If he hadn’t died, we might have been the ones living in the forester’s cottage, instead of Solveig and the boys.’‘But why did Pappa think so badly of Johannes?’‘Well, I don’t really know. Pappa has never been very talkative on the subject, but Grandpa told us a great deal that might explain it. Mamma’s father died when Johannes was born, and after that they travelled about with Grandpa when he drove up and down the west coast giving sermons and worship services. Grandpa told me that he understood early on that both Johannes and Gabriel had the power to heal, so each worship service concluded with them healing people with handicaps and illnesses who were in the audience.’‘Pappa did that? Healed people, I mean? Can he still do it?’Linda’s mouth fell open in astonishment. The door to a whole new room in her family history had been opened wide. She hardly dared breathe for fear that Jacob would clam up and refuse to share what else he knew. She’d heard that he and Grandpa had always had a special bond, especially after it turned out that Grandpa’s bone marrow was a perfect match as a donor for Jacob, who was suffering from leukaemia.
