‘She couldn’t have dropped it on another occasion could she, Isabel?’ asked John.
‘No, we’ve never been this far into the woods before. Penny is afraid of the forest. She thinks it’s full of witches waiting to carry her off, like Hansel and Gretel.’ Isabel reflected for a moment. ‘Of course, that is what’s happened to her. She must be terrified.’ She turned to Bill, who was turning the tiny teapot over in his hand; Penny’s precious talisman.
‘Oh, please Bill, can’t we just carry on and find her and take her home? I can’t bear this much longer.’
‘No, we’re in the hands of the Sergeant now. He knows what to do for the best. We need to get a firmer idea of where Dennis is. We don’t want to spook the bastard and send him running. He could take Penny somewhere even further away and we won’t know where she is. Or he may just cut his losses and get rid of her,’ he suggested grimly.
Isabel gasped in horror. ‘No!’ She stared towards the lake. Penny was down there somewhere, frightened and cold. She would never forgive Dennis for this.
The two soldiers sent ahead emerged into the clearing and reported to the sergeant.
‘There’s several cottages, cabins really, around the edge of the lake. The three nearest ones are close together on the north side, just down there. There’s no sign of life; no smoke coming from the chimneys or light at the windows, so they may all be empty. The kidnapper could be in one of the houses further away of course, but the snow is deeper round there, because of the north winds, and there’s no sign of a vehicle having been near any of ‘em.’
‘What about footprints?’
‘Can’t see any, Sarge. But there was more snow earlier today, so they would have been covered by now.’
‘We know that they’ve been through this way,’ said John. He showed the Sergeant the tiny toy and explained how Penny had it in her possession. The Sergeant looked doubtful, but finally accepted it as evidence that the kidnapper has passed this way.
‘Righto. You, Clarkson and Dee, stay here. I’ll see you’re relieved around midnight. Keep a close watch on those three cottages. Report back if there’s any activity. We’ll return to the hotel for now and wait till morning.’
Leaving the two soldiers to their vigil, Bill, John and the rest of the party trudged back to the hotel. The going was more difficult now as they were moving uphill and the temperature had dropped.
By the time they reached Hotel Schauser Isabel was consumed with cold and weariness. In spite of thick gloves her fingers felt as if a swift tap would snap them off. She stretched her hands out towards the log fire in the entrance hall, keeping the big fur coat on until she felt warmer. When she eventually removed it, the metallic sound it made against the wooden arm of the settee reminded her that the Mauser was in the pocket.
Bill strode into the hotel after a chat with the Sergeant. His face glowed with cold, his nose and his cheeks florid. A dark frown creased his forehead.
‘Come and stand by the fire, Bill,’ suggested Isabel. ‘You’ll soon warm up.’
‘I’m all right, thank you,’ he said, but edged nearer to the blaze. ‘You’re cold, are you? Serves you right, I told you not to come.’
That’s a bit spiteful, thought Isabel, but she didn’t retort.
‘Perhaps we can get a cup of tea, or some more of that delicious Glühwein. I’ll go and ask Hilde, I’m sure she’ll be glad to make some for us.’ She started to move towards the bell-pull near the door.
Bill grabbed her arm. ‘No, Isabel. Stay here. I need to talk to you. I haven’t got to the bottom of this affair. You haven’t explained how you managed to allow Dennis Masters, of all people, make off with our daughter.’
‘I didn’t “allow” him to do anything, Bill. He just did it. Out of greed, I suppose. He saw an opportunity to make something out of us and took it. I don’t know. I can’t read the man’s mind. I never did like him and I’m sure he has no respect for me.’
‘I don’t suppose he has any reason to respect you.’ Bill replied.
‘What do you mean by that?’
‘Well, he probably thinks of you as a flibbertigibbet with no thoughts in her head beyond clothes and dancing classes.’
‘That’s what you think of me, Bill. Why don’t you just say it? You think I’m a waste of space and this is all my fault.’
‘I must admit it crossed my mind. Now we’ve got a complicated situation on our hands with the Special Forces involved, searching through the forests for our child.’ He was pacing up and down the hall now; his boots ringing a tattoo on the polished parquet.
‘Well, I didn’t ask for that, it was your idea to bring them. You said they were glad to come, needed something to do. I’m sure it’s a fun day out for them, playing soldiers again.’
‘Oh, shut up, Isabel. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Why don’t you go and gossip with Zelda, that’s all you’re fit for.’ His rage had built to a crescendo and his face was even redder. He removed his greatcoat and flung it onto the sofa.
John had entered the front door a few moments before and stood nearby listening to this exchange. When Bill finished his tirade, he stepped forward.
‘Steady on, Bill. Isabel’s had a really bad time. She was devastated by what happened and this isn’t helping.’
Bill turned towards his friend and snarled. ‘It’s really none of your business, is it, John? This is between Isabel and me. The silly bitch was careless and naturally she’s had to suffer for it. What can you expect from someone like her?’
‘You can’t talk about her like that, Bill. It’s totally unfair.’ John moved to Isabel’s side. He appeared shocked by the whole interchange and instinctively extended a hand towards Isabel. Bill ignored them both and strode towards the stairs which he took two steps at a time until he was out of sight.
Isabel’s eyes filled with tears and she grabbed a handkerchief from her pocket. John silently took her hand and drew her into the small sitting room off the hall.
He turned towards her and drew her into his arms.
‘Come, darling, don’t listen to him. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.’
‘But he does, John. I can be a bit silly sometimes and forgetful and vain. But I have always been so careful about Penny; looked after her and made sure she was safe. How can he be so cruel?’ Tears streamed and John softly brushed them away with his fingers and kissed her, gently at first and then with more urgency. Isabel slowly began to respond and her body, still trembling with grief, clung to him and her hands stroked his thick dark hair, his back, his shoulders, feeling his strength and his passion holding her safe.
After a lifetime of an embrace they drew apart, breathless.
‘I love you, Isabel,’ he said. You know that, don’t you?’
‘I think I guessed,’ she smiled. ‘You’ve been so good; so kind and patient.’
‘But you, Bella, how do you feel?’
‘Oh, John. I think I do love you. It’s hard at the moment to know how I feel. Bill has been so beastly about this whole business; I hardly know how I feel about anything. I need time to think and I can’t think about anything until Penny is back safely with me.’
‘I understand. It’s all been very difficult for you. We’ll have to talk about this again though, when Penny is back. I’m not just going to let you go, you know.’
‘John, I really don’t think there can be anything between us, not really. I owe my loyalty to Bill. I waited all through the War for him; I can’t just ditch him now, when things have become difficult. It wouldn’t be fair. I owe him that much.’
They were seated on a low sofa, holding hands.
‘Don’t decide anything now, Bella. I will wait and abide by whatever you say.’ He stood abruptly. ‘But now you need to get some sleep.’
‘I can’t sleep in the same bed as him tonight, John. Not after what he said and... what we just did.’
‘No, I understand that. I would suggest you came and shared my room, but...�
� he smiled ruefully, ‘I suspect you wouldn’t agree to that.’
‘No, sorry, John.’ Isabel smiled sadly. ‘I’ll ask Zelda if I can sleep with her. She won’t mind. I’ll say goodnight.’ She stood and dropped a kiss on his head. ‘Sleep well.’ She went towards the door and turned back for a second, leaving John staring after her with such a look of love and longing on his face that she would never forget.
Zelda hovered on the edge of sleep when Isabel knocked on her door.
‘Zelda, can I come in?’ she stage-whispered through the thick door.
‘Sure,’ Zelda murmured.
Isabel entered the room and sat on the edge of the bed. Her friend opened one eye, looking at her blearily.
‘Wassup?’ she asked.
‘I’ve had a terrible row with Bill. Can I sleep here tonight? I can’t bear the idea of sleeping with him.’
‘Sure thing, honey. I’ll hunker over; there’s plenty of room in this bed for the two of us.’ Zelda closed her eye again and within seconds she was dozing off.
Isabel found her head was full of conflicting emotions: anger at Bill for his unreasonableness, fear for Penny and her wellbeing and another emotion, for John, sweeter and more joyful than she had felt for a long time.
She undressed and, in her slip, slid into the bed and gave herself up to exhaustion. Sleep, when it came, carried with it vivid dreams and, intruding into the chaos, the taste of John’s lips on hers and the feelings of warmth and security she had in his arms.
Chapter Thirty-One
The next morning Zelda arranged for breakfast to be brought to their room, a luxury that Isabel had never experienced before.
‘Room Service,’ said Zelda. ‘At least we Americans have contributed something to civilisation. It’s wonderful, I think you’ll admit.’
‘Someone else must have thought of it before you, Zelda. I’m sure the Savoy will have been doing it for years.’
‘Well, maybe. But it’s great whoever invented it. So, tell me what happened last night before you invaded my room.’
Isabel took her friend through the row with Bill.
‘How could he be so unkind to you, Isabel? I thought he was a gentleman. I may be reviewing my opinion of him. Wait till I tell Chuck about this.’
‘Oh, don’t, Zelda. He’s probably right; I was careless, thinking of other things. But he didn’t have to be so horrible about it.’
‘What happened then?’
‘Well, John took me into the little sitting room and ... comforted me, I suppose you’d say.’
Zelda looked thoughtful. ‘Comforted you, you say? Well. That is interesting. Anything more I should know about?’
Isabel laughed shyly. ‘No, Zelda. Nothing more, just comforting.’
‘He’s crazy about you, you know.’
‘Yes, I’m beginning to realise that.’
‘What are you going to do about it?’
Isabel gave her friend a playful cuff. ‘Nothing. Certainly nothing until Penny is safely home with me. But I will be thinking about it – a lot.’
‘I’m sure you will, honey. Make sure you think about it carefully and make the right decisions.’
‘Oh, do you have any ideas on the subject then?’
Zelda smiled enigmatically. ‘Let’s just say that I know what I would do.’
As she walked across the landing Isabel could hear the sound of Bill’s voice barking orders downstairs so she slipped into their room to find a change of clothes and dressed for another cold day in the forest. She emerged in an outfit that included several layers of sweaters and a pair of trousers tucked into her boots. She left the beaver coat behind as it had been so cumbersome the day before. She did, however, put the loaded pistol into her pocket
She walked down the stairs into the hall. Bill turned and surveyed her with a cold gaze.
‘I hope you don’t think you’re coming with us,’ he said.
‘Of course I’m coming. For the same reasons as I gave you yesterday. I need to be there when we find Penny.’
‘No. I forbid it. You’ll only be in the way. There may be shooting, I don’t want you to be a part of that. You may as well go back to bed.’
Daunted by his contemptuous tone, Isabel stayed silent, although a multitude of words sprang into her mind. Fury at his prohibition rose and she had to use all her self-control not to strike out at him and vilify his stupidity and lack of compassion. She held her tongue and stood in the hall and watched as he marched to join the Sergeant and his platoon outside in the snow.
Several of the men bundled into a jeep and set off around the edge of the forest to approach the cottages from the southern edge of the lake. The rest, led by the Sergeant, marched into the forest in an apparently haphazard formation, their armament clinking gently and their boots striking chords on the hard ground and rocks where they protruded through the snow. Once they entered the wood all sound became muffled as they strode over the mossy pine-needle carpet. Bill, in his greatcoat and wearing his officer’s cap at a stern angle, strode behind them.
John, hurrying out of the hotel, lingered for a moment beside Isabel.
‘He won’t let you come, I suppose.’
‘No. But I don’t think I’m going to take any notice of that. He can’t keep me away from Penny.’
‘You must do what you think best, darling. After all, you’re not under orders, are you? I’ll see you later.’ He blew her a kiss as he disappeared into the trees behind the rest of the party.
Isabel waited for as long as she could bear and then, stealthily at first, she moved into the woods and followed the others, taking the same route as yesterday. The soldiers had still not established which cabin Dennis was in. There had been no sign of him or of Penny; not a footprint, not a wisp of smoke.
Perhaps we’ve made a mistake, thought Isabel, and he’s not here at all. Perhaps Penny’s not here, but somewhere else in the mountains, somewhere even more dangerous. But apparently there had been a report of a man carrying a child from someone in the village. A battered truck that didn’t belong to anyone local was parked in a side road. Any unfamiliar vehicles were always noted and reported promptly as the inhabitants were still wary after the war when every strange car or truck could mean a Gestapo raid or unwelcome SS incursion.
Isabel made good progress through the trees. She found that without Bill telling her to hurry every few yards she could cover the now more familiar ground quickly. Pale sunshine sparkled through small gaps in the branches and the scent of the crushed pine needles beneath her feet filled the air. It was not as chill in here as in the open and she soon felt warm and thirsty. She wished she had brought something to drink. She could have used one of the flasks from the car and filled it with coffee. It was too late now. She walked on.
Isabel could hear the platoon in the distance. She must have narrowed the gap between them because they seemed nearer now and every now and then she caught a glimpse of one of the white camouflage suits through the trees. They kept their pace leisurely and measured.
Suddenly everything changed. A shot cracked through the still of the forest. Isabel stopped dead in shock. Someone was firing at the party moving through the trees.
‘Shit! What was that?’ The Sergeant yelled. ‘Hold your fire!’
Another shot answered him. Other armed people stalked the woods.
‘Injury here, Sarge.’ One of the soldiers called.
Several more shots were fired and cries came from the forest ahead.
John and Bill had stopped moving and stood behind a pair of thick tree trunks. They looked around them, into the dense wood. Several men, dressed in civilian clothes and bent low, were dodging between the pines in the near distance. They carried rifles and handguns. One of them, a bulky man, well over six feet tall, seemed to be leading and urging them on, using an unfamiliar tongue. She moved closer to Bill and John, who were talking in whispers.
‘Bugger!’ said John. ‘It’s Lujic.’
‘Who?’ said Bill.�
��
‘Lujic. Ruthless Serbian bastard. He’s the Grosschieber, the boss, of the Black market ring I’ve been dealing with. He must have got wind of the ransom and wants to pinch it for himself.’
‘How can that have happened? Have you been talking to someone about this?’
‘Of course not, Bill. If I had my guess I’d say it was that devious bastard Fritz Keller. He can’t keep his mouth shut and he’s greedy as hell, likes to play one side against the other. You can be sure he’s making a few bob out of this.’
Isabel crept closer to the men, but they didn’t hear her. She stood quietly behind a tree keeping well out of range of where the shots had come. As long as they didn’t circle round behind her, she was safe for now.
More shots sounded from nearby, it was impossible to tell whether they came from the guns of the Serbians or the British platoon. John and Bill remained out of range, allowing the soldiers to do their work. The sound of heavy men charging through the undergrowth reached Isabel. She was terrified to look at what was happening, but at the same time afraid to miss anything.
The big Serbian stormed into the clearing below where Bill stood. The man was pursued by two soldiers, shouting and challenging him to stop, but Lujic ploughed on, ignoring their cries and waving his rifle threateningly towards where Bill and John were concealed.
It looked as if Bill could bear inaction no longer and with a mighty leap he sprang from behind the tree with his revolver in his hand. The light from the morning sun outlined him in silhouette in an heroic tableau. He flung himself forward in the manner of a First World War warrior going over the trenches. A flash came from the Serbian’s rifle and Bill, still in air-borne motion, twisted and fell to the ground, his face pressed against the forest floor.
‘No!’ Isabel dashed forward, falling to her knees beside him. She put her hands to his back and they came away covered in hot blood. She opened her mouth to scream and felt John’s hands covering her face.
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