“Jesus,” Purdue frowned. “What the hell are you talking about?
“I am telling you to remain seated when they breach Wewelsburg, David Purdue,” she purred like a mountain lion. “I’m telling you to die. It is for the good of the Reich and the people.”
Purdue was dumbstruck, but like a news cast, Sigrun related what he needed to know. “First you are going to help the Panzer Division retrieve Sturmbannführer Kämpfe, but you do not… I repeat, not… take the schematics from him. He needs to live, to pass it on to us so that we can construct the death ray Nikola Tesla designed. Do you understand?”
Purdue’s mouth was agape, his eyes wide and his brain unable to compute all Sigrun was imparting upon him. In astonishment he slowly recovered his reason.
“You want to use the death ray’s destructive capabilities to destroy the Nazi hold and end the war?” he asked. It was rather noble of the Vril Society to take on Nazi Germany and with self sacrifice he could help destroy the Third Reich and all its mobile forces.
“No, you idiot!” she yelped just like Nina. “We want to topple Hitler and his High Commissioners, the SS and their propagators so that we can procure their armed forces. That is all we want to leave active. The Vril will use the armed forces of the Third Reich to utilize the super weapon designed by Tesla to conquer the nations.”
Purdue did not know what to say. With Nina’s beauty Sigrun bade him goodbye, “I shall see you at Wewelsburg, then. Wiedersehn.”
“Like the Hydra,” he said softly as he watched her walk away. Her long dark ponytail swayed like a pendulum behind her sensual frame. “Cut off the head of a dragon only to beget eight more. A tyrant falls just to pave the way for one far worse.”
Chapter 24
Healy cooked for a change. Ever since his employer had begun to invite people to her house by some miracle of mind, he had not had time to really prepare a good meal. There were so many things to take care of here since Dave Purdue, Sam Cleave and Nina Gould came to visit and help Professor Jenner with her obsessive experimentation. No longer did Healy only have house chores and errands to do. Now he had three rooms to clean and new flower arrangements to collect; he had to keep the kitchen stocked with more than just Lydia’s special protein shakes and the odd take away hamper.
Shopping for groceries used to be a once a month thing and now it became a daily run for the eclectic needs of the guests. If he did not know better he would have thought that the always reclusive and anti-social Professor Jenner was actually enjoying having house guests. He had been in her employment for almost five years and not once had he ever heard her laughing and talking about trivialities with anyone as she did with Dr. Nina Gould. Usually she only had something to say when she was faulting someone less intelligent for an assumption or when she had to explain a scientific principal. He could not believe that she knew anything about fly fishing, cognac or the Dallas Cowboys.
Every hour was a colorful change of discussion with Sam about headlining news in other countries, electronic equipment and UEFA league football. They had been here for no more than two days and already Healy felt the house light up with life, as if they were not guests, but boarders. In turn Sam and Nina spent time together during Lydia’s compulsory day naps. Healy wondered if they were an item, but butlers had no place in asking.
He constantly stared at the fiery beauty Sam liked to argue with, listened to her astute manner when she vibrantly recounted old stories from history documents that would never be found in books to share with the world. Healy was always one for women a bit older than he, because he was raised by only his mother. Learning the value of respect, efficiency and discipline came from a feminine approach when he grew up. Perhaps this was why he managed perfectly to maintain his nurturing, emotional understanding while being perfectly capable of taking on the most ruthless bastards on God’s earth with his bare hands.
Lydia chose his service and company because of just that — his ability to be both a strong character to lean on and a listener with gentle sensibilities.
“Hard at work, Jeeves?” Sam jested as he walked past the kitchen to the toilet, slapping the doorway as he went. Healy smiled. It was refreshing to have someone like Sam to talk to. The journalist was always up for a wager, a beer and a challenge while having no problem busting Healy’s balls with playful insults that he thoroughly enjoyed.
The thunder clapped just outside the back door. Stirring the gravy on the stove, Healy’s smile instantly disappeared. It was replaced by a wince of fear as he subconsciously hastened his stirring. Sam reappeared in the door a minute or so later.
“You alright?” he asked Healy. The butler responded only by looking toward the window where the blue and white flashes lit up the curtain with pulses of light.
“Ah!” Sam realized. “I don’t like it much either, actually. Was almost struck three times in my life. Being Scottish is hazardous. Golf courses, fly fishing, Highland sword dancing… none of which is a good idea under Scottish weather conditions.”
Healy chuckled, grateful for the distraction.
“So, how is the beer in this town? I was thinking of getting us a six pack or two while we sit on guard at the chamber,” Sam asked.
“Not bad, sir. I have a friend who owns a liquor store that stocks from Pilsen and Prague which is excellent. Not that pissy stuff, if you get my meaning,” Healy said, sounding out of place talking about heavy beer in his refined British accent.
“Sounds good. Pull the pot on the other plate, my friend. You are going to escort me to said shop. If I have to spend one more hour drinking wine I’m going to kill myself,” Sam announced zestfully. “Come, my good man!”
Healy reported to Lydia, asking her permission to accompany Mr. Cleave to stock up on beer before the next severe weather was due.
“Oh absolutely. He has been driving us insane with his whining over beer, draughts, real beer, weak beer…” she told her butler while Nina nodded in agreement as she dove into another glass of whatever French wine Lydia had her sampling this time round.
“Don’t take too long, you two,” Lydia called after Healy as he joined Sam at the door. “Purdue should report anytime in the next three hours.”
“Trust me, I don’t want to take three hours to get back before I can hear that hiss of a newly opened beer,” Sam replied. “We’ll be back shortly.”
After the men left, Nina finally had to satisfy her curiosity. “Lydia, what’s the deal with Healy and thunderstorms?”
“Ha! I see you noticed that,” Lydia remarked. “From what I know about my darling butler — and I do not know half as much as I should about his clandestine past — is that he saw his mother struck by a bolt thicker than a tree trunk when he was a teenager.”
“Oh my God! That is so sad,” Nina frowned with sympathy for the attractive man who always looked a bit lost or lonely under his painfully neat, stern exterior.
“But I got that from his sister. She was here for a weekend with her husband once and we got talking while the men were catching a football match. That’s when she told me. But, you know, we all have our secrets and our fears. I don’t pry for more than what affects me directly and so I left it at that,” Lydia shrugged.
The rain was ample, but light enough to navigate through the streets without too much trouble. Healy seemed nervous, Sam noticed, but with constant questions about places of interest he kept Healy’s mind occupied so that he would not hear the odd rumble of the skies.