The Game of Treachery Read online

  ‘Won’t that be frightfully dangerous? Don’t the Gestapo have a reward out for her apprehension?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘But you’re going to let her go ahead.’

  ‘I can’t stop her, Rachel. I can tell them what we want done, but how they do it, and who they employ, is their business. So tell me what’s been happening here.’

  ‘Pound has been on the line.’

  James nodded. ‘I’ll make a full report.’

  ‘It’s not about the French. It’s about your other lady love.’

  James wagged a pencil at her. ‘Joanna is not my lady love.’

  ‘Are you going to tell me that you’ve never had her?’

  ‘No, I have never had her. I don’t even like the woman.’

  ‘You don’t like a seething sex bomb?’

  ‘Certainly I do. I’m very fond of you.’

  ‘Ha, ha, ha. Anyway, he said to be in touch the moment you got back.’

  James sighed. ‘Then you’d better get him on the line.’

  *

  ‘Pound,’ the brigadier said.

  ‘Pound One,’ James acknowledged.

  ‘Report.’

  ‘I think it went very well. They understand what we require, and are prepared to cooperate.’

  ‘I hope you are right. Questions are being asked, James, about the effectiveness of these people, about the value we’re getting for supporting them. And now we have this de Gaulle fellow trying to muscle in. He feels that now that he is recognized as leader of the non-Vichy French — the “Free French,” he’s calling his people — he should have control over all French units opposing the Germans.’

  ‘Is he recognized as leader of the non-Vichy French, sir?’

  ‘Not everyone is happy with it. Between you and me, he’s a damnably difficult fellow to get along with. But he has the ear of the PM. I don’t suppose the old man likes him any more than the rest of us. But he reckons he’s the best bet for rallying the anti-Vichy people, certainly at the moment.’

  ‘And is he going to be allowed to take over our French agents?’

  ‘I am arguing our case as strongly as I can, if only on security grounds. Once we let a bunch of Froggies into any of our secrets, who can tell where we’ll wind up.’

  ‘Absolutely, sir. I couldn’t agree more.’

  ‘The point at issue is, are these Resistance people our agents, or merely French patriots who we’re sponsoring. Anyway, you can leave that with me. I want to talk about Pound Three. Where is she?’

  ‘I expect she’s in Berlin.’

  ‘How can you operate an agent without knowing where she is?’

  ‘Well, sir, possessing both American and Swedish passports she is free to travel as and when she chooses. That’s her value, and after that stupendous piece of information that she gave us last year, I agreed to give her a roving role to see what else she could come up with.’

  ‘When were you last in touch with her?’

  ‘Just after Christmas.’

  ‘Good God! Then she won’t even know she’s Pound Three.’

  ‘I’m afraid not, sir. She will still be using Sterling when she contacts us. But we’ll allow for that.’

  ‘You are saying that for five months she has come up with precisely nothing.’

  ‘We must give her time, sir. After all, we know her worth.’

  ‘Do we? That “stupendous” information she gave us last year has turned out to be something of a damp squib.’

  ‘With respect, sir, we don’t know that.’

  ‘We have to be realistic, James. Your girl told us as absolute fact that Hitler would invade Russia in mid-May. Well, that is only a week off now, and there is absolutely no sign of any split between the Soviets and the Nazis.’

  ‘With respect, sir, we know there have been considerable German troop movements into the Balkans.’

  ‘The Balkans are no launching pad for a war with Soviet Russia. And this is the point. Those troops are firstly to support the Italians in Greece and secondly to take care of the Yugoslavs. Whether he wanted this or not, Hitler has got himself fully committed down there. That’s his programme for this year.’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ James said. He recollected that his superiors in Flanders in May 1940 had dismissed fairly obvious evidence of German troop movements saying that Hitler was fully committed to Norway and could not possibly consider another offensive until that was sorted out. But arguing with the brigadier was a waste of time.

  ‘I can tell you,’ the brigadier went on, ‘that the old man is not happy about it. On the basis of Jonsson’s information, which he accepted because we recommended her so highly, he communicated it to Marshal Stalin. Stalin did not even bother to reply. And now we, but more importantly the PM, are left with egg all over our faces.’

  ‘We’re still not into mid-May,’ James said doggedly.

  ‘I hope you’re right. But now I am giving you an order. Find out where Jonsson is, and pull her out.’

  ‘I can’t do that, sir. I have no means of communicating with her.’

  ‘Haven’t we got other agents in Berlin?’

  ‘Yes, sir, we do. But as you know, it is our policy never to let one agent know about another, except in the most extreme emergency.’

  ‘Well, I would classify this as an extreme emergency, because if you don’t get her home pretty damn soon heads will roll. Yours for a start.’

  Two - The Spy

  ‘The general will see you now, Colonel Kluck,’ the secretary said. Hans Kluck stood up. A tall, thin man with a hatchet face and receding hair, he wore civilian clothes, and was doing his best to appear calm, but the woman, spick and span in her white blouse, black tie and skirt, black stockings and shoes, could tell that he was sweating. She opened the double doors and stood to attention. ‘Colonel Kluck, Herr General.’

  Kluck stepped into the room, stood to attention, throwing out his right arm. ‘Heil Hitler.’ Behind him he heard the doors close.

  The office was high-ceilinged and spacious. There was a chandelier and deep, tall windows, presently open to let the May sunshine enter. A settee waited against one wall, and there were two comfortable chairs in front of a huge desk. On the opposite wall there was an inner doorway, slightly ajar, and behind the desk, between the windows, there was an immense colour photograph of the Führer. But Kluck had eyes only for the man who was now standing behind the desk. ‘Heil Hitler!’

  Reinhard Heydrich was actually younger than Kluck, and not as tall. But in his crisp black uniform, his wavy blonde hair, his coldly handsome features, the arrogance displayed in every movement, he epitomized the sinister glamour of the Nazi regime in a way his boss, Heinrich Himmler, or even Hitler himself, never did. Now he was smiling as he came round the desk to shake hands. ‘It is good to see you, Hans. It has been a long time.’

  Kluck grew more nervous yet. ‘Three years, Herr General.’

  ‘I hope you do not mind being summoned to Berlin?’

  ‘I am flattered, Herr General. I prefer Berlin to Paris.’

  ‘Absolutely. Sit down, man. Sit down. Cigarette?’

  Cautiously Kluck lowered himself into one of the chairs before the desk. ‘Thank you, no, Herr General. I do not smoke.’

  ‘Of course. You have no vices.’ Heydrich seated himself behind the desk, took a cigarette himself. ‘I am interested in the progress of your investigation into the destruction of the Paris-Bordeaux railway line last October. I see that you have not yet made an arrest. In six months you have not made one single arrest. Why is this?’

  ‘Well, Herr General …’

  ‘You know who the ringleader of this gang of bandits was. Liane de Gruchy. A woman who was already wanted for the murder of one of your own colleagues, and was never arrested.’

  ‘She escaped into Vichy.’

  ‘And this brother of hers …’ Heydrich glanced at the notes on his desk. ‘Pierre de Gruchy. You say you are quite sure he was operating an illegal radio in Paris, s
ending messages to England. He has also slipped through your fingers. He is also in Vichy?’

  ‘Yes, Herr General. If we were to be given permission to cross the border —’

  Heydrich slapped his hand on the desk. ‘The Führer does not wish to infringe Vichy sovereignty at this time. But Monsieur Laval is coming to Berlin in the near future and Herr Himmler intends to discuss the situation with him. However, I want these thugs apprehended the moment they again cross the border. What they did, and the fact that they are still at large, is an affront to the Reich. It must be possible to bring additional pressure to drag them into the open. Are there parents?’

  ‘Yes, Herr General. Albert and Barbara de Gruchy. Albert de Gruchy was one of the leading wine growers in France.’

  ‘Then arrest them. That will bring the children out.’

  ‘I did that immediately after the outrage, Herr General, but it does not appear to have had any effect on the children.’

  ‘They are conscienceless brutes. Where are the parents now?’

  ‘They are in Dachau.’

  ‘Hm. Any other brothers or sisters?’

  ‘There were two other sisters. One of them, the youngest, Amalie, disappeared last summer. She was married to a Jew, you see, who was reported missing, presumed dead. This clearly upset her. Then when her parents-in-law were arrested she had a brush with the Gestapo. When she disappeared it was supposed she had committed suicide by throwing herself into the Gironde, which runs past her parents’ home outside Paulliac, and the case was closed by the French police. But one of my assistants, Captain Roess, carried out his own investigation and is convinced that she staged her death. You know the sort of thing, clothes left on the river back, etc, and actually ran away.’

  ‘So very probably she is also in Vichy. Probably linked up with her brother and sister. But you say she had a brush with the Gestapo?’

  ‘She tried to stop her parents-in-law from being arrested, and struck one of my men on the head with a pewter vase. He had to be hospitalized.’

  ‘And she was not executed?’

  ‘Pressure was brought to bear by the local Wehrmacht commander, Major Hoeppner. He is a nephew of the panzer general.’

  ‘I know Franz Hoeppner. He is a colonel now, and is in command of the Bordeaux district. What was his interest in this woman?’

  ‘I don’t believe he had an interest, Herr General. I believe he was acting on behalf of his friend Colonel von Helsingen.’

  Heydrich snapped his fingers. ‘Of course! Helsingen married the other daughter!’

  ‘Who is living right here in Berlin. If I had permission —’

  Heydrich waved his finger. ‘Not at this moment. Helsingen’s father is one of the Führer’s oldest friends, and he gave his personal blessing to this wedding. Things may change in the course of time, but right now Frau von Helsingen must be considered inviolate. On the other hand … Has she never shown any concern about her parents, or her siblings?’

  ‘I do not know, Herr General. She is out of my jurisdiction.’

  ‘Yes,’ Heydrich said thoughtfully. ‘But it is difficult to accept that that whole family is so cold-blooded that it does not care whether its own parents live or die. I am going to issue an order releasing Albert and Barbara de Gruchy from Dachau, and allowing them to return to their home in Paulliac. You will inform Colonel Hoeppner of this, and request him to show them every courtesy.’

  ‘But, Herr General —’

  ‘Our objective, your objective, Kluck, is to lure the younger de Gruchys out of Vichy. Once they do that, it is up to you to arrest them.’ Kluck took out his handkerchief to wipe his brow. ‘You do not think you are capable of doing this?’ Heydrich’s voice remained deceptively quiet.

  ‘Colonel Hoeppner will wish to know the reason for this volte-face.’

  ‘You will tell him that arresting the old people was a mistake. That you now have evidence that they were not involved in their children’s crimes, and that it is not the purpose of the Reich to lock up innocent people.’ Kluck gulped. ‘In fact,’ Heydrich said, ‘I think we will give the event maximum publicity. It will impress people. But you, Kluck, you will bring these wayward children to justice. I wish you to give that top priority.’

  ‘I will do my best, Herr General.’

  ‘I do not wish your best, Colonel. I wish you to succeed. Your future depends upon it. Thank you for coming to see me. Heil Hitler!’

  Heydrich waited for the door to close behind Kluck, then left his desk to open the inner door. ‘Well?’

  The man waiting there, like Kluck wearing a business suit, shrugged. ‘You would have done better to sack him there and then. He has not the stomach for the job. He never did. That Roess he mentioned, his assistant, who worked out what must have happened to the Gruchy girl, is far better quality.’ The Sicherheitsdienst officer was of medium height, heavy set, with lank black hair and penetrating dark eyes, often half closed. His features were also heavy.

  ‘As you say, Oskar,’ Heydrich agreed. ‘But Kluck knows the country and the people. However, I do not intend to rely on him alone. It is the terrorists we want, and particularly the de Gruchys. I wish you to infiltrate one of your people into the group.’ Oskar Weber stroked his chin. ‘It must be a totally reliable man —’

  ‘Or woman.’

  ‘Or woman. He must have a foolproof cover story. He will make his way into Vichy and volunteer to join the terrorist group. I have no doubt they are recruiting. In fact we know that since we gave orders that half a million French workers are to be requisitioned for forced labour in Germany, quite a few people have just disappeared. Obviously most of them are cowering somewhere, but some will certainly have joined these people. Our man must do the same.’

  ‘Or our woman.’

  ‘Yes, yes, or our woman. He must also be very carefully briefed on what he has to do. There is no point in his informing us where they can be found as long as we cannot go in and get them. But surely they are going to be active again this summer. He must let us know where and when and how they mean to operate so that we can be waiting for them.’

  ‘It will be very dangerous for him, or her.’

  ‘Why do you keep interjecting “her” into this business, Oskar? This is man’s work.’

  ‘I am not sure of that, Reinhard. The information we require is not going to be easily obtained by a member of the rank and file. Our agent must be able to get into the inner council of these people, or at least become close to someone who is in that council. Now, we are fairly certain that this group is being led by Liane de Gruchy. If that is so, I think she would be more susceptible to making friends with a woman recruit than a man.’

  ‘That is a very good point. You know of such a woman?’

  ‘I think I do.’

  ‘Excellent. You do understand the risk she will be taking? These people are killers.’

  ‘I will make sure she understands that.’

  ‘Very good. I will leave it in your hands. But there is something else I want done. I wish you to put a tail on Frau von Helsingen. This must be one of your best people, Oskar. Helsingen must never suspect it, which means that the lady must never suspect it either.’

  ‘Are we looking for anything in particular?’

  ‘I cannot say. I just find it difficult to believe that anyone could so completely turn her back on her own family, never make any attempt to do anything about her parents …’

  ‘We don’t know that. And it is very likely that it is not a case of her rejecting them than of them, and this includes her brother and sister, rejecting her for marrying a German.’

  ‘These are things I would like to find out. This too I will leave in your hands, Oskar. I want the most detailed report on Madeleine von Helsingen’s life. Everything she does, everyone she meets. But bringing this murderous creature Liane de Gruchy to justice is high on my list of priorities. Heil Hitler!’

  *

  ‘My darling!’ Frederick von Helsingen said, opening
the front door of his flat. ‘I have the most tremendous news.’ Of medium height, but well built, with dark hair and blue eyes and regular features, he was a handsome man, shown off to perfection by his uniform. Now he threw his cap on to a table and held out his arms.

  Madeleine von Helsingen hurried out of the lounge for his embrace. For all the wealth and prestige of her husband’s family, and him personally, which guaranteed her the respect of everyone she met, and invitations to every social event of consequence, she still felt very much a stranger in the heart of Berlin society, but it was not a situation of which she gave any external evidence. A few inches shorter than Helsingen, with her good body and loose dark brown hair, her green eyes and her splendid features, which were only inferior to those of her older sister, she made a striking figure, especially as she was always flawlessly groomed and dressed. ‘Tell me that Britain has given up and made peace,’ she said.

  ‘Oh, they hang on and make noises. But they are being beaten everywhere. North Africa, Greece …’

  ‘Hilda told me that a German battleship has been sunk.’

  ‘Servants! How they do chatter. But this time I am afraid it is true. However, it is not the whole story. Yes, Bismarck has gone down. The Führer is very upset. But it took virtually the entire Royal Navy to do it, and before she sank she had herself sunk the biggest British ship, Hood, and severely damaged their newest, Prince of Wales. I think we can claim a tactical victory.’

  Madeleine released him and led the way into the comfortably furnished lounge. ‘That is good news?’

  ‘That is entirely irrelevant news, from our point of view. Do you remember that I told you last year that the Führer had determined to settle with Russia, once and for all?’

  Madeleine sat down. ‘Yes. I remember.’

  He frowned. ‘You never told anybody, did you? That information was top secret.’

  ‘Look at this dust,’ Madeleine said, running her finger over the incidental table beside the settee. ‘I sometimes wonder if Hilda is worth the money we pay her. Of course I did not tell anyone, Freddie. You told me not to.’