Page 34 of A Song in the Dark

As the kids begged her to play, Chaisley’s thoughts drifted to Mary Beth and her mother. Were they already gone? Would she ever find them?

Lord, protect them.

As much as she longed to find the mother and daughter, a new thought sank deep into her heart.

Their sweet letters had been the catalyst for Chaisley’s new journey.

God had used them to move her heart to a new place .

.. to urge her into action. No matter what happened, she would continue to hope for a meeting but would leave them in the Almighty’s hands.

“Follow us, please. Be careful on the steps.”

Lots of shuffling followed the teacher’s voice out the door.

Then a slight tap on her shoulder. Not Melanie’s usual signal.

“Miss Frappier.” The older teacher, speaking in a hushed tone. “We need help. Some of the students without families need to move to safer locations. Otherwise, they will certainly be taken away.”

Chaisley swallowed hard. “To...?” The words felt like thick porridge on her tongue. Impossible to speak or swallow.

“I don’t wish to speak of what I’ve heard. Can you help?”

Her heart picked up its pace. “How soon?”

“As soon as tomorrow, if you can. There are four students, ages sixteen to eighteen. We had a friend who secured visas for them to the Netherlands, but we haven’t had a way or funds to get them there. The visas expire at the end of the week.”

“I’ll do it.” Rick’s low voice edged in on her left. “I can take them tonight after the concert and be back in time to help you tomorrow afternoon.” He squeezed Chaisley’s hand. “This is what we’re here for.”

Chaisley nodded.

“You have a safe place to take them?” The woman sounded elated and skeptical all at the same time.

Chaisley smiled. “Yes. I know someone with a home in the Netherlands.” Grandmother would love to have young people in her home.

The older woman was silent for a moment. Then she sniffed and Chaisley could hear the tears in her voice. “After you play for them, I’ll help them pack their things and make sure they are ready to go.”

“They’ve been living here at the school?” Chaisley’s brow furrowed.

“No. They’ve been living with me.” The woman stepped away. “Come. We should get you downstairs.”

“God bless you for your generosity, miss. There aren’t many willing to take such risks.” Rick stayed at Chaisley’s elbow as he spoke.

“Thank you, sir. It’s been a challenge. But we’ve made do with what the good Lord has provided.”

Chaisley couldn’t imagine what these teachers and students had faced. As she allowed Rick to lead her down the stairs to the basement, she pondered the reality of what the teacher had sacrificed ... what the students had endured. Did they have enough food?

The room was musty, but it couldn’t cover the delight she felt radiating from the students.

The old upright was indeed out of tune, and the bench creaked every time she moved, but she still played some of her favorite pieces for the kids, and their ooh s and aah s nourished her soul.

The younger students even squealed during the fast sections.

If these sweet students could endure such difficult times, she could as well.

When she finished, the teachers said their good-byes to the students and there were lots of sobs and questions about what would happen next. Once they were all back upstairs, Chaisley leaned against the wall to get her bearings for a moment.

“Miss Frappier ... these are the four I was telling you about. Lydia, Anne, Charlie, and Grant.”

Chaisley stepped forward and greeted each one with a handshake and placed her palm on each face. Hopefully she would learn much about these four over the coming months and hear how they were thriving, but first, she had to get them to Amsterdam.

Without being discovered by the Gestapo.

Inside the border of Germany—Saturday, July 9, 1938

“Papiere!” The officer shouted, spittle landing on Rick’s coat. “Who. Are. These. Children?”

He couldn’t answer. Why couldn’t he speak? He gripped the steering wheel and stared at the red-faced man.

Hatred seeped out of the man’s glare. “Take them away! They don’t deserve to live!”

Rick leapt out of the car and fought against the horde of guards that surrounded him. But he was no match. They would take the children. No!

He punched and kicked—

Kicking at whatever restrained him, Rick opened his eyes and got his bearings. His breaths came in short, hard gasps. He fisted the thin blanket that had covered him in the backseat and threw it on the floor.

It had seemed so real.

He rubbed both hands up and down his face. The full morning sun heated up the interior of the auto.

The kids were safe. He’d dropped them at Celestia Frappier’s home after a stress-filled eight hours in the car and then drove back over the border into Germany.

The guards at the German border had questioned him for a long time since the kids’ visas were expiring soon but eventually let him through. It was a miracle.

What would he have done if they had refused him? What would have happened to those four incredible young people who had so much to offer to the world?

Shaking off the remnants of the nightmare, Rick climbed out of the rear seat and back into the driver’s seat. The drive had given him a good view of several places to investigate for the SIS.

Now, more than ever—after getting to know those kids and hearing their stories—he wanted to help stop the Nazi machine that seemed to gain steam at every turn.

He didn’t care if he got caught or lost his life in the process, he would do everything in his power to make sure everyone was seen worthy of life.

Berlin

Melanie opened the door to the suite. “Shh.” Hopefully the surprise would help Chaisley’s melancholy after the tough day yesterday.

“Why are you shushing, Mel? I haven’t said anything.” Chaisley’s voice floated from one of the bedrooms.

Goodness, so much for being stealthy. The woman could hear a hippo sneeze all the way in Africa! “I have a surprise for you, so why don’t you come out.” She suppressed her excitement and led her guests in.

Chaisley walked into the sitting room from the bedroom, her eyes red-rimmed as if she’d been crying, but she pasted on a smile. “Guten morgen.”

“Good morning, to you too, my friend.” Melanie put a hand to the back of each of her visitors. “I’d like to introduce you to Mary Beth and Geraldine Klein.”

Chaisley squealed, threw out her arms, and rushed toward them. “Mary Beth, where are you, my dear?” Her hands searched the air until Melanie positioned the young girl within her reach.

“Fr?ulein...” The girl burst into tears.

Chaisley pulled her into her arms, and they sobbed together.

Melanie wrapped an arm around Geraldine’s shoulders as the other woman cried silent tears. “I told you everything would be all right.”

“It’s not a dream?” The woman’s German was broken up by gulping sobs.

“No, ma’am. It isn’t.”

“Fr?ulein Frappier is an angel .”

Chaisley laughed as she held Mary Beth. “Not in the least ... all credit goes to Melanie here and the good Lord.” She moved toward Geraldine and Melanie helped them all navigate into a three-person hug.

After several minutes of tears and laughter, Chaisley released their guests. “Please, you must tell me how this happened. I was so hoping you’d be able to come to the concert.”

Mary Beth bounced on the settee and crossed her ankles in front of her. “Oh, Mama was afraid to try. My teacher was taken to one of the work camps.”

Melanie watched Chaisley’s face turn fierce as she responded. “Why?”

“They said he was an informant against the Nazis.” Mrs. Klein wiped at her nose.

Melanie barely restrained a scoff. A piano teacher?

An informant? But wait. Hadn’t Rick told them that the Gestapo had rounded up a lot of informants?

Dear God, help us all. Even with all she’d heard from the students, Dr. Grafton’s connections, and the newspapers, it was difficult to comprehend what was happening here in Germany.

“... listening to phone calls. The Nazis will stop at nothing to achieve what they want.”

Melanie wanted to get out of this country as soon as possible. They were supposed to be leaving for Amsterdam in the morning, but it wasn’t soon enough. Perhaps they should leave as soon as Rick returned with the auto.

“We have nowhere to go now.” Mrs. Klein continued to wipe the tears from her face. “No one will hire me, and I can’t risk them taking my sweet Mary Beth away.”

Chaisley stood. “Give me just a moment, please. I’ll get us some refreshments.” She walked to her bedroom. “Mel?”

Melanie followed her into the room. “You’re going to call Dr. Grafton, aren’t you?”

“Yes. There’s got to be a way to get them visas. If there was a way, I’d take them with us tomorrow.”

There wasn’t any chance they could obtain visas that fast.

A loud banging on the door to the suite jolted Melanie. “Who could that be?”

Another loud round of knocks.

“Message from the Führer, Herr Hitler!” resonated through the door.

Mary Beth and her mother both trembled, then the tears started in earnest.

Melanie ran to their guests and grabbed their hands. “I’m going to take you into the other room with Miss Frappier. But you must be very quiet. Don’t worry.”

Mary Beth’s hand trembled in hers, but they followed her instructions, making no noise as she settled them in chairs and shut the connecting door.

Melanie took deep breaths as she rushed back to the door just as another loud round of knocks began. She schooled her features to portray her annoyance at the loud interruption and opened the door a couple of inches.

“What is it?” Jaw set, shoulders rigid, she hoped to give off an air of confident irritation.

“An important message from the Führer himself.” The man’s bellow could surely be heard down the street.

“Must you disturb the entire hotel? Hush now.” How she dared to speak to an officer this way was beyond her.