“It wasn’t just screwing. She was my girl-friend.”
“Where did you meet her?”
“I told your other chap, I met her in a bar.”
“How long had you been in Berlin when you met her?”
“Two months.”
“Had you screwed any other Kraut birds?”
“No.”
“What was the first document you gave her?”
“I never gave her a document.”
“Was it the GHQ phone list?”
“I never gave her any document.”
“I’ve got a list of what you gave her, sunbeam.”
Fox shrugged. “She made a mistake. It wasn’t me.”
Maclaren took a deep breath. “I haven’t got time to play games with you, my friend. Either you gave her the documents or your mate gave them to her. Was it him?”
“How should I know?”
“Because you slept in the same billet. You’ve been mates all through your service. And you both screwed the same Kraut girl … were you gonna marry her?”
“No way. I’m not interested in marrying anybody.”
Maclaren looked at the other man.
“So it was you who was gonna marry her, Mason.”
The man shrugged and shook his head. Maclaren shouted. “Was it you or him was gonna marry that Kraut bitch?”
“Neither of us.”
Maclaren turned away impatiently and then turned back again. “I’ve had enough of you two bastards.” He turned. “Mr. Dickens.” Maclaren pointed at Fox and Walker raised the Luger and pointed it at Fox’s chest. Maclaren looked at Mason.
“You talk, Mason, right now, or he gets it. I’ll give you to five. One … two … three … four … five.” Maclaren nodded at Walker who fired two shots into Fox’s chest. The impact jerked the soldier’s body violently. Then his body arched until it slid sideways off the seat. Maclaren glanced briefly at the body on the floor and turned to look at Mason.
“Are you ready to talk now, or do you want the same?”
Mason’s face was frozen and he whispered, “You just killed him … you can’t do that … there’s regulations. Queen’s Regs … I don’t believe it … it’s …” And he closed his eyes and whispered “Oh God … save me … please God save me.”
Maclaren’s voice was harsh. “Are you going to talk, Mason. I’ll count to five. One … two …”
“For Christ’s sake what do you want to know?”
“Was it you gave her the documents?”
“Yes.” Mason sighed. “Yes it was me.”
“Why?”
“I wanted to marry her.”
“What did you give her?”
“Anything she wanted that I could lay hands on.”
“Like what?”
“The order of battle, Two Corps deployment and unit strength, our radio schedules, names of officers, billet addresses. I can’t remember exactly.”
“You knew she was East German?”
Mason nodded. “Not at first. After about two weeks.”
“How long have you been providing this stuff?”
“About a year.”
“Did you know she was working for the KGB?”
“I guessed it must be something like that. I didn’t know who exactly.”
“What reason did she give for wanting the information?”
“She said that they’d let her and her family come over to West Berlin and then we could be married.”
“You believed her?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t think it might be sensible to report it to one of your officers?”
Mason shrugged and sat silent, trembling visibly, his hands clutching his knees.
“Did she tell you who she passed the information to?”
“She said it was a man named Boris.”
“Boris who?”
“I don’t know.”
“Where did you meet her to hand over the stuff?”
“There’s a hotel. She booked us a room.”
“What’s the name of the hotel?”
“Pension Lobau. It’s near Check-point Charlie.”
“Is that where you screwed her?”
“Yes.”
“Did you ever go into East Berlin?”
“No. Never.”
“You bloody liar. We’ve got photos of you over there.”
The sound of Maclaren’s closed fist on the man’s nose and mouth was sickening. His hands went up to his face and he rocked up and down with pain, blood seeping through his fingers.
Maclaren nodded to Sturgiss. “Get her.”
There was only the sound of Mason’s groaning in the room and then the door burst open. Sturgiss was struggling with a girl. Her hands were tied behind her back, her body twisting and lunging as she fought to get free of Sturgiss’s hands on her breasts. As Sturgiss kicked the door to with his foot his right hand went up, taking a thick swatch of her hair, pulling back her head until she was looking up at the ceiling. He pushed her forward until she was standing by Maclaren and facing Mason.
Mason looked up at the girl, his mouth swollen and bloody, the massive bruise across his nose and cheek already forming. He tried to smile at her but the muscles around his mouth barely moved, and he closed his eyes.
Maclaren said, “Look at her, Mason, and listen. Learn the lesson even if it’s too late.” He turned to the girl. “What’s your name?”
She shook her head and Maclaren nodded to Walker who levelled the Luger at Mason’s chest just as he had done to Fox.
“If you don’t talk, little girl, he’s going to end up on the floor like the other one. Verstehen?”
As he turned to look at the girl she spat in his face and he laughed, hawked and spat back. “Are you going to let your sweetheart die for the KGB, Ushi?”
The girl nodded in defiance and tears rolled down Mason’s face. Maclaren nodded to Walker who fired twice. Mason’s body jerked twice and as he tried to stagger to his feet the chair went backwards taking his body with it.
Despite her defiance the girl looked shocked. Her mouth opening and closing, her head shaking slowly in disbelief.
“You just killed him … you liked it. You’re worse than they say … animals.”
Maclaren grinned. “Ursula Breitmann. Aged twenty. Address, Flat twelve number seventy-four Gorlindestrasse, East Berlin. Opposite the cemetery. Courier and informant for Yuri Simenov. KGB overseas detachment seven three nine. Yes?”
The girl shrugged. “If you know—why you asking?”
“We want to know a lot more, sweetheart.”
“You get nothing from me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Very sure.”
Maclaren pointed to Sturgiss. “I’ll hand you over to my friend.” Sturgiss grinned and his hands went up to cup the girl’s breasts and
