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"Dead, if he's got any sense," George snapped.
The member stiffened, then edged away in a fading mumble: "Well, I suppose things must be rather trying for you, what with…"
George's short tempers were at least short. Suddenly he was Organisation Man, and Agnes could see why politicans liked having him around. "All right, you be in Germany tomorrow some time. You'll need some money. I'll ask Sir Bruce to send a signal to Rhine Army and then you tell him what you want: a room somewhere, I'll leave that to you. Don't go armed, for God's sake. And I'll have to tell Six. They'll probably get somebody to contact you over there and you just hand over the material and come quietly home without blowing any bridges behind you. If you think you can manage that, we'll get over to Number 10and start the wheels turning. "
Chapter 16
Ha
With the flat, disciplined North German plain rattling past, he suddenly remembered when he had first been posted to Germany how surprised and even u
The only person he'd told about his odd vision had been Je
Prom the station he took a taxi straight to Blumenthalstrasse. He knew Osnabrückfairly well, as he knew most towns inist British Corps area, although he'd never been stationed there. It had taken a bad beating from the RAF and been widely rebuilt, much of it as copies of the original high-pitchedmedieval buildings. They looked phoney, but only because they looked new; once they had cracked and weathered and slumped a little, nobody would ever credit that they mightjust as well have been built as concrete and glass shoe-boxes.
The Blumenthalstrasse address turned out to be one of the shoeboxes, a five-storey block of flats with the staircase and lift-shaft stuck on at the side of a column of frosted-glass bricks. Maxim pressed the entryphone bell for Winkelma
Speaking rather rusty German, Maxim said carefully: "I am Harry Maxim. I rang Fraulein Winkelma
"Ja, ja. I remember. It is the third floor."
Maxim looked round at his taxi-driver, who had parked two wheels on the pavement with the usual German disregard for the tyres, and got a nod and a rather strange smile in return. Then the driver hunched down with a magazine, the door buzzed open and Maxim went in.
A man was waiting in the doorway of the Winkelma
"I am Bruno. Please come in. "
The scent was the first thing: it was like walking into a peach-ca
Oh damn it, Maxim thought. I know what professionshe's in, and no wonder that taxi driver was giving me the big smirk. But I should have guessed: what other sort of woman with a permanent address would Blagg know?
Bruno wasoffering him a sticky-looking liqueur from a tall thin bottle. Maxim smiled and shook his head. I know what businessyou're in, too, mate, and I shouldn't wonder if the conversation came around to money before long.
After the room, Fraulein Winkelma
"It is very warm," she said in English, fluttering at the air with a Japanese fan. Bruno handed her a glass. "You are not drinking?"
"Not at the moment. "
"Have you come all the way from England? How is dear Ronald?"
"He's fine." Maxim sat carefully on the least-soft chair he could find. Bruno stayed standing, watching him with a small fixed smile.
"And you have a letter from him?" Her English had an unmistakable accent, but flowed easily. And why not? – the British Army had been in Osnabrücksince 1945.
Maxim offered the sealed envelope, Bruno took it, broke it open and passed it to her. She blinked at it, said: "Ah yes," and gave it to Bruno to read properly.
Halfway through the letter, Bruno said in German: "Ah, he is a major in their Army," and then smiled hastily at Maxim because he had forgotten they had been speaking German earlier. Fraulein Winkelma
Bruno read the letter twice, then folded it up, licking his lips as if uncertain how to begin. "Corporal Blagg is… quite all right?"
"Oh yes."
"But you have come instead."
"He can't get away at the moment."
"He is not… in trouble?"
Maxim shrugged and waved at the letter. "What does he say?"
"Yes, yes. What did he say to you?"
"Just that Fraulein Winkelma
"Has he said what papers?"
Maxim looked curiously at Bruno, using the time to mask his own indecision. He didn't want to sound too eager and knowledgeable, but Bruno wouldn't believe him as a country bumpkin. "Some photographic negatives and a collection of certificates. " When Bruno didn't say anything, Maxim turned to Fraulein Winkelma
"I let Bruno do all my business work. " She surged upright.
"Business?"
"I will leave you." She touched Maxim's hand and went away.
Bruno indicated the bottle. "You are sure you do not…?"
Maxim just looked stolid. Bruno squared his shoulders inside his tight-fitting shirt. "What photographs were those?"
"Some very small ones." Maxim hoped it sounded as if he were hiding something more than the fact that Blagg hadn't been able to tell what they were.
Bruno licked his lips. "There is a problem with the certificates."
"Really?"
"They are Sterbeurkunden, certificates of death, and they are from the Standesamtof Bad Schwarzendorn."