by A. D. Winch
Ingrid did not agree with my work, so she destroyed it. Ingrid feared for the safety of our unborn child, so she fled the base. Ingrid feared for her own safety in America, so she fled to the Soviet Union.
Ingrid is an enemy of the USA. Ingrid’s son, Dr. Alexander Johansen, is an enemy of the USA. Those two children that the OSS are pursuing with such conviction are enemies of the USA.
None of it made any sense.
Professor Schwarzkopf thought some more and reached only one conclusion – he didn’t know why exactly but he now believed that he was helping the wrong side. This worried him greatly.
The three agents stood back and observed the chaotic scene in front of them with a mixture of surprise and dismay. People screaming, pushing and fighting as clothes flew through the air was not the behaviour expected on a station platform. They scanned the passengers leaving the train but could not locate any of the suspects.
The instant the train stopped Eric had climbed through the tear that the OSS agents had made in the gangway. He landed on the tracks between carriages. He dropped onto all fours, sprinted out from beside the wheels and jumped onto the platform opposite. School groups were walking a little way ahead of him. Without hesitating, he joined one of them and was soon safely out of Amsterdam Centraal Station.
Ursula waited a few seconds for Eric to disappear before slowly sneaking out from below the train and onto the opposite platform. Once safely off the rails she put on her pink cowboy hat, took a deep breath and, with her heart pumping, she walked off the platform. Her head was thumping; her legs were heavy, and she was so overcome by exhaustion that she almost fell down the stairs towards the metro.
Alexander had the easiest escape of them all. His train was leaving from the other platform, so he simply boarded it.
Andrea was the last out but by far the calmest. She walked from below the train as if it was a perfectly normal thing to do. Her demeanour was so confident and self-assured that some commuters watching her thought she was a railway worker. Only when she walked away from the platform carrying a leather hold-all did they question their assumption.
Inside his surveillance room, Agent Hoover was in the perfect location to watch events unfold. At first he was unable to locate any of the four fugitives in the station. He became frustrated and annoyed. Once again, they were making the OSS look like a bunch of amateurs and more importantly they were putting him in a very uncomfortable position. Luckily he spotted the pink cowboy hat leaving the platform opposite the riot. He tracked the hat and its owner, onto the metro and all the way to the Amsterdam Arena. Once there he watched as she was joined by White King on a bicycle and a man in a red cap. Shortly after, a silver people carrier appeared, and they all got in.
The car now dominated his screens, and he watched as it journeyed out of the city along the A10 motorway.
Granddad Benjamin woke up gradually. The autumnal sun was breaking through the curtains and shining directly into his eyes. He moved across the bed to Mémé’s side and looked at the wind-up alarm clock. The time was nearing ten in the morning and for the first time since Ursula and Eric had left the flat he had slept well. Usually Granddad Benjamin had little trouble sleeping, but because Mémé was spending most nights tossing and turning, so was he. Fortunately, that had ended last night. The phone call from Ursula had relaxed Mémé, who slept well and therefore allowed Granddad Benjamin to do the same. He knew this was the case when the welcoming smell of home-baking reached his nostrils. He inhaled deeply, and the delicious aroma made him hungry.
Mémé bounced into the bedroom with a tray of breakfast delights that, somehow, did not fall from the tray. There were two mugs of steaming hot coffee, freshly baked croissants, homemade jam and her delicious banana cake.
She handed the tray to Granddad Benjamin while she opened the curtains fully.
“I thought we could have breakfast in bed this morning,” she said happily, almost singing as she spoke.
Granddad Benjamin nodded as she got back into bed, took a slice of cake and began to eat.
“I’m so pleased that Ursula phoned us last night and that she’s well. It’s a real weight off my shoulders.”
Granddad Benjamin nodded again. He had yet to eat anything.
“Andrea is a strange girl but I do feel she looks after the children. Don’t you agree?”
Once again Granddad Benjamin nodded.
“And Alexander does seem to be very caring.”
All Granddad Benjamin could do was nod.
“I am worried about Eric though. He’s lost his parents, and his whole life has changed. I don’t think he’s a bad boy, but I do think he needs a little love, what do you think?”
Before Granddad Benjamin could nod, Mémé noticed that he wasn’t eating.
“You’re very quiet this morning Jerome, and you’re not touching your breakfast. Are you feeling unwell?”
Granddad Benjamin shook his head.
“Then what is it? Talk to me.”
“I avnt go my teef in,” mumbled Granddad Benjamin pointing towards the glass of water containing his false teeth.
Mémé passed them over. He fished out his dentures and placed them into his mouth.
“So what do you think?” demanded Mémé.
Granddad Benjamin puckered up his lips, gave her a peck on the cheek and whispered in her ear.
“I love you, Madame Benjamin.”
While Mémé blushed, he answered her question, “I’m sure they are all fine.”
There was little conversation in the silver people carrier until they had left Amsterdam far behind them. Apart from Andrea the others gazed out of the window at the flat landscape, the trees losing their leaves and the advertising boards dotted along the road.
“Why would people want such a big machine to make such a little cup of coffee?” Ursula asked, looking at an expresso maker.
“You wouldn’t understand. It’s a style thing,” answered Eric patronisingly.
“Sounds like people are being brain-washed to me. How can putting a spoon of coffee, milk and some hot water into a tiny cup be more stylish than putting it in a big cup?” she replied drowsily.
“I rest my case,” replied Eric and turned to Andrea. “Where are we going?”
Andrea did not turn to answer but kept her eyes on the road.
“We are going to the small port of Lauwersoog. It will take two hours and twenty-seven minutes to reach our destination. However, we will stop at a hotel on the way. This will ensure that we are not being followed on the ground. Also, Ursula needs to rest.”
Eric looked at Ursula, who was resting her head against the window.
“I have also had a phone call from the fishing trawler that will transport us. They have hit bad weather and were unsure of their estimated time of arrival. When they and their trawler are ready, they will call again. I do not want us waiting at the harbour. When we arrive, it is important that we board immediately and set off. I do not want to be delayed by any other external forces.”
“Isn’t this just a complete waste of time?” Eric asked tetchily.
“Is what a complete waste of time? Stopping at the hotel or boarding the trawler hastily?”
“Neither. Isn’t this whole project of going to find fresh plankton a complete waste of time?”
“Eric, we are trying to find a cure for your ‘situation,’” began Alexander, joining the conversation. He turned around to face Eric. “All the evidence suggests that you don’t have much longer to live. Any glimmer of hope that we can pursue to prolong your lives is worth the time, don’t you think?” Alexander gave Eric a caring smile, “Even if you can be a pain in the backside sometimes.”
It was meant as a joke, but Eric did not laugh.
“What do you care?” he asked harshly. “I don’t even know why you’re still here!”
Andrea responded first, “Alexander is here because he can help us. He can help to find a possible cure. He can also help us to avoid the OSS. In case an
ything happens to me; I have also made him a legal guardian. You have no living relatives now your parents are dead. It is unwise to have only me as your guardian. We are in a perilous situation.”
“He’s what?” Eric exploded, startling Ursula. “I don’t want him to be my guardian. I hardly know him. How could you have been so stupid? He’ll wait for the best moment and disappear with my family’s fortune.”
“You won’t leave us, will you?” asked Ursula sleepily.
“No, I won’t leave you,” Alexander replied and turned to Eric, “I have no interest in your family fortune. My only interest is in your well-being.”
Eric bit his lip to stop himself from swearing or saying something that even he knew would be inappropriate. He only let go when he tasted blood dripping down the back of his throat.
The car journey continued in uncomfortable silence. Ursula soon drifted to sleep, Andrea concentrated on the road, Alexander found himself dwelling on the sister he never knew he had, and Eric stewed.
Just over an hour later, they drove onto a long bridge above the water. It stretched out far in front of them, and it was difficult to see where it joined with the land again. On one side was the choppy sea, waves splashing against the bridge supports, and on the other was a gigantic bay where the water was a little calmer. Andrew slowed down and let the cars behind her over-take. When there was nothing visible behind them, she sped up slightly, slowed down again and then she accelerated away.
“We are not being followed,” she announced. “At the next town or village we will find a hotel and stay there for two nights.”
The silver people carrier drove over the bridge and when it was back on dry land again pulled into the town of Harlinjen. It toured the town for a little while, before driving into the quayside.
In the past, it had obviously been a thriving dockyard but operations had been scaled back. The silver car parked under a huge crane next to one of the dry docks and the open sea. To his surprise, Agent Hoover discovered that the crane was a hotel. He sighed happily as he watched the two adults and two children get out of the car.
“I deserved a break,” he said to himself.
He wondered whether he should send the three remaining agents from Amsterdam to Harlinjen but decided against it. So far, these children had managed to evade the OSS or outsmart them. To send just three agents now would be reckless and any chance of success would not be high. It also puzzled him as to what they were doing in a small town, in the north of the Netherlands.
The only issue was that he had to report back to Agent Angel. He put his head in his hands and tried to think what he could possibly say to Agent Angel that sounded positive.
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Chapter 22 – The Orca
On the morning of the second day, Andrea received a phone call and shortly after they were back on their way. It was not a moment too soon. The crane hotel provided an excellent vantage point for surveying the surrounding area, but its cramped interior had quickly become claustrophobic.
During their stay, Eric had refused to talk or interact with anyone. He kept to himself and spent long periods gazing out of a window at the harbour below. Ursula had stayed by another window, but this was to feel the benefits of the sun’s rays. While she convalesced she happily talked with Andrea, Alexander and on the phone to her grandparents.
According to her grandparents, not much had happened in Saint-Denis. The local school had phoned to confirm that Ursula would not return, and the talk in the area was that the Americans and gendarmes were leaving.
During their short time in the crane, Ursula had returned to her normal self both physically and mentally. She had a few more grey hairs, amongst the jet black, but otherwise she looked fine. Eric too had recharged his batteries. He had appreciated the rest and felt better when he got back in the car, but he was loathe to admit it.
The road to Lauwersoog was not busy and they made fast progress. The dykes grew in height as they neared the small town. These kept the sea back and, in places, the land was below the sea level. They drove on past a port and long queues of cars waiting to board a ferry.
Just beyond the port, Andrea slowed down and drove off the main road into a boat yard. Small sailing boats nestled beside bigger yachts and motorboats but Andrea drove past them towards a group of fishing vessels. She stopped the car beside one of them and got out. Ursula had never been on a boat before and looked at the fishing trawler with a mixture of excitement and nerves.
The trawler was about the same size as a tennis court and was painted red and white. In places, the paint was peeling to reveal grey iron and signs of rust. Worn, black tyres hung against the red hull and were squashed against the quay. The bow of the trawler had two white decks and the upper one contained the wheelhouse. A thin funnel rose from the lower deck. It had been white once but it was now so covered in soot that the top was black.
Eric looked at the boat and saw a sinking coffin. If, or when, it sunk, the crew would have to use the inflatable red life raft that bobbed gently on the water behind the stern. It was pathetic and laughable. He was used to his parent’s luxury yacht and the vessel in front of him looked nothing like the ‘Queen of Hearts.’ His heart sank as memories, some of them almost happy, filled his head, and he realised what he had once had. Pushing these thoughts to one side, Eric scanned the deck for a life ring and was slightly appeased to see that it had some, even if they did look as if they had been salvaged from the bottom of the ocean.
Andrea pushed past him confidently, stepped up onto the gangway and then on-board. The stern was littered with nets, ropes and thick chains. They were organised into piles against the vessel’s sides leaving the deck free for Andrea to walk across.
Andrea was met under the trawler’s crane by a squat, oriental looking woman. She had a welcoming smile and rubbed her palms down her olive dungarees before shaking Andrea’s hand. Ursula and Alexander joined Andrea, who made the introductions.
“This is Captain Wang,” Andrea said, “and this is Ursula Benjamin, Alexander Johansen and,” she pointed across to Eric, “his name is Eric Meyer.”
Captain Wang’s smile fell from her face and she whispered, “Such a terrible loss. His father was such an influential person for me and my team. The Meyer Foundation started us up and has kept us going and able to continue our research. It pays our wages and bought the Orca, our trawler. We owe Mr. Meyer everything. Without him, we would never have made the advances we did.
Andrea interrupted, “Your work has been impressive. After this trip, the foundation will continue to provide the financial support that you are accustomed to.”
“Thank you. Welcome aboard the Orca.”
“Can we leave immediately?” asked Andrea.
Captain Wang nodded.
“I’ll inform our team and crew. We just need everyone on board first,” and she made her way to the wheelhouse.
Eric stood by the gangway. His arms were crossed, and his bag lay at his feet.
“We are leaving. Time to get on,” Andrea shouted at him.
Eric did not move.
“I’m not getting on!”
On board the trawler, the engines fired up, and a large plume of smoke blew out of the funnel. Andrea walked back down the gangway to Eric. As she got close, Eric stepped back.
“If you punch me again, I’ll push you into the sea,” Eric threatened.
Andrea looked at the vessel and waves behind her, before replying, “You must get on or we will leave without you.”
“Then I’ll see you when you get back!”
Andrea did not argue. She turned around and stepped back on-board. More smoke spurted out of the funnel, and two female crew members undid ropes tying the boat to the quay.
The trawler gradually floated away from the harbour, leaving Eric still standing there. The distance between them gradually grew - one metre, two metres, three metres and four metres. When the boat was five metres away from the quay, Eric sudde
nly slung his bag onto the deck. He shook his head as it landed next to a pile of ropes and stamped his foot impatiently on the floor. Furiously he stomped backwards and then broke into a sprint toward the sea. At the quay’s edge, he leapt into the air and flew towards the boat, landing with a skid on the deck next to Andrea.
“You chose to join us. That is an intelligent and logical move,” she said. “I anticipated you would.”
Eric did not reply.
The trawler chugged out of the harbour and onto the open sea. Small waves lapped against the hull, and the passengers stood on the deck gently rocking from side to side. It was unseasonably warm in the October sun, but there was a slight chill in the air from the sea breeze.
Ursula had moved to the front of the trawler. She stood on the bow looking down at the waves as they were split in two. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw fins appearing above the water but when she looked there was nothing. She looked over her shoulder to see the harbour shrinking behind her. Apart from a ferry in the distance, they were the only vessel on the water. Ursula had never had a chance to admire the horizon before and found it fascinating. She wondered where it all ended. A shout from Alexander brought her back to reality and she re-joined the others by the crane.
Beside Andrea, was a slim lady with glossy hair that reached down to her waist. Whereas her hair was jet black, her skin was as white as porcelain. She had dark eyes and a symmetrical face and looked as if she had been drawn by an artist. Ursula thought she was beautiful and smiled at her. However, the smile soon turned to a look of horror. She noticed that the lady’s left hand had been replaced by a metal pincer and her left leg was metal from the knee down.
