Early the next morning, Liesl awoke with a start to the sound of the door slamming open. She bolted to an upright position in the darkness; the faint light from the hallway and a dim candle across the room were the only sources of illumination.
Squinting her eyes and looking toward the doorway, she saw two silhouettes enter the room. They began to walk in her direction and she recognized them as Herr Zeller and Johannes. Liesl stared wide-eyed at the duo and felt that instinctively, she had started to tremble.
"Get up," Zeller ordered her. He beckoned to Johannes with his chin to hurry Liesl along.
Liesl noticed Zeller's gesture and glanced toward Johannes. Meeting her gaze, he cast her an evil smile that made her stomach knot, and reached his hand forward, grasping her arm with force. Johannes yanked Liesl to her feet roughly and thrust her forward toward the chair that she had occupied the evening before.
She regained her balance and shook Johannes' hand off of her arm with an abrupt movement. The anger in her eyes was apparent as she looked behind her and met his stare for a brief moment.
Herr Zeller sniggered at the display and walked towards Liesl. He placed his hand on her shoulder and pushed her down into the chair with force. "I'd behave if I were you. Your father seems to have too many children to realize you're gone, so you might be here for a while."
Liesl set her chin and turned her gaze to the corner of the room, not wanting to look either Nazi in the face.
Zeller stooped down and placed his hand on her chin, rudely cocking it upwards. With a sarcastic look, he bore his eyes into hers. "And I don't take kindly to surly charges."
Liesl could hear Johannes snickering behind her. She took a deep breath, urging her fear and ire to settle, and resumed staring intently into the corner of the room.
Suddenly, she gasped when her hands were grabbed with force and held together in front of her. She turned her head to the side and saw that Johannes had taken hold of her wrists and was positioning a cloth around them to tie her up again. Closing her eyes for a moment, Liesl made her mind focus on the hope that she had in her family soon returning for her.
When she opened her eyes again, she looked across the room and saw Rolf watching the scene with wide eyes. He fidgeted in his stance and began to knead his hands in front of him. Without hesitation, he stepped forward toward the group.
Rolf pointed his arm erectly above his head in salute of Herr Zeller. "Heil, Hitler."
"Grüber," Zeller said with a curt nod in greeting.
"No sign of the Captain yet?" Rolf asked with feigned confidence, although the shakiness in his voice was apparent.
"Mind your business!" Zeller hissed with a glare at the young soldier.
Liesl cast her gaze to her lap upon hearing the heated tone in Zeller's voice. However, out of the corner of her eye she couldn't avoid seeing Rolf's shoulders slouch at the reprimand.
"Go get my cigarettes in my office," Zeller grumbled to the young soldier. Turning to face Johannes, he continued speaking. "And you, lock the girl in here and meet me in the hall."
Rolf and Johannes nodded curtly at their leader and turned to obey their orders. Before leaving, Rolf quickly glanced downward at Liesl and he could see the fright in her eyes as she watched Johannes walk towards her. Without realizing it, he looked away from the sight but froze, not able to stop thinking about the horror he saw on her face.
"Go!" Zeller barked upon seeing Rolf not move.
Snapping out of his reverie, Rolf nervously nodded. He backed up and bumped into the doorframe, which caused him to startle himself. Sighing deeply with embarrassment at his clumsiness, the young soldier hurried out the door.
With a final intimidating scowl at his subordinate, Herr Zeller veered around and walked briskly from the room.
Georg and Maria drove through the streets of Salzburg in relative silence, merely staring absently at the empty road ahead of them and watching the morning dew collect on the windshield. Nervous thoughts occupied both of their minds, but they each were focused on trying to be optimistic about their situation.
"It was very kind of the Abbey to let us borrow this car," Georg said earnestly, breaking the silence.
"Yes," she said in a low voice.
"The streets are empty this morning," Georg persisted, with a sidelong glance at her, hoping to calm some of her nerves by distraction.
"It's early still," she answered, still staring out the window.
Maria sat mute for a moment. "It was a good idea of yours to borrow the wireless from the Abbey. I wouldn't have thought of that."
Georg reached over to caress the top of Maria's hand, which was absently rubbing her wrist in her lap. At his touch, her nervous movements ceased and Maria turned her gaze upwards to Georg's profile.
He cast her a quick glance and flashed her a comforting smile as he drove.
As always, Maria felt her strength and confidence renew in her husband's company and squeezed his hand in support. She placed her other hand on top of their entwined fingers and closed her eyes, bowing her head and saying a silent prayer for both of their protection and Liesl's safe return.
For a few more moments the couple drove in silence. Suddenly, Georg took a sharp turn and stopped the car. He moved in his seat to face Maria and found her staring at him with wide eyes.
"Is this it?" she asked, her eyes boring deep into Georg's. Without even knowing for sure that they had reached their destination, Maria could just sense that they had, even before Georg answered her.
"Yes, we'll walk the rest of the way. Are you clear on everything, Maria?" Georg asked her with an insistent look, urging her to consider his question very carefully in order to be certain before they parted.
Maria looked Heavenward for a moment before returning her gaze to Georg. "Yes, I'm ready," she asserted with a confident nod of her head.
"Be careful. Please," he implored.
"You too, Captain," Maria replied, her voice catching as she spoke and her eyes involuntarily filling with tears. Her eyes locked with Georg and she drew him to her, needing to feel the security she always felt when in his arms.
"You have my promise, Maria," he whispered in her ear.
Moving her face away from Georg's shoulder, she looked at him and reached upwards to stroke his cheek. "Let's go get our daughter back," she said with a courageous glow in her eye.
Georg leaned his forehead against Maria's, never removing his eyes from her. "I'm right next to you, darling," he said with an air of optimism.
"I have complete faith in this, Georg," Maria added with one final touch of her husband's face.
He leaned forward and brushed Maria's lips with his own. "So do I," he said in a low voice.
Before leaving, Georg surveyed the front of the vehicle quickly, noting that the doors were unlocked. He removed the keys from the ignition and noticed a thick bush a few meters from the car where he would hide the keys while they were gone. He got out of the car with the intention of opening the door for Maria, when, much to his surprise, he found her already standing outside waiting for him.
"I'm going to leave the keys here," he told her while walking towards the bush and hiding the keys underneath. "They'll be safer than in the car or with one of us."
Maria nodded and watched carefully as Georg buried the keys, mentally noting their location.
Turning toward her again, Georg walked toward Maria. "Follow me," he instructed with a reassuring squeeze of her shoulders. He lowered his arms and the couple set off in the direction of the Residenzplatz, hand in hand.
"Georg," Maria whispered as she followed him through a narrow alley in the center of Salzburg.
Georg continued to walk straight ahead, but turned his head partially to the side to show that he was listening.
"If we go behind St. Peter's Church and walk to the end of Kirchestrasse we'll get there faster. There's a shortcut through the Universitätsplatz that we can take."
"This way's not long either," Georg replied, looking over his shoulder, mindful of their surroundings.
"No, but my way is shorter and the market that's usually in the plaza is closed on Sundays; the tents are still up, but it'll be empty today. We'll be less likely to meet anyone."
Georg continued walking for a few paces and contemplated the idea. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and turned toward Maria, his face decisive. "Show me."
Maria nodded and stepped past her husband. She took his hand and they resumed their pace.
For a few blocks, the couple walked in silence, and as they neared the end of Kirchestrasse, they stood facing the Universitätsplatz. Georg stopped Maria in front of a heavy iron gate that separated them from the square, and peeked his head around the corner. He looked from side to side, surveying the scene with caution. Not noticing any reason to worry, he cocked his head at Maria, indicating that it was safe for them to proceed.
She gave Georg a confident look and quickly looked both ways for her own reassurance before they walked past a statue and entered the plaza. Tall shrubbery surrounded the area, blocking them from view to any passers-by.
"This would be a lot easier at night," Georg said wryly.
Maria placed her hand on his back and moved it gently across his jacket in comfort.
The couple walked briskly past a row of empty booths and stayed out of the open to make themselves less conspicuous. They were focused on getting to the other side of the square and the short distance seemed further than usual under such tense circumstances.
Suddenly, the loud pounding of footsteps on the cobblestone startled both Georg and Maria. The sound evoked further panic as it increased in volume and seemed to be heading in their direction.
Maria looked at Georg with wide eyes, searching his face for some sign of reassurance. Focused on weighing their options and working to compose a quick solution, he merely met her gaze with sternness.
All of a sudden, Georg grabbed Maria's hand and bolted across an aisle to a large, covered tent. He pulled her against the front wall and stood next to her, so that their backs were a few meters from the entrance. Reaching across Maria's body with his arm, Georg placed one hand to her shoulder and held her protectively; the physical contact seemed to offer comfort to his worrisome mind.
Slowly, he lowered his hand and reached toward his jacket to remove his gun. As Georg grasped the weapon in his hand and removed it from his pocket, he turned his face to his wife and found her staring at him. She nodded slightly with approval.
The approaching footsteps caused Georg's body to stiffen; he could hear them more clearly now and recognized the sound as a disciplined military march. Instinctively, he placed his thumb on the hammer of his pistol, readying himself to cock the trigger if needed. He moved his other hand to Maria's chest and protectively pressed her closer to the wall. Georg turned his head toward the doorway and could feel Maria's breathing stop for a moment as the three soldiers walked past their refuge.
A tense moment passed and the clicking of heels, as the three soldiers walked through the square, became more distant.
Georg felt the blood return to his face and was relieved to feel Maria exhale the breath that she had been holding. He turned to her and held his hand up, indicating for her to stay still while he looked around the corner to see if they were in the clear.
Maria nodded without hesitation but unconsciously walked a step forward when Georg moved, placing her hand on his back for her own comfort.
After a moment, he leaned towards her and placed his pistol back into his belt clip. "Let's go. I can see them at the entrance we came through, but they have their backs to us. When I count to three, run to the lamp post on the other side."
"All right," Maria agreed.
"One, two, three!"
The couple sprinted across the Universitätsplatz to the opening. They looked to the street in front of them and the Rathaus came into view in the distance.
Georg looked behind them cautiously and then pointed in front of them to a gated cemetery across the street. "When we get across the road, go through the cemetery. It backs up to where I want you to hide."
As he spoke, Georg tried to maintain eye contact with Maria but he instinctively kept diverting his gaze behind them in the direction of the soldiers. So far, they had gone unnoticed, but he did not want to risk this by letting down his guard too soon.
Maria nodded with understanding. "Just lead me," she told him with a forced smile.
Georg reached back and took Maria's hand before returning his attention in front of him.
"Hurry," he said firmly, noting that the road was empty and they could cross.
Maria followed closely behind when Georg darted across the street. He led her into the cemetery and they both looked around with anxiety at first, but soon calmed and cast relieved glances at each other. In the distance, a handful of gravesites were scattered with visitors, but every group seemed too preoccupied to notice anything around them.
"Walk casually over there," Georg instructed while pointing to the opposite end of the grounds. "We'll be more noticeable if we run."
Maria nodded and forced a smile. "We're almost there," she assured both herself and Georg.
"Almost there isn't enough," Georg replied distantly.
Maria fixed her gaze on his stoic demeanor and sighed. "We've come this far without too many problems," she reminded him.
Georg glanced behind them as they crossed the graveyard and then returned his attention to Maria upon not seeing anything suspicious. "Let's hope it stays that way."
Maria stared at Georg's stern profile for another moment, thinking about what must be going through his mind. She knew firsthand the heartache, fright, and anger that this situation had evoked. But, she could only imagine how amplified each of these must be for Georg as the head of the family.
The couple crossed one final street in silence, which brought them to the edge of the Residenzplatz. They walked around the perimeter of the plaza,where it was lined with a thick row of trees and bushes, and continued to follow the brush into an alley that branched off from the main road.
Soon they reached a dead end and Georg parted a section of the foliage, holding it open for Maria to walk through. He cocked his head at her and she proceeded.
As they passed through the shrubbery, they each looked from side to side to determine the best place for Maria to hide.
"Over there," Maria suggested, pointing to a small opening ahead of them amongst two overgrown thorn bushes. A few hundred meters ahead, a tall stonewall separated the Rathaus grounds from them; the top half of the building was clearly visible.
Georg nodded and reached forward to move another large branch out of their way so that he and Maria could pass. They walked to the opening and Georg surveyed the scene carefully and then nodded with satisfaction.
He reached toward his belt clip and removed the pistol. Handing it hesitantly to Maria, his eyes bore deep into hers and she took the gun.
"I love you, Maria," he said in a more serious tone than he had ever used to speak to her. Needing to feel her in his arms before they parted, he drew her to him and held her close.
Georg drew back from their embrace and Maria turned her eyes upwards to him.
"I'll be waiting for you, darling," she said with determination.
"We'll all be together again soon," he told her with certainty and his face showed that there was no other option.
"Be careful, Captain," Maria whispered while reaching upwards to stroke his cheek. As she spoke, her eyes filled with tears and her voice faltered.
Georg nodded slowly and leaned forward to brush Maria's lips to his. "I will," he assured her with a gentle smile.
Knowing that lingering any longer would make saying goodbye more difficult than it already was and would be wasting precious time, Georg looked one last time into her eyes before turning around and walking back through the bushes to reclaim his daughter.
Rolf berated himself for his clumsiness as he walked through the hallway to Herr Zeller's study. Picking Zeller's cigarettes up from his desk, he frowned at his own incompetence with frustration and turned to leave the room right away, wanting to return promptly without further disappointing his leader.
He walked through the building toward the cellar and began to go back downstairs. However, as he moved, Rolf suddenly heard low whispering from below and stopped in his tracks. He listened for a moment before he recognized the voices as Herr Zeller and Johannes. Deciding that interrupting the scene would probably infuriate Zeller more than he already was, Rolf cocked his head so that he could hear more clearly and listened to the conversation that was taking place below.
"I've ordered the borders to be closed. When he comes back into the country, he won't be able to leave again," Zeller said in a low voice. "There's one more passenger train leaving at 12 from Innsbruck and going to Milan, to covertly transport weapons, but nothing afterwards."
"Yes, Sir," Johannes said with seriousness.
"This is confidential," Zeller emphasized.
"Yes, Sir."
"I'll have Grüber guard the girl today. Gather together your troops and be ready to find the Captain," Zeller instructed.
His orders were met with silence for a moment, but Rolf soon heard shuffling below as Zeller and Johannes started to walk toward the room where Liesl was being guarded.
Suddenly the noise stopped as Zeller froze in his tracks. Again he spoke to Johannes. "Do whatever you must to find him. The Captain will join us; there's no other option," he said arrogantly.
"We'll stake out the city for him, Sir," Johannes replied. "He'll be back to get the girl."
"Yes," Zeller said smugly. "He will. Get going when Grüber returns."
The footsteps toward Liesl's room resumed and Rolf listened until he heard the door open and close a moment later as the two entered. He waited another minute before descending the rest of the stairs and following Zeller and Johannes.
Shutting the door behind him, Rolf stepped inside and surveyed the scene. Liesl was staring absently into the corner and her chin was set with stubborn determination.
As Rolf entered the room, Zeller looked upwards briefly and approached him. The Gauleiter snatched his pack of cigarettes from the boy's hand and with a grumble, turned around abruptly. He lit a cigarette and started to pace the room while Johannes and Rolf watched, awaiting their orders.
Suddenly, a knock was heard at the door, causing everyone in the room to look towards it with surprise.
"Enter!" Zeller shouted.
The door opened and Ludwig stepped inside. He raised his arm and saluted Herr Zeller. "Heil Hitler," he said with a bow of his head.
"What is it?" Zeller asked angrily, taking a step forward towards his subordinate who had just entered.
"There's someone upstairs to see you, Sir. Captain Von Trapp requests your presence immediately," Ludwig relayed.
Rolf could see out of the corner of his eye that Liesl's face had turned slightly towards them upon hearing the words, but immediately, she had returned her gaze to the corner. Despite her bound wrists and torn clothes, her face appeared to glow more than it had since she arrived.
Zeller threw his cigarette on the ground and stepped on it to put it out. He placed his hands together and began to knead them with defeat.
First casting an evil smile at Johannes and then turning to Rolf, Zeller spoke with authority to the young boy. "Watch the girl until we return."
"Follow me," he ordered to Johannes and Ludwig, and immediately turned around to go upstairs to meet his enemy.