Free Children of Wrath by Paul Grossman

reverend quickly downed another schnapps, then another.
    “I sure as hell don’t know anyone who’d fit the bill of horrors you just presented, but I can tell you this.” He looked at Willi, coughing, bleary-eyed but definitely aching to spill something. “Every congregation has its nuts. Over the years I’ve seen my fair share, believe me.” He took a moment to glance outside as if they were all there again, lined up outside his window. “Normally I pay no attention once they’re gone, but in this case…” He turned to Willi. “Several have joined what sounds like something straight out of a tawdry novel, only it’s not. It’s all too real.” His bushy eyebrows arched dramatically. “A satanic love cult. Yes, it’s true!” He leaned forward. “And the things that go on there, I’ve been told.” He had to steady himself on the table. “With children too.” His speech was slurring.
    Braunschweig tried to aim his bloodshot gaze at Willi, but had a hard time fixing it there. “Their leader’s terribly charismatic, a very depraved figure … a former member here, a rather important one I’m ashamed to admit.”
    With an uncertain mixture of gratitude and horror, Willi stuck a hand in his coat pocket. Was all this just a drunken rant? It sure sounded like it. But then again … He pulled out a notebook. “Go on, Reverend. You have no idea how much I appreciate this. What’s his name?”
    “It’s not a him, Kraus. It’s my former wife, Helga Braunschweig.”

 
    Six
    Vicki stuck her head in the bathroom. “Ban’s been lifted.”
    Under the shower spray, Willi wasn’t certain he’d actually heard right. “Huh?”
    “Sausages … back on sale.”
    His eyes widened so far shampoo dripped in. “Ow.” He hurriedly rinsed them. “You positive?”
    “Just on the radio. They found the bacteria. Save some hot water for me, will you, darling?”
    It would have been nice had someone informed him. Willi shut off the shower.
    Over toast at breakfast, Erich looked at him with great, brown eyes.
    “ Vati, I’ve made a decision.”
    “Have you.”
    “Yes. I know what I’d like for Hanukkah.”
    “And what might that be? Mind your crumbs.”
    “A model Fokker triplane, like the Red Baron flew in the war.”
    At least he was over the aquarium, Willi thought. “Well, I think that’s very wise, Erich. There’s a whole department for model planes at KDW. Surely they’ll have the Red Baron’s. We can go Saturday when I’m finished with work.”
    “Can I come too?” the little one wanted to know.
    “Of course, Stefan,” Willi assured him, though he realized Saturday was the day he’d hoped to poke around that preposterous “love cult” the reverend had told him about. Could it possibly be true? It seemed too outlandish. Even for Berlin. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Braunschweig had said, though: “With children too.” What exactly could that mean? He was almost too afraid to imagine. Clearly the line between fact and fiction got blurred under all that booze. But he’d given Willi an address card. A completely insane-looking thing with all sorts of pentagrams and Egyptian symbols on it: DIVINE RADIANCE MISSION, 143 BLEIBTREU STRASSE. CHARLOTTENBURG. A swank enough neighborhood. Still, the kids came first. Question was, which kids? His, or the ones whose bones had been boiled by a lunatic still on the loose? What he really ought to do was turn the whole thing over to Freksa.
    The phone made him jump. So early in the morning?
    It was Frau Doktor Riegler.
    “Sorry I didn’t inform you, Sergeant.” She sounded a little sheepish. “We only confirmed it yesterday. And then, let’s just say politics was involved.”
    Willi didn’t even want to know what she meant by that. Only where they’d found the bacteria. “Was it a peddler?”
    “There’ll be a news conference at ten. Ninety-two Thaer Strasse. Central-Viehof . You’ll want to be there.”
    *   *   *
    From the