Chapter 25

When Helen and Rummy returned to Freiburg, they each brought vests. They were Kevlar Threat Level II, and not especially visible under business clothing.

"This certainly isn't my preferred clothing," Helen said as they met outside her room on the way to breakfast.

"Mine either," Rummy replied, though he looked little different than ever, his clothing rumpled and loosely assembled on his big frame.

"Well, Johannes is right, I guess, there's no point in taking chances."

"Me, I'm wearing this for Doris."

Helen laughed, and they sat down to eat.

At the site, the form work was well advanced and it was easy to see the progress that had been made. Werner Siegmann met them with a pleasant smile.

"Anything new?" Helen asked.

"You have the notes I gave Rummy about Dumont?"

"Yes. Those prices would give him one hell of a margin, wouldn't they?"

"From what I know of what they're paying illegal workers, he'd be making a fortune. Well, I hope that was helpful, but I'm not going to have anything to do with him from now on."

Rummy said, "Well, don't let him down too hard, Werner. You don't want him mad at you, and you don't want him thinking you're going to turn him in. Give him some guff about your boss breathing down your neck or something. Stall him."

"Well, it bothers me to see him peddling his stuff around here."

"Werner, these guys play rough. Don't make yourself a target."

"Oh, I won't. Don't worry." He put on his hard hat. "Now, let's get to work. I need you to look at the form work over at the main administration building. There's a problem in the join with the dressing rooms."

The three walked around the heaps of earth and excavations where forms were being erected. Workmen waved as they passed.

"I see you're dressed up today, Helen," Siegmann said, noting her business-like suit jacket over her usual shirt, jeans and boots. "Aren't you warm in this weather?"

Helen smiled, her eyes alight. "I'm trying to project a more serious image, Werner. I read this book about dressing for success."

Werner laughed appreciatively, and with not a little skepticism. "Well, whatever."

The administration building was two stories at the far side of the site, and had a single-story building off to each side of it that one day would house the lockers, showers and dressing rooms for the complex of pools and saunas. The concept of the facility was to allow users to circulate either with clothing or without, with similar facilities for those of either persuasion. The two areas were not mirror images, but each was intended to maximize the differing types of use each might favor. The saunas, after all, allowed no clothing, and people tended to remain nude when resting or wandering about for food, recreation or games on one side of the facility. The huge pool would be multi-leveled on either side of a porous but opaque wall above which a dividing wall and shrubbery would obscure the fact that there were two different clothing zones.

With some difficulty, Helen had arranged for the excavations to avoid damaging old-growth trees in the area, and there were plenty of tree canopies to shade the areas around and even within the diggings. They walked through the grove of trees and toward the corner of the building in question.

A workman hailed Werner, and they stopped to answer questions about a set of forms that would support the sunning plaza, under which would be machinery spaces.

"We'll begin pouring tomorrow or the next day on some of this, Helen," Werner said, gesturing to the expanse of form work. "Should be finished in a week, then curing time. We'll begin stripping the forms as soon after pouring as we can."

They rounded a stack of ready-made forms that would be set up for use on straight walls and structures. Werner turned to Rummy, "You were smart to let us rent standard forms. We can get them in and out in a hurry, and that saves money. These are going in later today."

"That's Helen's idea, Werner. She knows this stuff as well as either of us."

They moved on toward the building, when a cry arose. They stopped and watched as a crane, swinging a load of steel reinforcing bars toward a new resting place, lost control of the load. The heavy steel rods began to fall in a cascade of deadly force, certain to hit not far from where the three stood.

"Down!" called Rummy, tackling Helen and driving her farther away from the apparent impact point. Werner stumbled back, falling over a rock. Helen, too, tripped, ended up in the dirt and rolled onward; she rose to her knees, ready to respond if needed. The load of re-bar hit the ground close by, missing Rummy by about 2 meters. Short pieces of iron flew through the air. One of them, about 30 cm long and 2 cm thick, struck Helen in the back as she rose, knocking her flat. Rummy scrambled to where she lay.

"Helen! Are you all right?"

Helen raised her head, her helmet still in place. "I guess so," she said. "How's my back look?"

"Your jacket's a mess, but I think that's all. Can you get up?"

Helen pushed herself to her knees again, and looked around. "Anyone else get hit?"

"No," Werner said, scrambling up and scanning the area. "I don't think so. Damn. That sort of thing happens now and then, but there usually aren't any little pieces to go flying around." He picked up the bit of re-bar. "This thing must weigh nearly 3 kilos." Werner looked at her sharply. "Let's go back to the office and get you looked at by a doctor."

Helen wiggled her shoulders, moved her arms, her upper body. "No, I'm all right. I'll get looked at later. Bring that thing and let's go look at that form and get it out of the way. I don't want pouring to be delayed because of this."

Ignoring the men's noises, Helen strode off to the site of the problem. Workmen were already restoring order to the mess of re-bar left helter-skelter on the ground. The foreman hurried over to express his concern and shame that there should have been an accident on his shift and Helen gracefully reassured him.

At the building, Helen and Werner found the questionable point in the form work. They took a ladder that was standing near and Helen climbed up, looking into the form-work.

"Yes, I see what your problem is, Werner. Hold on." She stepped down off the ladder and fished a bit of chalk out of a pocket. She sketched a few lines on the form near where the ladder stood. "The three walls meet at an angle, and I guess you think there's a problem with the join. I think you can put in an expansion joint there, and it will work. Take a look and see what you think."