitchen.
“
Are you kidding? Used to be you didn
’
t even want to be in the same room as Matthias. Now
—”

             
“
Maybe I
’
m getting used to him,
”
Henrik interrupted,
“
but he just doesn
’
t seem like the kind of guy who would carry a gun around. I mean, he
’
s a businessman. Plus he
’
s Jewish
—
like another great person you happen to know.
”
Henrik flashed a smile.

             
Peter looked to his sister for support.
“
I know he doesn
’
t seem like the type. But you believe me, don
’
t you, Elise?
”

             
“
It
’
s not that we don
’
t believe you, Peter. We just don
’
t want it to sound like you
’
re accusing Matthias of being a gangster.
”

             
“
Of course not.
”
Peter immediately felt guilty for some of the things that had crossed his mind that afternoon. Matthias the spy. Matthias the bank robber. Matthias the
...

             
“
All right, kids,
”
boomed Matthias.
“
Is everyone washed up for dinner?
”

             
It
’
s not that I don
’
t like him
, Peter told himself.
I just know what I saw. I mean, felt
.

             
“
I hope you don
’
t all mind squeezing around the table like this,
”
Mrs. Melchior apologized.
“
The kids can eat at their own private table in the living room.
”
Like her son, her dark eyes flashed when she spoke, and she smiled at her guests as she placed a steaming bowl of carrots on the table.
“
We haven
’
t had so many guests all at once in a long time.
”

             
Peter looked in at the adults crowded around the Melchior family
’
s kitchen table. Mrs. Melchior smiled and hustled bowls of food from the stove to the table. Next to her place sat Matthias, then Peter
’
s father, straight
-
backed and clean
-
shaven, looking like the accountant he was. Peter and Elise
’
s mother, petite and red
-
haired, was whispering something into their father
’
s ear. Then came Uncle Morten, muscled and suntanned, and his wife, Lisbeth, pushing a dark, flowing curl away from her face. His blond beard was more neatly trimmed than usual. Finally, Grandfather Andersen kept watch from the head of the table. He looked a bit thinner and more wrinkled than ever, but the old man smiled and seemed to enjoy being in the midst of all the chatter.

             
Peter
’
s mother leaned across the table and patted her father
-
in
-
law on the arm.
“
It
’
s nice to have you along, Dad.
”

             
“
I don
’
t mind saying that this meal is a sight better than my own cooking,
”
he replied, and everyone laughed.

             
“
Well,
”
continued Mrs. Andersen,
“
I
’
m just glad that you invited us, Ruth. It
’
s been fun to get to know Matthias a bit more. And the boys were sure thrilled to go for that airplane ride, weren
’
t you, boys?
”

             
Peter slipped backward out of the kitchen and went to his chair by the card table in the
living room.

             
“
Uh,
”
stammered Henrik, caught by the question.
“
Yeah, it was pretty exciting, all right.
”

             
Peter was glad they had their own table away from the adults. But Elise looked puzzled.

             
“
Why are you guys still being so strange about the airplane ride?
”
she asked.

             
Peter gave Henrik a look with his eyebrows arched, like
“
Should we tell her?
”

             
Henrik nodded.

             
“
What?
”
persisted Elise.
“
Is it some kind of secret? Something else about the gun?
”

             
Peter leaned forward and lowered his voice.
“
Not the gun.
”

             
“
But you have to promise not to tell,
”
Henrik added.

             
Elise leaned back and frowned.
“
I
’
m not sure....
”

             
“
We almost crashed,
”
volunteered Peter, not waiting for her to answer.
“
Remember how you saw us dipping around out there?
”

             
“
I didn
’
t see everything, but I
thought
it looked a little strange.
”

             
“
Yeah, but that
’
s not all. Matthias
...”
Peter looked toward the kitchen and lowered his voice even more. Matthias was telling a story, something about camels.
“
Matthias fainted, and we couldn
’
t wake him up.
”

             
“
Yeah,
”
chimed in Henrik.
“
And I had to fly the plane. I thought we were going to die.
”

             
Elise
’
s eyes widened as she looked from Henrik to Peter.
“
You
’
re kidding. How did he wake up?
”

             
Henrik took a big bite of potatoes smothered in thick, brown gravy, but it didn
’
t keep him from talking.
“
I
’
m not sure; something about his heart. We were about to crash, and then he just woke up all of a sudden.
”

             
“
And he made us promise not to tell anyone,
”
said Peter.
“
He said he would lose his flying license if anyone ever found out.
”

             
“
Wow.
”
Elise still looked shocked.
“
Now I
’
m really glad I didn
’
t come....
”

             
Their conversation was interrupted by someone in the kitchen gently hitting a spoon against the edge of a drinking glass, trying to get everyone
’
s attention. Henrik responded by tapping his own glass like a musical instrument. Mr. Andersen looked out into the living room.

             
“
Okay, kids.
”
Mrs. Andersen stood up.
“
That
’
s enough tapping. I just have an announcement I want everyone to hear.
”

             
Henrik nudged Peter, and they both put down their spoons.

             
Mrs. Andersen continued,
“
I just got a letter from my sister Hanne, and she and Harald have invited all of us out to their sheep ranch in Ho for a kind of reunion, now that the war has been over for a while.
”
She looked at Henrik
’
s mother.
“
And she especially mentioned that she would like for you, and of course Matthias, to come as well. I
’
ve told her about Matthias in my letters. They are all eager to meet you both.
”

             
“
When?
”
asked Peter.

             
“
Three weeks from now, if that works for everyone.
”

             
Elise clapped her hands.
“
That means we
’
ll get to see Johanna again. She
’
s been there since last summer.
”

             
Matthias looked puzzled.
“
One of your cousins?
”

             
“
Oh no,
”
Mrs. Andersen explained.
“
Johanna is the little German orphan girl we found in Copenhagen right after the war. No one knew what to do with her, so we ended up taking care of her for a few days.
”

             
“
And so your sister took her?
”
Matthias still wasn
’
t sure about the story.

             
“
Not my sister. The local pastor and his wife in Ho Village
—
they
’
re family friends
—
they
’
ve been caring for her.
”

             
Matthias nodded, finally putting the pieces together.
“
Well, it sounds like
...
ah, it would be
quite an experience to meet all these people. But since I
’
m leaving in the morning, I
’
m not certain I can make it.
”
He looked at Mrs. Melchior.
“
If you went, Ruth, would that give you enough time for the wedding?
”