Angel Rising, page 25
part #6 of Anna Fehrbach Series
‘What a shower. Apart from trying to turn the entire country into a government-run corporation, and pack up the empire at the same time, their idea seems to be that if they make no decisions each problem may go away.’
‘Have you read your terms of employment recently? I suggest you do so now, when you will be reminded that we are not allowed to take political sides.’
But the fact that he continued to speak quietly indicated that he agreed. ‘There can be no law, in a free country, against holding opinions,’ Clive pointed out. ‘Are you saying that, strapped as they are, they won’t even be interested in the Nazi gold reserves?’
‘Which you tell me they will have to share with Washington.’
‘They will have to share with more than that,’ Clive said. ‘If I am right about where the gold is, it is not going to be gettable without the co-operation of the Soviets. But at least we should be able to do a deal, as they don’t know where to look. They don’t have Anna. You can’t stop this now, Billy. The Yanks are dead keen and they’re moving. If we don’t move as well, we’re out in the cold.’
‘I’ll have to—’
‘No, you will not. No referring the matter upstairs. They’ll still be discussing it this time next year. Neither Anna nor the CIA are going to wait that long.’
Baxter regarded him for several seconds. Then he sighed. ‘Tell me what you need.’
*
‘Well?’ Anna asked, as they sipped an aperitif before lunch. ‘Is everything arranged?’
‘In so far as it can be.’ Joe had just returned from a hasty visit to the American sector, just north of the Swiss border. ‘Part of what you require will be here tomorrow; the rest will be waiting for you in Germany.’
‘And no problems?’
‘A magic formula, CIA. They understand that we are undertaking a clandestine mission into Soviet-controlled territory, and may be coming back out in a hurry. If we can get back to the border, they’ll look after us.’
‘I could kiss you.’
‘Be my guest.’
‘Later.’
‘That, of course, is supposing we have something to come back out with, or for. What about Clive?’
‘He’ll be here this afternoon.’
‘And how did your morning go yesterday?’
‘As I expected,’ Anna said. ‘He will handle the transaction.’
‘And you trust him?’
‘Good lord, no. I gave up trusting people, most people, long ago. But I have grown to understand a little of human motivation; there are only three that matter: love, fear and greed.’
‘You wouldn’t include hate?’
‘Hate is merely an aspect of fear. We only hate the things we fear.’
‘And thus you hate no one.’
‘Not right now. Which is not to say that there are a few people I believe the world would be a better place without.’
‘And Laurent?’
‘He comes under the heading of all three. He cannot forget that once we were lovers; it is obvious in his eyes every time he looks at me. But he also hates me, because he is afraid of me, and he knows he has good reason to be afraid. Those two emotions largely cancel themselves out, in that while he may wish to be rid of me in his more lucid moments, he cannot suppress the hope that one day, perhaps, we might be able to get together again.’
‘Anna, you are a lot deeper than most people suspect. I guess that’s because most people find it difficult to look past a pretty face. But in my book, what you have just said about Laurent doesn’t make him the least reliable.’
‘Ah, but you see, with love and hate cancelling each other out, that leaves only greed. And that is irresistible, to a man like Laurent.’
‘But when he gets the money . . .’
‘He will still love, and he will still be afraid. With good reason. He knows that if I happen to need his know-how to complete this business, I still haven’t forgiven him for trying to turn me in last year.’
‘Because forgiveness isn’t part of your scheme of things. It’s a good old Christian principle.’
‘There hasn’t been a lot of time for me to be a Christian, Joe.’
They gazed at each other. ‘But you’ll forgive me for being interested,’ Joe said. ‘As regards you, I have never had only either hate or greed. Only love.’
‘Desire.’
‘Love. This caper could turn out badly. I’d hate one of us to die with any angst between us.’
Again Anna regarded him for several seconds, then she reached across the table and squeezed his hand. ‘So would I. Come to my room after lunch, and we’ll . . . consider the matter.’
*
‘This came in from Geneva this morning, Comrade Commissar,’ Litovsky said, laying the paper on Beria’s desk.
He was an eager man, tall and thin and intense, with a long face and excited eyes. Having just been promoted to take Kamarov’s place he was desperate to please. No one knew for sure what had happened to Kamarov, but that was the pattern in Stalinist Russia: people just disappeared.
Beria studied the brief entry. ‘A tall, elegant, very handsome woman. Hm. Walking with a slight limp?’
‘She could have had an accident.’
‘Hm. It does not mention her hair. That would establish her identity beyond a doubt.’
‘She apparently had it concealed beneath her hat.’
‘This says Laurent did not report this mysterious visit.’
‘There has been no contact with Laurent. Geneva wishes to know if we want anything done about him.’
‘Why should something be done about him at this time?’
‘Well, Comrade Commissar, it could well be that he is setting up to betray us.’
‘Litovsky, things are going exactly as I foresaw and as I planned. If this woman is the countess, then she is in Switzerland, and has made contact with her old business associate. That can only be because she wishes to use his money-laundering facility. Now she has to get the money to deliver to him. That means she is about to enter Germany. A part of Germany that we control.’
‘We do not know that, sir. The money could be in Allied-controlled territory.’
‘Litovsky,’ Beria said patiently, ‘There can be no doubt, from the way they have been protecting her and concealing her, that the countess works for the British. And in view of the way Andrews contacted her in Scotland, and then disappeared with her, I have a growing suspicion that for all their fine words and promises, she is also now again working for the Americans. If the money were in their controlled territory, she would simply go there and pick it up. There would be no need for this cloak-and-dagger stuff. Now listen carefully. If it is the bullion, or even part of the bullion, we are talking about, she will need both support and transport. My guess is that she will have a squad with her, and that they will enter our sector clandestinely and on foot, intending to steal transport when they have reached their goal. You will go to Germany and oversee this business personally. You have carte blanche to control our people in Germany. Double all border patrols, but they are to keep entirely out of sight and not interfere with the countess or her team in any way, until they actually recover the gold.’
‘Ah . . . would it not be simpler to arrest them the moment they cross the border, and . . . persuade her to tell us where the bullion is stored?’
Beria smiled. ‘You dream of having her stretched naked before you while you amuse yourself. Well, I agree, that is a very attractive prospect. And we may still be able to achieve it. But there are two strong caveats to attempting such a plan. One is that there is no guarantee that we would be able to take her alive, and if she were to die in a shoot-out, the secret of the bullion’s location would go with her. The other is that even if we were to succeed in taking her alive, I very much doubt that she would give in to torture.’
Litovsky looked sceptical. If he had read the file on the countess, and understood that she could be deadly, she was, after all, only a woman. He could not avoid the disquieting thought that his boss had become obsessed with her, and in so doing had also become afraid of her.
‘When they have recovered the gold,’ Beria continued, ‘you may move in and arrest them. I would still like her to be brought back here alive, but once we have recovered the gold, that is no longer a pre-requisite.’
‘It is a large area to cover,’ Litovsky pointed out. ‘Certainly if our surveillance has got to be unsuspected.’
‘I am sure you will do very well, but we have the comfortable fall-back position, that if by any chance she does manage to evade you, we know exactly where she will be going afterwards. Back to Switzerland. Back to Laurent. That is why he must not be touched until we have her, one way or the other. Now go and do your duty.’
*
‘Petty Officer Harris, Royal Navy,’ Clive explained, as they gathered in the hotel courtyard.
‘Ma’am.’ Harris, short and heavy-featured, with a mop of black hair, shook Anna’s hand, while his gaze drifted up and down her body; she was wearing slacks, canvas ankle boots, a shirt and a jerkin, carried a waterproof coat and had her hair totally concealed beneath a headscarf; her jewellery was stored in the hotel strong room.
‘Petty Officer.’ She squeezed the fingers.
‘Sergeant Riddick, SAS.’
‘Ma’am.’ Tall and thin, but with powerful shoulders.
‘Sergeant. SAS?’
‘Stands for Special Air Services, ma’am.’
Anna looked at Clive.
‘It’s a specialist unit created to work behind enemy lines during the war.’
‘Brilliant.’
‘Both of these fellows are trained frogmen.’
‘You’ve lost me.’
‘Divers, ma’am,’ Harris said. ‘We were told you need divers.’
‘I do indeed. And this stuff . . .?’ She gazed at the pile of equipment, what looked like gas cylinders and masses of black rubber.
‘That’s our Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, ma’am,’ Harris explained. ‘Together with our wet suits.’
‘Do you think you could possibly manage that again?’
‘It’s called Scuba gear,’ Clive said. ‘It was developed during the war for clandestine attacks on enemy shipping, planting limpet mines on their hulls and that sort of thing. Using those lungs and their breathing apparatus, they can stay under water for an hour at a time.’
‘There’s an awful lot of it,’ she pointed out. ‘We’re travelling on foot, at least on the way in.’
‘We can manage the cylinders, ma’am,’ Riddick said. ‘The rest is pretty light.’
Anna looked at the two Americans, who were waiting patiently beside the truck with US Army markings. Joe shrugged. ‘From what you told us, we’re gonna need these guys.’
‘Yes,’ Anna said thoughtfully. ‘And this gentleman?’
‘Staff Sergeant Maynard, ma’am. United States Marine Corps.’
‘And your function is?’
‘Motors, ma’am.’
‘If it can work, he’ll make it,’ Joe said.
‘Well, welcome all of you. I’m sure we’ll make a great team. Now, you know what we’re about?’
‘We’re gonna lift some dough from inside the Soviet Zone,’ Maynard said.
‘Correct. You understand that the Soviets may object to us doing this?’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ the three men answered together.
‘Right. So we will be picking up some additional gear this evening.’ She looked at Clive. ‘You’ve explained the terms?’
‘As this is a secret, unofficial assignment, each man will be paid fifty thousand dollars danger money. In case of death, the money to be paid to next of kin,’ Clive said.
‘That is, of course, providing any of us gets back. With the money. There is just one thing: I am in command of this operation, and I expect my orders to be obeyed instantly and to the maximum of your ability.’
She looked from face to face, and the men looked at their officers.
‘That’s the way it is,’ Joe said. ‘And just in case any of you guys has any reservations because of the fact that she is a lady, I think you should know that the Countess has accumulated a body count of . . .’ he looked at Anna.
‘I’m afraid it’s sixty-five,’ Anna said.
The men stared at her in disbelief, than looked at Joe, and then at Clive.
‘Fact,’ Clive said. ‘Of whom twenty-five were Russians. So when it comes to confronting an enemy, any enemy, there is no one in the world, male or female, that you’d do better to have standing beside you.’
The men gazed at her, and she smiled at them. ‘He says the sweetest things.’ She looked at her watch. ‘Eight thirty Let’s move it. We want to be in position by dusk.’
She sat in the front, between Maynard and Joe; Clive shared the back with the two other Englishmen. He wasn’t too happy with this arrangement, but it was an American truck, and they were about to enter American-controlled territory. They crossed the border at Basle, Joe’s CIA identification wallet seeing them through the US checkpoint, then it was a drive of something more than three hundred miles to the little town of Bad Hersfeld, which Anna had chosen as their starting point. The roads were still under repair from the wartime ravages, as were many of the towns and villages through which they passed. With a stop for lunch in Mannheim, it was five thirty and the afternoon was drawing in when they reached their destination, but they could see the hills of the Thuringian Wald in the near distance.
An MP lieutenant was waiting for them. ‘Holford, sir. We spoke on the phone.’
‘Yes, we did. You ready for us?’
‘Yes, sir.’ He looked past him at Anna. ‘Say, is that—’
‘This is a woman, yes,’ Joe said. ‘She is coming with us.’
Holford looked into the back of the truck, obviously counting. ‘You said you wanted six tommies . . .’
‘That’s right. One each.’
‘But—’
‘One is for the lady, yes. She feels naked without a tommy gun. Time is passing, lieutenant.’
‘Yes, sir.’
He had a jeep waiting, and led them out of the town.
‘I guess you run into this kind of thing all the time, ma’am,’ Maynard ventured.
‘I’m afraid I do, Sergeant.’
‘And that guy doesn’t have any idea who he’s dealing with.’
‘Which is how I like it. It would be a good idea for you to remember that.’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ he said fervently.
A couple of miles outside the town they came to an army camp, commanded by a captain. He also had been previously contacted by Joe, but he also had to go through the double take routine, especially when Anna took off her headscarf and shook out her hair, at the same time pocketing her dark glasses. ‘Captain Roberts, ma’am.’
She squeezed his hand. ‘My pleasure, Captain. Where’s the border?’
He pointed. ‘That stream marks it.’
‘May I have a look?’
After a week she walked with only the slightest of limps, although she had no idea how her ankle was going to stand up to twenty-five miles. Joe and Clive accompanied them through the trees, leaving their three companions to unload the truck.
‘Where is the bridge?’ Anna asked.
‘Three miles upstream. But it’s a check point.’
‘So we’ll only be using it on the way out.’
‘On the phone, Mr Andrews,’ Roberts remarked, ‘you said something about needing a diversion. What exactly did you have in mind?’
‘Just cover at the bridge. We’ll be defectors, see.’
‘No problem. But what about getting in? This border is constantly patrolled.’
They had reached the last of the trees, some thirty yards from the water, and Clive gave Anna a pair of binoculars. She studied the far bank, and the trees, which began again close to the water. ‘They must be having an early dinner.’
‘Eh?’
‘I don’t see any movement at all.’
Roberts took the glasses, also studied the far bank. ‘Well, I’ll be damned. You guys could just wade across now. That stream ain’t all that deep.’
‘They could be watching us from those trees,’ Clive suggested.
‘Ain’t likely. You know what the Reds are like. They normally parade up and down.’
‘But if they knew we were coming . . .’
‘How can they possibly know that?’ Anna asked.
‘Laurent! I never did like that character.’
‘Clive, you’re into the Reds under the bed mode. Laurent can’t possibly have betrayed us, for the simple reason that he doesn’t have any idea where we’re headed.’
‘No one does, except you,’ Joe pointed out.
‘Which makes the odds on a betrayal astronomical, wouldn’t you say? But we won’t take any risks. If it’s all right with you, Captain, we’ll eat now, and stick to our plan of crossing when it’s good and dark.’
‘Coming back when?’
‘I’ll show you.’
She spread the large-scale map on the table while they ate in the command house. ‘We are here. We cross the stream tonight, and head north-east.’
‘You mean we’re making for Eisenach?’ Joe asked.
‘We’re going to by-pass Eisenach. We’re making for the River Horsel. Here. That’s twenty-five miles from the border, to cover which, carrying all of this diving gear, we have to allow eight hours. We must be there by dawn. The area is wooded, and we’ll lie up there for the day.’
‘You guys aim to walk twenty-five miles through Russian-controlled territory? Even at night, that’s taking a big risk.’
‘Not if we have those uniforms I requested,’ Joe said.
‘I have them. But even so, if you’re challenged . . . you guys speak Russian?’
‘I do,’ Anna said.
He scratched his head.
‘As I was saying,’ she went on, ‘We’ll sit tight for the day and start work at dusk tomorrow night, depending on what, if any, activity there is around us.’
‘What exactly are we diving for, ma’am?’ Harris asked.
‘At the bottom of the river, at a place I selected when I was there last year, are four hundred fifty-pound ingots of pure gold.’
