N Or M? Part 23

She rose now to her feet and stood there, standing in a respectful att.i.tude, as befitted a mere German woman in the presence of a Lord of creation.

"So you have arrived," said the Commander.

He spoke in English and his manner was precisely the same as usual.

"Yes," said Tuppence, and added, as though presenting her credentials: "Nurse Elton."

Haydock smiled as though at a joke.

"Nurse Elton! Excellent."

He looked at her approvingly.

"You look absolutely right," he said kindly.

Tuppence inclined her head, but said nothing. She was leaving the initiative to him.

"You know, I suppose, what you have to do?" went on Haydock. "Sit down, please."

Tuppence sat down obediently. She replied: "I was to take detailed instructions from you."

"Very proper," said Haydock. There was a faint suggestion of mockery in his voice.

He said: "You know the day?"

Tuppence made a rapid decision.

"The fourth!"

Haydock looked startled. A heavy frown creased his forehead.

"So you know that, do you?" he muttered.

There was a pause, then Tuppence said: "You will tell me, please, what I have to do?"

Haydock said: "All in good time, my dear."

He paused a minute and then asked: "You have heard, no doubt, of Sans Souci?"

"No," said Tuppence.

"You haven't?"

"No," said Tuppence firmly.

"Let's see how you deal with that one!" she thought.

There was a queer smile on the Commander's face. He said: "So you haven't heard of Sans Souci? That surprises me very much - since I was under the impression, you know, that you'd been living there for the last month..."

There was a dead silence. The Commander said: "What about that, Mrs Blenkensop?"

"I don't know what you mean. Dr Binion. I landed by parachute this morning."

Again Haydock smiled - definitely an unpleasant smile.

He said: "A few yards of canvas thrust into a bush create a wonderful illusion. And I am not Dr Binion, dear lady. Dr Binion is, officially, my dentist - he is good enough to lend me his surgery now and again."

"Indeed?" said Tuppence.

"Indeed, Mrs Blenkensop! Or perhaps you would prefer me to address you by your real name of Beresford?"

Again there was a poignant silence. Tuppence drew a deep breath.

Haydock nodded.

"The game's up, you see. 'You've walked into my parlour,' said the spider to the fly."

There was a faint click and a gleam of blue steel showed in his hand. His voice took on a grim note as he said: "And I shouldn't advise you to make any noise or try to arouse the neighbourhood! You'd be dead before you got so much as a yelp out, and even if you did manage to scream it wouldn't arouse attention. Patients under gas, you know, often cry out."

Tuppence said composedly: "You seem to have thought of everything. Has it occurred to you that I have friends who know where I am?"

"Ah! Still harping on the blue-eyed boy - actually brown-eyed! Young Antony Marsdon. I'm sorry, Mrs Beresford, but young Antony happens to be one of our most stalwart supporters in this country. As I said just now, a few yards of canvas creates a wonderful effect. You swallowed the parachute idea quite easily."

"I don't see the point of all this rigmarole!"

"Don't you? We don't want your friends to trace you too easily, you see. If they pick up your trail it will lead to Yarrow and to a man in a car. The fact that a hospital nurse, of quite different facial appearance, walked into Leatherbarrow between one and two will hardly be connected with your disappearance."

"Very elaborate," said Tuppence.

Haydock said: "I admire your nerve, you know. I admire it very much. I'm sorry to have to coerce you - but it's vital that we should know just exactly how much you did discover at Sans Souci."

Tuppence did not answer.

Haydock said quietly: "I'd advise you, you know, to come clean. There are certain - possibilities - in a dentist's chair and instruments."

Tuppence merely threw turn a scornful look.

Haydock leaned back in his chair. He said slowly: "Yes - I daresay you've got a lot of fort.i.tude - your type often has. But what about the other half of the picture?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about Thomas Beresford, your husband, who has lately been living at Sans Souci under the name of Mr Meadowes, and who is now very conveniently trussed up in the cellar of my house."

Tuppence said sharply: "I don't believe it."

"Because of the Penny Playne letter? Don't you realize that that was just a smart bit of work on the part of young Antony. You played into his hands nicely when you gave him the code."

Tuppence's voice trembled.

"Then Tommy - then Tommy -"

"Tommy," said Commander Haydock, "is where he has been all along - completely in my power! It's up to you now. If you answer my questions satisfactorily, there's a chance for him. If you don't - well, the original plan holds. He'll be knocked on the head, taken out to sea and put overboard."

Tuppence was silent for a minute or two - then she said: "What do you want to know?"

"I want to know who employed you, what your means of communication with that person or persons are, what you have reported so far, and exactly what you know?"

Tuppence shrugged her shoulders.

"I could tell you what lies I chose," she pointed out.

"No, because I shall proceed to test what you say." He drew his chair a little nearer. His manner was now definitely appealing - "My dear woman - I know just what you feel about it all, but do believe me when I say I really do admire both you and your husband immensely. You've got grit and pluck. It's people like you who will be needed in the new State - the State that will arise in this country when your present imbecile Government is vanquished. We want to turn some of our enemies into friends - those that are worth while. If I have to give the order that ends your husband's life, I shall do it - it's my duty - but I shall feel really badly about having to do it! He's a fine fellow - quiet, una.s.suming and clever. Let me impress upon you what so few people in this country seem to understand. Our Leader does not intend to conquer this country in the sense that you all think. He aims at creating a new Britain - a Britain strong in its own power - ruled over, not by Germans, but by Englishmen. And the best type of Englishmen - Englishmen with brains and breeding and courage. A brave new world, as Shakespeare puts it."

He leaned forward.

"We want to do away with muddle and inefficiency. With bribery and corruption. With self-seeking and money-grubbing - and in this new state we want people like you and your husband - brave and resourceful - enemies that have been, friends to be. You would be surprised if you knew how many there are in this country, as in others, who have sympathy with and belief in our aims. Among us all we will create a new Europe - a Europe of peace and progress. Try and see it that way - because, I a.s.sure you - it is that way..."

His voice was compelling, magnetic. Leaning forward, he looked the embodiment of a straightforward British sailor.

Tuppence looked at him and searched her mind for a telling phrase. She was only able to find one that was both childish and rude.

"Goosey, goosey gander!" said Tuppence...

II.

The effect was so magical that she was quite taken aback.

Haydock jumped to his feet, his face went dark purple with rage, and in a second all likeness to a hearty British sailor had vanished. She saw what Tommy had once seen - an infuriated Prussian.

He swore at her fluently in German. Then, changing to English, he shouted: "You infernal little fool! Don't you realize you give yourself away completely answering like that? You've done for yourself now - you and your precious husband."

Raising his voice he called: "Anna!"

The woman who had admitted Tuppence came into the room. Haydock thrust the pistol into her hand.

"Watch her. Shoot if necessary."

He stormed out of the room.

Tuppence looked appealingly at Anna, who stood in front of her with an impa.s.sive face.

"Would you really shoot me?" said Tuppence.

Anna answered quietly: "You need not try to get round me. In the last war my son was killed, my Otto. I was thirty-eight, then - I am sixty-two now - but I have not forgotten."

Tuppence looked at the broad, impa.s.sive face. It reminded her of the Polish woman, Vanda Polonska. That same frightening ferocity and singleness of purpose. Motherhood - unrelenting! So, no doubt, felt many a quiet Mrs Jones and Mrs Smith all over England. There was no arguing with the female of the species - the mother deprived of her young.

Something stirred in the recesses of Tuppence's brain - some nagging recollection - something that she had always known but had never succeeded in getting into the forefront of her mind. Solomon - Solomon came into it somewhere...

The door opened. Commander Haydock came back into the room.

He howled out, beside himself with rage: "Where is it? Where have you hidden it? "

Tuppence stared at him. She was completely taken aback. What he was saying did not make sense to her.

She had taken nothing and hidden nothing.

Haydock said to Anna: "Get out."

The woman handed the pistol to him and left the room promptly.

Haydock dropped into a chair and seemed to be striving to pull himself together. He said: "You can't get away with it, you know. I've got you - and I've got ways of making people speak - not pretty ways. You'll have to tell the truth in the end. Now then, what have you done with it?"

Tuppence was quick to see that here, at least, was something that gave her the possibility of bargaining. If only she could find out what it was she was supposed to have in her possession.

She said cautiously: "How do you know I've got it?"

"From what you said, you d.a.m.ned little fool. You haven't got it on you - that we know, since you changed completely into this kit."

"Suppose I posted it to someone?" said Tuppence.

"Don't be a fool. Everything you posted since yesterday has been examined. You didn't post it. No, there's only one thing you could have done. Hidden it in Sans Souci before you left this morning. I give you just three minutes to tell me where that hiding place is."

He put his watch down on the table.

"Three minutes, Mrs Thomas Beresford."

The clock on the mantelpiece ticked.

Tuppence sat quite still with a blank impa.s.sive face.

It revealed nothing of the racing thoughts behind it.

In a flash of bewildering light she saw everything - saw the whole business revealed in terms of blinding clarity and realized at last who was the centre and pivot of the whole organization.

It came quite as a shock to her when Haydock said: "Ten seconds more..."

Like one in a dream she watched him, saw the pistol arm rise, heard him count: "One, two, three, four, five -"

He had reached eight when the shot rang out and he collapsed forward on his chair, an expression of bewilderment on his broad red face. So intent had he been on watching his victim that he had been unaware of the door behind him slowly opening.

In a flash Tuppence was on her feet. She pushed her way past the uniformed men in the doorway, and seized on a tweed clad arm. "Mr Grant."

"Yes, yes, my dear, it's all right now - you've been wonderful -"

Tuppence brushed aside these rea.s.surances.

"Quick! There's no time to lose. You've got a car here?"