End of Spies by Alex Gerlis (best free ereader txt) 📗

They were wearing mountain clothing and special boots. That’s why I say you won’t find them: they’ve gone over the Alps!’ Frau Egger leaned back defiantly and allowed a thin smile to cross her face.

‘But Richard, you heard what that woman told us – they’ve crossed the Alps. Why are we sitting here in Villach drinking tea? You English are so… cautious!’

‘Because another telegram has come through from Bartholomew – look.’

TURIN, FRIDAY

PRINCE EYES ONLY

ADVISE CARTER & HAMILTON TRAVELLED THURSDAY GENEVA TO TURIN, ITALY. CURRENTLY STAYING IN APARTMENT IN VANCHIGLIA DISTRICT. FIELD SECURITY SECTION TURIN ASSISTING. SUGGEST YOU JOIN TEAM IN TURIN URGENT. STOP.

BARTHOLOMEW, TURIN

‘When did that arrive?’

‘While we were with Frau Egger. So we were right all along: their destination is Turin. Maybe the idea is to hold them there until they can arrange their escape by sea. We’ll set out first thing in the morning.’

Prince woke early the following day and noticed that Hanne was sitting on the side of the bed, her head in her hands.

‘Are you all right?’

She turned to face him. In the half-light he could just make out a smile and the glistening of perspiration on her brow.

‘I don’t feel too good, Richard. I think it may be something I ate last night.’

‘We hardly ate anything last night.’

‘Maybe that’s the reason.’

‘Don’t forget you had typhus not that long ago. Have you been remembering to take the tablets?’

She responded with the irritated look she always used whenever he asked her that question and told him to go back to sleep and not worry. I’ll be fine.

His head had barely hit the pillow when there was a knock at the door and a voice announcing that there was a telegram for them, marked urgent.

VERONA, SATURDAY – URGENT

PRINCE EYES ONLY

CARTER & HAMILTON LEFT TURIN LATE FRIDAY NIGHT. ROUTE UNCERTAIN BUT NOW MOVING EAST FROM VERONA. STOP.

BARTHOLOMEW, VERONA

Hanne frowned. ‘They’re moving away from Turin? But that makes no sense… Maybe they’re heading to Genoa.’

‘Wrong direction: we’ll have to stay here and wait to hear from Bartholomew. Let’s hope his men don’t lose them.’

‘What about asking the Slovenians to help us?’

‘Stewart’s not keen on them: apparently the official British line is that they’re a nuisance. And I’m told we don’t trust Tito.’

‘Tell me, Richard, if we catch Friedrich Steiner, what will happen to him?’

‘I imagine we’ll put him on trial somewhere.’

‘The Slovenians would kill him.’

‘Do you approve of that? As police officers we’re meant to believe in the rule of law.’

Hanne laughed. ‘I think those rules were suspended during the war, don’t you? I just think it would be… cleaner to let the Slovenians deal with him. They seem smarter than our lot, to be honest. They know this area. We may need their help.’

‘Let’s decide when we know where we’re heading.’

‘We need to hope Friedrich and the other man are making for the same place as Carter and Hamilton.’

The answer came on the Sunday morning.

TRIESTE, SUNDAY – MOST URGENT

CARTER & HAMILTON ARRIVED TRIESTE EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. LAST SEEN ENTERING BUILDING ON VIA DELL’ISTRIA. CURRENT WHEREABOUTS UNCERTAIN. REQUEST YOU TRAVEL TO TRIESTE IMMEDIATELY. MEET FSS BASE VIA SAN LAZZARO. STOP.

BARTHOLOMEW, TRIESTE

VILLACH, SUNDAY

FOR: BARTHOLOMEW, TRIESTE ONLY

ADVISE WE ARE DEPARTING VILLACH IMMEDIATELY TO MEET YOU AS INSTRUCTED. STOP.

PRINCE

Hanne had made her way to a bombed-out building close to the banks of the Drava. The floor was covered in mud, debris and the remains of dead birds. Marija and Jožef were leaning against a wall, the glowing ends of their cigarettes moving up and down in the gloom.

‘Are you sure?’ Marija asked.

‘Yes, I’m sure. I told them I needed a few minutes to clear my head. I’m taking a big risk telling you all this, so I want you to promise you’ll be careful and make sure you’re not spotted, all right?’

The cigarettes bobbed up and down. ‘What about Steiner?’

‘You get Steiner, but whoever else we find you leave to us – even it’s Martin Bormann.’

‘Very well, but your husband – what does he make of this?’

‘I think he understands. It’s just that he doesn’t want to be told too much.’

‘What do you know about Trieste, Hanne?’ Marija said.

‘Not much, other than looking at the map yesterday. It’s an Italian port and it isn’t too far from here.’

‘It’s as much a Slovenian city as it is an Italian one. From the centre of Trieste to the Slovenian border is just five miles.’ Jožef had moved out of the gloom and was now standing in front of Hanne. ‘We Slovenes suffered terribly there during the war. The Italians treated us badly enough, but it became far worse when the Germans occupied the city in September 1943. The bastards even built a concentration camp there, you know.’

‘Risiera di San Sabba,’ said Marija. ‘Thousands of Slovenes, Jews and political prisoners were murdered there. Many more were sent from there to the death camps.’

‘Our partisans captured the city on May Day,’ continued Jožef. ‘Marija and I fought in that battle. But the Germans would only surrender to troops from New Zealand. They knew what we’d do to them.’

‘We got our chance, though.’ Marija had moved out of the gloom too. ‘They handed over the city to us and we controlled it for forty days until it was given back to the British. We got our revenge, especially against the traitors.’

‘So we’ll be at home in Trieste, Hanne, we consider it to be our city. And you don’t want to worry about us being spotted. We know every shadow.’

‘And you never know – you may be grateful we’re there.’

It was one hundred miles from Villach in Austria to Trieste in Italy, all of it across territory controlled by the British Army. They crossed the Gailtal Alps into Slovenia just north of Kranjska Gora, heading south before entering Italy at Gorizia.

The final part of the journey was over a stretch of rocky terrain called the Carso, and it was the middle of the afternoon when they arrived at the Field Security Section on Via