He grinned. “That coat’s far too large for you.”
She nodded. “It was made in England. I noticed the label when I put it on. I wonder how it came to be hanging on that peg at the inn.”
He shrugged. “Probably left by some tourist a long time ago.”
“I think that’s one of the saddest phrases in the English language,” she said. “A long time ago. On me it has the same effect as a bugle sounding taps. Lights out, you’re through, it’s all over.”
There was a terrible pathos in her voice, and he dropped his cigarette and caught hold of her arms. “Anna, what is it? You’ve never talked like this before.”
“I’ve never felt like this before,” she said. “I’ve been watching you, Paul. The way you react to danger, the way you always have an answer for every emergency, that utterly ruthless streak so essential to success.” She shook her head. “You’ll never change, Paul. You couldn’t even if you wanted to. All those things we discussed – the things we said we’d do after this is all over – they were just a pipe dream.”
He gripped her arm fiercely, bitter anger rising inside him. “But I can change,” he said. “I promise you, Anna. When this job is finished, I’m getting out of the game for good.”
She touched his face gently with her fingers and shook her head. “No, you won’t, Paul. You and I, this hunting lodge, everything we’ve gone through in the last few days – none of it has any reality. One day, you’ll look back on it all and it will simply be something that happened a long time ago.” She laughed lightly. “What was that line in one of Marlowe’s plays? But that was long ago and in another country.”
He pulled her into his arms, holding her against him, and then he heard the unmistakable sound of a car slowing down in the road.
She tried to pull away from him and said gently, “I think we’d better go now, Paul. That sounds like Sir George.”
He tried to bring her back into his arms, but she braced herself to resist him, hard and unyielding. After a moment, he shrugged and released her. She turned without a word, and he followed her out of the hunting lodge and through the trees toward the road.
CHAPTER 12
They drove very fast on the way back to Hamburg. Anna huddled in a corner of the rear seat, eyes closed, while Chavasse and Sir George talked.
“You’ll never know how much I appreciate this,” Chavasse said.
Sir George snorted. “Rubbish, my dear fellow. As I told you before, I’m glad to help. I must say you look rather the worse for wear.”
Chavasse grinned. “I’m afraid I haven’t been mixing in very friendly company.”
“Any new developments in the Bormann affair?”
Chavasse nodded. “I’ve managed to find out that Bormann himself died several months ago. As for the manuscript, apparently Muller’s sister has it.”
“Have you got a line on her?” Sir George said.
“I’m afraid not,” Chavasse told him. “In any case, there are more important things to worry about at the moment. I’d like you to drop Miss Hartmann at her apartment first, then we’ll carry on to the Atlantic. I’ve taken the liberty of arranging to meet a German intelligence man in your suite. I hope you don’t mind?”
“Not in the least,” Sir George said. “Things must be getting warm if you’ve decided to call in the Germans.”
Chavasse nodded. “This is something else I’ve uncovered and some extremely big people are involved. Under the circumstances, I’m afraid I can’t discuss it with you until I’ve seen this man from German intelligence. It’s really something which directly concerns them.”
“I quite understand,” Sir George said cheerfully. “After all, the formalities must be observed and Continentals are always so damned touchy. Just remember, I’m always willing to do everything I can.” He sighed. “I shall be sorry when it’s time to go home, Chavasse. I’ve rather enjoyed this little trip.”
Chavasse eased his aching body into a more comfortable position. He closed his eyes and thought about Anna and what she had said. Was it really true? Was he in fact a sort of twentieth-century mercenary who enjoyed the game for its own sake? There was no answer. He wasn’t even sure that to be that kind of man was such a bad thing.
He was still thinking about it when they entered the outskirts of Hamburg. Sir George drove straight into the center, crossed the Alster by the Lombardsbrucke, and Chavasse directed him from there. It was almost a quarter to six when they turned into the quiet side street and halted outside Anna’s apartment.
She was still dozing when Chavasse got out of the car and opened the rear door. When he touched her arm, she opened her eyes at once and gazed blankly at him, and then she smiled. “I’m sorry, I’m so tired I could sleep for a week.”
She turned to Sir George. “May I add my thanks to Paul’s? I don’t know what we’d have done without your help.”
He held her hand for a moment, admiration on his face. “You’re an extremely courageous young woman. It’s been a pleasure and a privilege to serve you.”
She colored deeply and got out of the car without saying anything, and Chavasse walked to the door with her. “I want you to sit tight until I come back,” he said. “It might be late, because I’ve got to get this Hauptmann business sorted out.”
She suddenly looked very tired. “I don’t think I could go anywhere even if I wanted to.”
He kissed her lightly on the mouth. “That’s just something on account. Once all this is settled, we’re going to have a serious talk about the future – understand?”
She was too tired to argue. “If you like, Paul.”
She went up the steps to the front door. As she opened it, she turned and smiled and the smile seemed to get right inside him, filling him with an aching longing to hold her in his arms. For a moment or two, he stayed there staring up at the door after she had closed it, and then he went back to the car.
“A very remarkable young woman,” Sir George said as they drove away. “Pretty into the bargain.”
“She’s all that and more,” Chavasse told him.
Sir George smiled. “Do I detect a hint of romance in the air?”
Chavasse nodded. “I certainly hope so. I intend to get out of this game altogether when this Bormann affair is satisfactorily concluded.”
“Very sensible,” Sir George said approvingly. “You can’t last forever.”
It was a sobering thought. Chavasse considered some of the people he had known during his five years with the Bureau. It was a universal human failing to think that you were cleverer than the next man or that it couldn’t happen to you.
But how many intelligent, resourceful people had he known who had failed to return from one assignment or another? One of these days it would be his turn, because sooner or later, everybody made a mistake. It was sound logic to get out while he was still ahead of the game. He was still thinking about it when they reached the Atlantic.
Sir George had a suite on the second floor of the hotel. As they went up in the elevator, he glanced at his watch anxiously. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to leave you on your own to meet this German intelligence chap. I’ve got an appointment for seven. I’ve hardly got time to change into evening clothes.”
A thought suddenly occurred to Chavasse and he said, “Are you going to this reception that Kurt Nagel is giving for the delegates?”
Sir George raised his eyebrows in surprise. “That’s right. How did you know?”
“I read about it,” Chavasse told him.
“I think the conference as a whole owes its success to Nagel more than to any other man,” Sir George said as he unlocked the door of his suite. “Do you know anything about him?”
Chavasse shook his head. “I can’t say I do, but then I’ve been rather out of touch with the German scene until these last few days.”