me they’re sending you out at this time of night?”
The man in uniform nodded. “Just the sort of thing these bastards are always doing,” he said bitterly. “Give me a packet of cigarettes, will you?”
“Where to this time?” the proprietor of the bar said as he pushed the cigarettes across.
“Berndorf again.” The man snorted. “It’s bad enough on some of those country roads during the day, but at night it’s just impossible.” The door closed behind him with a crash and he moved back across the road and entered the gates.
A few moments later, a heavy ambulance came down the drive and turned into the road. A large, dark car followed close behind. They were obviously taking every precaution against being followed.
Chavasse moved out onto the pavement, considering his next move, and at that moment, Gisela came out of the main gates and crossed the street. She turned the corner into the main road and Chavasse hurried after her. He caught up with her as she drew abreast of the Volkswagen. “Can I offer you a lift?” he said.
She turned in surprise, and then recognition came to her face. “Oh, it’s you, is it?” She moved closer and there was respect in her voice. “What on earth did you do to Karl? They say he’s broken both his legs.”
He smiled and opened the door of the car. “Do you have far to go?”
She shook her head. “Not really—only to Flottbek.”
“Far enough,” he said, and handed her into the car.
He went round to the other side, climbed behind the wheel, and drove away. As they moved through the deserted streets, he said, “My friend wasn’t in room twelve, by the way. Apparently, they’ve moved him.”
She seemed genuinely surprised. “I didn’t know that.”
“Was there much of a disturbance back there after I left you?” he said.
She shrugged. “There’s always a fuss of some sort going on. You get so you don’t take any notice. Some of the women are terrible, you know.”
“Are they?” Chavasse said. “Tell me, has Dr. Kruger got another clinic anywhere?”
She shook her head. “Not that I know of.”
“The ambulance driver was in the bar a little while ago,” he told her. “He was saying something about taking a patient to a place called Berndorf.”
“Oh, they often take people to Berndorf,” she said, “but not to a clinic. They go there to convalesce. Dr. Kruger has a friend called Herr Nagel who owns a castle there. It’s supposed to be a lovely place.”
“I see,” Chavasse said casually. “And this man Nagel—does he visit the clinic often?”
“Oh, yes,” she said. “He and Dr. Kruger are great friends. He’s very wealthy. Something to do with steel, I think.”
And then it clicked into place and Chavasse remembered something he’d read in a newspaper at Anna’s apartment. Kurt Nagel was a big industrialist, a man with a lot of influence in political circles. He was one of the prime organizers of the U.N. Peace Conference, and later in the week, he was giving a ball in honor of the delegates.
If a man like Nagel was working hand in glove with the Nazi underground, then things were more serious than even the Chief had believed.
As Chavasse considered the situation, he was following Gisela’s instructions, and finally slowed to a halt outside a modest house in an unpretentious neighborhood.
“Well, it’s been nice,” he said.
She had already got the door open, and she turned and looked at him. “Aren’t you coming in for a while? It’s perfectly safe—they’ll all be in bed by this time.”
He shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Gisela. Some other time.”
She leaned across, kissed him, and sighed. “Men are such liars. I bet you anything you like, I’ll never see you again.”
He drove away quickly and left her standing there on the pavement looking wistfully after him. He had forgotten her within seconds, as his mind went back to the problem in hand.
The way things looked, they were taking Hardt to
The man in uniform nodded. “Just the sort of thing these bastards are always doing,” he said bitterly. “Give me a packet of cigarettes, will you?”
“Where to this time?” the proprietor of the bar said as he pushed the cigarettes across.
“Berndorf again.” The man snorted. “It’s bad enough on some of those country roads during the day, but at night it’s just impossible.” The door closed behind him with a crash and he moved back across the road and entered the gates.
A few moments later, a heavy ambulance came down the drive and turned into the road. A large, dark car followed close behind. They were obviously taking every precaution against being followed.
Chavasse moved out onto the pavement, considering his next move, and at that moment, Gisela came out of the main gates and crossed the street. She turned the corner into the main road and Chavasse hurried after her. He caught up with her as she drew abreast of the Volkswagen. “Can I offer you a lift?” he said.
She turned in surprise, and then recognition came to her face. “Oh, it’s you, is it?” She moved closer and there was respect in her voice. “What on earth did you do to Karl? They say he’s broken both his legs.”
He smiled and opened the door of the car. “Do you have far to go?”
She shook her head. “Not really—only to Flottbek.”
“Far enough,” he said, and handed her into the car.
He went round to the other side, climbed behind the wheel, and drove away. As they moved through the deserted streets, he said, “My friend wasn’t in room twelve, by the way. Apparently, they’ve moved him.”
She seemed genuinely surprised. “I didn’t know that.”
“Was there much of a disturbance back there after I left you?” he said.
She shrugged. “There’s always a fuss of some sort going on. You get so you don’t take any notice. Some of the women are terrible, you know.”
“Are they?” Chavasse said. “Tell me, has Dr. Kruger got another clinic anywhere?”
She shook her head. “Not that I know of.”
“The ambulance driver was in the bar a little while ago,” he told her. “He was saying something about taking a patient to a place called Berndorf.”
“Oh, they often take people to Berndorf,” she said, “but not to a clinic. They go there to convalesce. Dr. Kruger has a friend called Herr Nagel who owns a castle there. It’s supposed to be a lovely place.”
“I see,” Chavasse said casually. “And this man Nagel—does he visit the clinic often?”
“Oh, yes,” she said. “He and Dr. Kruger are great friends. He’s very wealthy. Something to do with steel, I think.”
And then it clicked into place and Chavasse remembered something he’d read in a newspaper at Anna’s apartment. Kurt Nagel was a big industrialist, a man with a lot of influence in political circles. He was one of the prime organizers of the U.N. Peace Conference, and later in the week, he was giving a ball in honor of the delegates.
If a man like Nagel was working hand in glove with the Nazi underground, then things were more serious than even the Chief had believed.
As Chavasse considered the situation, he was following Gisela’s instructions, and finally slowed to a halt outside a modest house in an unpretentious neighborhood.
“Well, it’s been nice,” he said.
She had already got the door open, and she turned and looked at him. “Aren’t you coming in for a while? It’s perfectly safe—they’ll all be in bed by this time.”
He shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Gisela. Some other time.”
She leaned across, kissed him, and sighed. “Men are such liars. I bet you anything you like, I’ll never see you again.”
He drove away quickly and left her standing there on the pavement looking wistfully after him. He had forgotten her within seconds, as his mind went back to the problem in hand.
The way things looked, they were taking Hardt to
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