He halted and faced her. ‘Not now.’
‘It’s important.’
‘Don’t ask me to disagree with my dad.’
‘Do you honestly think he’s right?’ she asked.
He closed his eyes. ‘It’s complicated.’
‘I understand,’ she said softly, ‘no one wants to go against their parent. Though what does your heart say?’
‘Don’t.’ Barry turned away. ‘You’re being unfair.’
‘I’m fighting for what you know is right. How would you feel knowing one of our troops died because there were no medical supplies?’
He drew his lips into a tight line.
‘Barry?’
Silence.
‘Barr—’
‘Don’t hassle me.’
‘I’m just—’
‘Leave me alone.’ He stormed back into the kitchen and slammed the door.
* * *
‘O’Sullivan.’
Ellie looked down from the ladder where she’d been checking the Lodestar wing.
‘You think you’re pretty smart, don’t you?’ Ned glared up at her. ‘Did you really think my own son would defy me?’
She took her time climbing down. ‘That was not what I intended.’
‘Really?’ Sarcasm filled the hangar.
‘All I wanted was—’
‘I don’t care what you want. Pull a stunt like that again and I’ll have you fired.’
‘Walter,’ she said, wishing she didn’t have to use her co-worker to get Ned to see straight.
‘What about him?’
‘Did you know his brother died in New Guinea last week?’
‘Everyone knows someone who’s died.’
‘His brother had a fever and medical supplies were low.’
‘That’s not our fault,’ he grumbled. ‘We haven’t stopped any planes flying yet. We’re just delaying working on them.’
‘Ned, please.’ If she had to beg, she would. Too much time had been lost already. ‘Imagine if it was Barry in New Guinea.’
‘I don’t need this.’ Ned stalked off into the kitchen and waved over Walter.
Ellie returned to work, trying not to get her hopes up.
A short while later the door opened and the men filed out of the kitchen and silently went back to work.
Ned walked up to her and leaned in close, his hot breath grazing her ear. ‘Don’t get too used to the view from that soapbox.’
‘Well, it’s a long way to fall from your high horse. Better hang on to the reins.’
Ned grunted and disappeared behind a plane. Ellie let out a long breath.
‘Thank you,’ said Sarah.
‘You’re more than welcome.’
‘I shouldn’t have let them get to me. I normally don’t but …’ Sarah shrugged.
‘We all need a little back-up now and again.’
Sarah nodded. ‘That we do. Where did you learn such swift negotiating skills?’
‘I grew up on a farm and we have workers from a variety of backgrounds.’
‘That helped you learn how to read people and situations?’
‘Yes.’ Ellie spied a lone figure in a familiar navy suit standing outside on the tarmac. ‘If you could please excuse me for a moment.’
‘Of course.’ Sarah walked to the back of the hangar and Ellie headed in the opposite direction.
‘Don’t they let you have any time off?’ she asked then realised she didn’t really know who ‘they’ were.
‘Not when a war is close to our shores.’ Lieutenant Andrews put his hand in his suit jacket and pulled out an envelope but didn’t hand it over. ‘You are very good at diffusing potentially volatile situations.’
How could he have any idea what had gone on? And how could he get in and out of the airfield so easily without being a QEA employee? Lieutenant Andrews was like a shadow in the night, mysteriously slipping in undetected. She nodded at the envelope. ‘Is that for me?’
‘Yes.’
She held out her hand. ‘May I?’
‘On one condition.’
‘Yes?’
‘You can only open this envelope if you are willing to come and work with us.’
‘But I don’t know who us is. Besides, I’m needed here.’
‘We need you more.’
‘I can’t see how.’ Ellie placed a hand on her hip.
‘Florry,’ he said.
‘I’ve been through this before with Jocelyn McGinnis. Besides, I haven’t heard from Florry since she left Brisbane. Who’s to say that won’t happen to me? What if you’ve kidnapped her and you’re just using her name to lure me into your web?’
He squared his shoulders. ‘She said you’d resist.’
‘Of course I’m going to resist!’ Ellie turned to look into the hangar where everyone worked like the altercation had never occurred. ‘I’m not being paid to stand around and talk. My country is relying on me to get a job done.’
‘Which is why we need you.’
Ellie threw her arms wide. ‘Then please tell me why!’
‘Ellie.’
She spun to find the owner of the voice. A tall, reed-thin woman stepped out from behind a truck. Her oval face looked familiar, but the platinum dyed hair was so very different to the brunette Ellie had once known. ‘Florry?’
Ellie ran forward and wrapped her arms around her friend. Florry held on tight.
‘What are you doing here? Where have you been?’ Ellie couldn’t get the words out fast enough.
Florry rested her hands on Ellie’s shoulders. ‘Please, come and work with me.’
‘I’m really confused.’ She noted her friend wore the khaki dress, jacket, gloves and hat of the Australian Women’s Army Service. Her uniform had three stripes on the sleeves. Florry was a warrant officer?
‘I understand it’s difficult to commit to something you know nothing about,’ said Florry. ‘All I can say is it’s a very special department and you would be perfect for it.’
‘If it’s the AWAS then I don’t see why everything has to be so secretive. Everyone knows the women work at anti-aircraft and searchlight stations or driving jeeps and ambulances, and—’
‘Not this department,’ said Florry. ‘I understand your reluctance. I felt the same way. I promise you, though, if you trust me you won’t regret it.’
‘I’m happy here.’ She sounded less confident than before.
‘Your test results were the best we’ve seen. I know how well you work under stress and your people skills are excellent.’ Florry’s blue eyes begged Ellie. ‘We’d do wonderful work together.’
‘I don’t know.’ Why did she feel like she was being recruited into a cult?
Lieutenant Andrews cleared his throat. ‘We need your answer by noon tomorrow. After that, the offer is permanently rescinded. Regardless of your decision you are forbidden from speaking about this—ever.’
Florry held Ellie’s hands. ‘I hope you’ll join us.’
CAPTER FOUR
The next morning Ellie sat at the kitchen table, head in her hands. She’d barely slept, spending most of the night in a haze of confusion. She looked at the clock. Thirty-eight minutes until deadline.
Kat walked in and sat down heavily on the chair opposite.
‘Are you all right?’ asked Ellie.
‘I still haven’t heard from Clifford.’
Ellie reached for her friend’s hand and squeezed it gently. ‘I’m sorry.’
Kat moved her hand away and gave a heartbreakingly sad smile. ‘I want to think there’s a reasonable explanation but how can I be sure? Not a day goes by when I don’t hear of someone losing a husband, a father, a brother.’ Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to … I meant …’
‘It’s all right. I’ve accepted Robert’s gone.’ Ellie cut into an apple and offered a piece to Kat. ‘They say death is the cost of war but war shouldn’t happen at all. It’s a pointless waste of lives.’
Kat no
dded, absentmindedly digging the spoon into the sugar bowl. ‘It’s the not knowing if he’s safe that’s hardest.’
‘Of course.’
‘Do you think the Australian government will push for the Brisbane Line again?’ asked Kat.
‘I don’t know. It’s been quashed for now, but you can guarantee some politician is going to bring it up again. How can anyone think it’s acceptable to offer up one part of the country to the Japanese if we’re invaded? Why should the people from Brisbane and Perth and further north be sacrificed for those in the south?’
‘General MacArthur seemed to think it was a possibility,’ said Kat.
‘From what I understand, the Brisbane Line is not a possibility.’
‘For now.’ Kat left the spoon and sugar alone.
‘Hopefully never.’ But who really knew?
Ellie and Kat fell into companionable silence, accompanied by the precise ticking of the grandfather clock in the hallway.
Kat finally said, ‘I just feel so helpless that no matter what we do, we can’t stop this war.’
The conversations Ellie had had with William Andrews, Jocelyn McGinnis and Florry played in her mind. Of course, her work at QEA was important. But was it enough? Would she be letting down her country if she didn’t step up when asked to?
She stood, the chair scraping against the floorboards. ‘I need to go.’
‘It’s our day off. I thought you might want to come to the pictures.’
‘I need to see a man about a dog.’ Ellie grinned as she used one of Robert’s favourite expressions. It reminded her of the way he’d egg her on, encouraging her to step out and take risks. Life is exciting, embrace it, he used to say.
This is for Robert.
Ellie glanced at the clock. She had thirty-three minutes to make a difference.
Ellie knocked on the door of the small tidy house in leafy Ascot. She fanned her perspiring face but couldn’t cool down.
The door clicked open and a blonde head peeked through the crack. A second later Ellie was hauled inside and enveloped in Florry’s strong hug.
‘You’re joining us?’ squealed her friend.
‘Yes?’ Why didn’t she sound more confident?
‘Come, come.’ Florry grabbed Ellie’s hand and brought her into the office where William Andrews sat at his desk, now dressed in an Australian Army uniform.
He looked at the clock on the wall. ‘Two minutes past noon.’
‘I’m sorry, I got here as fast as I could and Ellie stopped herself. If they wanted her, they would have to take her, two minutes late and all.
‘It’s fine.’ Mrs McGinnis entered the room. She sported an AWAS uniform just like Florry. She motioned for Ellie to sit on the chair. ‘Lieutenant Andrews, I believe you have something for Miss O’Sullivan?’
He opened a drawer and pulled out the envelope from the day before. He handed it over and her fate, literally, lay in her hands.
Ellie’s fingers glided across the thick envelope, stopping to hook under the flap and lift it.
Her heart beat fast.
Her mouth grew dry.
She pulled out the papers and read the cover letter:
Dear Miss O’Sullivan,
It is our greatest pleasure to welcome you to the Australian Number 11 Cipher Section of the Australian Women’s Army Service working in the capacity of Cipher Office for Central Bureau. You are assigned the position of TypeX operator and will report directly to Lieutenant William Andrews.
Enclosed is a legal document to read and sign immediately.
We look forward to your service for our nation.
Sincerely,
Douglas MacArthur
Supreme Commander of Allied Forces, Southwest Pacific Area
Ellie put the papers on the desk, stared at them for a moment then looked up. ‘What’s Central Bureau? What’s a TypeX?’
Lieutenant Andrews said, ‘Read through everything first then we can answer your questions as soon as you sign.’
Jocelyn McGinnis and William Andrews left the room.
Ellie turned her attention to the documents that confirmed her position with the Australian Women’s Army Service. ‘I’m a sergeant?’
‘Given the work we’re doing, every cipher office member is automatically ranked as sergeant. Well, apart from me, that is.’
‘You’re my boss?’
‘I assist Lieutenant Andrews.’
‘So, you are one of my bosses. Could be worse, I guess.’ Ellie grinned. She continued reading then looked up when finished. ‘I have to sign an official secrets act?’
Florry nodded. ‘It means you can never talk about the work you do at Central Bureau.’
‘Even once the war is over?’
‘Until the government says you can.’
‘I can talk about it with you, right?’
‘Of course.’ She squeezed Ellie’s hand. ‘We’re in this together. However, our family, future husbands and children, neighbours … none of them can ever know the nature of our work.’
‘What if I accidentally let something slip?’
‘You can’t.’
‘But it’s human nature—’
‘Ellie, thousands … millions … of lives of are in our hands. If you do accidentally leak information, you’ll be charged as a traitor and it’s a guaranteed trip to prison—seven years minimum.’
Ellie let go of the papers like they were red-hot sheets of metal. ‘They’re not going to let me out of this room unless I sign, are they?’
‘Given you’re here then it would be safe to say you’ve already made up your mind.’
Ellie returned to the pages that were full of legalese. Signing them would change her life forever. Her pen hovered over the dotted line.
‘It’s all right, I’ve signed too,’ said Florry.
Ellie put the pen down and looked at her friend. ‘This means I have to lie to people.’
‘It’s not lying, it’s keeping secrets.’ Florry shuffled forward on her chair. ‘I will admit when they first asked if I could recommend anyone for this job, I worried about suggesting you because you’re an open book. We’re asking a lot of you and holding secrets is hard.’
‘So why select me when there are other people who could do this?’
‘It’s better to recruit people we know and trust already.’
‘How did you get involved?’
‘When I left Qantas to join AWAS I did an aptitude test and they sent me to Bonegilla where I learned Morse code. It’s handy that you’re already a master of Morse.’
‘You can thank my work at the Longreach post office for that.’
‘They trained you well. So, after Bonegilla I went to Melbourne to the cipher school at Fawkner Park then they packed me onto a train to Brisbane. That’s where I met Lieutenant Andrews. Next thing I knew, I was working in the cipher office for Central Bureau.’
Ellie couldn’t take her eyes off Florry. ‘Is that why you didn’t write?’
‘I’m sorry. I felt terribly guilty about deceiving you when I said I was visiting my mother.’
‘And now I’ll be in the same position, covering up what I do?’
‘Just give it time. You’ll get used to it.’
‘Maybe I’m not right for this work.’
‘You’re the most rightest person there is.’ Florry grinned. ‘Fine, that’s not the best English but your skills with Morse code and problem-solving means we can skip a lot of the training. We’re desperate for someone to start now and you can learn what you don’t know on the job.’
‘Really?’
Florry nodded. ‘Recruitment to Central Bureau is one of the highest honours for women—and men—fighting this war. General MacArthur doesn’t take just anyone.’
‘I’ve never heard of Central Bureau until now.’
‘Exactly. It’s a deliberately boring name that doesn’t beg for attention.’
‘Is it only Australians working for Central Bureau? Isn’t it odd that Gen
eral MacArthur, an American, is in charge?’
‘There are Australians and Americans, Canadians, New Zealanders and Brits as well but you won’t meet them. The women in our section are only Australians and they work separately to the men.’ Florry nodded towards the papers. ‘Are you ready?’
‘I need to know more about Central Bureau.’
Florry lowered her voice. ‘We’re signals intelligence.’
Ellie clutched the pen. There was no going back.
Ellie sat on the verandah at Mrs Hanley’s. Hues of red and orange danced across the garden as the sun started its descent below the horizon. Dishes clattered inside the house and the aroma of freshly baked bread wafted through the air. This afternoon had been a whirlwind. As soon as she’d left the house in Ascot she’d gone to the airfield and resigned, her heart heavy.
Life is exciting, embrace it. Once more Robert’s words came floating back.
Ellie closed her eyes and rested her head against the weatherboards. She’d yet to figure out how she’d explain to Mrs Hanley and Kat the sudden change in jobs, especially as they knew how much she enjoyed her work. She also had no idea how they’d react to her moving to 67 AWAS Barracks in neighbouring Chermside. Whatever she told them, she had to make sure she gave nothing away.
The front gate creaked and she opened her eyes. The silhouette of a man in uniform sauntered towards her.
‘Hello, Bug.’ Even though the shadows obscured his face, she sensed his cheeky smile.
Ellie leaped down the steps and flung her arms around him. ‘Louis! What are you doing here?’
‘Well, that’s a nice greeting.’
‘It’s just that you were in Perth and … Oh, you know what I mean!’ She playfully punched him in the arm.
‘I’ve been transferred to Brisbane.’
‘Really?’
‘No, I’m just an enigma,’ he joked. ‘Of course, really. Didn’t you get my letter?’
‘I got one about Captain Koch but I never received one saying you were moving to Brisbane.’
‘Ah, wartime post at its finest. Oh well, I got to surprise you in person.’ He laughed. ‘The look on your face was worth the trek across the Nullarbor.’
The wire door opened, and Mrs Hanley appeared. ‘Dinner is ready Her gaze fell on Louis. ‘Who do we have here?’
Ellie proudly threaded her arm through Louis’s. ‘One of my dearest friends, Louis Dutton. Louis, this is Mrs Hanley, my landlady and Brisbane mum.’
The Codebreakers Page 3
