The Other Side of Midnight

by Sidney Sheldon

  "Yes," Noelle apologized. "It's in the bedroom."

  The captain nodded and went into the bedroom.

  "When must you return to Paris?" General Scheider asked her.

  Noelle turned and looked at him. "I'd like to stay as long as I can. We'll come back late Monday afternoon. That will give us two days."

  The captain came out of the bedroom. "Excuse me, Fraulein. What does the suitcase look like?"

  "It is a large round blue case," Noelle said. She turned to the General. "It has a new gown in it that I haven't worn yet. I saved it for you."

  She was babbling now, trying to cover up her nervousness.

  The captain had gone back into the bedroom. A few moments later, he came out again. "I am sorry," he said. "I cannot find it."

  "Let me," Noelle said. She went into the bedroom and began to search the closets. "That idiot of a maid must have hidden it away somewhere," she said. The three of them looked through every closet in the apartment. It was the General who finally found the bag in the hall closet. He lifted it and said, "It seems to be empty."

  Noelle quickly opened the bag and looked inside. There was nothing in it. "Oh, that fool," she said. "She must have crammed that beautiful new dress in the suitcase with my other clothes. I hope she hasn't ruined it." She sighed in exasperation. "Do you have that much trouble with maids in Germany?"

  "I think it is the same everywhere," General Scheider replied. He was watching Noelle closely. She was acting strangely, talking too much. She noticed his look.

  "You make me feel like a schoolgirl," Noelle said. "I can't remember when I've been so nervous."

  General Scheider smiled. So that was it. Or was she playing some kind of game with him? If she was, he would soon find it out. He glanced at his watch. "If we do not leave now, we will get there very late."

  "I'm ready," Noelle said.

  She prayed the others were.

  When they reached the lobby, the concierge was standing there, his face chalk white. Noelle wondered if something had gone wrong. She looked at him for some signal, a sign, but before he could respond, the General had taken Noelle's arm and was leading her out the door.

  General Scheider's limousine was parked directly in front of the door. The trunk of the car was closed. The street was deserted. The chauffeur sprang to open the rear door of the car. Noelle turned to look inside the lobby to see the concierge but the General moved in front of her and blocked her view. Deliberately? Noelle glanced at the closed trunk but it told her nothing. It would be hours before she knew whether her plan had succeeded, and the suspense was going to be unbearable.

  "Are you all right?" General Scheider was staring at her. She felt that something had gone terribly wrong. She had to find an excuse to go back into the lobby, to be alone with the concierge for a few seconds. She forced a smile to her lips.

  "I just remembered," Noelle said. "A friend is going to call me. I must leave a message--"

  General Scheider gripped her arm.

  "Too late," he smiled. "From this moment on you must think only of me." And he guided her into the car. A moment later they were on their way.

  Five minutes after General Scheider's limousine drove away from the apartment building, a black Mercedes screeched to a stop in front of the building and Colonel Mueller and two other Gestapo men spilled out of the car. Colonel Mueller looked hurriedly up and down the street. "They've gone," he said. The men sprinted into the lobby of Noelle's apartment building and rang the concierge's doorbell. The door opened and the concierge stood in the doorway, a startled expression on his face. "What--?" Colonel Mueller shoved him inside his small apartment.

  "Fraulein Page!" he snapped. "Where is she?"

  The concierge stared at him, panicky.

  "She--she left," he said.

  "I know that, you stupid fool! I asked you where she went!"

  The concierge shook his head helplessly. "I have no idea, Monsieur. I only know she left with an army officer."

  "Didn't she tell you where she could be reached?"

  "N--No, Monsieur. Mademoiselle Page does not confide in me."

  Colonel Mueller glared at the old man a moment and then turned on his heel.

  "They can't have gotten far," he said to his men. "Contact all the roadblocks as fast as you can. Tell them that when General Scheider's car arrives I want them to hold it and call me at once!"

  Because of the hour military traffic was light, which meant that there was virtually no traffic at all. General Scheider's car swung onto the West Road that led out of Paris, passing Versailles. They drove through Mantes, Vernon, and Gaillon and in twenty-five minutes they were approaching the major arterial intersection that branched out into Vichy, Le Havre and the Cote d'Azur.

  It seemed to Noelle that a miracle had happened. They were going to get out of Paris without being stopped. She should have known that even the Germans with all their efficiency would not be able to check every single road out of the city. And even as she thought it, out of the darkness ahead of them loomed a roadblock. Flashing red lights blinked from the center of the road, and in back of the lights a German Army lorry blocked the highway. On the side of the road were half a dozen German soldiers and two French police cars. A German Army lieutenant waved down the limousine and, as it came to a stop, he walked over to the driver.

  "Get out and show your identification!"

  General Scheider opened the rear window, leaned his head out and said, raspingly: "General Scheider. What the hell's going on here?"

  The lieutenant snapped to attention.

  "Excuse me, General. I did not know it was your car."

  The General's eyes flicked over the roadblock. "What's this all about?"

  "We have orders to inspect every vehicle leaving Paris, Herr General. Every exit from the city is blocked."

  The General turned to Noelle. "The damned Gestapo. I'm sorry, liebchen."

  Noelle could feel the color drain from her face, and she was grateful for the darkness of the car. When she spoke, her voice was steady.

  "It's not important," she said.

  She thought of the cargo in the trunk. If her plan had worked, Israel Katz was in there, and in a moment he would be caught. And so would she.

  The German lieutenant turned to the chauffeur.

  "Open the luggage compartment, please."

  "There's nothing in there but luggage," the captain protested. "I put it in myself."

  "I'm sorry, Captain. My orders are clear. Every vehicle out of Paris is to be inspected. Open it."

  Muttering under his breath, the driver opened his door and started to get out. Noelle's mind was racing furiously. She had to find a way to stop them, without arousing their suspicions. The driver was out of the car. Time had run out. Noelle stole a quick look at General Scheider's face. His eyes were narrowed and his lips were tight with anger. She turned to him and said guilelessly, "Shall we get out, Hans? Will they be searching us?" She could feel his body tense with fury.

  "Wait!" The General's voice was like the crack of a whip. "Get back in the car," he ordered his driver. He turned to the lieutenant and his voice was filled with rage. "You tell whoever gave you your orders that they do not apply to generals of the German Army. I do not take orders from lieutenants. Get that roadblock out of my way."

  The hapless lieutenant stared at the General's furious face, clicked his heels to attention and said, "Yes, General Scheider." He signaled the driver of the truck blocking the road and the truck lumbered off to the side.

  "Drive on," General Scheider commanded.

  And the car sped away into the night.

  Slowly Noelle let her body relax into the seat, feeling the tension draining out of her. The crisis was past. She wished that she knew whether Israel Katz was in the trunk of the car. And if he was alive.

  General Scheider turned to Noelle and she could feel the anger that was still seething in him.

  "I apologize," he said, wearily. "This is a strange war. Sometim
es it is necessary to remind the Gestapo that wars are run by armies."

  Noelle smiled up at him and put her arm through his. "And armies are run by generals."

  "Exactly," he agreed. "Armies are run by generals. I am going to have to teach Colonel Mueller a lesson."

  Ten minutes after General Scheider's car had left the roadblock, a phone call came in from Gestapo Headquarters, alerting them to be on the lookout for the car.

  "It has already passed through," the lieutenant reported, a feeling of foreboding flooding through him. A moment later he was speaking with Colonel Mueller.

  "How long ago?" the Gestapo officer asked softly.

  "Ten minutes."

  "Did you search his car?"

  The lieutenant felt his bowels turn to water. "No, sir. The General would not permit--"

  "Scheiss! Which way was he headed?"

  The lieutenant swallowed. When he spoke again, it was in the hopeless voice of a man who knew that his future was finished.

  "I am not certain," he replied. "This is a large crossroad here. He could have been going inland to Rouen or to the sea, to Le Havre."

  "I want you to present yourself to Gestapo Headquarters at nine A.M. tomorrow. My office."

  "Yes, sir," the lieutenant responded.

  Savagely Colonel Mueller rang off. He turned to the two men at his side and said, "Le Havre. Get my car. We're going cockroach-hunting!"

  The road to Le Havre winds along the Seine, through the beautiful Seine Valley with its rich hills and fertile farms. It was a clear, starlit night and the farmhouses in the distance were pools of light, like oases in the darkness.

  In the comfortable back seat of the limousine Noelle and General Scheider talked. He told her about his wife and his children and how difficult marriage was for an army officer. Noelle listened sympathetically and told him how difficult a romantic life was for an actress. Each was aware that the conversation was a game, both of them keeping the talk on a superficial level that would give away no insights. Noelle did not for a moment underestimate the intelligence of the man sitting beside her, and she fully understood how dangerous was the adventure in which she was engaged. She knew that General Scheider was too clever to believe that she had suddenly found him irresistible, that he must suspect that she was after something. What Noelle was counting on was that she would be able to outmaneuver him in the game they were playing. The General touched only briefly on the war, but he said something that she remembered long afterward.

  "The British are a strange race," he said. "In peacetime, they are impossible to manage, but in a crisis they are magnificent. The only time a British sailor is truly happy is when his ship is sinking."

  They reached Le Havre in the small hours of the morning on their way to the village of Etratat.

  "May we stop for a bite to eat?" Noelle asked. "I'm starved."

  General Scheider nodded. "Of course, if you wish." He raised his voice. "Look for an all-night restaurant."

  "I'm sure there's one by the pier," Noelle suggested. The captain obediently swung the car toward the waterfront. He stopped the car at the water's edge, where several cargo ships were tied to the pier. A block away a sign said, "Bistro."

  The captain opened the door and Noelle got out, followed by General Scheider.

  "It's probably open all night for the dock workers," Noelle said. She heard the sound of a motor and turned around. A cargo-loading forklift had driven up and stopped near the limousine. Two men wearing coveralls and long, visored caps that concealed their faces got out of the machine. One of the men looked hard at Noelle, then took out a tool kit and began to tighten the forklift. Noelle felt the muscles in her stomach constrict. She took General Scheider's arm and they started toward the restaurant. Noelle looked back at the chauffeur sitting behind the wheel.

  "Wouldn't he like some coffee?" Noelle asked.

  "He will stay with the car," the General said.

  Noelle stared at him. The chauffeur must not stay with the car or everything would be ruined. Yet Noelle dared not insist.

  They walked on toward the cafe over the rough, uneven cobblestones. Suddenly, as she took a step, her ankle turned and Noelle fell, letting out a sharp cry of pain. General Scheider reached out and vainly tried to grab her before her body hit the cobblestones.

  "Are you all right?" he asked.

  The chauffeur, seeing what had happened, moved from behind the wheel of the car and started hurrying toward them.

  "I'm so sorry," Noelle said. "I--I turned my ankle. It feels like it's broken."

  General Scheider ran his hand expertly over her ankle. "There is no swelling. It is probably just a sprain. Can you stand on it?"

  "I--I don't know," Noelle said.

  The chauffeur reached her side and the two men lifted her to her feet. Noelle took a step and the ankle gave way under her.

  "I'm sorry," she moaned. "If I could just sit down."

  "Help me get her in there," General Scheider said, indicating the cafe.

  With the two men supporting her on either side, they walked into the restaurant. As she walked through the door, Noelle risked a quick look back at the car. The two dock workers were at the trunk of the limousine.

  "Are you sure you wouldn't rather go straight on to the Etratat?" the General was asking.

  "No, believe me, I'll be fine," Noelle replied.

  The proprietor led them to a corner table, and the two men eased Noelle into a chair.

  "Are you in much pain?" General Scheider asked.

  "A bit," Noelle replied. She put her hand on his. "Don't worry. I won't let this spoil anything for you, Hans."

  At the moment Noelle and General Hans Scheider were sitting in the cafe, Colonel Mueller and two of his men were speeding into the city limits of Le Havre. The local captain of police had been roused from his sleep and was waiting for the Gestapo men in front of the police station. "A gendarme has located the General's car," he said. "It is parked down by the waterfront."

  A gleam of satisfaction came into Colonel Mueller's face. "Take me there," he commanded.

  Five minutes later, the Gestapo automobile with Colonel Mueller, his two men and the police captain raced up beside General Scheider's automobile on the pier. The men got out and surrounded the car. At that moment General Scheider, Noelle and the chauffeur were starting to leave the bistro. The chauffeur was the first to notice the men at the car. He started hurrying toward them.

  "What's happening?" Noelle asked, and even as she spoke she recognized the figure of Colonel Mueller in the distance and felt a cold chill go through her.

  "I don't know," General Scheider said. He started toward the limousine with long strides, Noelle limping after him.

  "What are you doing here?" General Scheider asked Colonel Mueller as he reached the car.

  "I am sorry to disturb your holiday," Colonel Mueller replied curtly. "I would like to inspect the trunk of your car, General."

  "There is nothing but luggage in there."

  Noelle reached the group. She noticed that the forklift had gone. The General and the Gestapo men were glaring at each other.

  "I must insist, General. I have reason to believe that a wanted enemy of the Third Reich is hiding in there and that your guest is his accomplice."

  General Scheider stared at him for a long moment, then turned to study Noelle.

  "I don't know what "he's talking about," she said firmly.

  The General's eyes traveled down to her ankle, then he made a decision and turned to his chauffeur. "Open it."

  "Yes, General."

  All eyes were riveted on the trunk as the chauffeur reached for the handle and turned it. Noelle felt suddenly faint. Slowly the lid opened.

  The trunk was empty.

  "Someone has stolen our luggage!" exclaimed the chauffeur.

  Colonel Mueller's face was mottled with fury. "He got away!"

  "Who got away?" demanded the General.

  "Le Cafard," raged Colonel Mueller. "A Jew
named Israel Katz. He was smuggled out of Paris in the trunk of this car."

  "That's impossible," General Scheider retorted. "That trunk was tightly closed. He would have suffocated."

  Colonel Mueller studied the trunk for a moment, then turned to one of his men. "Get inside."

  "Yes, Colonel."

  Obediently the man crawled into the trunk. Colonel Mueller slammed the lid tightly shut and looked at his watch. For the next four minutes, they stood there in silence, each engrossed in his own thoughts. Finally after what seemed an eternity to Noelle, Colonel Mueller opened the lid of the trunk. The man inside was unconscious. General Scheider turned to Colonel Mueller, a contemptuous expression on his face. "If anyone was riding in that trunk," the General declared, "they removed his corpse. Is there anything else I can do for you, Colonel?"

  The Gestapo officer shook his head, seething with rage and frustration. General Scheider turned to his chauffeur. "Let's go." He helped Noelle into the car, and they drove toward Etratat, leaving the knot of men fading away into the distance.

  Colonel Kurt Mueller instituted an immediate search of the waterfront, but it was not until late the following afternoon that an empty oxygen tank was found in a barrel in a corner of an unused warehouse. An African freighter had set sail for Capetown out of Le Havre the night before but it was now somewhere on the high seas. The missing luggage turned up a few days later in the lost-and-found department of the Gare du Nord in Paris.

  As for Noelle and General Scheider, they spent the weekend in Etratat and returned to Paris late Monday afternoon in time for Noelle to do her evening performance.

  CATHERINE

  Washington: 1941-1944

  9

  Catherine had quit her job with William Fraser the morning after she had married Larry. Fraser asked her to have lunch with him the day she returned to Washington. He looked drawn and haggard and suddenly older. Catherine had felt a pang of compassion for him, but that was all. She was sitting opposite a tall, nice-looking stranger for whom she felt affection, but it was impossible now to imagine that she had ever contemplated marrying him. Fraser gave her a wan smile.

  "So you're a married lady," he said.

  "The most married lady in the world."

  "It must have happened rather suddenly. I--I wish I'd had a chance to compete."