Betrayal (27 page)

It was a chance she'd have to take. Fortunately two of the packets had already been broken open, at the quarry probably, so the gamble wasn't all that much. Parker had said, ‘In bundles of six, with the primer in the middle.'

Pocketing two of each type of blasting cap, Mary climbed back down to the stable floor and from there went into the shed to find both a small set of pliers and the pocketknife Hamish used to cut twine for the garden. With this last, she cut off two lengths of fuse, one of twelve feet, the other of twice that—delays, then, of eight and sixteen minutes according to the label on the roll. ‘I mustn't let the black powder run out on to the floor,' she muttered, ‘must blow away what has.'

Taking two coils of electrical wire as well, she covered up the sacks. With Bridget and Mrs. Haney absent, there was little chance of them discovering anything. Even so, she hid everything at the bottom of the cedar chest in her room, broke open a new box of mothballs and scattered them before locking the chest and hanging the key around her neck from a bit of string.

An hour passed, sitting by the window staring emptily into the garden—no chance of seeing the red ramblers, though, no chance of keeping an eye on the bomb—she'd have to call it that now, would need a dry-cell battery large enough to give a good, strong current, would need a packet of matches too.

No chance of knowing really what she'd do with the thing, once she had it assembled, nor of knowing yet exactly how to make it or even what method to use.

When Hamish didn't come back at noon, Mary told Caithleen that she would have to come with her to Tralane. ‘I can't leave you here alone.' It would be best this way. Confronted by the girl, the colonel or Trant or both might just let her take Caithleen to Dublin, especially as she'd have to tell them about the rest of the dynamite—that hadn't been an easy thing to decide, but she'd win their confidence and cut down on the loss of life.

Besides, Jimmy would have figured out where the stuff was anyway. Better, then, to tell them than to have the stables and the shed torn apart and the garden all dug up.

Of course they'd want to leave it right where it was in hopes of catching Fay and Nolan, but there was a chance they'd let her take Caithleen to Dublin. After that, nothing else really mattered except for Hamish.

The dress was white, the hair shorn, and when Caithleen O'Neill was brought before his desk, Bannerman saw that she was comely.

So this was the girl who'd been stripped and tarred, this was the girl Jimmy had threatened to set alight for withholding information. He'd take his time mentally undressing her, for there was such hatred in those sea-green eyes, such fear it gave one pleasure. There had been a time when he'd have thought of indulging in such a pretty thing should the chance have allowed at Gwen's house in the Midlands, but that was now out. Both of the boys had been engaged to decent, lovable girls, one not quite five years older than this Irish wench. Big-breasted, high-breasted—did they breed them that way as they tried to breed their damned cows? She'd have screamed—by God, she would have shrieked that pretty head of hers off as they'd ripped the clothes from her.

‘Cat got your tongue?' he asked.

‘Colonel, I …'

‘Mrs. Fraser, when I wish you to address me further, I will say so. For the moment, I want to hear what this one has to say about things.'

‘Nothing, sir. The army will kill me, like she says, if I stay here much longer.'

The army
… ‘Caithleen, I have lost my two sons to German panzers. That is war, and I can stand it for I've been a soldier all my life, but what I cannot stand is this …'

‘It's not my army, Colonel, sir. I was never a part of anything of theirs nor did I ever wish to be.'

‘But you were born to it, girl. I daresay you were suckled on it, so I'll not have you interrupting me either.'

That lesson would never be learned. He could see it in the way the little thing tossed her head in defiance and straightened those shoulders of hers.

‘Now as I was saying, what I cannot stand is the heartless meddling of this “army” of yours with the death notices of my two sons. I don't make deals, as Mrs. Fraser has had the gall to ask, nor does the British Army I represent.'

‘You've informants, Colonel,' said Mary. ‘Aren't deals made with them; doesn't money change hands?'

‘By damn, how dare you interrupt me again?'

‘Caithleen can tell you nothing. I've a far better reason than her for Liam Nolan and Fay Darcy coming to our house.'

‘And what, pray tell, is that?' He'd say nothing of the fact that the O'Neill girl had been, and still was being used by the rebels to twist her arm!

‘Colonel, on humanitarian grounds, if on no others …'

‘Like bloody hell I will! They invade the sanctity of my house and terrify my good wife. You warn no one of the bomb they've planted until after you've carted it off and had a look? They steal enough explosive materiel to level a good portion of this castle and release all of our …'

Trant leapt to his feet. ‘Colonel … Colonel, if I might intercede. Mrs. Fraser has come forward with an offer. Given the circumstances, would it not be wise of us to make some sort of an accommodation?'

Bannerman's look revealed doubt and the fear of having said too much, that they'd been afraid Nolan would, indeed, blast through the walls and let everyone escape, Erich especially.

‘Are you quite done with the girl, Major?' he asked.

‘She has served her usefulness, Colonel. We'll get nothing out of her, will we, Caithleen, even though Liam Nolan could just as easily murder you in your sleep as he did the two women who sheltered him in London when he killed that child?'

Trant had always had a way with him, sighed Bannerman. The O'Neill girl was shattered by the news, as was her guardian. ‘Well, Mrs. Fraser, since the major thinks it best, I'll defer to him.'

It was now or never. ‘Your promise first, in writing.'

‘Mrs. Fraser, surely the colonel's word will be sufficient?'

‘That of a gentleman—is that it, Major?' She'd never get it in writing, but had Nolan really murdered two innocent women in their sleep?

Trant gave her that little smile of his, but she'd have to continue regardless. ‘Our stableboy often sleeps in the hayloft when he thinks he can get away with it. After I'd told Mrs. Haney and my husband what had happened at Parker's farm, I went to tell William he'd best go home. Parker was his uncle.'

‘These damned people are all related,' said Bannerman, reaching for a glacier mint and slowly untwisting its cellophane.

‘After William had left the loft, I noticed that something wasn't quite right.'

Oh and did you now? thought Trant, but he wouldn't press the issue. He'd watch the O'Neill girl who, with evident dismay had swiftly turned to hear what the Fraser woman was saying, since the stableboy had been implicated.

‘I found the last of that dynamite, Major. I didn't touch the box. I left things exactly as they were.'

But you want us to know that you didn't touch anything, thought Trant. The O'Neill girl had gone quite pale, Mrs. Mary Ellen Fraser having just signed her own death warrant should Nolan or any of the others find out they'd been given away.

‘Look, I would have told you, Colonel. Hamish and I really want to see Caithleen safe. That's … that's why I tried to make a deal with you.'

It was Bannerman who, taking the mint from his mouth, said, ‘Is there anything else, then, that you'd like to tell us, hmm?'

As if there had to be. ‘No. No, there's nothing else.'

‘Then might I make a suggestion, Mrs. Fraser? Bring us the names of all those who were involved in the hanging of Second Lieutenant Bachmann. Bauer was most certainly one of them—we've established that since we last saw you here, but there were others.'

‘And Caithleen?' asked Mary, seeing in his eyes an emptiness that haunted.

Bannerman let her have it as planned. ‘The girl is to be taken by you to Dublin on Sunday.'

‘Mrs. Fraser, if I might have a word.'

Trant caught up with her in the no-man's-land of the bailey. Above her the flag flapped mercilessly at half-mast. He had had Private McQuinn leave her at the side door to the southern of the eastern gate towers, had let her walk out here again, all on her own. ‘Well, what is it, Major?'

She was trembling with indignation, knowing they were using her and not liking the choice of meeting place either. God alone knew who might be watching.

He'd affect an apologetic smile. ‘I just thought I ought to warn you Franz Bauer's not been locked up.'

‘But … but if he thinks I've …'

‘Now steady on. I thought I detected a blitheness to your step. See that you keep it up. There's a good girl.'

Stung by this, anger leapt into her eyes.

‘Major, don't patronize me. If Bauer suspects I've told you about his part in the hanging, he'll try to kill me.'

‘Not in the library, surely, but just in case, I'll detail two of the men to stand watch if you wish.'

Mary knew that he had deliberately pinned her down. ‘That wouldn't be wise, would it? I'd not find out what you want.'

‘My thoughts exactly, but if there's the least sign of trouble just give a shout and my men will come running.'

‘Bauer's not the type to allow a shout, is he?'

One had best let her have it gently. ‘Nor are his
Kameraden
, Mrs. Fraser, a point you must never forget.'

Trant allowed her a few steps before calling after her, ‘Oh by the way, there's been word of another escape tunnel. See what you can pick up on it, will you?'

There'd been no books today—forgotten of course, and left at the house, no doubt. It couldn't have been pleasant her seeing the dead and the wounded at dawn, but why in God's name had she been out on that bicycle of hers at such an hour?

Her back was still to him, she waiting with hands crammed into the pockets of her mack.

‘You can go now, Mrs. Fraser. Go and do your stuff.'

Private Summers met her, he all smiles and holding the heavy door to the keep open for her while shouldering his rifle. There were armed guards in the halls, guards at every turning, the prisoners nowhere in sight, not even in the great hall.

‘Special rules, m'am. Confined to quarters until fifteen hundred hours. You'll have an easy day of it.'

Alone in the library, waiting, trying to collect her thoughts and put reason to Trant's not having told her, Mary wondered if she would be allowed to meet with Erich's High Command, or if Trant had known all about it.

Bauer was among the first to enter and one look at him was enough. He'd kill her, if not today, then soon.
‘Du kommen, ja,'
he said.
‘Kommen
.
'

Three candles glowed in the darkness of the little chapel that had been built into the warren of cellars beneath the castle. The race through corridors and up and down staircases was now over.

As Bauer stepped aside, Mary caught a breath. Five men stood waiting for her but only three of these could be the High Command. The tallest, she was quickly told, was Oberst Karl-Ernst Tatlinger of the Luftwaffe. Walter Storch, a Generalmajor, was from the army, a short, squat, fiercely tough and distrusting man.

Vizeadmiral Dietrich Huber was somewhere in between, but was he the only one who spoke English?

‘Mrs. Fraser, our lack of time necessitates we dispense with formality. Kapitanleutnant Kramer, here, has told us much about you. Now, please, what is it the IRA are demanding?'

She would have to be straight with them. Even the slightest sign of weakness would be wrong. ‘Proof that I've met the three of you, and something substantial to be sent over by wireless to Berlin.'

And a firm answer from one so gullible, thought Huber. ‘Is it true that the British killed six of their members this morning?'

How had they found out so quickly? ‘I was there just afterwards. Parker, the man at whose farm it happened, was my friend, but he wasn't one of them, hadn't been in years, I'm certain.'

And yet again that firmness. ‘There was a quantity of explosives. Was it all recovered?'

Huber was the key to this whole thing. ‘Some was left at my house, but …'

‘But what, Mrs. Fraser?'

How quick he was to search for answers. ‘But the British know about it. I had to tell them otherwise this meeting would never have taken place.'

The three of them conferred rapidly in
Deutsch
, Huber insisting that they note how resolute she seemed, circumstance having led them to believe otherwise of her. Each threw her glances from time to time while Erich remained indifferent—at attention over to the left of the altar, with Bauer standing directly behind her and …

Mary turned sideways to see Hans Schleiger looking at her, Erich's Number One.

Again it was Huber who did the talking. ‘Please tell us what you meant by this meeting not being allowed to take place. Is it that the British are aware of your dealings with us?'

As quickly as she could, she told them how things were, that the IRA were insisting she take Caithleen to Dublin on Sunday, and that in order to gain permission she'd had to tell Bannerman and Trant about the explosives in the loft.

Huber knew he had to be impressed with this … this woman of the Kapitanleutnant's but did such a summoning of spirit on her part not spell trouble in the end? ‘
Ach
, you are playing such a dangerous game, aren't you, Frau Fraser? Let us hope it will soon be over.'

He had said it in
Deutsch
and she had given him nothing but a blank look.

Again the three of them went into a huddle. Again there were glances—Tatlinger flashing her a brief but encouraging smile. From Storch, there was only brutal suspicion. He clearly didn't trust her and didn't like their having to depend on her.