Читать книгу The Crooked Olive Branch - Frederick Munn - Страница 13

Chapter 5

The train slowed to a halt and was immediately surrounded by armed soldiers.

Hal looked out of the window. “Not again.” He moaned.

“What the heck are these stooges looking for?”

Peter shrugged. “This is another unscheduled stop. They are clearly after someone special.”

Hal went to the compartment door and looked up and down the corridor, muttering.

“They have checked our papers three times already, once at boarding and on the train twice.

I thought this Hitler guy was making the trains run to time.”

Peter, puzzled by this unusual show of bad temper, offered his opinion.

“You know Hal this really is a police state. We got the whiff of it last night at that reception.

I can’t speak for you, but it made me uncomfortable. It is one thing reading about it but …”

Peter hesitated and sighed before continuing. “This is sinister.” He paused repeating:

“really sinister.”

Hal stretched and yawned. He was fed up, travel sick and weary.

“What a waste of time and all as far as I’m concerned for nothing. What was that all that about yesterday Pete, you figured it yet?”

“No, not yet. I don’t agree that it was a complete waste, Hal. In any case what happened to the spiffing lark?”

Hal was unhappy, not just with the visit to Bochum and the extra journey time involved.

He was aware that his relationship with Peter had not been the same since that August day.

He knew that he had been correct and had dealt with Pen’s familiarity as well as he could, but it was impossible to deny that he remained disturbed by it.

No matter how he tried, his thoughts kept returning to that afternoon on the bridge.

Mini Ha Ha Bridge was how he thought of it.

A stream of memories returned defying attempts to dismiss them as irrational and dangerous.

Peter, initially, was more successful in dismissing any thoughts.

But the usual friendly camaraderie was missing.

Thoughts neither wished to voice, hung around like a pebble in a sandal.

Peter was more and more convinced that his friend was withholding something from him.

Hal was broody and far from the ‘all-inclusive’ confidant.

The reason he was not being entirely open, however, was not what Peter suspected.

Hal was struggling with an embarrassing situation. and seeking the best way to explain.

The question of the incident at Mini Ha Ha, whilst it did figure, was not the main source of discomfort.

Hal was first to speak following a long silence. “You must admit this is one heck of a train journey. Could we not have gotten an overnighter?”

Peter replied with forced jocularity. “Bear up old chap, we’ll be in Munich by five at the latest.”

Realising he sounded boorish, regretting this, Hal attempted to copy Peter choosing his words carefully in his response.

“Sorry Peter, you would expect a seasoned traveller like me would take this in his stride.”

“You are beginning to sound like an Englishman Henry.”

Hal seized upon this opening and replied in kind, relieved to take his mind away from troubled thoughts.

“That Peter, old buddy, is the very compliment I need. I would sure like to have the savoir faire of that guy last night, Sir Filton Fowlkes Browne. You will note the triple barrelled name.

I would sure like to be able to handle life as him. Now there’s an Englishman I would love to emulate.

He seemed so with it. Even knew my name.”

Peter smiled, relieved to change his mindset, and see that Hal was relaxing.

“I think Henry you should know that he was Scottish.”

“Sounded very English to me.”

“You’d be safer saying British as a coverall,” Peter advised, then added:

“Now you know Sir Filton it would be a good idea to stay in touch. It could prove useful.”

“You know this guy?”

“No, but he sounds really important. As you say, he knew your name.”

Both friends were relieved to be speaking freely. The conversation began to flow more easily for the next few minutes. The tension lessened as they became more involved. Hal tried to speak less formally.

“Very well my dear old friend, I’ll take particular note.” Hal was clearly imitating Sir Filton.

In truth, he was becoming naturally indoctrinated. Then, he reverted to type as he continued.

“These two guys last night, I guess they were Nazis. They were beginning to get up my nose. I was starting to weigh up the consequences of starting the Second World War by punching one of them in the face, when this Sir Filton guy appeared like a guardian angel and says, ‘I see you are entertaining Herr Braun and Herr Lietz, Henry.’ I guess I was too dumbstruck at this stranger knowing little old Henry’s name, I didn’t answer. I figured he was someone important, that I ought to bow or do something special.”

Hal paused. “Where did he come from? Were you told he was to be there?”

Peter shook his head “I didn’t notice him. It was a large meeting. I was too busy feeling out of my depth I suppose.”

The two were silent for a while, deep in thought.

Eventually, Peter broke the silence. “I think that we can safely assume that Fowlkes-Browne is a British agent. That the Sir Filtons of this world have a secretary who provides them with a complete dossier on all participants. This he will study. It will include photographs in addition to descriptions.” Peter paused for a moment before continuing. “And we can guess that there is a connection between him and Rhys James.”

“O.K. Fine, I get that, but it doesn’t explain why we two greenhorns were there in addition to Sir Filton. For sure we are novices. We gave nothing to the scene.”

Peter took a moment to consider before replying.

“Could it be that as innocents we might hear more?”

Hal sighed. “I can’t speak for you Pete, but I had not one clue what I was about. What to look or listen for. I was off my base. If Sir Filton had not intervened, I could have started a Second World War.”

“Hal, unfortunately, the war will happen without any help from you.”

They broke off the conversation while their papers were checked for a fourth time.

The compartment door closed on the German officials. Neither spoke for almost a minute then Peter forced his eyes away from the door. “Hal, are you alright?”

“Jeez Pete, these Goons are something else, polite, efficient but somehow they give me the creeps. There is something just, just …”

“Just what, Hal?”

“I can’t figure, it was just something.”

Peter took a breath, letting it out as he spoke. “Malevolent!”

“Yes Pete, you are so on it. I have never had much cause to use the word before. That was why I was fishing. You felt it too? They made me feel to be a victim. Kind o’ scared even though I know they would not dare touch me. Now I feel angry, not just with them but myself for sitting there and taking it.”

“I was like a rabbit mesmerised by ferrets. I feel dirty and impotent. Like you, a victim.”

Neither spoke for some while. Peter was the first to gather his wits.

“You were about to start a second world war when Sir Filton appeared?” He prompted, trying to resume where they left off.

Hal was taken out of his thoughts by Peter’s sudden return to the interrupted discussion.

They were thoughts not only about the German officials but another matter he was wrestling with.

The two had become strangely entwined. He made a big effort and picked up the story where he left off. “Sure, as I was saying. This Fowlkes-Browne arrives like the Lone Ranger and says:

‘Ah Henry, I see you are entertaining Herr Braun and Herr Lietz’. He introduced himself.

It was then one of the goons began to simper and wheedle and claim kinship with him.”

“Kinship?”

“Keep up Pete, Braun and Browne. This goon Braun says, ‘are you aware Sir Filton that you and I share the same name?’ Sir turns around and says, ‘Really, Herr Braun do you really think that you and I could belong to the same tribe?’ He sure did not dig the idea.

He managed to make it sound preposterous without using any words, just using that impolite dismissive manner born of centuries. He reduced this Braun guy to the size of a squeaking mouse.” Hal chuckled at the memory. “I tell you Pete, it beats smacking the guy in the mouth.

Then he says to them ‘please excuse us gentlemen while Henry and I mingle.’ Away we sped.

Then he says to me. ‘I don’t know about you Henry, but I get somewhat irritated when something nasty is crawling in the hairs of my arse. I need a drink’. I tell you Pete that incident almost made this trip worthwhile.”

“Wait a sec, Hal. Where was Fowlkes-Browne while you were talking to the Nazis?”

“Don’t know he must have been nearby I guess.”

“And he arrived just on cue?”

“So it seemed.”

“What were you talking about?”

“Let me think. They had been bragging how they had gotten around the Treaty of Versailles, built this battleship Bismarck, which could outrun and outrange anything else afloat, equipped with gun turrets which swivelled independently and could engage any enemy on all sides.”

“Did Fowlkes-Browne move in then?”

“No, let me think.” Hal, realising that Peter was on to something, went over the conversations in his mind. Peter waited then, impatient for the answer, prompted.

“It was when you were thinking of hitting him. What upset you?”

Hal snapped his fingers as he remembered. “Some snide remark that the U. S. of A should not still behave as colonials as if we were England’s puppets.”

“They were trying to get under your skin. What exactly was said immediately before that?”

“It was something about a joint research project between Sheffield and Pittsburgh.”

Peter nodded. “Makes sense. That’s the venture my Father got you involved with?”

“Sure, they knew that I was a member of the research team. The co-operation between teams from the States and Great Britain.”

He looked quizzically at Peter. “You’re on to something aren’t you?”

Peter did not reply immediately, instead he asked, “So, Sir Filton arrived when this came up?”

“Sure did, it was then this stooge made his comment about the States not dancing to a British tune and I was about to, you know.”

“You said nothing about it; the research?”

“No, not a chance I wouldn’t anyways.”

“Oh, Hal!” Peter went red and threw his head back against the seat.

“What gives Pete?”

“We were not there to gather information. We were bait. At least you were.”

Hal took a deep breath, thought for some seconds then let out a low whistle.

“The bastards. The slimy bastards.”

Peter didn’t answer. Hal looked concerned. “Sorry Pete I didn’t mean …”

Peter held his hand up. “Don’t be sorry. My father and father-in-law are slimy bastards.”

Peter awaited Hal’s response but when he didn’t, spoke his thoughts.

“Hal, you know something I don’t. I am guessing the research project you were working on is the catalyst for this whole affair. Am I right?”

Hal still didn’t answer. Peter continued. “My father is lurking in there somewhere.”

He paused before engaging Hal forcefully. “TRUE?”

The compartment which had been empty for almost the whole of the journey was entered by a man who sat in the corner and began to read. He had no luggage. He carried only a book.

Peter looked across at Hal, pulled a face, then mouthed, ‘not now, later’.

It was obvious to both that as there had been no recent scheduled stop, this man had moved from another part of the train after their passports had been checked.

Unable to pursue the conversation both Peter and Hal spent the rest of the journey thinking over events and trying to make sense of the happenings. Their thoughts were interrupted by the arrival in Munich.