Ken Follett - The Key to Rebecca

He gave Elene her papers. “No need to wake the child,” he said. He looked at the priest sitting next to Wolff, and took the proffered wallet.

Wolff said: “What’s this about, Major?”

Vandam looked at him again, and noticed that he had a fresh scratch on his chin, a long one: perhaps Elene had put up some resistance. “Security, sir,” Vandam replied.

The priest said: “I’m going to Assyut, too.”

“I see,” said Vandam. “To the convent?”

“Indeed. You’ve heard of it, then.”

“The place where the Holy Family stayed after their sojourn in the desert.”

“Quite. Have you been there?”

“Not yet—perhaps I’ll make it this time.”

“I hope so,” said the priest.

Vandam handed back the papers. “Thank you.” He backed away, along the aisle to the next row of seats, and continued to examine pa pers. When he looked up he met Wolff’s eyes. Wolff was watching him expressionlessly. Vandam wondered whether he had done anything suspicious. Next time he looked up, Wolff was staring out of the window again.

What was Elene thinking? She must be wondering what I’m up to, Vandam thought. Perhaps she can guess my intentions. It must be hard for her all the same, to sit still and see me walk by without a word. At least now she knows she’s not alone.

What was Wolff thinking? Perhaps he was impatient, or gloating, or frightened, or eager ... No, he was none of those, Vandam realized; he was bored.

He reached the end of the carriage and examined the last of the papers. He was handing them back, about to retrace his steps along the aisle, when he heard a cry that pierced his heart:

“THAT’S MY DAD!”

He looked up. Billy was running along the aisle, toward him, stumbling, swaying from side to side, bumping against the seats, his arms outstretched.

Oh, God.

Beyond Billy, Vandam could see Wolff and Elene standing up, watching; Wolff with intensity, Elene with fear. Vandam opened the door behind him, pretending to take no notice of Billy, and backed through it. Billy came flying through. Vandam slammed the door. He took Billy in his arms.

“It’s all right,” Vandam said. “It’s all right.”

Wolff would be coming to investigate.

“They took me away!” Billy said. “I missed geography and I was really really scared!”

“It’s all right now.” Vandam felt he could not leave Billy now; he would have to keep the boy and kill Wolff, he would have to abandon his deception plan and the radio and the key to the code ... No, it had to be done, it had to be done ... He fought down his instincts. “Listen,” he said. “I’m here, and I’m watching over you, but I have to catch that man, and I don’t want him to know who I am. He’s the German spy I’m after, do you understand?”

“Yes, yes ...”

“Listen. Can you pretend you made a mistake? Can you pretend I’m not your father? Can you go back to him?”

Billy stared, openmouthed. He said nothing but his whole expression said No, no, no!

Vandam said: “This is a real-life tec story, Billy, and we’re in it, you and I. You have to go back to that man, and pretend you made a mistake; but remember, I’ll be nearby, and together we’ll catch the spy. Is that okay? Is it okay?”

Billy said nothing.

The door opened and Wolff came through.

“What’s all this?” Wolff said.

Vandam made his face bland and forced a smile. “He seems to have woken up from a dream and mistaken me for his father. We’re the same build, you and I ... You did say you were his father, didn’t you?”

Wolff looked at Billy. “What nonsense!” he said brusquely. “Come back to your seat at once.”

Billy stood still.

Vandam put a hand on Billy’s shoulder. “Come on, young man,” he said. “Let’s go and win the war.”

The old catchphrase did the trick. Billy gave a brave grin. “I’m sorry, sir,” he said. “I must have been dreaming.”

Vandam felt as though his heart would break.

Billy turned away and went back inside the coach. Wolff went after him, and Vandam followed. As they walked along the aisle the train slowed down. Vandam realized they were already approaching the next station, where his motorcycle would be waiting. Billy reached his seat and sat down. Elene was staring at Vandam uncom prehendingly. Billy touched her arm and said: “It’s okay, I made a mistake, I must have been dreaming.” She looked at Billy, then at Vandam, and a strange light came into her eyes: she seemed on the point of tears.

Vandam did not want to walk past them. He wanted to sit down, to talk, to do anything to prolong the time he spent with them. Outside the train windows, another dusty little town appeared. Vandam yielded to temptation and paused at the carriage door. “Have a good trip,” he said to Billy.

“Thank you, sir.”

Vandam went out.

The train pulled into the station and stopped. Vandam got off and walked forward along the platform a little way. He stood in the shade of an awning and waited. Nobody else got off, but two or three people boarded the economy coaches. There was a whistle, and the train began to move. Vandam’s eye was fixed on the window which he knew to be next to Billy’s seat. As the window passed him, he saw Billy’s face. Billy raised his hand in a little wave. Vandam waved back, and the face was gone.

Vandam realized he was trembling all over.

He watched the train recede into the hazy distance. When it was almost out of sight he left the station. There outside was his motorcycle, with the young policeman from the last town sitting astride it explaining its mysteries to a small crowd of admirers. Vandam gave him the other half of the pound note. The young man saluted.

Vandam climbed on the motorcycle and started it. He did not know how the policeman was going to get home, and he did not care. He drove out of town on the road south. The sun had passed its zenith, but the heat was still terrific.

Soon Vandam passed the train. He would reach Assyut thirty or forty minutes ahead of it, he calculated. Captain Newman would be there to meet him. Vandam knew in outline what he was going to do thereafter, but the details would have to be improvised as he went along.

He pulled ahead of the train which carried Billy and Elene, the only people he loved. He explained to himself again that he had done the right thing, the best thing for everyone, the best thing for Billy; but in the back of his mind a voice said: Cruel, cruel, cruel.

THE TRAIN ENTERED THE STATION AND STOPPED. ELENE SAW A SIGN WHICH SAID, in Arabic and English, ASSYUT. She realized with a shock that they had arrived.

It had been an enormous relief to see Vandam’s kind, worried face on the train. For a while she had been euphoric: surely, she had felt, it was all over. She had watched his pantomime with the papers, expecting him at any moment to pull a gun, reveal his identity, or attack Wolff. Gradually she had realized that it would not be that simple. She had been astonished, and rather horrified, at the icy nerve with which Vandam had sent his own son back to Wolff; and the courage of Billy himself had seemed incredible. Her spirits had plunged farther when she saw Vandam on the station platform, waving as the train pulled out. What game was he playing?

Of course, the Rebecca code was still on his mind. He must have some scheme to rescue her and Billy and also get the key to the code. She wished she knew how. Fortunately Billy did not seem to be troubled by such thoughts: his father had the situation under control, and apparently the boy did not even entertain the idea that his father’s schemes could fail. He had perked up, taking an interest in the countryside through which the train was passing, and had even asked Wolff where he got his knife. Elene wished she had as much faith in William Vandam.