Von Geisenheim shrugged. "When the Putsch faded out most of the others changed into civilian clothes and tried to get out of the country. I didn't like the idea of being hunted like a hare or living concealed in an attic until the war was over, so the following day I went back to my office in the War Ministry just as though nothing had happened. Naturally, I expected to
be arrested and executed within an hour of my arrival; but evidently any Nazis who recognized me in that horrible mere must have been shot afterwards. Nobody's ever questioned me about the matter from that day to this, so it was a case of a supreme bluff coming off. But I thought I knew most of the officers who took part in the affair, at least by sight, and I don't remember your face. What is your real name and regiment?"
"I have no regiment," Gregory had to admit. But, loosening his furs, he took out the Iron Cross that had served him so well already, and added: "Yet General Count von Pleisen gave me this for the part I played. You will see his name engraved on the back of it."
Von Geisenheim looked at the inscription and handed the Cross back. Lowering his bright eyes he stared thoughtfully at the blotting pad in front of him.
Gregory waited there in silence. Fate had given him a bad break in facing him with an officer who had known the real von Lutz but she had evened up the scales by making him one of the rebels who had participated in the anti Nazi conspiracy, and so given Gregory a hold over him; but how slender and fragile that hold was Gregory knew only too well. He could almost see the thoughts racing through von Geisenheim's brain.
`This man is not one of my brother officers. He may have stolen the Cross just as he stole the letter. He is a spy of some kind and damnably dangerous to me. I thought that I'd got away with murder, but I haven't not quite. This fellow can denounce me to the Gestapo. They will arrest me on suspicion and send me back to Berlin. Inquiries will be made about my movements on the night of November the 8th. 1 shall not be able to account for them satisfactorily. That will be quite enough for Himmler. I shall find myself facing a firing squad. How can I protect myself from that? The best way would be to shoot this impostor dead where he stands and simply say afterwards that he attacked me. A nasty business, but it's a case of his life or mine.'
"Herr General," Gregory broke in upon his thoughts, "1 imagine that you're now considering the best way to eliminate me with as little trouble as possible before I have a chance to tell the Gestapo what I know; but I would ask you to remember that von Pleisen gave me this decoration because he considered that I, an Englishman."
"An Englishman! " exclaimed the General. "Well, really; You speak remarkably good German."
"Thank you. As I was just saying, I was decorated because I had rendered a great service to all those who had the best interests of Germany at heart, In the past you also have served that cause. The time may come when both of us will have an opportunity to work for it again. Will you not, therefore, regard me as a friend at least until you have heard what I have to say?"
"Very well. Sit down and tell me about yourself."
As Gregory pulled up a chair he was easier in his mind. He knew that if only he could convince the General that he had not the least intention of betraying him the German would observe his confidence as far as the Russians were concerned and even, perhaps, do much to help him; so he told the truth for once, but not the whole truth, and these were its limitations.
He recounted the failure of his attempt to get out of Germany with Freddie on the night of November the 8th, their meeting with the real von Lutz, their stay with him in Hans Foldar's cottage, the fight that had followed and the manner in which he and Freddie arrived at Karinhall. He cut the reason which had induced Goering to send him to Finland and said only that the Marshal had agreed to do so on compassionate grounds when as was the fact he had virtually signed his own death warrant by telling the truth about himself because he was so anxious to learn if Erika were dead or alive.
Von Geisenheim had been regarding Gregory with polite attention yet with a reserve which suggested that it was hardly reasonable to expect him to swallow this incredible story in its entirety. But when Erika's name was mentioned he suddenly laughed. "Come, come! This is too much. You can't honestly expect me to believe that you were having a love affair with the famous Gräfin von Osterberg the most beautiful woman in Germany."
"I am still," Gregory replied seriously. "I left her only two nights ago up at Kandalaksha; you can check that up. And I'm proud to say that if only we can get out of this alive she has promised to divorce you Osterberg who has never been anything to her but a friend arid marry me."
Donnerwetter! You are lucky then, as well as brave. So the Frau Gräfin is here in Russia? Go on, now. This becomes much more interesting."
Gregory then told how he had found Erika in Finland, how his English pilot had run into his ex fiancée and how the four of them had decided to fly to Sweden on the first day of the Russo Finnish War. He refrained from giving any account of their affair with Wuolijoki and Grauber, as to have done so would have necessitated his giving away the part that Goering had played in inducing the Finns to fight, but told how their aeroplane had been commandeered and that rather than remain in Helsinki they had flown with Captain Helijarvi to Petsamo. From that point he told the whole truth, except for suppressing his visit to the British Vice Consul in Leningrad that morning.
When he had finished the General glanced at the letter again. "But this mentions the other members of your party, and it is addressed to Voroshilov. Why should Marshal Goering have given you such a document when he thought you were going to Finland?"
"Oh that," Gregory laughed, "I forged it in a hotel in Leningrad only a few hours ago. The ink of the signature is hardly dry and that worried me rather. Somebody might have noticed that its colour doesn't tally with the fact that it was supposed to have been written nearly three months ago."
"Umph I missed that; but the signature appears to be genuine. How did you manage to fake it?"
"I was able to copy it from a letter Goering gave me to Erika; which she had fortunately kept and passed on to me before I left Kandalaksha."
"May I see it?"
Gregory shook his head. "I'm sorry; but I destroyed it after having forged the other; I thought it was too dangerous to carry it about any longer."
"It doesn't matter." Von Geisenheim shrugged. "The details of your story hang together too well for me to doubt you further. Now, what am I going to do about you?"
"Both of us are neutrals here and both of us have risked our lives to destroy the Nazi regime," Gregory said slowly, "so I think we should forget for the time being that our countries are at war. And, since you appear to know Erika, I very much hope that you will use all the influence you have to secure me an early interview with Voroshilov, in order that I can prevent her falling once more into the hands of the Gestapo, who are the common enemy of us all."
The General nodded. "I'll do what I can but don't count on that too much. It's the very devil to get these Russians to do anything. Voroshilov himself is a very able man but, as you doubtless know, they've massacred thousands of their best officers in the last two years and most of the present staff are
hopelessly incompetent. The mess they have been making of their campaign is almost incredible. I and my colleagues were sent here to help them but they hardly ever consult us and generally ignore our advice on the rare occasions that they ask for it."