Hammond Innes - Air Bridge

‘I don’t know,’ I said. ‘Did you see Pierce or the 1.0.?’

‘Yes, I saw them both.’ He eyed me watchfully as though I was a strange dog that he was not quite sure of.

‘I sent Pierce a report — a written report. Did he mention it?’

‘No, he said nothing about a report.’

‘Did he mention me at all?’

He lifted his eyes to my face. ‘Suppose you stop asking questions, Fraser?’ His tone was abrupt, almost angry.

‘But I must know,’ I said. ‘I must know what he said about me.’

‘All right — if you want to know — he said you were — ill.’ He was watching me closely as he said this, like a doctor examining a patient for reaction.

I slumped down on to the farther end of the couch. ‘So he doesn’t believe it even when he sees it in writing.’ I felt suddenly very weary. It would be so much easier just to say no more, give myself up and go back to England to stand trial. ‘I must get Tubby out,’ I murmured. ‘I must get him out.’ I was speaking to bolster my determination, but of course he stared at me as though I was mad. ‘You’re waiting to see Else, are you?’ I asked, and when he gave an abrupt nod, I added, ‘Well, since you’ve nothing to do whilst you wait you may as well hear what happened that night in the corridor. I’d like to know whether you believe me.’

‘Why don’t you rest?’ he suggested impatiently. ‘You look just about all in.’

‘Can I have a cigarette? I’ve finished all mine.’

He tossed me a packet. ‘You can keep those.’

‘Thanks.’ I lit one. ‘Just because you’ve been told I’m ill, it doesn’t mean I can’t remember what happened. The chief thing for you to know is this: Tubby is alive. And but for that bastard Saeton he’d be here in Berlin now. It’s a pity your sister can’t recognise the truth when she hears it.’

I had his interest then and I went straight on to tell him the whole thing.

I was just finishing when footsteps sounded on the stairs outside — Else’s footsteps. She looked damnably tired as she pushed open the door. ‘I’ve done it, Neil. We-’ She stopped as she saw Culyer. ‘I’m so sorry, Mr Culyer. Have you been waiting long?’

‘It hasn’t been long,’ Culyer answered, rising to his feet. ‘I’ve been talking to Fraser here — or rather, he’s been talking to me.’

Else glanced quickly from one to the other of us. ‘You know each other?’

‘We met the other day — out at Gatow,’ Culyer answered. ‘I tried to catch you at the airport, Miss Meyer, but I guess you’d just gone.’ He glanced awkwardly at me. ‘Can we go somewhere and talk?’ he asked hen Else spread her hands in a quick gesture of despair. ‘I am afraid this is the only room I have. You will not mind, Neil, if we talk about our own business for a moment, will you?’

She turned to Culyer. ‘Have the British agreed? Shall I be permitted to go to Frankfurt?’

Culyer glanced hesitantly at me. Then he said, ‘Yes, everything’s fixed, Miss Meyer. As soon as your papers come through we’ll fly you down to Frankfurt and then you can join Professor Hinkmann of the Rauch Motoren and get to work right away. Of course,’ he added, ‘you must realise Saeton is a jump or two ahead of us. His engines are flying right now.’

‘Of course,’ Else said. ‘What about patents?’

‘That is still undecided,’ Culyer answered. ‘We’re pressing hard for refusal of patent on the grounds that it’s largely your father’s work. Mind you, Saeton’s developed them to the flying stage, but I think our case may be strong enough for the whole thing to be left to sort itself out in open competition. Anyway, what I wanted to tell you was that the British have agreed for you to come to Frankfurt. I thought you’d want to know that right away.’

‘Thank you — yes.’ She hesitated and then asked, ‘No questions about the papers I had in England?’

‘No questions. They’ll forget about that.’

Else turned and pulled off her beret. She stood for a moment staring at the large photograph of her father that stood above the huge oak tallboy. ‘He would have been glad about this.’ She suddenly swung round to Culyer again. ‘It was Saeton who informed the British security officials about my papers, wasn’t it?’

Culyer shrugged his shoulders. ‘I don’t think we need concern ourselves with that, Miss Meyer.’

‘No, perhaps it is not important.’ She turned to me. ‘Saeton has requested the permission of the station commander to fly a plane to Hollmind.’

‘To Hollmind?’ I stared at her, hardly able to believe my ears. ‘When?’

Tonight.’

‘Are you certain?’ I asked urgently. ‘How do you know?’

She smiled. ‘I have friends at Gatow — a young officer of the R.A.S.C. tell me. Saeton is flying there tonight, just to make certain.’

For a second I was filled with relief. Saeton had realised he had been inhuman. He was going to get Tubby out. And then Else’s choice of words thrust themselves into my mind. Just to make certain. In an instant the monster I had built of Saeton was there again in my mind. ‘Just to make certain,’ I heard myself say aloud. ‘My God! It can’t be that. It can’t be.’

‘What’s that you say?’ Culyer asked uneasily.

But I was looking at Else, wondering whether she knew what was in my mind. ‘It must be tonight,’ I said.

‘What must be tonight?’ Culyer asked.

‘Nothing,’ Else said quickly. ‘Please, Mr Culyer. I am very tired and I have some things to do.’

He looked uncertainly from one to the other of us and then picked up his hat. ‘Okay, Miss Meyer. I’ll be getting along then. As soon as the formalities are through I’ll contact you.’

‘Thank you.’ She held the door open for him.

He hesitated on the threshold and his gaze swung back to me. He was obviously puzzled.

Else touched his arm. ‘You will not say anything — about Mr Eraser. Please.’

He shrugged his shoulders. ‘I guess it’s none of my business anyway.’

But it was his business. He was Diana’s brother. ‘Will you be seeing your sister again?’ I asked him.

He nodded. ‘I’m going out to Gatow right now.’

‘Will you give her a message? Will you tell her Tubby will be all right — that it’s true what I said in that report, every word of it?’

He glanced across at Else. ‘Do you know about this?’

Else nodded.

‘And do you believe him? Do you believe Carter is still alive, the way he says he is?’

‘Of course,’ Else said.

Culyer shook his head slowly. ‘I don’t know what to think. But I’ll give her your message, Fraser. Maybe if Saeton’s flying out there-’ He shrugged his shoulders. ‘Goodnight, Miss Meyer. I hope we’ll have this thing all tied up very shortly now. This project has great possibilities and my headquarters …’

He was still talking as Else lighted him to the stairs, but I wasn’t listening. I was thinking of Tubby out there in that farmhouse. Saeton was flying to Hollmind. That was the thing that was still in my mind. I turned to the window. I had to get out there right away. I had to get there somehow. The door of the room closed and I swung round. Else was standing there, staring at me. ‘Are you all right, Neil?’ she asked.

‘Yes, of course I’m all right,’ I answered irritably. ‘When you came in tonight — you started to say something?’

‘Oh, yes. I have found a truck that is going into the Russian Zone. It is all fixed.’

‘When for?’ I asked. ‘It must be tonight. I must get there tonight.’

She nodded. ‘Yes. It is tonight.’

‘Thank God!’ I crossed the room and caught hold of her arms. ‘How did you manage it?’ I asked.