'And do you honestly think that will be enough?'
'Do you?' Radl said.
Steiner's laugh had no mirth in it at all 'He has no conception of honour.'
It seemed a curiously old-fashioned remark, and Radl was intrigued 'And you?' he said 'You have?'
'Perhaps not Perhaps it's too fancy a word for what I mean. Simple things like giving your word and keeping it, standing by friends whatever comes. Does the sum of these things total honour?'
I don't know, my friend,' Radl said 'All I can confirm with any certainty is the undoubted fact that you are too good for the Reichsfuhrer's world, believe me.' He put an arm around Steiner's shoulders. 'And now we'd really better go in.'
Ilse, Colonel Neuhoff and Devlin were seated at a small round table by the fire and she was busy laying out a Celtic Circle from the Tarot pack in her left hand
'Go on, amaze me.' Devlin was saying
'You mean you are not a believer, Mr Devlin?' she asked him.
'A decent Catholic lad like me? Proud product of the best the Jesuits could afford, Frau Neuhoff?' He grinned. Now what do you think?'
'That you are an intensely superstitious man, Mr Devlin.' His smile slipped a little 'You see,' she went on, 'I am what is known as a sensitive The cards are not important They are a tool only.'
'Go on then.'
'Very well, your future on one card, Mr Devlin The seventh I come to.'
She counted them out quickly and turned the seventh card over It was a skeleton carrying a scythe and the card was upside down.
'Isn't he the cheerful one?' Devlin remarked, trying to sound unconcerned and failing.
'Yes, Death,' she said 'but reversed it doesn't mean what you imagine.' She stared down at the card for a full half-minute and then said very quickly 'You will live long, Mr Devlin. Soon for you begins a lengthy period of inertia, of stagnation even and then, in the closing years of your life, revolution, perhaps assassination.' She looked up calmly 'Does that satisfy you?'
'The long life bit does,' Devlin said cheerfully 'I'll take my chance on the rest.'
'May I join in, Frau Neuhoff,' Radl said.
'If you like.'
She counted out the cards This time the seventh was the Star reversed She looked at it for another long moment 'Your health is not good, Herr Oberst.'
'That's true,' Radl said
She looked up and said simply, 'I think you know what is here?'
'Thank you, I believe I do,' he said, smiling calmly.
There was a slightly uncomfortable atmosphere then, as if a sudden chill had fallen and Steiner said, 'All right, Ilse, what about me?'
She reached for the cards as if to gather them up 'No, not now, Kurt I think we've had enough for one night.'
'Nonsense,' he said 'I insist.' He picked up the cards 'There, I hand you the pack with my left hand, isn't that right?'
Very hesitantly she took it, looked at him in mute appeal, then started to count. She turned the seventh card over quickly, long enough to glance at it herself and put it back on the top of the pack 'Lucky in cards as well, it seems, Kurt. You drew Strength. Considerable good fortune, a triumph in adversity, sudden success.' She smiled brightly 'nd now, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I'll see to the coffee,' and she walked out of the room
Steiner reached down and turned the card over.It was The Hanged Man He sighed heavily 'Women,' he said, 'can be very silly at times Is it not so, gentlemen?'
.
There was fog in the morning Neuhoff had Radl wakened just after dawn and broke the bad news to him over coffee
'A regular problem here, I'm afraid,' he said 'But there it is and the general forecast is lousy Not a hope of anything getting off the ground here before evening Can you wait that long?'
Radl shook his head 'I have to be in Paris by this evening and to do that it's essential that I catch the transport leaving Jersey at eleven to make the necessary connection in Brittany What else can you offer?'
'I could arrange passage by E-boat if you insist,' Neuhoff told him 'Something of an experience, I warn you, and rather hazardous. We've more trouble with the Royal Navy than we do with the RAF in this area. But it would be essential to leave without delay if you are to make St Helier in time.'
'Excellent,' Radl said 'Please make all necessary arrangements at once and I'll rouse Devlin.'
.
Neuhoft drove them down to the harbour himself in his staff car shortly after seven, Devlin huddled in the rear seat showing every symptom of a king-size hangover The E-boat waited at the lower jetty When they went down the steps they found Steiner in sea boots and reefer jacket, leaning on the rail talking to a young bearded naval lieutenant in heavy sweater and salt-stained cap.
He turned to greet them. 'A nice morning for it. I've just been making sure Koenig realizes he's carrying precious cargo.'
The lieutenant saluted 'Herr Oberst.'
Devlin, the picture of misery, stood with his hands pushed deep into his pockets 'Not too well this morning, Mr Devlin?' Steiner enquired.
Devlin moaned 'Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging.'
Steiner said 'You won't be wanting this then?' He held up a bottle 'Brandt found another Bushmills.'
Devlin relieved him of it instantly 'I wouldn't dream of allowing it to do to anyone else what it's done to me.' He shook hands 'Let's hope that when you're coming down I'll be looking up,' and he clambered over the rail and sat in the stern.
Radl shook hands with Neuhoff, then turned to Steiner, 'You'll hear from me soon. As for the other matter, I'll do everything I can.'
Steiner said nothing. Did not even attempt to shake hands and Radl hesitated, then scrambled over the rail Koenig issued orders crisply, leaning out of the open window in the wheel-house. The lines were cast off and the E-boat slipped away into the mist of the harbour.
They rounded the end of the breakwater and picked up speed Radl looked about him with interest. The crew were a rough-looking lot, half of them bearded, and all attired in either Guernseys or thick fishermen's sweaters, denim pants and sea boots In fact, there was little of the Navy about them at all and the craft itself, festooned with strange aerials, was like no E-boat he had ever seen before now that he examined it thoroughly.
When he went on to the bridge he found Koenig leaning over the chart table, a large black-bearded seaman at the wheel who wore a faded reefer jacket that carried a chief petty officer's rank badges. A cigar jutted from between his teeth, something else which, it occurred to Radl, did not seem very naval.
Koenig saluted decently enough 'Ah, there you are Herr Oberst Everything all right?'
'I hope so,' Radl leaned over the chart table 'How far is it?'
'About fifty miles '
'Will you get us there on time?'
Koenig glanced at his watch 'I estimate we'll arrive at St Helier just before ten, Herr Oberst, as long as the Royal Navy doesn't get in the way.'
Radl looked out of the window 'Your crew, Lieutenant, do they always dress like fishermen? I understood the E-boats to be the pride of the Navy '
Koenig smiled 'But this isn't an E-boat, Herr Oberst Only classed as one.'
'Then what in the hell is it?' Radl demanded in bewilderment
'Actually we're not too sure, are we, Muller?' The petty officer grinned and Koenig said, A motor gun boat, as you can see, Herr Oberst, constructed in Britain for the Turks and commandeered by the Royal Navy.'
'What's the story?'
'Ran aground on a sandbank on an ebb tide near Morlaix in Brittany. Her captain couldn't scuttle her, so he fired a demolition charge before abandoning her.'
'And?'
It didn't go off and before he could get back on board to rectify the error an E-boat turned up and grabbed him and his crew.'
'Poor devil,' Radl said 'I almost feel sorry for him.'
'But the best is yet to come, Herr Oberst,' Koenig told him 'As the captain's last message was that he was abandoning his ship and blowing her up, the British Admiralty naturally assumed that he had succeeded.'
'Which leaves you free to make the run between the islands in what is to all intents and purposes a Royal Navy boat? I see now.'
'Exactly You were looking at the jack staff earlier and were no doubt puzzled to find that it is the White Ensign of the Royal Navy we keep ready to unfurl.'
'And it's saved you on occasion?'
'Many times. We hoist the White Ensign, make a courtesy signal and move on. No trouble at all.'
Radl was aware of that cold finger of excitement moving inside him again 'Tell me about the boat, he said. 'How fast is she?'
Top speed was originally twenty-five knots, but the Navy yard at Brest did enough work on her to bring that to thirty. Still not up to E-boat, of course, but not bad. A hundred and seventeen feet long and as for armaments, a six-pounder, a two-pounder, two twin point five machine-guns, twin twenty millimetre antiaircraft cannon.'
'Fine,' Radl cut him off 'A gun boat indeed What about range?'
A thousand miles at twenty-one knots Of course with the silencers on, she burns up much more fuel.'
'And what about that lot?' Radl pointed to the aerials which festooned her.
'Navigational some of them. The rest are S-phone aerials It's a micro-wave wireless set for two way voice communication between a moving ship and an agent on land. Far better than anything we've got. Obviously used by agents to talk them in before a landing. I'm sick of singing its praises at Naval Headquarters in Jersey Nobodv takes the slighest interest. No wonder we re...'
He stopped himself just in time Radl glanced at him and said calmly, 'At what range does this remarkable gadget function?'
'Up to fifteen miles on a good day, for reliability. I'd only claim half that distance, but at that range it's as good as a telephone call.'
Radl stood there for a long moment, thinking about it all and then he nodded abruptly, 'Thank you, Koenig,' he said and went out.
He found Devlin in Koenig's cabin, flat on his back, eyes closed, hands folded over a bottle of Bushmills. Radl frowned, annoyance and even a certain alarm stirring inside him and then saw that the seal on the bottle was unbroken.
'It's all right, Colonel dear,' Devlin said without apparently opening his eyes. The Devil hasn't got me by the big toe yet.'
'Did you bring my briefcase with you?'
Devlin squirmed to pull it from beneath him 'Guarding it with my life '
'Good,' Radl moved back to the door. 'They've got a wireless in the wheelhouse that I'd like you to look at before we land.'
'Wireless?' Devlin grunted
'Oh, never mind,' Radl said 'I'll explain later.'
When he went back to the bridge Koenig was seated at the chart table in a swivel chair drinking coffee from a tin mug. Muller still had the wheel.
Koenig got up obviously surprised, and Radl said, 'The officer commanding naval forces in Jersey. what's his name?'
'Kapitan zur See Hans Olbricht.'
'I can see - can you get us to St Helier half an hour earlier than your estimated time of arrival?'
Koenig glanced dubiously at Muller 'I'm not sure, Herr Oberst. We could try. Is it essential?'
Absolutely I must have time to see Olbricht to arrange your transfer,'
Koenig looked at him in astonishment. 'Transfer Herr Oberst? To which command?'
'My command' Radl took the manilla envelope from his pocket and produced the Fuhrer Directive 'Read that.'
He turned away impatiently and lit a cigarette. When he turned again, Koenig's eyes were wide. 'My God.' he whispered.
'I hardly think He enters into the matter.' Radl took the letter from him and replaced it in the envelope. He nodded at Muller. 'This big ox is to be trusted?'
'To the death, Herr Oberst.'
'Good,' Radl said. 'For a day or two you'll stay in Jersey until orders are finalized, then I want you to make your way along the coast to Boulogne where you will await my instructions. Any problems in getting there?'
Koenig shook his head. 'None that I can see. An easy enough trip for a boat like this staying inshore.' He hesitated. 'And afterwards. Herr Oberst?'
'Oh, somewhere on the North Dutch coast near Den Helder. I haven't found a suitable place yet. Do you know it?'
It was Muller who cleared his throat and said, 'Begging the Herr Oberst's pardon, but I know that coast like the back of my hand. I used to be the first mate on a Dutch salvage tug out of Rotterdam.'
