Midwinterblood Part 3, Chapter 9 Summary

  • David never thought about home—that is, until Rebecka told him about their daughter's death. The thought of what's he's missing back there is more painful than his ankle.
  • One day there's smoke and shouting outside. Erik is burning David's things.
  • Benjamin helps David hobble outside where he sees that Erik has tossed his uniform into a fire he's built in an old oil drum.
  • David lunges at the barrel and knocks it over, then he rushes to his still burning jacket and dives into the pocket to recover something that's very important to him.
  • David understands the burning—men are coming and there can't be any evidence that he was there—so he doesn't object when Erik puts the barrel upright and lights the fire again.
  • Then, Erik demands to burn everything that David has, including the item he's fished from his jacket pocket. The two men fight and Erik pries the treasure—a simple wallet—from David's hands.
  • Inside Erik sees a photograph of David, his wife, and his daughter. Erik drops the wallet without burning it and heads inside.
  • Rebecka sees the photo and asks David what his daughter's name is.
  • "Merle. Her name is Merle," he replies.