the slipway. The wooden doors were not locked and Chavasse opened them and they passed inside.
Anna slumped down onto a pile of old sacks and pushed a damp tendril of hair back. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so cold in my life.”
Hardt ran a hand wearily across his face. “What do we do now?”
Chavasse shrugged. “Play the cards as they fall, but whatever happens, one of us must get to Hamburg. Steiner’s going to assassinate Hauptmann at Nagel’s reception for the peace conference delegates.”
“Oh, my God,” Anna said. “Hauptmann! He’s a good man, one of the finest men in Germany.”
At that moment, a dog howled suddenly from the direction of the causeway leading to the castle. A little later, the sound came again, muffled by the mist, but definitely coming nearer.
Hardt turned quickly, his eyes somber. “Steiner has set the dogs on us. I saw them early this morning when they brought me here. Three black-and-tan Dobermans, trained to kill. We don’t stand a chance.”
“We do if we split up,” Chavasse said. “One of us can lead the dogs off while the other two get away. Somebody must go to Hamburg.”
“Whom do you suggest?” Hardt inquired ironically.
“I’m in better shape than you are. I could probably lead them a longer dance.”
“But you’d be a damned sight more useful in handling these people when you get to Hamburg,” Hardt said.
Chavasse started to protest, but Anna caught him by the hand and pulled him round to face her. “Mark’s right, Paul. You are the only one who can save Hauptmann’s life and that is the main thing now.”
Behind them a door banged, and when Chavasse turned, Hardt was gone. They could hear him crashing his way through the fir trees, making no attempt to hide the noise of his progress, and then there were confused cries as the search party from the castle heard him. A moment later, the dogs started to howl, and as Chavasse and Anna listened breathlessly, the sounds faded into the distance and they were alone.
CHAPTER 11
“He’s quite a man,” Chavasse said out of the silence.
Anna nodded. “I found that out a long time ago. Where do we go from here?”
“Back to the inn,” he said. “There’s always the Volkswagen. With any luck, we can be on the way back to Hamburg in fifteen minutes.”
She shook her head gravely. “I’m afraid not, Paul. Fassbender drove the car to the castle. I saw it in the courtyard when they took me in.”
He frowned for a moment as he considered possibilities, and then he came to a decision. “We’ll still go back to the inn. There’s a chance Fassbender is with the search party and they’re going in the opposite direction, but we’ll have to hurry.”
He led the way outside and they plunged into the wood. After a few moments, they came to the path that they had originally followed to the lake, and Chavasse took Anna by the hand and started to run.
There was no sign of movement from the inn, and only the thin spiral of blue smoke from one chimney indicated life. They paused in the fringe of fir trees at the edge of the yard, and then Chavasse squeezed her hand and ran across to the back door, half-crouching. He opened the door quickly, pushed Anna through, and followed her, closing it behind him.
They were standing in a large, stone-flagged kitchen. The old woman was bending over the sink, scrubbing out a pan, and she turned and looked at them vacantly. “You didn’t come in for lunch,” she said.
Chavasse smiled gently. “No, we went boating on the lake and had an accident, as you can see. Is Herr Fassbender about?”
She shook her head. “He went to the castle. He said he wouldn’t be back until nightfall.”
“Is anyone else here?”
She looked bewildered. “But why would there be anyone else here,
Chavasse opened the far door and pushed Anna through into the stone-flagged passage. “A good thing for us the old girl’s a simpleton.”
Anna nodded. “What do we do now?”
“You can go straight upstairs and change into some dry clothes,” he said. “Be as quick as you can and then look for Fassbender’s room and see if you can find me something suitable. We’re about the same size.”
“What about you?” she said.
“I’ve got some telephoning to do.” He smiled and pushed her gently toward the stairs. “Hurry it up, angel. We’ve got to get out of here as fast as we damned well can.”
When she had gone, he went behind the reception desk and put a call through to London. The operator promised to ring him back and he replaced the receiver and went into the bar, where he helped himself to a double brandy and a packet of cigarettes.
He shivered with pleasure as the brandy spread through his body in a warm tide. He decided to have another one, and was just finishing it when the phone rang.
He lifted the receiver and waited, and after a while Jean Frazer’s voice crackled over the wire. “Brown amp; Company here. Can I help you?”
“This is Cunningham speaking,” Chavasse told her. “I’d like a word with Mr. Taylor if he’s available.”
“Just a moment, please, Mr. Cunningham,” she said calmly.
A moment later, the Chief ’s voice sounded in his ear. “ Taylor here – is that you, Cunningham? How’s business?”
“Booming!” Chavasse said. “In fact, I could use some help. Can you do anything? It’s rather urgent.”
“It’s nice to know things are going so well,” the Chief said, “and I’ll certainly do what I can. Where can you be reached?”
“I’ll be at the Atlantic with Sir George,” Chavasse said. “I’ll try and hang on there until eight, but I can’t make it any later than that, I’m afraid.”
“That should be fine,” the Chief said. “We’ve a very good local contact, name of von Kraul. I’ll see if he’s available.”
“I’ll look forward to seeing him,” Chavasse said. “Now I’m afraid I’ll have to go. Things are moving pretty fast at the moment.”
The Chief ’s voice didn’t change. “Well, that’s nice to know, Cunningham. We’ll have to see about a bonus for you when you come home. I’ll be looking forward to seeing you.”
There was a click at the other end of the line and Chavasse grinned and replaced his own receiver. He felt a lot happier. One thing about the Chief – he was completely reliable. If he said he’d see to something, it got done.
He looked up the number of the Atlantic Hotel in the telephone directory and asked for Sir George Harvey. It took them ten minutes to find him, and they finally located him in the famous Long Bar.
He sounded a little irritated at being dragged away from his drink. “Harvey here – who’s speaking?” he barked. Chavasse told him and Sir George’s tone changed at once.
“My dear chap, I’ve been wondering what had happened to you.”
“You said you’d be willing to help me at any time,” Chavasse said. “That all I had to do was call you. Does that still go?”
“Naturally!” Sir George said brusquely. “I’m not in the habit of saying things I don’t mean.”
“Then leave the hotel at once,” Chavasse said. “Get into your car and take the main road to Lubeck. About twenty miles out of Hamburg, you’ll come to a signpost on your left, pointing the way to a place called Berndorf. I’ll be waiting for you there.”
“Is this really important?” Sir George asked.
“It’s a matter of life and death,” Chavasse told him, “and I’m not being melodramatic.”
“I’m on my way,” Sir George said, and his receiver clicked into place.
Chavasse went upstairs and found Anna in their bedroom, laying out a tweed suit, underwear, and socks on the bed. “I’ve even managed a pair of shoes. I hope they fit.”
