V for Vengeance (33 page)

‘You think you're mighty clever, don't you? But he who laughs last laughs longest. The paper that I've written for you is all in order, but the Gestapo Chief at the
Cherche-Midi
would never give up one of his prisoners to a complete stranger, just on an order signed by me. He'd only do that if it were presented by one of our own people or a French official of some standing. So you see, as far as you're concerned, it's only a piece of wastepaper. I'll tell you another thing. My batman will find me here tomorrow morning. Directly I'm free I'm going to do a job which will hurt you much more than you've hurt me. I'm going along to the
Cherche-Midi
personally to re-examine Madeleine Lavallière. I don't mind if she talks or if she doesn't talk, but during our examination I'll have her nails torn off her hands and feet, and her eyes put out. Now think that one over, damn you!'

For answer Kuporovitch gave the Major one more heavy blow, this time an uppercut under the chin, which knocked him right out. Yet he was acutely worried now. He had a horrid feeling that Schaub had not been lying and that the paper he had been at such pains to get might, after all, prove valueless, and there was nothing more that he could extract from the German. Having tied him up and gagged him, he picked up his little brown bag and left the room, locking the door behind him.

Stepping into the lift, he went down to the basement, nodded casually to a man whom he found there waiting for it, and without a backward glance hurried down the passages until he reached the coal-cellar. Entering it, he pulled off his white coat, put on his ordinary one, collected his overcoat from a corner where he had left it, and pushing up the cover of the manhole climbed out into the street.

He had hardly reached it when a frightful thought struck him. Schaub had said that his soldier-servant would find him in the morning, but it was not yet eight o'clock; so it was
almost certain that the servant would visit the room to tidy it up before the Major's normal time of going to bed. He saw then that Schaub had naturally refrained from mentioning that for fear that if his attacker knew that he was likely to be released within the next hour or so he would have killed him to make certain of his silence.

Kuporovitch wondered then why the hell he hadn't killed the Major, while he had the chance. For a moment he contemplated going back to do so, but a few seconds' thought was enough for him to realise that he had been extraordinarily lucky to have spent the best part of two hours in the headquarters of the German Army of Occupation without once being challenged or asked for a pass that he had not got. To go back again would be to tempt the gods. Dismissing the idea, he began to run down the street, now half-crazy with the knowledge that it would almost certainly be useless for him to present the order for Madeleine'a release that he held, and that through his own act he had brought about the possibility that within an hour or two Schaub would arrive at the
Cherche-Midi
to have her dragged off to the torture chamber.

As Kuporovitch hurried away from the Crillon his brain was in a whirl. He now felt certain that Schaub was right and that even on his signature the Gestapo Chief at the
Cherche-Midi
would never release a prisoner to an ordinary civilian who could produce no special credentials; yet how in thunder could he persuade or force a Gestapo man to co-operate with him?

It occurred to him that if he could find one walking unaccompanied in a quiet part of the city he might attack him without warning in the blackout, stun and strip him of his uniform; but he threw out that idea almost as soon as he thought of it. His French had always been good, and now after the months he had spent in Paris it was extremely fluent; but his German was so limited that he knew no more than a score of expressions and stock phrases. To present himself at the
Cherche-Midi
in a German uniform when he was unable to speak the language, or understand it, would have been sheer madness.

His next thought was that he might attack a French
gendarme
or
agent de ville
; but it seemed highly doubtful if the Gestapo would trust an ordinary French policeman with one of their prisoners, and he might search the streets of Paris all night without coming across a French police officer of lieutenant's or captain's rank. But that led to the idea that he might be able to borrow a uniform from Ribaud, so going into the nearest call-box he rang up the
Sûreté
.

The lieutenant was not in his office. To his dismay, Kuporovitch learnt that the detective had gone out on some special
work and was not expected back until the morning. All the odds were that by the morning it would be too late, and this blow to his hopes made the unfortunate Russian more agitated than ever.

Endeavouring to calm himself so that he might think more clearly he left the box and tried to recall Schaub's words exactly. After a little he felt certain the Major had said that the Gestapo would only release Madeleine to one of their own people or a French official of some standing, and it was then for the first time that he glimpsed a possible way out of this terrible situation.

He had never met Luc Ferrière, but he had often heard Madeleine speak of him. Ferrière was the Mayor of Batignolles, and the mayor of an important district in Central Paris must certainly rank as a high French official, particularly as all mayors are also magistrates and have considerable powers with the police. Somehow or other, Monsieur Ferrière must be roped in to assist in Madeleine's release.

Instinctively, Kuporovitch had been hurrying in the direction of the
Cherche-Midi
, but he now turned about and dived into a Metro-station that he had just passed, taking a ticket to the Place Malesherbes, near which he knew the Mayor lived.

On coming up from the underground at the other end he made a few enquiries and within twenty minutes of having first had his idea he was standing on the Mayor's doorstep. The door was opened to him by the Mayor's housekeeper, and to his immense relief he learned that Monsieur Ferrière was at home. He said that he did not know the Mayor, but had to see him on most urgent business. A few moments later he was shown into a small study, where Ferrière, wearing two dressing-gowns, one on top of the other, as a protection from the cold, was seated with a large stamp album open on a desk in front of him.

While in the Metro Kuporovitch had considered how best to tackle the Mayor, and he had come to the conclusion that, if possible, it would be far better to trick him into giving his willing co-operation than to force him to it against his will, as in the latter case he was much more likely either to refuse his assistance altogether or betray them if some unforeseen
circumstance arose. Recalling, too, that only that morning Lavinsky had mistaken him for a German, owing to his slight accent, he decided that he would, at all events, at first endeavour to convey the impression that he was German to Monsieur Ferrière without actually stating that he was. In consequence he greeted the Mayor affably, and said:

‘I trust,
Monsieur le Maire
, that you will forgive me for intruding upon you at this hour, but I have come direct from German Headquarters at the Crillon to see you on urgent business.'

‘In that case, no excuse is needed,' smiled the tall, thin Mayor, standing up and waving Kuporovitch to a chair. ‘I am always happy to give the authorities my co-operation at any hour.'

‘I felt sure that would be so,' Kuporovitch went on, ‘and I come to you with regard to Mademoiselle Madeleine Lavallière. I don't know if you've yet been informed of it, but she was arrested yesterday evening.'

The Mayor nodded, falling completely into the trap, and giving himself away to Kuporovitch in a manner that was entirely unexpected. ‘So your people took my tip and investigated that nursing-home she was running. I felt certain it was phoney when I visited it two days ago.'

Kuporovitch was thinking: So that's the way it was. Madeleine and the others owe their arrest to this dirty traitor's visit. By God! He shall pay for it before we're through with him!

But his pleasant smile remained unaltered as he said: ‘The authorities are most grateful to you for your help,
Monsieur le Maire
. It was good work to break up this nest of spies and saboteurs; but they are not content to stop at that, and it has occurred to them that if they release some of the conspirators but keep a watch on them, they in due course, may lead us to other groups of which we as yet have no knowledge. It has been decided to release Mademoiselle Lavallière for this purpose. I wonder now if you would care to place the Gestapo in your debt still further?'

‘But of course,' the Mayor spread out his long knobbly hands. ‘If there is anything that I can do you have only to suggest it.'

‘Very well then. This is the proposal. If Mademoiselle Lavallière is released without apparent reason, firstly, she may be suspicious and on that account refrain for a long time from contacting any of her associates; secondly, it will not be easy to keep a watch on her the whole time without her becoming aware that she is under supervision. You are a responsible French official and you have known her for a number of years. Saying that you had heard of her arrest in the ordinary way, it would not be unnatural if you endeavoured to use such influence as you possess on her behalf. The authorities would naturally listen to anybody in your position, and they might perhaps be persuaded to release her if you were prepared to guarantee for her good behaviour and have her to live in your house under your personal supervision.'

‘Ha, ha! I see!' exclaimed the Mayor. ‘A clever move, that! She would then believe that there was no danger in her resuming her activities, while all the time I should be able to report to you regarding her movements.'

‘Exactly,' beamed Kuporovitch. ‘May I take it that you are prepared to give your help?'

‘But certainly.'

‘Good then. I fear, though, I shall have to ask you to go out and get her at once, because speed in this matter is of the first importance. There must have been a number of people who were using that nursing-home who do not yet know that it has been raided. If Mademoiselle Lavallière is freed tonight, it is almost certain that she will try to get in touch with as many of them as she can to warn them about going back there. With luck, you may be able to get for us the telephone numbers which she uses immediately she returns here with you.'

‘In that case, I will set off immediately,' agreed the Mayor. ‘It will not take me five minutes to get my outdoor clothes on, and I have a small car in which I can go and fetch her. But what about the order for her release?'

‘I have it here,' replied Kuporovitch, producing the order from his pocket and handing it over. ‘It remains now only for me to thank you on behalf of the authorities and to urge you to lose not a moment, as the sooner you can get Mademoiselle Lavallière back the sooner she may put us on the track of some of her fellow conspirators.'

Kuporovitch would have given a very great deal to have been able to accompany Ferrière to the
Cherche-Midi
, and he positively loathed having to part with the precious order. But in the new set-up which he had so skilfully engineered it would have wrecked his whole story if, now that he was posing as a Gestapo agent who had set Ferrière on to spy on Madeleine, he should allow himself to be seen by her in the Mayor's company; so having wished him a most cordial good-night he left the house.

Outside he walked about a hundred yards down the street and took cover in a darkened doorway, and from this post of vantage he kept an anxious watch. Five minutes later he saw the Mayor come out, and he followed him down the street to a small garage, from which after a short interval Ferrière drove away in his little car.

Kuporovitch then returned to the Mayor's house and rang the bell again. When the old housekeeper came to the door he gently pushed his way through it and closed it behind him, as he said: ‘
Madame
, before
Monsieur le Maire
returns, I should like to have a few words with you.'

As she stood back he went on: ‘It is not always possible to give full explanations as to measures which it is sometimes necessary to take in these difficult times. Please be assured that I have no intention of harming you; but, in order to ensure your silence, I must now tie you up and gag you.'

While they had been speaking he had taken his gun from his pocket just so that she could see it; now he put it back again, and his voice was so gentle that the elderly woman showed no alarm.

Shrugging her shoulders with a little helpless gesture she said: ‘I have no desire to be shot,
monsieur
, so I shall not try to resist you.'

‘That is very sensible,' he smiled. ‘Would you prefer to remain a prisoner in the kitchen or in your bedroom?'

‘That depends on how long I must remain tied up,' she replied.

‘All night, I fear, and before leaving you I should like to make you as comfortable as possible.'

She sighed. ‘We had better go up to my room then.' And turning she led the way upstairs.

Knowing that Ferrière kept no servants other than his housekeeper, Kuporovitch had not anticipated any great difficulties in carrying out this portion of his plan. It had been a hundred to one on the house being empty except for her, and she had shown good sense in not seeking to resist him; but it would have been distasteful to have had to employ force against an elderly woman, so he was pleased that matters were going so smoothly.

On reaching her room she lay down on the bed while Kuporovitch tied her ankles and her wrists in front of her. He then lightly gagged her with a silk handkerchief and drew all the bedcoverings over her so that she should keep as warm as possible. He was just about to bid her good-night and leave the room when his glance happened to light upon a little packet of newspaper clippings on her dressing-table, and in the headline of the topmost one the name ‘de Gaulle' caught his eye.