Closing the door behind him, Wuolijoki looked at Gregory and said: "We have satisfied ourselves about you now. Inquiries made through the German Ministry here yesterday resulted in a cable which came in early this morning. It states that the body of Colonel Baron von Lutz was found in the woods near his home on November the 27th, the day following a shooting affray with some Nazi officials who were endeavouring to arrest him. You are therefore an impostor. You are not German at all, but. British. Your friend is also British. He presents himself as an Air Force officer but whatever he is he has aided and abetted you in your activities as a secret agent. Both of you are British spies."
"I deny that," Gregory protested hotly. "But in any case your own Intelligence Department must by now have informed you that the report was genuine. It's an invaluable document upon which you can act with every confidence and we brought it to Finland for you so what the hell would it matter even if we were British?"
Wuolijoki's German blood was very evident as he snapped: "If you had been Germans you would have observed my wishes and not fired on other Germans, but only held them up. Now it is clear that, being British, as your country is at war with Germany you deliberately took the opportunity to fire on your enemies. You have committed an act of war in a neutral country, and for that you are to be held accountable to the Finnish law."
As Wuolijoki stepped back the Police Chief stepped forward. He produced a paper and addressed them
"Four German citizens resident in Helsinki were wounded in an unprovoked attack which you made on the premises they occupy on the night of November the 28th, and one has since died of his wounds. It is my duty to arrest you both upon charges of arson, armed assault and murder."
Chapter XVIII
Wanted For Murder
MURDER The blood drained from Erika's face. This was far worse than anything she had anticipated and it seemed that nothing could be done about it; yet Gregory made a last, very able effort to maintain his imposture, knowing that their only chance of reprieve from having to stand their trial now lay in shaking his accusers' belief that he was British. Turning to Wuolijoki he said in a most reasonable voice:
"Honestly, you're making a big mistake. My letter of personal introduction from Marshal Goering clearly states that I am Colonel Baron von Lutz. If the.
"The letter must have been stolen," Wuolijoki interrupted.
"On the contrary. I can prove that it was not," Gregory declared sharply. "Your cable says that my body was found on November the 27th, yet the Marshal's letter is dated the 28th, proving conclusively that I was still alive the day after the Gestapo believed me dead. That they should have taken the body of a man found on my estate for myself is not surprising: because, as I told you, I have been listed as either dead or missing for the past three weeks."
While Gregory was speaking he had produced Goering's letter again in triumphant proof of his assertion but Wuolijoki waved it impatiently aside. "That will not do. We have other evidence, besides the cable, that you are an impostor."
He signed to the Police Chief, who abruptly pulled open a door behind him, and Erika's heart missed a beat as Grauber marched heavily into the room.
"Can you identify this man, Herr Gruppenführer?" the Police Chief asked, pointing to Gregory.
"Certainly," Grauber piped in his thin falsetto. "His name is Gregory Sallust and he is a most dangerous British agent provocateur. He has twice been secretly into Germany since the outbreak of war and on each occasion he has been responsible or the deaths of a number of my compatriots. It is he who was he leader of the murderous assault upon myself and my colleagues on Tuesday night. We have already made an official request that he should be tried for murder under the Finnish law and if that request is not acceded to I shall apply for an extradition warrant so that he can be executed for his crimes in Germany."
Gregory saw that the game was up but he meant to go down fighting so he snapped back: "And I shall request the British Legation here to apply for an extradition warrant against you,Herr Gruppenführer Grauber, for the murder of Thomas Archer on the night of October the 7th, in Hampstead, London."
The Chief of Police turned to Grauber. "The matter of extradition warrants can be gone into later. At the moment it is my province to attend only to the case in hand; and you may rest assured that this man and his companion will be brought to trial for murder here."
Wuolijoki scowled at Gregory: "So at last you admit… `he began; but his sentence was abruptly cut short by a loud, thin wail and suddenly the hideous warbling of air raid sirens broke out all over the city. Next moment a deep booming note became perceptible which, in a few seconds, increased to a Thunderous roar.
"The Russians " exclaimed Wuolijoki. "The Russians "
Grauber went as white as a sheet and began to tremble. Gregory suddenly remembered that although the German was unquestionably brave in other ways he had an absolute terror of air raids. They caught the sound of a distant explosion another and another nearer now until a giant crash seemed to rock the whole building. Outside whistles were blowing and people shouting. The Police Chief pressed a buzzer on his desk and an orderly came running into the room.
"Quick " cried the Police Chief above the din. "Take all these people down to the air raid shelter." He glanced swiftly round at the others and added: "I must see that my men are at their stations. We will conclude this business later." In three strides he was at the door and out of it.
The orderly beckoned to the rest of the party to follow him. They filed out down the passage, through the main hall that vas seething with hurrying policemen, and downstairs to the casement. As more bombs crashed into the street above the man flung open a door and motioned them to enter a big empty cellar that had been fitted up as an air raid shelter.
In his anxiety to reach the safest place in the building Grauber had been pressing on the orderly's heels from the moment they had left the Police Chief's room; now, pushing past the man, he ran to a far corner and leaned against the wall for support; his plump face was grey and sweat streamed down it.
Wuolijoki followed Grauber into the cellar. He was calm but puffing heavily upon a cigarette he had just lit. The others filed behind him. The orderly slammed the door after them but did not lock it, as in his hurry to attend to his duties the Police Chief had given no instructions that the party were to be detained as prisoners.
Overhead the roar of the planes had intensified as squadron after squadron came into action circling over the almost defenceless city and discharging their deadly cargoes. Now and again between the Grump of the bombs they caught the sound of a series of whip like cracks as the few anti aircraft batteries opened against the planes, but the crashes of the bombs succeeded one another with terrifying swiftness.
Gregory waited until the orderly had had ample time to get upstairs again; then he said loudly to Wuolijoki: "Our parole automatically ended when we were charged with murder. We're going now and you'd better not try to stop us."
"Don’t be a fool l " Wuolijoki snapped. "This building is strong enough to resist anything except a direct hit. Even if you could get past the police upstairs once out in the street you'd be blown to pieces."
"Perhaps. I'll chance that." Gregory smiled at Erika. "They've nothing on you, darling, so you'd better stay here. Come on, Freddie."
Grauber was too overcome by his own fears to attempt to stop them, but he screamed above the din: "I'll get you 1 I'll get you yet."
Gregory turned at the door and shouted back: "It's lucky for you I haven't got a gun on me or I'd shoot you where you stand, you white livered slug."