orchard.”
“Now wait a moment. Some farm children around here could have been stealing apples.”
“I doubt it. I was raised in apple country. These won't be ready to pick till next month—but you can always find a few early ripeones. Nobody would eat green ones, right down to the core, unless he was very hungry and didn't know how to find ripe ones.” The pale man shook his head. “I was beginning to think that priest may have had some other friends over by Fairview, and that the kids had really gone there. But this proves they didn't.”
He paused, and muttered, “How are we going to handle this?”
The grim man in brown began snapping his fingers. “Let me think. Somehow I don't like the idea of playing hide-and-seek in a big orchard…”
“What else can we do? Don't forget—there are six of us. I could go and tell the others to spread out—”
“No, Werner. Too risky.”
“Why?”
“You know why! With this country full of witch hunters? That fool Purdy! He's got the whole area seething. If those kids got away from us and someone spotted them—or anyone on the road saw us hunting them—there'd be a mob here in no time.”
“Maybe you're right. This witch business has sure gotten out of hand. But how are we going to manage it? We can't afford to lose those kids. Not now. They've already upset the whole schedule…”
“Forget the schedule. Ships can be delayed.” Mr. Deranian shrugged. “As for our connections abroad—if they'd told me ten years ago what they'd lost, I could have returned their prizes immediately. But they were so secretive…” He shrugged again. “How could anyone have even dreamed that those refugee kids I left with the old woman…”
“Lucas, what are we going to do? We haven't got all day.”
“Yes, we have—what there is left of it.”
“Eh? What's your idea?”
“It's quite simple. We'll just drive off for a while and give them a chance to enter the house.”
“Huh?”
“Werner, unless that pair can fly—and I wouldn't be surprised to discover they can—they must have hiked nearly twenty miles today. Except for some green apples, I doubt if they've had anything to eat since they got off the bus yesterday. Purdy didn't feed them. So they are tired now, and very hungry. This is their destination, and they'll be forced to use it. Do you see my point?”
The pale man grunted. “I get you. They'll be in that house the minute we're gone, looking for something to eat. In another hour they'll be asleep. Then we can slip up to the house, surround it, and take them easily.”
“Of course. Now let's get back where the others are waiting.”
“Hold it. Someone's coming.”
Lucas Deranian turned.
In their hiding place behind the crates Tony looked at Tia's pinched face, and clenched his fists in growing desperation. He had, in fact, been planning to enter the house as soon as the men left, not only to find food, but to outfit themselves for the rest of the journey. It was not a thing he cared to do, but how could they possibly manage otherwise? They had to have food—and they'd also need blankets, matches, a knife, and a map if he could find one. He'd leave a note for Mr. Kozak, and plenty of money to pay for the things they took. But now…
He watched a small car come up the driveway and stop behind the other one. Two eager young men in sport shirts got out. One, who carried a notebook, said quickly, “We're trying to find Mr. Werner Karman. Are you Mr. Karman, sir?”
The pale man's face lost expression. “What made you come looking for him over here?”
“Why, sir, we—we had your description, and we traced you from Fairview to Red Bank, and a boy at a filling station said some menin a car like yours were asking about the Kozak place. You are Mr. Karman, aren't you?”
“What do you want?”
“A statement, sir. We're from the Press. We have statements from all the witnesses who saw what happened yesterday at Fairview; now we need one from
“Now wait a moment. Some farm children around here could have been stealing apples.”
“I doubt it. I was raised in apple country. These won't be ready to pick till next month—but you can always find a few early ripeones. Nobody would eat green ones, right down to the core, unless he was very hungry and didn't know how to find ripe ones.” The pale man shook his head. “I was beginning to think that priest may have had some other friends over by Fairview, and that the kids had really gone there. But this proves they didn't.”
He paused, and muttered, “How are we going to handle this?”
The grim man in brown began snapping his fingers. “Let me think. Somehow I don't like the idea of playing hide-and-seek in a big orchard…”
“What else can we do? Don't forget—there are six of us. I could go and tell the others to spread out—”
“No, Werner. Too risky.”
“Why?”
“You know why! With this country full of witch hunters? That fool Purdy! He's got the whole area seething. If those kids got away from us and someone spotted them—or anyone on the road saw us hunting them—there'd be a mob here in no time.”
“Maybe you're right. This witch business has sure gotten out of hand. But how are we going to manage it? We can't afford to lose those kids. Not now. They've already upset the whole schedule…”
“Forget the schedule. Ships can be delayed.” Mr. Deranian shrugged. “As for our connections abroad—if they'd told me ten years ago what they'd lost, I could have returned their prizes immediately. But they were so secretive…” He shrugged again. “How could anyone have even dreamed that those refugee kids I left with the old woman…”
“Lucas, what are we going to do? We haven't got all day.”
“Yes, we have—what there is left of it.”
“Eh? What's your idea?”
“It's quite simple. We'll just drive off for a while and give them a chance to enter the house.”
“Huh?”
“Werner, unless that pair can fly—and I wouldn't be surprised to discover they can—they must have hiked nearly twenty miles today. Except for some green apples, I doubt if they've had anything to eat since they got off the bus yesterday. Purdy didn't feed them. So they are tired now, and very hungry. This is their destination, and they'll be forced to use it. Do you see my point?”
The pale man grunted. “I get you. They'll be in that house the minute we're gone, looking for something to eat. In another hour they'll be asleep. Then we can slip up to the house, surround it, and take them easily.”
“Of course. Now let's get back where the others are waiting.”
“Hold it. Someone's coming.”
Lucas Deranian turned.
In their hiding place behind the crates Tony looked at Tia's pinched face, and clenched his fists in growing desperation. He had, in fact, been planning to enter the house as soon as the men left, not only to find food, but to outfit themselves for the rest of the journey. It was not a thing he cared to do, but how could they possibly manage otherwise? They had to have food—and they'd also need blankets, matches, a knife, and a map if he could find one. He'd leave a note for Mr. Kozak, and plenty of money to pay for the things they took. But now…
He watched a small car come up the driveway and stop behind the other one. Two eager young men in sport shirts got out. One, who carried a notebook, said quickly, “We're trying to find Mr. Werner Karman. Are you Mr. Karman, sir?”
The pale man's face lost expression. “What made you come looking for him over here?”
“Why, sir, we—we had your description, and we traced you from Fairview to Red Bank, and a boy at a filling station said some menin a car like yours were asking about the Kozak place. You are Mr. Karman, aren't you?”
“What do you want?”
“A statement, sir. We're from the Press. We have statements from all the witnesses who saw what happened yesterday at Fairview; now we need one from
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