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

             
She nodded as they walked back inside together. Tiger was waiting inside the doorway.

             
“
I heard you leaving,
”
she whispered.
“
What were you doing sneaking around?
”

             
“
Listen, I had to. It was an emergency.
”

             
“
I don
’
t think Mom and Dad are going to like this.
”

             
Peter shuffled slowly up the stairs, thinking for the first time what his parents might do if they found out about his late
-
night wandering. He stopped by the living room couch.

             
“
Henrik and I followed Matthias to a rusty, old ship out in the harbor,
”
he told his sister quietly.
“
And we think we know what
’
s going on with him.
”

             
“
Oh?
”
Elise still didn
’
t sound convinced.

             
“
He was talking to some other guy in English, and he called him
‘
captain.
’ ”

             
“
You heard what he said?
”

             
Peter repeated as much as he could remember, filling in his story with the details of the dark man with the twisted nose who had followed Matthias.

             
“
Well, then, if Matthias is really a smuggler of some sort, the way you say, who was that man?
”

             
“
That
’
s the part I can
’
t figure out. I have no idea who would be spying on Matthias.
”

             
“
Besides two kids.
”

             
“
Right. Besides two kids.
”
Peter grinned and nodded in the darkness of their living room.

             
“
Well, Peter,
”
said Elise,
“
I
’
m still not so sure that you and Henrik are right about this. But you have to tell Mom and Dad everything in the morning.
”

             
Peter paused and took a deep breath. He hadn
’
t yet heard a sound from the direction of his parents
’
room.

             
“
Peter?
”
she asked once more.
“
You
’
ve got to promise, or else I
’
m going to tell them myself. You can
’
t keep all this a secret.
”

             
“
Okay, I promise. In the morning.
”
Somehow Peter couldn
’
t imagine himself telling his parents everything he had just told his sister. But he knew she was right, the way she usually was.

             
Elise padded slowly down the hallway in her slippers. Peter slipped off his mismatched pair of shoes and returned to his room. Before he dove back under the covers, he pulled up the string from the emergency bell ringer.

             
“
Tomorrow,
”
he whispered to himself.
“
Tomorrow I have to figure out how to tell them.
”

4

S
ecret Agent Ship

             
The next time Peter awoke, another bell was ringing somewhere in the apartment, only different from the bell next to his bed. His room was light, and he raised his head to check the time on his clock.

             
“
Who
’
s calling us at six
-
thirty?
”
he wondered aloud. The telephone rang twice more before someone out in the living room answered.

             
“
Karen, it
’
s Ruth,
”
Peter
’
s father called out.
“
She wants to talk to you. She sounds upset.
”

             
Peter stuck his head out of his door at the same time Elise did, and they watched their mother whisk by them in the hallway.
Why would Henrik
’
s mom be calling so early?

             
“
Hello, Ruth?
”
Their mother didn
’
t sound completely awake, but she listened for a long time.

             
“
That
’
s quite all right,
”
she said, her voice soft.

             
Peter looked over at Elise in her doorway, but she could only shrug.

             
“
Please don
’
t apologize. I
’
m glad you felt free to call. Uh
-
huh. Yes, I know....
”

             
Peter pulled on his green bathrobe and stepped out into the hall with his sister while their mother kept talking. They could tell the conversation was about Matthias, and it was serious. But there were too many long periods of silence to know exactly what was going on.

             
“
Well, if you
’
re not sure about marrying him,
”
continued their mother in a serious tone.
“
I know it
’
s a big decision.... Yes, that does seem like it could be rushing things. Oh
...
I don
’
t know what to tell you about that, Ruth.
”

             
Peter and Elise stepped closer, out into the kitchen where their father was waiting. Tiger was just finishing up a bowl of milk.

             
“
Well, sure, we
’
ll come with you.
”
Mrs. Andersen looked out the window as she talked.
“
If that will make you feel more comfortable. I understand. We
’
ll see you in half an hour.
”

             
She hung up the phone gently and gave her husband a worried look.

             
“
What is it, Mom?
”
Peter quizzed her.
“
What
’
s going on?
”

             
Peter
’
s father waved him off.
“
Don
’
t be so nosey, now. The phone call wasn
’
t for you.
”

             
“
That
’
s all right,
”
Mrs. Andersen said, pulling her bathrobe more tightly around her waist.
“
It concerns them.
”
She paused for a moment, looked down at the phone, then back at Peter, Elise, and Mr. Andersen.

             
“
She
’
s been up all night, upset,
”
Mrs. Andersen explained.
“
I guess she just had to talk to someone.
”

             
“
Upset about what?
”
Peter asked, even though he was pretty sure he already knew. His mother frowned.

             
“
She
’
s upset at the way Matthias embarrassed her in front of everyone last night by making it sound as if they
’
re getting married. Apparently she
’
s very fond of the man, but it seems he
’
s rushing her into a decision.
”

             
“
It is a little soon for him to be talking about that sort of thing,
”
agreed Mr. Andersen.
“
Maybe she thinks this is her only opportunity to get married again.
”

             
Peter
’
s mother nodded and continued.
“
She sounds so confused, but she thinks she may grow to love him. It
’
s hard for a widow....
”

             
“
He wants an answer right now?
”
asked Elise. Her mother nodded once more.

             
“
He wants to know right away because he
’
s leaving in his plane this morning to make arrangements for a ship that
’
s heading to Palestine in a few weeks.
”

             
“
And he wants them to go on the ship?
”

             
“
Apparently, he
’
s in charge of getting all the passengers on board, so he wants Ruth and Henrik to be on it, which means they would get married before they left.
”

             
“
Palestine!
”
Peter clenched his fists.
“
They can
’
t go to Palestine! What about Henrik?
”

             
“
I don
’
t like the idea any more than you do, son.
”
Mr. Andersen put his hand on Peter
’
s shoulder.
“
But it
’
s their business. A lot of Jewish people from all over Europe are trying to go to Palestine. They feel it
’
s their country.
”

             
“
But it
’
s not like going to Sweden, Dad.
”

             
“
It
’
s dangerous, but people are still going.
”

             
“
I know that, but, Dad, what if we know something bad about Matthias that no one else knows?
”

             
“
Such as?
”

             
“
Such as he
’
s a smuggler, and that he has a gun, and
—”

             
“
Wait a minute, Peter,
”
Mr. Andersen interrupted.
“
This sounds like another one of your stories.
”

             
“
I
’
m not making it up,
”
Peter insisted.
“
It sounded pretty bad last night on this old ship
.”

             
“
Last night on the ship?
”
asked Mrs. Andersen.
“
What ship are you talking about, and what were you doing on it last night?
”

             
Peter glanced at Elise, and she nodded. In a few minutes, he had spilled out the entire story about how he and Henrik had followed Matthias to the ship, and what they heard him say to the Greek captain. He even threw in a few details about finding the gun on Matthias
’
s plane.

             
“
But he never actually
saw
it,
”
Elise added for good measure.

             
“
That
’
s not the point,
”
Mr. Andersen said, crossing his arms.

             
“
You don
’
t understand, Dad.
”
Peter started talking faster and louder, trying to convince his parents that Matthias was not what he appeared to be.
“
Henrik
’
s mom can
’
t marry this guy. He
’
s
—”

             
“
Mrs. Melchior can do whatever she likes,
”
interrupted Mrs. Andersen.
“
You haven
’
t actually told us anything we don
’
t already know. He
’
s a shipping agent, after all. Talking to captains about cargoes and such is what he does for a living.
”

             
“
I know that, Mom, but what about the gun?
”
Peter wasn
’
t going to give up so easily.

             
“
Matthias is a fine man,
”
Mr. Andersen insisted.
“
In spite of what two boy detectives think. You don
’
t know everything about him. I
’
m not happy about you sneaking around. And you
’
re going to apologize to him for spying.
”

             
“
I told Ruth we would be there in half an hour,
”
their mother added.
“
That was ten minutes ago. I think it would mean a lot to her, the way she
’
s feeling, if someone else were there with her when he leaves.
”

             
“
Does that mean us, too?
”
asked Elise.

             
Their parents looked at each other briefly, and Mr. Andersen nodded.

             
“
You
’
ll have a chance to apologize to Matthias before he leaves.
”
Peter
’
s father made the pronouncement as if he were passing a law. Peter turned back to his room to get dressed.

             
Outside it was a bright, gentle morning, with the early mist burning off quickly. It would be the kind of day that made June part of summer. Peter and Elise walked quietly behind their parents to the harbor.

             
Down by the red airplane, Matthias was busy checking his engine. Mrs. Melchior stood nervously on the dock, her arms crossed. Next to her, Henrik didn
’
t look much happier.

             
“
Hey there, you two,
”
said Peter
’
s father as soon as they were close enough.
“
Is this the going
-
away party?
”

             
Mrs. Melchior flashed them a small smile when they joined her, while Matthias carefully closed the accordion
-
like cover to the airplane
’
s engine.

             
“
Say, I didn
’
t know everyone was coming to see me off.
”
He wiped his hands on an oily rag and tossed it under the seat through the open door of his airplane.
“
I
’
m honored.
”

             
“
Well, we just wanted to see you before you left for
...”
Mr. Andersen paused.
“
Wherever it is you
’
re going.
”