Emil Detweiler glanced at the clock on Platform 4 of the Salzburg Train Station. It was just before 21:00; the train pulling slowly into Track 2 was precisely on time. He knew it would be departing again very soon and felt a sense of unease as he surveyed the emptiness of the station.
Emil let out a deep sigh and resumed pacing back and forth, unintentionally touching the pocket that held six American passports. If it had been his brother he was expecting, Emil might not have been so unsettled; Max was perpetually late. Navy Captains, however, were always on time. Georg was always on time.
Looking toward the entrance of the station, Emil caught sight of the ostentatious flag of the Third Reich plastered to the wall. He shook his head with disgust; its mere presence seemed to mar his homeland's future. Even if Max was not yet convinced of the dangers that lie ahead, Emil had no doubt in his own mind.
He ceased pacing and leaned against a pillar, staring relentlessly at the doorway. Patience wearing, Emil began to subconsciously tap his foot on the concrete as he waited for a family of nine to enter the station.
"This isn't like you, Georg," he muttered under his breath with a shake of his head. "God help you."
"Which way did that vehicle go?" Herr Zeller barked at the young Nazi soldier who had notified the Gauleiter of the Von Trapp family's escape.
The soldier raised his right arm in salute of his leader and then pointed toward a nearby intersection. "This way, Sir, and they turned left at the crossroad onto Moosstrasse."
Zeller approached the soldier until they stood face-to-face and glared rigidly at his subordinate, whose negligence had allowed the Von Trapps to flee. "This should not have happened," he spat.
Without further hesitation, he returned his attention to the other men who had already filed into two vehicles. Getting into the driver's seat of one of the cars, Zeller ordered the other driver. "Rudolph, go down to the river and search all vehicles leaving the city. They could be driving out of the country. I will go to the train station."
Rudolph acknowledged his instruction and nodded. Without hesitation, he and Zeller sped out of the parking lot in pursuit of the Von Trapps.
No one uttered a word as Captain Von Trapp glanced once more in the rear view mirror to verify his concern. His face tightened at the sight of two dim lights moving in the distance and his stomach knotted at his own intuition; this was not coincidental. They were being followed.
Maria felt Gretl quivering in her lap and instinctively pulled her child closer. She turned towards the rear of the vehicle to look out the window and felt many pairs of eyes staring at her with fright. She noticed that Marta had tears trickling down her cheek, as she sat on Friedrich's lap, her head pressed tightly against his shoulder.
"Shh, Schätzchen," Maria comforted the little girl while meeting her gaze and stretching to stroke her cheek. Maria forced a slight smile, hoping her inner turmoil was not apparent to the children. She looked warmly at Marta for a moment, until the child dried her eyes and her fear appeared to have subsided somewhat.
Maria returned her attention to Georg. "There's a car in the distance that's dimmed its lights," she confirmed her husband's concern with a whisper.
"Yes. I noticed," Georg replied with distraction, his thoughts preoccupied with determining an escape from this unexpected obstacle.
Maria glanced at her husband's rigid face and tight lips. She reached over and gently rubbed his forearm to calm his nerves as he sped through the narrow back roads of Salzburg. As she touched him, her trembling hand showed the fear that she was trying so hard to hide for the sake of her family.
Noticing his wife's distress, Georg's demeanor softened for a moment. "Shh…shh…" he consoled Maria while glancing at her out of the corner of his eye and gently touching her cheek.
"They won't catch us," he told her with confidence. "They can't," he barely whispered.
Maria forced a nervous smile and returned her attention to the rear window of the car where she tried to perceive the distant vehicle again.
"Maria, hold tight to Gretl. Friedrich, watch Marta," Georg suddenly instructed. Glancing out of the corner of his eye at Maria, he continued to speak. "I'm going to turn down that alley ahead, just past the next crossroad. It's an alternate route to the train station. From this distance, I hope we can lose them."
No sooner had Maria and Friedrich tightened their arms around the two smallest Von Trapps, when the car suddenly veered to the left into a deserted alley. The family was jostled by the sharp turn, yet there were no complaints or bickering. The few gasps that had escaped involuntarily, faded, and once again the car was silent.
The Captain continued to drive, but turned off the headlights. After glancing in the rear view mirror for a few moments, he let out a deep breath.
"I think we lost them," Maria stated with the first sign of relief that she had felt all evening.
"I don't see anyone either," Friedrich confirmed. "And there's no other way into this alley from that direction"
"No, they're not behind us anymore, but they could still be heading toward the train station on the main road," Georg demurred, knowing it was unlikely that their encounter with the Nazis was over.
"And if that's the case," he continued in a whisper to Maria, "they could be waiting at the gates for us when we arrive."
Maria inhaled sharply and the relief she had felt momentarily vanished. "What is there to do?" she whispered with urgency, "Do we have a choice?"
"Not if we want to get out of the country tonight. The train is our only option at this point," he answered flatly.
Maria fixed her gaze on Georg's profile as he drove and let her inner fear surface for a brief moment. She was at a complete loss of words, and instead let silence prevail as she stared blankly at her husband.
Noticing his wife's lack of response, Georg drew his eyes from the road for a brief moment and met her empty gaze. Returning his focus in front of him, he reached toward her and stroked Maria's cheek with the back of his hand.
"God will protect us," Georg assured her with the very words that Maria had spoken so many times before.
Maria nodded and smiled nervously at the irony of her own words of comfort being used on herself.
"Yes. He's always there for us," she whispered.
Georg again glanced at Maria quickly as he drove. He moved his gaze to the road, but instinctively reached over and took her hand in his own. He raised it to his lips and placed a soft kiss upon it, before lowering their entwined figures to rest upon his leg. Lovingly, he cast her another quick glance.
As he returned his attention to the road, an opening in the trees that lined one side of the alley appeared, and the train station became visible in the distance. Georg drove just past the opening and brought the vehicle to a sudden stop, causing the family to be jolted in their seats.
"What is it?" Maria asked with urgency at her husband's abrupt action.
Georg merely turned to her and placed a quick kiss on her forehead before turning toward the rear of the vehicle to face the children.
"Friedrich, I'd like you and Gretl to stay together. Louisa and Marta," he said with a nod in the elder's direction, "and Kurt and Brigitta, you two stay together as well. Liesl, you just keep an eye on everyone along with your mother."
"We're going to leave the car here and walk the rest of the way to the train station," he continued to explain while motioning towards the distant building. "When I say 'go', I want you all to run down this dirt bank and stay behind those tall bushes below until you reach the rear entrance of the station. Stay with your partner and once inside, go up to Platform 4 Track 2."
"Is that clear?" he reaffirmed in a soft voice while glancing at the older children. "Track 2. Herr Detweiler will see you and help you from there."
The children nodded mutely to indicate that they understood their father.
"Now listen closely. If anyone gets separated, wait on the rear stair landing. Does everyone understand?" Georg asked with a serious glance at Friedrich and Liesl. As he spoke, he handed a ticket to each family member.
All of the children once again nodded. "Yes, Father. You don't need to worry about us," Friedrich confirmed.
Georg reached to the backseat and gave Friedrich a proud pat on his forearm.
"Where will you be?" Maria asked.
"I'll wait until everyone is safely inside and then I will enter the same way. Don't wait for me. Just go to Track 2 and board your train. I'll meet you in Genoa," he firmly stated.
"We just can't use the front entrance of the station with them on our trail," he whispered to Maria while placing a hurried kiss on her lips.
She seized Georg's hand and squeezed it tightly. "This will work," she stated with confidence as the family abandoned the vehicle.
"Now remember, children, stay together," she reiterated to them before turning once again to Georg and nodding to show her readiness.
"Ready! Go!" the Captain whispered to his family.
Blaring sirens sounded through the night as one of the Nazi vehicles entered the front gate of the Salzburg Train Station. Behind the station, Captain Von Trapp froze in his tracks at the dreaded sound.
"Damn!" he spat under his breath.
Glancing towards the front of the station and noting the car just pulling into the lot, the Captain ducked behind a large bush to place himself out of view. Protectively scanning the grounds for his family, he caught sight of Maria and all seven children, who were still moving towards the back entrance to the station. Liesl was in the lead of the group and Maria was in the rear.
Georg crouched lower behind the bush and fixated his gaze on his family, knowing that he would be discovered if he bolted toward the door. The family was close enough to the station to make a run for it, and he was not far behind them; however, the headlights from the Nazi vehicle had cast a stream of light through the Captain's path and there was no way around it.
The noise from the sirens permeated the stillness of the night, and instinctively Maria glanced back at Georg. The stream of light meters in front of her cast a glow on her face and Georg could see the worry that welled in her eyes as she met his gaze. For a moment, the couple stared from afar at each other; a look filled with love, despair, and fear of their situation.
Georg motioned for Maria to continue running, noting that Zeller had turned off the lights and sirens on the car, and was approaching the rear of the station on foot. Casting one final look of concern at him, Maria reluctantly turned and continued to run after the children. As she neared the door, she heard Zeller's orders resound.
"Viktor, Ludwig, search the front grounds! Johannes, search inside! I will check behind the station," Herr Zeller instructed his soldiers.
"And do not leave without Captain Von Trapp! I know he's here," Zeller barked.
The foursome dispersed in opposite directions without hesitation.
The grounds were once again dark without the light from the vehicle. The Captain continued to creep through the shadows toward the station, mindful of any action that might draw attention to himself. When Zeller appeared in view, Georg found temporary refuge behind a mass of overgrown foliage. He peered through a small opening at the silhouette prowling through the night in his pursuit.
"I find your running humorous, Captain. So much energy exerted, so much trouble caused. For naught. After all, there is no escape," Zeller said cynically as he searched the grounds.
The nazi continued to poke through the foliage as he paced. "You thought you could outsmart the Gauleiter, did you, Captain? Well think again. I just hope my men don't run into your little nun or one of your daughters. We wouldn't want anything to happen to them, would we?" he said with an evil grin.
The Captain clenched his teeth and felt his fury grow. He struggled to maintain composure despite the feelings of rage and hatred going through his mind.
"Tell me. What kind of a man endangers his family because of his own cowardice? Turn yourself in and no one will be harmed. Continue to disobey and I can't make you any promises, Captain. Do you hear me?"
Zeller continued to walk through the grounds and now unknowingly stood only a short distance away from the Captain.
"Your nun should get used to a cold bed again; she'll be alone for a long time when we find you. And we will find you!" he taunted. "But maybe she won't be alone. A fresh, young thing like that could be put to good use, if you know what I mean, Captain. But of course you do! You put her to your own use all summer!"
Zeller released a low rumble of smug laughter and now stood within a few meters of the Captain. Georg knew that there would be no escape if he did not act immediately. Slowly, he pulled his pistol out from under his jacket and cocked the trigger.
Zeller stopped in his tracks at the sound and smiled with defeat, knowing he had found the Captain at last.
"I knew you'd come to your senses, Captain," the Nazi smirked with victory. As he spoke, Zeller cocked the trigger on his own pistol.
He turned his back to the Captain to rummage through a large pile of rubbish on the ground, in pursuit of Georg's hiding spot. Without hesitation, the Captain charged forward and crashed into the back of his enemy, colliding into him with so much force that it knocked both men to the ground. Scrambling to his feet, the Captain began to run toward the station while Zeller was still regaining composure. As the Captain stood in front of the station on the brink of entering, a gunshot pierced the still night.