D-Notice by Bill Walker (big ebook reader txt) 📗

of fate, coinciding with the anniversaries of Adolf Hitler’s ‘Beer Hall Putsch,’ and the infamous ‘Night of Broken Glass,’ a hated symbol of Communist rule has finally met its demise.... The Berlin Wall has fallen...”

The shot behind Honeycombe cut to a scene showing a large section of the wall tumbling to earth, both East and West Germans rejoicing, their ecstatic voices rising to a frenzied pitch.

“...Crowds have been gathering for days in anticipation of this momentous event. And with typical Teutonic precision, the first monolithic slice of that reviled edifice came down at precisely noon Berlin time, heralding the long-awaited end of the Cold War.” Honeycombe paused, looking down at his script. “Now, with the Soviet Union itself looming ever closer to final collapse, and with its satellite nations clamoring ceaselessly for democratic reform, it is only fitting that the beleaguered peoples of the once mighty German Democratic Republic begin the long process of reunification with their brothers and sisters in the west, on what has—until now—been a dark date in German history....”

Behind him, Michael heard the door open.

“We’re home!” Erika cried, her arms laden with packages from the grocers. Michael felt a thrill go through him as it did every time he saw her. Her wound from the incident on the ferry five years before had healed with few ill effects, and though her father had perished, she seemed less and less affected by the tragedy.

“Need any help?” Michael called.

Erika smiled, catching sight of her husband. “Just with your son,” she said.

And then a tiny towheaded whirlwind burst into the room running straight for him. “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!”

Michael swept the little boy up into his arms and swung him around. Two-year-old Michael Thorley III laughed and screamed with delight.

“What on earth is going on out here?” Lillian asked, bustling out of the kitchen, carrying a tray piled high with sliced beef. She spotted Michael and her grandson and shook her head in mock dismay. “Michael, you’re going to spoil that child.”

“And I wouldn’t have it any other way, mother,” he said, lifting the giggling boy onto his shoulders.

Lillian chuckled and carried the plate of meat over to the dining area. The table was festooned with a lace tablecloth and Lillian’s best china and silverware, along with half a dozen covered dishes.

“Dinner’s on,” she said.

Michael carried his son over to a highchair and belted the boy in, while Erika joined him at the table. She kissed him and looked toward the television. “It’s begun.”

Michael nodded. “You’ll be able to visit your home again, soon.”

“My home is here,” she said, a wistful look in her eyes.

“Now, now, now! I’ll not be having any long faces,” Lillian said, pouring wine into their glasses. She handed one to Michael, then to Erika, and then raised her own. “To the future.”

Michael raised his glass and felt Erika grasp his other hand. Yes, Michael thought, to the future. Now that he’d made peace with the past, the future was just fine with him....

“...In other news, Sir Robert Sandon, former head of MI6 was found dead in his Surrey home, yesterday, an apparent suicide. Home Secretary Roger MacKinnon issued a statement that while he is saddened by the news, he feels that it has little relation to the infamous Stalin Order Scandal of 1984, as some are speculating...”

The chroma-key behind Honeycombe changed to footage of Roger MacKinnon being hounded by reporters.

“...When asked if the order has had any measurable effects on current world events, MacKinnon cut the interview short with a curt, ‘No comment...’”

Honeycombe arched his eyebrows, while the Teleprompter caught up with him.

“...In a moment, after a brief word, we shall return with the weather for the coming week and the garden report....”

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