The Forest of Vanishing Stars(98)

Jüttner’s eyes darkened. “Her name is Inge,” he spat.

“What are you doing here, Papa?” Yona asked quickly, trying to keep her tone even. She used the term of endearment in hopes of relaxing him, and it seemed to work a little.

“I came for you, Inge.” His voice softened a bit, and some of the anger went out of his eyes. He lowered his gun, and she exhaled in relief. He was looking only at Yona, almost as if he had instantly forgotten that Zus was there. “You left because of the nuns, but that was not my fault. Surely you can see that. I was trying to save them for you.”

Her heart ached; she could still see Sister Maria Andrzeja lying dead on the altar, before God. “I left,” she said softly, “because I never belonged there with you. I could not stay.”

“You only believe that because of the woman who took you. She made you forget who you are, Inge. But you are my daughter. You belong to me.” His voice, a low whine, was rising again. “You humiliated me, Inge. What do you think it looked like to have my daughter run away so soon after she came back? They mocked me, Inge. I’ve been looking for you for months now. I’ve come to save you, to show everyone where you really belong. To bring you home.”

“But this is my home.”

Jüttner looked confused, as if it was not the answer he expected. His eyes flicked to Zus, back to Yona, and to Zus again. “And this Jew? He is forcing you to stay here, yes?” His gun went up again, pointed at Zus. Yona could feel her heart slamming against her rib cage.

“No.” She took a deep breath. She could pretend he meant nothing to her, and then her father might let him go. But what if he killed Zus anyhow? She couldn’t let his last memory be one of denial, erasure. And so she stood a little taller and looked right at Zus as she murmured, “His name is Zus. And I love him. I will never forgive you if you harm him.”

“But he’s a Jew!” The fury in Jüttner’s voice was gathering like the clouds before a terrible storm. “He has tricked you! That’s what the Jews do, Yona. He is only using you.”

“He loves me, too,” Yona said softly.

“Don’t be a fool, Inge. Jews aren’t capable of such a thing. They’re animals! How could you let him influence you this way, take you away from the life you could have with your family?”

“He’s my family now. He’s my future.” Yona knew she should stop. Jüttner had a gun, and he looked unhinged. But it was as if all the light and pain poured into her heart had finally burst the vessel, and she couldn’t keep it in anymore. “How could you think I would come back with you? Do you see what you’ve become?”

“Enough!” her father roared, his anger suddenly exploding. He waved his gun wildly, and Yona felt a pang of fear. Jüttner was gaunt, exhausted. If she and Zus turned to run, there was a chance they could get away from him before he began firing, and in minutes, they could vanish into the forest. But if his instincts were still sharp, they’d both be dead before they took a few steps. It was too risky. “You are my daughter,” her father said, his voice sinking to a low growl. “You will leave all of this foolishness behind and come with me now.”

“She is not going anywhere with you.” Zus’s words were firm and calm.

“You think you can tell me what to do? She is my blood,” Jüttner spat, spinning unsteadily toward him. “Don’t you people care about that, too? That you’re a Jew because of what’s in your blood?”

Zus didn’t say anything.

“What, you can’t speak now, you filthy Jewish dog? Answer me! What makes a Jew? In your fancy religion, with all its rules and its plans for taking over humanity, what is the one thing that makes a Jew?”

Yona could feel the tension escalating.

“According to halakha, a child with a Jewish mother’s blood is always Jewish,” Zus said calmly. “Is that what you’re referring to?”

“Stop, Zus,” Yona murmured. He was making it worse. She could see Jüttner beginning to spin out of control, his eyes bulging, his movements growing more erratic. He looked crazed, and with a loaded gun and a simmering hatred of Jews, there was only one way this could go.

“And you think that by tricking my daughter into loving you, you can purify your own dirty soul? That if you have children, they won’t be Jews like you? Is that it? That’s your plan?”

“I—” Zus began, but Jüttner cut him off.

“Well then, joke’s on you, Jew. You want to know my dirty little secret? I married a Jew.” He turned to Yona, his features twisted, his eyes wild. “She lied to me about it, but your mother was a half-Jewish whore, the daughter of a Jewish mother and a Christian father. She tried to hide who she was, but you can’t hide a thing like that. Not in Germany. She didn’t even tell me, the ungrateful bitch. She was long dead by the time the records surfaced. And it’s a good thing, because I might have killed her myself. She could have ruined me, Inge. You understand that, right?”

She felt as if the breath had been knocked out of her. “My mother was Jewish?” she whispered.

Jüttner’s laugh was cruel. “Oh, she fell to her knees in church every Sunday, just like everyone else did. You never would have known that her blood was tainted. She was hiding it, Inge. Hiding it from me.”