Hammond Innes - Attack Alarm

‘What’s ‘e going’ to do about it, eh?’ Micky’s face looked white and strained. Anticipation is so much harder to bear than reality.

‘Don’t be a fool, Micky — what can he do about it?’

‘Well, they could have an umbrella of fighters up.’ This from Chetwood.

‘Yeah, a squadron — that’s what they’d give us, mate. An’ wot the hell’s the good of a squadron. You saw them when they came over Mitchet. Bloody fousands of ‘em there was, wasn’t there, Kan? — bloody fousands.’

‘Well, we did see as many as thirty odd of our fighters in the air at once the other day.’

I said: ‘I was assured that every precaution possible was being taken.’

‘Oh, you was assured, was you, mate? You’ve got a bloody nerve, you ‘ave. Who started all this? — you just tell me that. An’ you say you been assured it’s all O.K. Well, I’m scared, mate, I don’t mind telling you. Give me a baynet. Cold steel, that’s wot I like. But this waiting to be bombed! It ain’t war — not by rights it ain’t. I oughta have bin in the infantry. I would’ve too, only — ‘

‘Only the Buffs were full up,’ said Chetwood. ‘If you don’t like ack-ack, apply for a transfer — otherwise shut up.’

‘You don’t speak to me like that, mate,’ Micky grumbled on to himself, but he didn’t do anything about it.

‘Well, thank God we have some defence here,’ said Helson, ‘even if it is only the much-despised three-inch. I shouldn’t like to have to sit around at a place like Mitchet with nothing but Lewis guns, waiting for an attack.’

The conversation became general again, but every now and then a question was hurled at me. And always it was the same question put in a different way — hadn’t the pilot told me anything else? I felt helpless. There was nothing I could say that would satisfy their need of more information about what might be expected next day. God knows, I was anxious enough about it myself. But, perhaps because my mind was occupied with troubles of my own that centred around something that I felt was so much vaster than a raid on the aerodrome, it did not seem so very important.

I was saved at last from further questions by the air sentry, who opened the door to say that there was a Waaf outside asking for me. I went out to find Marion standing by the pit. It did me good to see her smile as I came up. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I hear you’ve got into trouble ever that wire.’ Her grey eyes met mine and there seemed a bond of sympathy in the glance.

‘It’s I who should be sorry,’ I said. ‘I’m afraid I’ve got you into trouble. A pity it was all for nothing.’

‘Oh, but it wasn’t. You see, when the postmistress had read through the wire, she gave me one of those searching looks and asked me the rank of the sender. I had to hedge then. I knew she’d smelt a rat, and though she said she’d send it off, I had my doubts. Then as I was wandering down the street, I met a pilot officer I know. He gave me a lift back to the ‘drome. He was just going up to Town, so I asked him to ‘phone the message through to your friend. I don’t think he’d let me down.’

That’s marvellous,’ I said. I did not tell her I had got John Nightingale to do the same. It was all to the good. If Bill got both messages he would realise the urgency.

‘Do you know anything more?’ she asked.

I told her ‘No.’ But I hesitated. There might be something in it. ‘Is Elaine a particular friend of yours?’ I asked.

‘I haven’t been here long enough to have acquired any particular friends. I don’t make friends as easily as that.’ She smiled. ‘But she’s fun and we have quite a lot in common. Why?’

‘She was dining with Vayle at a sort of country club known as the Spinning Wheel last night.’

She nodded. ‘I know the place.’

‘I wondered, if she were a particular friend of Vayle’s, perhaps you could find out something from her.’

‘Yes, but what?’

I shrugged my shoulders. What did I want her to find out? ‘I don’t know. Anything you can that might help. Oh, yes, one thing — whether Vayle is going to be here tomorrow or not.’

‘I’ll do what I can.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘I must be running along. I have my chores to do.’

‘Fatigues?’ I asked.

‘Yes. But it’s not much really — just ironing.’

‘I’m sorry. It’s wretched to be landed for a thing like that by doing something for someone else.’

‘Don’t be silly.’ She laid her hand on my arm. ‘It was rather fun. Anyway, I ought to have been more careful.’ She hesitated, and there was one of those awkward pauses. I thought she was going. But instead she suddenly said: ‘You know, if there really is something in your idea, then I don’t think your friend will be able to find out much for you. An important agent has his tracks covered up much too well.’

‘Yes, but what else do you suggest?’

‘I don’t think you’ll discover much outside this aerodrome. If there is anything, it’s here.’

I pondered this for a moment. But though I started to try and reason it out, I knew instinctively that she was right. If this were one of the ‘dromes to be attacked then the whole plan was here to be unravelled on the spot. And suddenly I had an idea. It was not a brilliant one. But it did constitute some sort of action — and it was action I needed. ‘Can you find out whether Vayle is going to be in this evening?’ I asked. And then I stopped. ‘No. That’s asking too much. You’re involved enough as it is.’

‘Nonsense,’ she said. ‘I’m as interested as you are. But what did you think of doing?’

‘I understand he lives over the Educational Institute. That’s right, isn’t it?’ And when she nodded, I said: ‘I was thinking I might have a look through his rooms. I mean, it seems the only thing to do. Probably I shouldn’t find anything, but — ‘ My voice trailed off. It seemed such a hopeless thing to do.

‘That’s rather dangerous, isn’t it?’

I was pleased at her concern. ‘Can you suggest anything else?’ I asked. ‘I’ve got to do something positive. I can’t just sit around waiting for something to turn up. It’s just a chance and I can’t think of anything else.’

‘He obviously wouldn’t leave anything incriminating about.’

‘No, but there might just possibly be something there that would make sense to me.’

‘I shudder to think what would happen if you were caught. You’d be charged with stealing, you know.’

I shrugged my shoulders. ‘What’s it matter?’ I said. ‘Tomorrow a bomb may land on this pit and blow us into little bits. Anyway, I hear there’s a waiting list for the Glasshouse.’ I was very conscious of the fact that she hadn’t vetoed it as useless. ‘If you can find out his movements, I think I’ll have a shot at it,’ I said.

She seemed on the point of raising some objection. But all she said was: ‘I’ll do my best. I’m on duly at eight. If I find that he’s going to be out, I’ll stroll up as far as your pit before going into Ops. If I can’t find out anything, or if I find he may be in, I won’t come. It might be thought rather odd if we were seen talking to each other twice in one day.’

‘Good idea,’ I said. ‘I’ll be watching for you. It’s sweet of you to do all this.’

She smiled. ‘Good luck!’ she said. ‘And don’t forget to let me know what happens.’

I stayed a moment watching her slim figure walking down the roadway. She didn’t look back, and I turned and went into the hut with a queer feeling of having burned my boats. I found myself hoping that she wouldn’t discover that Vayle was going to be out that night. Otherwise I was committed to an escapade that might seriously affect my life for the next few months.