‘Exactly! But there are quite a number of German officers I would not have trusted – Major Wilhelm for instance.’
The other smiled.
‘It seems to me,’ he remarked, ‘that it is my turn to thank you. I am quite convinced, all the same, that you would not have entered here as you have unless you were quite certain that all would be well. A man with your amazing resource and courage does not take stupid risks.’
Sir Leonard laughed.
‘We seem to be becoming a kind of mutual admiration society,’ he declared. ‘There is one thing worries me, however. Von Strom is not a man of reason. Marlene Heckler will tell him that you were concerned, even though against your will, in our escape from Wannsee; she may make it appear that you were too easily coerced. I am afraid that the result may not be pleasant for you.’
Schönewald shrugged his shoulders.
‘That cannot be helped,’ he returned. ‘To be perfectly candid, there are things happening in Germany today which I cannot stomach. I only know vaguely, of course, that von Strom is building up certain schemes of a military nature. No doubt you and Cousins were after those schemes. Whether you found out what they are all about or not, I do not know. I am afraid I do not care, because, in any case, it means that the Chancellor has broken faith with other countries. Perhaps my upbringing in England has made me feel like this. I do not know. The trial and proposed execution of the Baroness von Reudath and Fraulein Reinwald was the last straw, as far as I was concerned. It was all too beastly for words. I was sent to the prison this morning to take full command of the extra men drafted in. All the time I was searching for some means of preventing or, at least, postponing the execution. When the baroness ascended the scaffold, I could bear it no longer. As she knelt at the block, I was about to interfere, order my men to mutiny, in fact, anything, to hold up the ghastly business. Whether they would have obeyed my orders or not is a debatable point. It is unlikely, the governor would have overruled me. You arrived on the scene just in time, so I actually have quite a lot for which to be grateful to you. But I am finished. Hilda Zeiss, who is my fiancée, and I have decided to leave this country and settle down in the United States. We both have ample means, and have already made arrangements for its transference to America. You see, therefore, that whether I am disgraced or not it does not matter a great deal. The result will be the same.’
Sir Leonard slowly nodded his head.
‘I do not blame you,’ he commented. ‘I sincerely hope you and Fraulein Zeiss will find peace and happiness in the United States, which reminds me that I owe her my thanks for the manner in which she warned Cousins of Marlene Heckler’s discovery.’
‘We were hoping that he was engaged in some sort of attempt to save the baroness. It turned out that we were right – thank God!’ he added fervently.
Foster, looking pale and worn, as though he had spent an anxious vigil without sleep, entered the room followed by Dr Hagenow. He eyed the man he thought was the Supreme Marshal of Germany with a look of the utmost contempt, nodded curtly to Schönewald.
‘Well,’ he drawled, ‘what is the new scheme? Something with boiling oil in it this time, or do you think you have given me enough mental torture to satisfy you? I don’t care what you do to me, but tell me how the Baroness von Reudath is?’
‘The baroness well is,’ returned Wallace gutturally and in very bad English. ‘Soon you will her see.’
Schönewald suppressed a smile, but Foster gazed at the man he believed to be von Strom with eyes in which hope was struggling desperately with distrust. At that moment he certainly did not look a very intelligent young man.
‘Is this a trick?’ he cried hoarsely.
‘No trick there is,’ declared Wallace sternly, though a close observer would have seen a twinkle in his eyes. ‘I wish only that you and the Baroness von Reudath out of this country go mit quickness.’
Schönewald did more to remove the lingering doubts in the young man’s mind than Sir Leonard, short of declaring his identity, could have done just then.
‘You can take my word for it, Foster,’ remarked the Nazi officer, ‘that within a few hours you will be the other side of the frontier and the baroness will be with you. The longer you delay here with your questions the longer you will have to wait before you see her.’
Foster’s eyes lit up with an expression of beatific happiness now.
‘God!’ he ejaculated. ‘I don’t know what to say, Schönewald. It is all so amazing that I—’ he paused, at a loss for words. ‘Let us go!’ he added eagerly.
They were escorted to the car with great pomp and ceremony. Practically the whole staff had assembled to see His Excellency, and to give him a rousing send-off. Before stepping into the car, Sir Leonard looked sternly at Dr Hagenow.
‘A word of advice to you, Herr Doctor,’ he said. ‘The profession of medicine is something very noble. A man practising it should always keep that thought in his mind; he should never allow himself to be influenced by sordid, unworthy considerations even at risk of offending those in high places. The true disciple of Aesculapius would refuse to prostitute his skill at any behest.’
He entered the car leaving the medical man standing on the steps looking dismayed and stupefied. As the car glided swiftly down the drive, Schönewald laughed softly.
‘You have given him something to think about,’ he murmured in English. ‘I hope he will benefit by your advice.’
‘He will probably make good resolutions until he knows that he has been deceived,’ returned Sir Leonard in the same language and in his natural voice. ‘The wigging he will receive from the real von Strom later on will no doubt keep his mind otherwise occupied.’
Foster was sitting on the other side of Schönewald and had heard everything. The sound of the chief’s voice caused him to start violently. For the moment he was taken entirely off his guard.
‘Good God!’ he ejaculated, ‘Sir Leonard Wallace!’
Schönewald gasped, and looked quickly at the man who had so cleverly impersonated von Strom.
‘Sir Leonard Wallace!’ he echoed in astonishment; whistled softly to himself.
Wallace had frowned at Foster’s indiscretion. He glanced at him now a trifle scornfully, to find him biting his lip, looking utterly ashamed of himself.
‘Foster,’ he observed, ‘you’re a fool.’
‘I know, sir,’ was the reply, uttered in abject tones. ‘I have known it for a long time.’
Sir Leonard laughed at that.
‘Ah, well,’ he remarked kindly, ‘I’ll forgive you. You have been through a lot, and accomplished a lot. And it was my intention to tell our friend Schönewald who I am before leaving him.’
‘So!’ exclaimed the Nazi colonel, ‘I am in the presence of the famous head of the British Secret Service! I am honoured to meet you, sir, but I may tell you that if it was known in this country who you are, your life would not be worth a snap of the fingers.’
‘I am quite well aware of that,’ nodded Sir Leonard, adding with a smile: ‘I hope your promise includes keeping my identity secret.’
Schönewald shrugged his shoulders.
‘“In for a penny, in for a pound,” as you English would say. I shall not give you away as you know.’ He turned and smiled a trifle quizzically at Foster. ‘So you were connected with the British Secret Service after all? If I may be permitted to say so, you hoodwinked us all rather neatly. There is not much of the fool about you, Foster.’
The car glided between the gates, the pugilistic-looking custodian bowing himself almost to the ground. Outside, Sir Leonard beckoned on the saloon, which immediately followed. In that order they travelled for two or three miles; then, when well in the park, the order was given to stop.
‘I know that you must be exceedingly anxious to be reunited with the baroness,’ observed Wallace to Foster, ‘and to hear all she has to tell you. I can’t allow you any more than ten minutes, I’m afraid. Still I don’t suppose that will matter since you hav
e your lives before you. Wait here!’
He left the car and walking to the other, invited the baroness to step out. For a moment she and Foster confronted each other; then with a cry of utter happiness, and quite forgetful of the onlookers, she was in his arms. Sir Leonard turned away.
‘That’s that,’ he murmured in a tone of great satisfaction.
Sophie and Bernard presently wandered away among the trees, anxious like all lovers to spend their precious moments alone and free from observation. Wallace contemplated the great expanse of green turf stretching away before him, and slowly a smile appeared on his face.
‘Why not?’ he muttered to himself. ‘It would save a lot of trouble.’ He beckoned to Schönewald who joined him at once. ‘I have a notion,’ he observed, ‘that I can save myself and my party a great deal of trouble and von Strom some hours of discomfort. I am going to leave you here ostensibly under the charge of Cousins, in order that Fraulein Heckler’s suspicions may not be roused against you, but relying still, of course, on your word. I myself shall drive His Excellency’s car to the airport. I have heard that there are several new air liners there that have recently been completed for service. I shall invite myself to a trip in one and order it to come here. Then I shall borrow it and fly to England, leaving you, Marlene Heckler, and the two chauffeurs to release von Strom and his orderly. Except that you may quite unreasonably fall into disgrace for not making a desperate bid to checkmate me, a bid which would only have ended in your death, I don’t think any harm will come to you. I should like your opinion on that point though.’ Schönewald shrugged his shoulders.
‘I shall be disgraced without a doubt,’ he replied, ‘but I am pretty certain nothing worse will happen to me. To all intents and purposes I have only been made a prisoner. Fraulein Heckler did not hear our conversation after she had been forced by Cousins to get into the car. Since then, as far as she is aware, I have been intimidated by your gun in the same manner as Cousins has compelled her to keep quiet.’
Sir Leonard smiled.
‘Under the circumstances,’ he remarked drily, ‘it would be as well if you took that revolver out of your holster and handed it over to me. Don’t let her see you though.’
They walked behind the second car, where Schönewald gave up his weapon.
‘I hope you do not think I am playing a traitor’s part, sir,’ he observed a trifle anxiously, ‘in not putting up resistance of some sort or making an effort to detain you. But, as I have said, this present Germany is not my country. It is alien to me – von Strom’s methods go utterly against the grain – and I have resolved to become an American citizen. If I were a party to the recapture and death of the Baroness von Reudath I should always feel myself a murderer.’
‘I understand,’ nodded Sir Leonard. ‘I admire you for the course you are taking. It shows courage and idealism of a high order.’
‘Do you really mean to say you are intending to commandeer an air liner?’
‘I am. In my present character it should be quite a simple matter.’
‘My hat!’ murmured Schönewald very fervently, and in a manner decidedly English.
Sophie and her lover came strolling back. She was looking delightfully happy, though the dark rings under her beautiful eyes still remained as evidence of the terrible ordeal she had undergone. Foster was white-faced, and grim. She had told him of the manner in which Sir Leonard had snatched her and Dora Reinwald from death. He walked straight up to his chief.
‘I can’t begin to express to you how I feel, sir,’ he stammered, overcome by his emotion, ‘but—’
‘Don’t try,’ interrupted Sir Leonard, who hated what he described as emotional scenes of gratitude. ‘I know how you feel, so we’ll leave it at that. I am sorry Baroness,’ he added, turning to the girl, ‘that it is impossible to save any of your belongings or collect our money. I am afraid they will all be confiscated, but if I try Fate any more highly today, she may turn on me. We’ve been marvellously lucky so far.’
Marching Schönewald before him for the sake of appearances, and followed by the baroness and Foster, Wallace went up to von Strom’s black saloon, and opened the door. Marlene Heckler frowned at him, but said nothing. Dora Reinwald, who was lying back in a corner, her great eyes half closed, as though she were extremely weary, managed to smile at him. In a sense the reaction affected her more acutely than the baroness. By an extreme effort of will she had maintained a mocking, defiant demeanour from the time of her arrest until the last dreadful moments. Even when she stood by the scaffold in momentary expectation of seeing her beloved employer’s head fall severed from her body, knowing that she was directly afterwards to suffer the same cruel fate, she had appeared the personification of scorn.
‘And all lived happily ever after,’ she murmured.
‘You are not out the wood yet,’ snapped Marlene Heckler.
‘My dear,’ drawled Dora, ‘we are not even in it.’
Germany’s celebrated woman secret agent turned impatiently from her, receiving an unpleasant reminder of Cousins’ alertness, when her body came sharply into contact with his revolver.
‘I require this car,’ pronounced Sir Leonard, ‘so I must ask you all to get out and enter the other; at least Fraulein Heckler and Colonel Schönewald, will enter the other! Perhaps the baroness and Fraulein Reinwald would like to rest under the trees for a while. Take this revolver, Foster,’ he handed Schönewald’s weapon to his assistant, ‘and help Cousins to keep watch. You, Reichmann,’ he whispered in English to the disguised guide, when they were momentarily alone, ‘keep your eyes open, and be ready to go to the aid of Mr Cousins if there is any trouble.’
The transference to Schönewald’s touring car was adroitly managed without its being made apparent to either of the drivers that the colonel and Marlene Heckler were under restraint. They may have wondered at the queer happenings of that glorious June morning, probably did, but everything had been conducted so well that they certainly had no inkling of the truth. When the two Germans were seated with Cousins and Foster opposite them, Wallace leant towards them.
‘I am taking the trunks with me,’ he observed in a lowered voice. ‘That will save you from giving yourselves headaches trying to hatch a plot to rescue His Excellency. If, when I return, I find you have made the slightest attempt to raise the alarm, I may be tempted to rid Germany of him after all. I shall not be gone long.’
‘Where are you going?’ demanded Marlene.
‘You will know soon enough. Remember to conduct yourself with circumspection while I am away.’
Her eyes flashed viciously; her whole body was trembling with the violence of her anger.
‘You will pay for this,’ she ground out between her clenched teeth. ‘Oh, you will pay to the very uttermost.’
He bowed mockingly.
‘Maybe with a post-dated cheque, fraulein,’ he returned suddenly; ‘not otherwise.’
He stood for a moment watching Hanni ministering to her mistress and Dora, who were now lying gratefully under a tree. A little pleased smile parted his lips; then, instructing the chauffeur to drive him to the Templehof aerodrome he entered the car, and was driven away.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The Borrowed Aeroplane
There were few members of the personnel visible when the black saloon arrived at Berlin’s great airport. Directly it was known, however, that the Supreme Marshal himself had paid a surprise visit, great activity prevailed. In a remarkable short period of time the scene became intensely animated. Mechanics and other officials appeared, and paraded with military precision in front of the hangars. Sir Leonard explained that he wished to make an inspection, and perhaps take a little trip in one of the new air liners.
He was escorted round the aerodrome and received eloquent proof of the fact that, although on the surface everything and everybody had a civilian appearance, beneath was an undoubted and significant suggestion of military efficiency. The men acted like well-drilled and disciplined sold
iers; machines were run out for his inspection in a manner that was no whit inferior to the well-trained effectiveness of the British RAF. The officer in charge quite innocently divulged certain facts concerning the secret constructions of some of the new machines that Sir Leonard found decidedly interesting. Almost every one could very cleverly and in a short space of time be converted into a warplane. He spent over half an hour, taking great care all the time not to betray his ignorance, inspecting the cunningly concealed mechanism on some for the dropping of bombs, the equally well-hidden fixtures for machine guns on others. Eventually, when he had selected a large four-engine machine on which to take his proposed trip, he decided mentally that his visit to the Templehof aerodrome had been worthwhile in more ways than one.
The aeroplane chosen, his greatest difficulty was to avoid being accompanied by an escort. Sir Leonard’s adroit management, however, enabled him to depart with a single pilot and without raising the slightest suspicion against himself, though his decision undoubtedly caused a certain amount of surprise. Before leaving the aerodrome, he gave the driver of the car instructions to proceed to the Supreme Marshal’s residence, declaring that he himself would return with Colonel Schönewald, and impressing on him the order that the trunks at the back were not to be moved or touched until he or Colonel Schönewald arrived. He explained to the commandant that he would alight in the park at Babelsberg where he had left his attendants. The necessary orders were given to the pilot.
The huge machine took off beautifully, the personnel of the aerodrome standing stiffly to the salute. Sir Leonard sat in one of the well-upholstered seats in the saloon, and laughed softly to himself. It had all been so deliciously easy. The final coup had been actually the simplest part of the enterprise, thanks to the entire absence of suspicion in the minds of the aerodrome officials. There remained the actual capture of the machine and the flight to England.
It was not long before Babelsberg was reached. As they descended, Sir Leonard looked down anxiously, his eyes searching for signs that people were being attracted by the unusual sight of a large air liner alighting in the park. Apparently, however, it was still too early for inhabitants of that neighbourhood to be abroad. With the exception of his own party, which he and the pilot had quickly sighted, there did not appear to be anybody about.
Wallace Intervenes Page 25
