Adam Hall - The Striker Portfolio

I suppose so. I suppose so. Bearing 10.

The hiss of the frost underfoot, 6 paces.

The wire. The barbs bent under with pliers. Now don't fall over. There's no need.

'Are you — are you blokes Rhine Army?'

'Christ — he's English!'

One of them caught me.

They put me in the back of their Jeep and one of them slung his greatcoat round me. They were already calling up base as we drove off. The wind cut cold. I shouted against it.

'I left a car here. Can I pick it up?'

'You what?' They talked together. 'You can't drive it because we can't authorize you, see? And we can't drive it because no one can authorize us, get it? So I should just sit tight and look happy. We shan't be long.'

They were in good spirits. It wasn't often they picked anyone off the wire.

At the B.A.O.R. unit a captain questioned me and went into his office next door to use the phone. I could hear most of it through the pinewood partition. A very odd bod indeed. Thorough bad shape but lucid enough, h Mister Bates there?

A corporal brought me a cup of tea.

I dunno, frankly. He wants to talk to someone in Hanover. Yes. Thing is, do we let him?

I burnt my lips but went on drinking just to feel the heat The corporal was passing on the news somewhere outside: He's in there now. Caught him on the Strip. Eh? No, English. Honest! Fair enough. We'll hold him for you.

Boots in the passage. Thomson!'

'Sir?'

'Bring some tea for this chap, soon as you can.'

'He's got some, sir.'

'Fair enough.'

The door opened. 'You can phone Hanover but we have to listen in, that do you?'

He took me into his office and I gave him the number. We waited for the connection. Tall, clean, pink-faced, very interested, a boyish smile. The last customer we had was two months ago. I mean a live one.' That was how they must come to see the 'Strip': as a wire where birds perched, some of them falling.

When the phone rang he used the extension, watching me the whole time as I talked.

'Sapphire.'

'Needle.' He listened for bugs.

'All right' I said: 'Company.' Third party this end.

'Understood.'

'I'm in B.A.O.R. Bucholz. Get me out, will you?'

This time of night?'

He was giving himself time to think. The Rhine Army wouldn't pick anyone up unless they were right in the Zone.

'Wake people up,' I told him.

'Yes. Which way are you facing?'

'Home.' He wanted to know if I were going across or coming back.

The young captain tapped my arm: 'It's getting a little obscure. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to — '

'All right,'I said.

'Anything for me?' Ferris was asking.

'Practically the lot.'

'Oh yes?' He was very good at not sounding galvanized. 'Anything for London?'

'Not yet'

'I ought to give them at least a rough — '

'Look, stuff London. Just get me out I want one more day.'

'Where?'

'Linsdorf. Do I need smoke out?'

'No. We fixed that.'

The captain reached across and cut us off. His smile was rather strained. 'I do apologize, but you see my position. Most of that was in verbal code and I've already stuck my neck out letting you phone at all.'

I gave him the receiver.

'I appreciate that.' The heat was off now and the need for sleep was urgent. 'Appreciate it a lot. Don't worry, there'll be no kickback.' Up to Ferris, the rest of the night.

'That's fine. But the thing is, you could be Commander Crabb or someone.'

'He's got brown eyes, didn't you know?'

They woke me just before dawn and I let them take me along to the sick-bay to get the hand re-stitched.

'There's not so much room left for making new holes, that's the trouble. What have you been doing?'

'I had to go on all fours for a bit.'

Taking pots, were they?' The M.O. laughed gustily. They all knew where the 'very odd bod' had been. It was a routine patrol unit and I was as good as the telly.

The captain took me back to his office.

'Well I'm not quite sure what's going on but we've had a call through and my orders are to release you and offer limited facilities.' He sounded frustrated: he wasn't averse to letting me go but he realized that he would never know who it was who had gone. 'Perhaps you'd give me some idea as to what facilities you need.'

I didn't ask for much: some biscuits, a duffle-coat, some petrol and a ride in the Jeep as far as the ruined military depot.

The 17M was still there, stuck in the bush, and they filled the tank while I scraped the frost off the wind-screen. The tank had been split on the blind run from Neueburg and I didn't want to go dry. I made sure the engine would start before I let them go, then while it warmed I stood looking east across the wire and the flat grey land beyond. The light seeped from a cold sky and there were crows about: it was morning, and I had a warm coat with biscuits in a pocket and I hoped the night had gone well for her, as it had gone for me.

The front wing rattled but the roads smoothed out when I cleared the Zone and headed north towards Linsdorf.

Clive? This is George. Listen, something's come up and we'd rather like your help. Well apparently there's one of those chaps — you know? — struck a spot of trouble in Western Germany. Yes Name's Martin and he's officially attached to the Accidents Investigation Branch working at an air-base called Linsdorf. Now this is what seems to have cropped up, you listening hard?

I ate the biscuits slowly, a crumb at a time.

Number Three? This is Beacon Nine. Will you be in Bonn tonight? Well you'll see General Schmidl, obviously. Subject: an Englishman, Walter Martin, has become wanted for murder since early hours this morning. All we need is that the good Herr General is tipped off that his K.P. branch is wasting its time: Martin was not, repeat not, responsible. They'll thus avoid unproductive search tactics. M'm? If it could be done officially I wouldn't be asking you, would I? No, we're relying on Schmidl's confidence in our integrity and that should suffice. Finally, if the Kriminal-polizei require the said Martin as witness at a later date, we guarantee his availability. Now I'll give you what details I have.

My left hand was no more than numb beneath its fresh analgesic dressing. I had slept for nearly three hours at the Rhine Army unit but there was a certain amount of natural dope trying to put me out again because I was still about twelve hours on the debit side. I kept all the windows down.

Liebermann? I have some confidential information for you. I can give you nothing of its source but I would suggest that you accept it as most reliable. Further, I would invite you to take such action as will become clear to you when you know the facts. Please listen to me carefully.

Neueburg lay to the east now and I passed the turning, making directly north. Soon afterwards I saw a cruising police patrol and felt gratitude to Ferris. My journey to Linsdorf and my business there would have been impossible or at best very difficult in smoke conditions, but the heat had been turned off Martin and I could go where I pleased. It was one of the things a director in the field was expected to do for his agent but I felt good about Ferris because there were those who wouldn't have kept up-the pressure on London until something was done.

I approached Linsdorf just before 10.00 a.m. A Striker SK-6 was going into circuit after take-off and the smell of kerosene tainted the draught from the windows.

He was in a bad way even before I told him, his nerves in his eyes, couldn't keep still, the short laugh more cynical than ever.

'We were wondering where you'd gone,' he said.

In this kind of confrontation they are not always so vulnerable and it surprised me but it was too late to change tactics and I whipped it on him right away.