War Girls Complete Collection Chapter 313

Chapter 32: Richard

“W

ill you be alright?” Richard asked his wife.

“Of course I will. The baby isn’t due for another six weeks and even if it comes early, what help could you be? Birthing is a woman’s job and I’m in the best hands with your mother and your aunt.” Katrina gave him a kiss. “You go and see that your sister doesn’t get herself into trouble.”

“At least that job is familiar,” he said on a sigh. He’d had to bail Lotte out of trouble since as long as he could remember. “I really don’t know why I was punished with such a sister.”

Katrina giggled. “You must have done something really, really bad in your previous life.”

Or in this life

. The many lives he’d snuffed out on the battlefield still weighed heavily on his conscience. He’d never wanted to become a soldier. But life had decided differently.

“Ready?” Lotte poked her head into the room that had previously belonged to Ursula and Evie. “How on earth have you convinced Ursula to trade rooms with you and sleep in the attic?”

“Secrets of a genius mind,” he grinned.

“Oh… you are… insufferable!“ Lotte threw her glove at him, but he caught it in the air with one hand.

“You’ll have to do a lot better than that, if you want to hit me,

little

sister.”

Lotte glared daggers at him and Katrina said laughing, “Get out of here. The two of you! Take the children for a snowball fight, if you need to get rid of extra energy.”

“Your wish is my command, milady.” Richard kissed Katrina again and then turned to his sister. “Let’s go. I promise I’ll lather you up with nice cold snow.”

“God, what an empty threat. You’re no match for me.” Lotte grinned.

That might have been true even four years ago, but since leaving for the front he’d grown at least five inches and put on thirty pounds of muscle. She had no chance against him and she knew it, but she wouldn’t be Lotte if she let unimportant facts get in her way.

Almost two hours later Richard,

Lotte and Rachel arrived at the town hall in Mindelheim. They entered the registry office where Rachel registered as newly arrived.

The soldier raised a brow when he noticed she was a Jew and asked her whether she had a place to stay.

“In fact, my deceased parents owned a farm not far from here and I wish to return to it,” Rachel said.

“You would have to file a claim. Then we’ll investigate to find out who’s the current owner and whether it was rightfully sold,” the GI said, rummaging in one of the drawers until he found the correct form. “Do you know if there’s currently someone living on your farm?”

“There is – Herr Keller.” Lotte stepped forward.

“Herr Keller? The Mayor?”

Richard was standing two steps behind the women, because he’d wanted to give Rachel some privacy while filling out the registration form. Observing the grim expression on Lotte’s face as she nodded, he wondered whether it would have been better to take things into his own hands.

“I’m afraid that will be a problem…”

“Has someone called for me?” Herr Keller stepped into the room, a pleasant smile on his face.

“Sir, in fact, there seems to be a problem.” The American soldier, whom Richard recognized as a simple private, looked thoroughly uncomfortable in his situation. “This woman here, Rachel Epstein, claims ownership to your farm.”

Herr Keller turned to look at the three of them and only the glint in his eyes revealed his nervousness to Richard. His voice was pleasant and calm as he said, “Oh, that must be a misunderstanding. I bought the farm from her parents before they decided to leave the country—”

“You deported them!” Lotte interrupted him. The rage pouring off her slight form filled the entire office with palpable tension.

“Calm down, Lotte,” Richard urged her, placing a warning hand on her forearm.

“Aren’t you that spitting mad girl that had to be sent to a re-education institution?” Herr Keller said, the gleam in his eyes turning from nervousness to hatred.

Richard increased the pressure on Lotte’s arm and she murmured. “You can let go of me. I’m fine.”

He didn’t believe that for a minute but nodded and released her, taking her word. “This woman, Rachel Epstein, claims that the Nazis stole the farm from her parents and I believe there’s a process for this kind of issue, isn’t there?”

The American soldier nodded, clearly wishing himself anywhere else.

Herr Keller said, “The American administration has installed me as the Mayor and thus I hold the authority to decide upon these cases.”

“Perhaps since the Mayor is one of the parties involved it would be wise to include one of your superiors in this case?” Richard gazed at the GI, whose face brightened at the offered way out.

“I’ll be right back with Major Chambers,” the American said, fleeing from the crowded office.

“How that man isn’t in prison is beyond me,” Lotte whispered, but thankfully made no move to attack Herr Keller either verbally or physically, for which Richard was grateful. Apparently she’d changed over the course of the war and had managed to get a grip on her flaring temper.