you.”
Leni leaned forward and hugged her.
Otto quickly collected up all the evidence that they’d been there and dropped everything onto Leni and Angelika’s discarded robes. Then he rolled them up and tied them into a ball.
“What are you going to do with that?” asked Leni.
“We’ll drop it in a ditch on the way.” He took a quick look around to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. “Ready?”
The three bicycles were still where they had hidden them under a tarpaulin at the back of the boatyard.
“It’s a couple of hours to Rosenheim,” Otto said, wheeling his bike out towards the street. He glanced back. Angelika was standing still, holding the bike by the handlebars. “What’s the matter, Angelika?”
The girl’s eyes finally filled with tears. “I don’t know how to ride this,” she said.
Leni and Otto looked at each other in horror. They hadn’t thought of this. They’d assumed every child could ride a bike.
“I asked the nuns once,” Angelika went on, “but the mother superior refused. She said she didn’t want me to injure myself in any way. She was always saying that, making sure I didn’t do anything fun, like running and jumping and climbing.”
Otto walked back to her. “It’s all right, you can sit on the back of mine.” His was an adult bike with a strong steel pannierover the back wheel. He helped Angelika on, then pushed the bike onto the street. It would slow them down. But he could only hope it wouldn’t slow them too much.
He kicked up the pedal and placed his foot on it, a sudden sense of urgency gripping him.
“Hold tight!” he said, glancing back at Angelika sitting sidesaddle on the pannier.
“I will,” she answered quietly.
He pushed the pedal down hard, trying not to wobble as he adjusted to the extra load on the back wheel, and soon started to build up some speed. Then Leni was beside him.
They exchanged a quick look between them. A mixture of relief and disbelief. They’d got the girl, but what in the world had they taken on?
The police boat was already waiting at the quayside as an unmarked Opel sedan drew up in the port of Stock. It was still early in the morning.
Heydrich had spent the night at the Berghof and had driven to Chiemsee just after seven. The journey had taken about forty minutes. He had chosen the most ordinary car he could find at the Berghof and ordered that it fly no pennants to identify it or himself as SS. He wished his visit to be unnoticed and had shed his black uniform and Totenkopf — death’s head — cap in favor of a cream summer suit and Panama hat.
However, as soon as he walked down the jetty to the boat, every single person in the vicinity, the early-rising shopkeepers and fishermen, stared intently at him. A few obviously recognized him, but others just knew important Party members when they saw them. And this one was obviously veryimportant. Not only that, but the local police chief, pale with anxiety, saluted smartly before Heydrich could stop him.
Heydrich climbed aboard, scowling. The boat pulled away from the harbor and set course for Fraueninsel.
There was no other traffic to slow their journey. A light swell made the bow bounce a little. Heydrich had overflown the lake only yesterday for pleasure, but now he was here for a very different reason.
He dismissed the hovering police chief and settled himself in the cabin, placing a brown manila envelope on the polished teak table in front of him. The Führer had only managed to speak to him for a few moments the night before, a private audience in Hitler’s own sitting room. He had taken Heydrich’s hand and shaken it firmly, looking straight into his eyes. “I have a special task that I wish to place only in your hands.”
Heydrich had been deeply honored by the trust that was being bestowed on him. Calmly, the Führer had told him about a child, a girl, living on Fraueninsel, and how he believed his treacherous deputy, Rudolf Hess, might have betrayed
Leni leaned forward and hugged her.
Otto quickly collected up all the evidence that they’d been there and dropped everything onto Leni and Angelika’s discarded robes. Then he rolled them up and tied them into a ball.
“What are you going to do with that?” asked Leni.
“We’ll drop it in a ditch on the way.” He took a quick look around to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. “Ready?”
The three bicycles were still where they had hidden them under a tarpaulin at the back of the boatyard.
“It’s a couple of hours to Rosenheim,” Otto said, wheeling his bike out towards the street. He glanced back. Angelika was standing still, holding the bike by the handlebars. “What’s the matter, Angelika?”
The girl’s eyes finally filled with tears. “I don’t know how to ride this,” she said.
Leni and Otto looked at each other in horror. They hadn’t thought of this. They’d assumed every child could ride a bike.
“I asked the nuns once,” Angelika went on, “but the mother superior refused. She said she didn’t want me to injure myself in any way. She was always saying that, making sure I didn’t do anything fun, like running and jumping and climbing.”
Otto walked back to her. “It’s all right, you can sit on the back of mine.” His was an adult bike with a strong steel pannierover the back wheel. He helped Angelika on, then pushed the bike onto the street. It would slow them down. But he could only hope it wouldn’t slow them too much.
He kicked up the pedal and placed his foot on it, a sudden sense of urgency gripping him.
“Hold tight!” he said, glancing back at Angelika sitting sidesaddle on the pannier.
“I will,” she answered quietly.
He pushed the pedal down hard, trying not to wobble as he adjusted to the extra load on the back wheel, and soon started to build up some speed. Then Leni was beside him.
They exchanged a quick look between them. A mixture of relief and disbelief. They’d got the girl, but what in the world had they taken on?
The police boat was already waiting at the quayside as an unmarked Opel sedan drew up in the port of Stock. It was still early in the morning.
Heydrich had spent the night at the Berghof and had driven to Chiemsee just after seven. The journey had taken about forty minutes. He had chosen the most ordinary car he could find at the Berghof and ordered that it fly no pennants to identify it or himself as SS. He wished his visit to be unnoticed and had shed his black uniform and Totenkopf — death’s head — cap in favor of a cream summer suit and Panama hat.
However, as soon as he walked down the jetty to the boat, every single person in the vicinity, the early-rising shopkeepers and fishermen, stared intently at him. A few obviously recognized him, but others just knew important Party members when they saw them. And this one was obviously veryimportant. Not only that, but the local police chief, pale with anxiety, saluted smartly before Heydrich could stop him.
Heydrich climbed aboard, scowling. The boat pulled away from the harbor and set course for Fraueninsel.
There was no other traffic to slow their journey. A light swell made the bow bounce a little. Heydrich had overflown the lake only yesterday for pleasure, but now he was here for a very different reason.
He dismissed the hovering police chief and settled himself in the cabin, placing a brown manila envelope on the polished teak table in front of him. The Führer had only managed to speak to him for a few moments the night before, a private audience in Hitler’s own sitting room. He had taken Heydrich’s hand and shaken it firmly, looking straight into his eyes. “I have a special task that I wish to place only in your hands.”
Heydrich had been deeply honored by the trust that was being bestowed on him. Calmly, the Führer had told him about a child, a girl, living on Fraueninsel, and how he believed his treacherous deputy, Rudolf Hess, might have betrayed
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