"Cannot the Marshal send me up there in a plane on this occasion?"
The request was transmitted to Voroshilov and the reply came back. "The Marshal regrets, but that is impossible. The war with Finland is not yet over and every plane we have is required for military purposes. He begs that you will not think that he has been made cynical by the sight of so much death, but he points out that this is a purely private matter and willing as he would be to oblige you in other circumstances he cannot divert a military plane from its duties for your use at such a time."
"Could he have me flown to Leningrad?" asked Gregory desperately. "There must be planes constantly returning there from their advance bases. If he could, I should arrive in time to catch a train leaving this evening; perhaps the same one on which the Gestapo men will travel or, anyway, one that leaves a few hours after theirs; in which case I might manage to reach Kandalaksha before the Frau Gräfin is actually led out for execution."
Von Geisenheim put this up to the Marshal and they had a brief discussion in Russian as to how long it would take Gregory to reach the nearest airfield, get to Leningrad by plane, and from the airport there to the Northern Railway terminus; after which they decided that it was a hundred to one on the Gestapo agents having at least several hours' lead of him, so that the Frau Gräfin would almost certainly be dead by the time he arrived at Kandalaksha. But at the end of the discussion Voroshilov stood up, looked at Gregory and said something which the interpreter translated as:
"Are you a brave man and are you prepared to undertake a most hazardous journey? If so the Marshal can suggest a way which will give you a much better chance of saving the Frau Gräfin than any you would have if he sent you in to Leningrad by plane or car."
"I am prepared to undertake any journey," Gregory replied firmly.
Voroshilov moved over to a large map of Western Russia and Finland that was nailed up on the wall. Speaking swiftly he touched Viborg, Lake Ladoga and the great bend in the Leningrad Murmansk railway. His Staff Major then interpreted for him.
"The Marshal says that while he cannot spare you a plane he will willingly place at your disposal cars, sleighs and horses. He suggests that you should cross the Karelian Isthmus to the south western shore of Lake Ladoga, cross the ice of the Lake to Rabaly, on its north eastern shore, and proceed from there to Petrozavodsk, on Lake Onega. Cars and racing sleighs move as fast as trains in Russia. From here to Petrozavodsk by the normal route is over 560 versts; but by following the tangent across the arc it is barely 300. The Marshal warns you that in crossing the Lake you will risk capture by the Finns and that, in any case, it will be a most terrible journey; but if you decide to adopt this plan it will give you a real chance actually to get ahead of the Gestapo men and catch a train at Petrazavodsk before any train which left Leningrad this afternoon can reach it
"If the Marshal will provide me with facilities for such an attempt I shall be eternally grateful," Gregory replied eagerly, "and I cannot thank him enough for his brilliant suggestion."
There was another short conference, then the Major sat down to a typewriter. He tapped out two documents which the Marshal signed. Picking them up the Major handed one of them to Gregory.
"This," he said, "is an order for the release of your friends. It is addressed to the Governor of Kandalaksha or any other military authority who may be holding them in custody, so that it will still be operative should they have been transferred to any other place during your absence. Now, about your journey. The Marshal will place a car at your disposal to take you across the Isthmus to the Headquarters of the division that is holding
the south western shore of Lake Ladoga. I will telephone them at once, instructing them to provide you with a racing sleigh and guides for crossing the Lake to Rabaly. From thereon you will have to make your own arrangements, as communications with the north western shore of the Lake are difficult and unreliable."
Handing over the second paper he went on: "However, this is an open order to all officers and officials of the Soviet Union within the Zone des Armees to assist the Colonel Baron von Lutz, by every means in their power, to travel, either alone or with his companions, with the utmost speed wherever he may wish to go. Since it is signed by Marshal Voroshilov as Supreme Commander and Commissar for Defence, you may be sure that you will have no difficulty whatever in obtaining the quickest possible means of transport. When will you be ready to start?"
"In a quarter of an hour," Gregory replied, placing the papers carefully in his pocket. He would have said 'at once', but he knew that to keep up his vitality he ought to snatch a quick meal before leaving, and he wanted to collect the few belongings that he had acquired in Leningrad.
"Very good," said the Major. "In a quarter of an hour I will have a car waiting for you outside this office."
The Marshal wished him good luck, asked to be remembered to his old comrade in arms, Kuporovitch, and shook hands again. Gregory expressed his most grateful thanks and, with von Geisenheim, withdrew.
"Two hundred miles across country over snow sounds a most ghastly trip," the General said gloomily, as they walked back to the Mess together. "Do you think you'll be able to make it?"
"God knows " Gregory muttered. "Every moment will be precious, as we can be certain that the Gestapo men won't give Erika even an hour's grace once they get there, so it will be a neck to neck race. But I may just beat them to it if I don't meet with any unforeseen delays."
In the Mess he made a hasty meal of soup, brodchen and coffee substitute, then having had a large flask filled with vodka he repaired to his own hut to collect his things.
The light was on when he opened the door and he saw a broad, uniformed back bent over a suitcase. The man turned at that moment and he found himself staring into the solitary eye of Gestapo Chief Grauber.
Chapter XXXI
Grauber Intervenes
FOR a moment the two men stared at each other, speechless with surprise, but it took Gregory only a fraction of that time to guess how it had come about that he found Grauber unpacking a suitcase in his room.
He had been so preoccupied over lunch with the thought of his coming interview with Voroshilov that at the time he had hardly taken in something Major Woltat had said to him. It had been to the effect that he had received a wireless message from Berlin that a number of other officers were on their way by plane to join the German Military Mission; mainly engineers who were coming out to examine the undamaged forts in the Mannerheim Line when the Finns surrendered and the Russians took them over. The Major had gone on to say that as accommodation was limited he would have to put one of the new arrivals in Gregory's room. Evidently Grauber had come in on the plane that afternoon and an evil fate had decreed that he should be chosen as Gregory's stable companion.
It took Gregory barely a second to realize what had happened and in another he had answered his own question as to why Grauber should have accompanied a group of engineer officers to the Russian front. As the Chief of the Gestapo Foreign Department U.A. 1 that bird of ill omen appeared almost automatically at each point outside Germany to which the main interest of the war shifted. The surrender of the Finns appeared imminent, so what was more natural than that the Gestapo Chief should pay a flying visit to the Soviet General Headquarters, where the military side of the negotiations would be conducted?
The instant Grauber swung round from unpacking his suitcase he recognized Gregory. The black patch still hid his left eye socket but his good eye flashed amazement then deadly hatred. His gun was lying on a camp table just out of reach and he did not make the mistake of trying to grab it. As Gregory thrust his hand into his furs to draw his pistol the sixteen stone Gestapo Chief hurled himself at him. The weight and suddenness of the attack carried Gregory right off his feet. They went down together with a frightful crash, Gregory underneath. With a speed which would have done credit to an all in wrestler Grauber got his hands on the Englishman's throat. Next moment Gregory was fighting for his life.