Johann and Daniel
by Charles Lacey
Chapter 14
Johann.
If anyone doing secret work in an occupied country is not terrified, they are a fool. I had a hard job to control my stomach when we took off from Manston, and an even harder one when I jumped – or, rather, was pushed – out of the aeroplane. But I landed safely, and got rid of the parachute. I'd been provided with papers in the name of Hans Eierling, a student from Graz, studying at the University in Linz. The drop had been carefully timed to take advantage of a weekend, and I went to my lodgings, which were with a British agent in place.
That evening, I went to look at the Rathaus , the Town Hall. The front door was locked with an American Chubb lock. In the time available I was unlikely to be able to pick that; besides, it was in full view of the street. However, I was able to identify a loose window frame at the back of the building. The Curfew started at ten o'clock in the evening; I had either to complete the task between the close of business and the curfew, or try to get back to my lodgings unseen. I decided upon the former course, and lurked in the yard behind the building until I was sure everyone had gone home.
The loose window frame came away easily, though I very nearly dropped it. But I was in. I found Kremer's office easily enough as it had his name on the door in gold letters. The lock on the door was easily dealt with.
Then I saw the safe. It was a Hartmann, with two separate locks. I knew it would be a devil to get into. Was it even worth trying?
Then I heard voices outside. I ran to the window, and hid behind the curtain, praying that the people might not come into Kremer's office. But they did. My heart was beating so hard I feared they might hear it. One was obviously Kremer himself, the other was a woman. I heard him click his tongue with annoyance at finding the door unlocked. And what they were about was becoming obvious from the sounds that came to my ears. I had seen a chaise longue against the far wall, and I assumed they were on that. But they would have seen me and raised the alarm long before I could do anything, so I just had to wait. Standing still for a prolonged period is extremely uncomfortable. Several times I had to pinch the bridge of my nose to keep myself from sneezing, and I was increasingly aware of another need equally urgent. Eventually the sounds I heard indicated that Kremer and his visitor had finished, and the woman left. Kremer took her downstairs, and I was just about to emerge from my hiding place when I heard his footsteps coming up the stairs again. I got back behind the curtain and waited for developments.
The greatest problem I now had was that time was pressing and I was sure I would have no time to photograph the papers before the curfew began. After ten o'clock the streets would be deserted except for German patrols.
I thought of my sweet Daniel. Greatly as I desired to carry out this task, I now bitterly regretted agreeing to it. I imagined the touch of his hand on my face, and in my mind I held him in my arms. I told myself, No, I would do the job if I could, but if not I would go back to England empty-handed. Then I thought of Daniel's disappointment if I failed. It put new strength into me.
Kremer got up. I heard a drawer open and shut, and a key turn in a lock. Then he went out. I remained hidden for some minutes, until I heard his footsteps in the street outside. Then I had a brainwave. I would open his desk drawer, photograph whatever was inside, and go back to England with that. Opening the desk drawer was easy; the lock was a simple one. What I saw inside took my breath away: it was two small but complicated brass keys on a ring. Each one was embossed Hartmann . I could not believe my luck.
The safe was open in moments, and I scanned through the contents quickly. But it was clear which papers were needed: they were in a folder with the Reichsadler, the double-headed eagle, and tied with a length of red ribbon.
But by then, I was concentrating too hard on my job to listen properly. The door flew open and Kremer came in and saw me. I cursed myself for not continuing to listen for possible intruders, but the damage was done. I have to give him full marks for coolness. He said, "who are you? A Resistance agent, I assume." And he pulled a pistol from his pocket and pointed it at me.
"No, Oberleutnant," I replied, "I am Austrian, but working for the English." My mind was working furiously, but all I could think of was that if I died, my poor Daniel would be left on his own.
"But," I added mendaciously, "I have already transmitted much of this information to my masters in England. And may I say how much I admire your diligence and perspicacity."
I kept on talking; I had to buy time while I thought how to get out of the terrible situation I was in. It was then that at the door I saw a cat walking in, silently as all her tribe do. But that cat was my saviour, and I have loved cats ever since. She jumped up onto the desk, and startled Kremer just enough for him to lose concentration for a moment. I leaped up even faster than the cat, and grabbed the pistol. He was a strong man, and struggled furiously, but he was out of condition with too much good living. I wrenched the pistol from his grasp and pointed it at him.
"Now," I said, "walk slowly and carefully backwards. Any sudden move, and I will fire."
"It's not loaded, you fool," he replied.
"Let's see," I said, and pointed it at his chest and pulled the trigger. There was a click: nothing more. It was then that he rushed me. We gyrated about that room, each trying to disable the other. But I was just seventeen, active and strong. I had Daniel to thank for that; not for anything would I ever have let him see me out of condition or overweight, so I was careful to take plenty of exercise.
Gradually I forced Kremer out of that room, and to the head of the stairs. I was gaining the advantage now, but had to judge my moment with care. It came, and I shoved at his torso with all my strength. We fell the length of that great marble staircase, and I felt my left arm crack. But when we landed at the foot of the stairs, he was underneath me, and he did not move. His head was at a strange angle, and he was not breathing.
I have never killed any other man, and I hope I will never have the need to do so again. Although he was a vile Nazi, he was a fellow human being. But it was him or me, or rather it was him or me and Daniel. I left him there at the foot of the stairs, in the hope that he would be thought to have tripped, and fallen.
It must have taken me a good two hours to photograph those damned papers, especially as my arm hurt like hell. The desk light was none too bright, and I dared not put on the overhead light in case it was seen from the street. I used up the film in the camera on other papers that looked as if they might be of interest. By now it was past midnight, and I would have to stay in the building until morning. The curfew ended at six. So I put away the papers where they had come from, packed up the camera, locked the safe, put back the keys and locked the drawer. I was anxious to leave everything as I had found it, in order to avoid arousing suspicion. I locked the door of his office from the outside, and walked carefully down the stairs. Kremer's body was still there where he had fallen.
I heard later through one of the English agents in place that Kremer had been found in the morning by the Janitor unlocking the building. But since there was no sign of anyone else having been there, other than the cat who was found wandering about, it was assumed that he had tripped over the cat and fallen to his death. I have always hoped that nothing horrible happened to that her. Every year at Christmas we give a donation to Kattens Værn , the charity in Denmark which looks after cats, in memory of the little cat who saved my life that night.
I slid out through the broken window into the rear yard, and replaced it as best I could. There were several large wheeled bins in the yard, and I climbed into one of them so as to be hidden if any patrols came by. Several times I heard footsteps, and twice I heard liquid noises as a soldier relieved himself against the inner wall. I confess that I had already done so myself, though as silently as possible.
Eventually I heard the Cathedral clock strike six. I gave it a few minutes, then opened the lid of the bin cautiously and peered out. No-one was about, so I climbed out. I had no doubt that I was a disreputable sight. But I suddenly thought, what a good thing. I was supposed to be a student. Well, I was one who had been drinking heavily, caught by the curfew and spent the night at a fellow-student's, no doubt disposing of more beer.
So I rubbed my eyes with some dust from the road, and walked slightly unsteadily. A couple of patrols eyed me up and down, and one demanded to see my papers. Why they did not notice that I didn't smell of stale beer and tobacco I don't know; perhaps that dustbin had other smells. But I made it back to my lodgings.
Peter met me at the door, relief on his face. He had been worried sick about me. I started to tell him what had happened, but the strain and stress of the last few hours suddenly caught up with me, and I had to make a run for his bathroom. Fortunately I got there in time, but when I emerged, exhausted and trembling, he had to help me to a chair, and give me some warm bread and milk. When I was recovered enough to walk steadily he took me round to a doctor's to have the arm set. We made up a story that I had had a little too much to drink while visiting a fellow student and had fallen downstairs.
I needed to get out of Austria as soon as possible, and Peter sent a radio message to an agent at Salzburg. I was taken south this time, across the border into Italy. At Bolzano an aircraft of the Italian air force was waiting, and got me to Bern, where a Swiss aircraft took me across to Manston. I had wired ahead from Bern to have them meet me when I landed, and a car was waiting there. There were two people in it, one the driver, but as I dropped out of the aircraft the other ran over caught me in his arms. It was Daniel, of course, and he was almost weeping with the relief of seeing me again. But we had to get back to the Red Lion, as the film I was carrying had to go to London to be developed and printed at a specialist laboratory and then taken to the Foreign Office.
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