The man was admiring the most remarkable battle for survival he had ever witnessed. He caressed the round, soft cheeks of the creature before him, touched the drops of water that fell from its eyes, and recognized something of himself in it. He removed his horned and bristled headdress and rubbed at his face until he’d scrubbed it clean of paint. The baby watched him, still sobbing, still inconsolable, but now with a spark of curiosity in its eyes.

He wrapped it in lambskin and held it against the warmth of his chest. Gently, he touched the baby’s hand and saw it open in response. Its tiny fingers wrapped around one of his own. For a creature so small, it had a fierce grip.

The child started shrieking again, and when the man copied it, it opened its eyes wide and stared at him. They exchanged sounds for a while, both wanting to know who the other really was.

Slowly, the child’s sobs subsided, and it was overcome by sleep. The man kept watch over it, listening to its breathing and to the little heart beating fast against his own.

For the first time in a long while, he was no longer alone.

-56-

-56-

Diego and Lucia were sitting side by side. Oliver was sitting to Diego’s right. Mathias stood between them and the door.

He’s the leader, Teresa thought. He was protecting them, putting himself between them and the unknown. He felt responsible for the whole group, even now that his little brother had been taken. He’d been crying, and perhaps he was ashamed of that, but he wasn’t going to renounce his role. Nearly all of them had suffered some kind of horrific trauma over the past few days, yet now that they had gathered together, they looked like they would cope somehow; they were hurting, but they weren’t lost.

Even this nighttime trip to the police station didn’t seem to have alarmed them unduly. It was almost two o’clock in the morning, but there wasn’t the slightest trace of sleepiness on their faces. Hugo Knauss had made them a cup of cocoa each and left a bowl of treats on the table. Almost half the sweets were already gone, which Teresa took as a good sign.

They responded timidly to her greeting. She sat on the table, ignoring the chairs, and dangled her legs over the side. With her eyes, she signalled at Marini to sit on the floor. He seemed surprised at first, but quickly obeyed, sitting cross-legged.

Teresa had thought for a long time about which words to choose, but in the end she’d decided that honesty was the only way she could earn their trust.

“I need your help,” she told them. “I have to find the person who hurt your parents and took Mathias’s little brother.”