Achillea shook her head. “Too many places that can go wrong. Although, eventually, it might do as a cover story. All it needs is somebody to ask questions or to pick the wrong fisherman and it’s all over.”
“I do not like any seaborne side of this; it is all too easy to get caught.” Gusoyn was thoughtful.
“We can’t help it. This is an island nation. We have to go by sea sometime.” Churchill was frowning.
“Not necessarily. We can fly out. We came in on a flying boat. Why can’t one pick us up from somewhere?” Eleanor was very taken with flying boats.
“All the flying boat stations are watched.”
“Then don’t use one. Isn’t there a loch or a bay somewhere up in Scotland we can use?”
The Duke drummed his fingers. “There might be, but how would we use one? We can’t just go and buy a flying boat.”
“Actually, we can.” Eleanor grinned. “It would have to come in from the States but we could buy one. Or rent one and not tell the owner what we are going to do with it. We need to talk to Phillip about that, and that means we need Iggie here.”
“She’s in Switzerland, won’t be back in the States until the end of the week.” Achillea had that piece of information to hand.
“Then telegram Loki. Get her to come straight over here once she’s finished with her delivery to Phillip. We need to give her a briefing on the situation here so she can brief Phillip. If all else fails, he’ll organize a flying boat to get us out of here. Now, let’s get some sleep.”
As the party broke up, the Duke stopped Achillea. “I am sorry I was short with you earlier, but I saw the Black and Tans at work. Surely you couldn’t approve of what they did?”
“So did I, your Lordship.”
“Ahh, so you are like Nell then?”
“I am and so is Gusoyn. When we had rebellions, we killed everybody involved, burned down their homes and salted their fields. We left desolation and called it peace. By those standards, the Black and Tans were merciful. But, soon I think, England and Ireland will learn what occupation by those who still regard desolation as a solution is like. What these Blackshirts will be like, we have yet to see.”
Chapter Four
INITIAL APPROACHES
With one part of his mind, Phillip Stuyvesant was thinking about strangling Igrat while the other was concentrating on what she was saying. It wasn’t her fault; she was simply doing her job by relating what Loki had said to her. The problem was, she was doing so in exactly the same intonations and rhythms that Loki used when speaking. So, if her normally husky tones were ignored, she sounded just like him. And when Phillip Stuyvesant heard Loki’s voice, he always wanted to strangle the speaker.
“The report contains details of a strategic plan conceived by Standartenführer Odwin Noth as an alternative to the invasion of Russia. The full details are contained within the report, but essentially Noth’s idea was to strike south of Russia. He envisaged an assault through Turkey into Iraq and then using that as a bridge into India. This would establish a front along the Caspian Sea. The Germans would then give arms and political support to the Indian Fascist Subhas Chandra Bose, thus establishing German influence over India. Then, the Germans would link up with Japanese forces in the East and then assist them in flushing out the French in Indochina. The Noth plan was to have this effort taking up to the end of 1943, at which point Japan will be poised to eliminate Australia. By then, Germany would have encircled the whole of the Soviet Union and made the Indian Ocean into a German one. At that point, they would invade Russia from all sides. Noth believed this would mean their victory was assured.” Igrat dropped the pitch and tones associated with Loki and returned to her own voice. “Loki says that he killed Noth and discredited both him and this plan.”
Stuyvesant picked up the report, noting the bloodstained cover as he did so, and started to flip through it. “This is insane. It’s a typical amateur plan, conceived by somebody who looks at an atlas and assumes moving his finger on the pages constitutes a viable concept. This Noth person has no idea of logistics or how to move armies around. He doesn’t seem to understand how terrain or transportation infrastructure affects the operations of armies. The German General Staff must have had kittens when they saw it. It’s exactly the sort of grandiose nonsense that would appeal to Hitler, but appall any professional strategist. Even the attack on Turkey would push German capability to its utmost. Achieving the rest? It just can’t be done. You say Loki put a stop to this?”
“He did; he killed Noth himself and ensured this plan was abandoned.”
“What a pity. If the Germans had gone with this, they’d have lost the war in two years at the outside.” Stuyvesant spun his chair around and stared out of the window for a few minutes. Igrat sat patiently watching him while he thought through the implications of what he had just read. “The whole strategic plan is a complete crock, but it does make a kind of crazy sense to the uninitiated. Suriyothai will be able to make good use of this; we’ll have to get it out to her.”
“You want me to go to Bangkok?” Igrat was hopeful since she enjoyed visiting the city. It gave her a chance to stock up on top-grade silk.
“No. I’ve got another trip for you; one that has to take place immediately. Delivering this plan to Suriyothai can wait until you get back, I’ll read it in full while you’re away. I haven’t had a really good laugh for a long time. Is this all Loki gave you? If it is, I’ll get Lillith to bill him for the trip. And for wasting your time.”
“He also gave me this.” Igrat handed over a massive file, one almost three inches of legal-sized paper thick. “He says it’s economic intelligence on German industrial plans and intentions. He’s assembled a ring of industry experts who put it together. He didn’t say where the intelligence had actually come from. He said what I didn’t know, I couldn’t tell.”
“Quite right.” Stuyvesant was flipping through the pages. As he did so, his whole attitude changed. He leaned forward in his seat and started reading the information in detail.
“It’s all right for you to say that. You won’t be there when somebody tries to beat information I don’t know out of me.”
“Uhh, yes. Of course, that’s fine.” Stuyvesant’s attention was rivetted on the information he was reading. “What did you say?”
“I said, can I have a new wardrobe for my next trip?” Igrat grinned and started thinking about the jewelry at Tiffanies. She had an affection for really large diamonds.
“Sure. See Lillith and get a cash float. This information is unbelievable. In every sense of the word. If it’s accurate, it fits right in to what we’ll be doing at the Economic Intelligence and Warfare Section. This will save us months of research and mean we’re working with what is really out there, not what we think German industry is like. We’ll have to check this against what we know, or rather what we think we know. And then we’ll have to get back to Loki to reconcile the differences. Is he still trying to seduce you by the way?”
“He is.” Igrat smiled a little sadly. “If he was interested in me for me, he might have a chance. But he isn’t. He only wants me because he thinks having me will hurt you.”
Stuyvesant and Igrat looked at each other and burst out laughing.
Nothing could have underlined how little Loki understood about the internal dynamics of the Washington circle so well as the idea that Igrat’s amorous exploits would do anything more than amuse her father.
“Iggie, I’ve got to ask you to go straight out again. To England. We’ve heard from Nell. The transatlantic telegram service is back in operation again, thank the Gods, and she needs help. I need you to go over there, find out at first hand what is going on and why. Then come back and tell me what they need.”