Chapter 21 Chapter Twenty

Dieter stopped the car outside the Frankfurt Hotel at exactly one minute to three.He hurried across the cobblestone square to the cathedral, under the relentless gaze of the statue of the angel on the buttress.It was impossible to expect Allied agents to show up at the rendezvous on the first day, but on the other hand, if an invasion was imminent, the Allies would be desperate and mobilize. He saw Remus' Simca No. 5 parked on one side of the square, and it seemed that Stephanie had already arrived.I was relieved to be there in time.If anything goes wrong, Dieter doesn't want to leave it all to her alone.

He went through the west door into the cool, dark interior of the church, looked up for Hans Hesse, and found him sitting on a pew in the back.They nodded slightly at each other, but said nothing. Dieter immediately felt that he had offended God—this kind of thing he planned should not be chosen in this kind of place.He knew he was no more devout than the average German, but he was certainly not a heretic either.It made him uncomfortable to catch spies in this holy place that had sheltered humans for thousands of years. But he quickly dispelled this superstitious idea. Dieter passed through the north side of the building and entered the long north passage, the stones under his feet made a crisp sound.He entered the transept, where he saw the gate, the balustrade, and the staircase leading to the cellar, which was under the high altar.Stephanie's down there, he thought, wearing one black shoe and one brown shoe.From here he could watch both directions at the same time, the northern passage he had just walked behind, and the winding corridor at the other end of the building ahead.He knelt down, folded his hands and began to pray.

Dieter prayed: "Lord, forgive me for the pain I inflict on the prisoner. You know, I do my duty. Forgive me for the sin I did to Stephanie, I know it shouldn't be, but you made her like this Lovely, I can't resist the temptation. Bless my dear Walter Lauder, help her take care of Rudy and little Maoxi, protect them from the bombing of the RAF, bless Field Marshal Rommel to defeat the invaders, and give him strength, Push the Allied invaders back into the sea. Prayers are so short and there's so much to do, you know I've got so much to do right now. Amen." He looked around.There is no worship ceremony yet, but there are a few scattered people on the benches in the chapel nearby, some are praying, and some are sitting silently with solemn faces.A few tourists wandered the aisles, whispering about the medieval architecture, craning their necks to gaze at the massive vaults above.

If British agents show up today, Dieter intends to just watch from the sidelines to avoid surprises.It would be best if he didn't have to do anything, Stephanie would talk to the agents, exchange codes, and take him home to DuBois Avenue. After that, his plans were a little uncertain.The agent might lead him to more people, and in a way, it might be a breakthrough, Dieter can follow the clues and catch some negligent guy who has a list of names and addresses; radio The desk and codebook would fall into Dieter's hands.Or he could capture someone like Flick Clalette and make her, under torture, confess most of the members of the French Resistance.

He looked at his watch.Five past three.Probably no one will come today.He looked up, and suddenly, to his surprise, he saw Willie Webb. What is he doing here? Webb was in plain clothes, in his green tweed jacket, and with him was a young Gestapo man in a checkered jacket.They entered from the east end of the cathedral and walked around the corridor towards Dieter, but they did not see him.They stopped at the basement door. Dieter cursed secretly, it might all be ruined this time.He even expected that there would be no British agents showing up today. He glanced up the north passage and saw a young man carrying a small suitcase.Dieter narrowed his eyes, most of the people in the church were not so young.The man wore a worn French-patterned blue coat, but was Scandinavian in appearance, with red hair, blue eyes, and pale pink skin.These collocations look very British, but could also be German.At first glance, he may be an official in plain clothes, sightseeing or even praying.

However, his actions revealed his intentions.He walked down the aisle with some motive, neither like a tourist looking at a building nor like a churchgoer looking for a seat.Dieter's heart beat wildly.Agents came on the first day!What he was carrying was almost certainly a box transceiver, which also meant he was carrying a codebook.This simply exceeded Dieter's extravagant expectations. But Weber was here to make trouble. The agent walked past Dieter, slowing down, apparently looking for the basement.Waver saw the man, looked at it carefully for a while, then turned around, pretending to admire the carvings on the pillar.

Perhaps, Dieter thought, nothing would happen.It was stupid of Waver to come here, but maybe he was just going to observe.He wouldn't be stupid enough to want to get involved, would he?He may even ruin this golden opportunity. The agent spotted the basement door, walked down the stone steps, and disappeared inside. Weber looked in the direction of the north transept and nodded there. Dieter saw two more Gestapo hiding in the organ stand, which made him feel even more ominous.If Weber was just observing, he didn't need to bring four people with him.Dieter wondered if he would have time to say a few words to Weber and ask him to remove his own people, but Weber would definitely not do it, and they would definitely quarrel, and then——

However, he has no time at all.Stephanie quickly came up from the basement, followed by the agent. She saw Weber as she climbed the last step.It took her by surprise, and for a moment she didn't know what to do, like an actor who goes on the stage and suddenly finds that there is another play going on.She staggered, and the young agent grabbed her by the elbow.She quickly regained her composure, steadied her steps, and gave him a grateful smile.Well done, my dear girl, thought Dieter. At this moment, Weber greeted him. "No!" Dieter blurted out, but no one heard him. Webb grabbed the agent's arm and said something.Dieter's heart sank suddenly, it seemed that Weber was about to arrest someone.This dramatic scene made Stephanie a little confused, and she couldn't help but took a step back.

Dieter immediately stood up and walked quickly towards the group.He could only think that Weber wanted to catch the agent and take credit for it.This is extremely stupid, but also extremely possible. Before Dieter could get close, the agent got rid of Weber and ran. The young man in the plaid jacket who was following Weber reacted very quickly. He strode forward, leaped forward, and wrapped his arms around the agent's knee.The agent wobbled, but he was quick and strong, and the Gestapo missed him.The agent regained his balance, stood up and continued running, the box still in his hands.

The sudden sound of running and the two scuffling sounded very harsh in the quiet church, and people were all looking around.The agent runs towards Dieter.Seeing what was about to happen, Dieter secretly groaned.Two other Gestapo came running from the north transept.When the agent saw them, he must have guessed who they were, so he immediately turned around and ran to the left, but it was too late.One of them stuck out a foot and tripped him.He fell headfirst, his stubby body hitting the stone floor with a thud.The suitcase flew out.Two Gestapo rushed on him at once.Webb ran forward, looking very pleased with himself.

"Damn it!" cried Dieter, forgetting where he was.This bunch of stupid lunatics ruined everything. Perhaps, he can also save the situation. He reached into his jacket, pulled out his Walther P38, pulled the safety catch, and pointed the gun at the two Gestapos lying on top of the agent.He yelled in French: "Let him go now or I'll shoot!" Weber said, "Major, I—" Dieter fired a shot into the air, and the sound echoed through the cathedral's vaults, swallowing up the word that Weber had leaked. "Quiet!" Dieter said in German.Weber was startled and closed his mouth. Dieter poked one of the Gestapo in the face with the barrel and shouted in French: "Get up, get up, let him go!" The two guys panicked, obediently got up and stepped aside. Dieter looked at Stephanie.He called her by Remus' name: "Jenny! Go! Get out of here!" Stephanie started running.She made a wide circle around the Gestapo and ran towards the west gate. The agent hurriedly got up. "Follow her! Follow her!" Dieter shouted at him, pointing in the direction.The man grabbed the suitcase and ran, leaping over the back of the choir's wooden platform, and galloping down the nave of the church. Weber and his three assistants were dumbfounded. "Lie face down!" Dieter ordered them.While they were obediently submitting, he backed away slowly, still pointing the gun at them.Then he turned and ran, chasing Stephanie and the agent. The two men had already run out of the door, and Dieter stopped to talk to Hans, who was standing stupidly near the back of the cathedral. "Go talk to those goddam fools," he said breathlessly, "explain what we're doing and don't let them follow us." He holstered his pistol and ran out of the church. The Simca Five's engine was already spinning, and Dieter pushed the agent into the cramped back seat and settled himself in the front passenger seat.Stephanie put her foot on the pedal and the car shot out of the square like a champagne cork. As the car sped down the street, Dieter turned and looked out the rear window. "No one is following," he said. "Go slowly. Don't let the gendarme stop us." Agent said in French: "I'm 'helicopter'. What the hell is going on here?" Dieter understood that "helicopter" was his code name.He remembered the code name of Miss Remus that Gaston had told him. "This is the 'middle class'." He said, pointing to Stephanie, "I'm Charenton." He made nonsense, but for some reason he said the name of the prison where the Marquis de Sade was imprisoned. The 'middle class' was under suspicion for a few days and could be watched at the cathedral, so she asked me to come with her. I'm not on the Bollinger group, 'middle class' is 'cut off' here." "Yes, I understand." "Anyway, we already know that the Gestapo has set a trap here. Fortunately, she asked me to come here as a cover." "You're amazing!" said Helicopter excitedly. "God, I'm so freaked out, I thought I screwed up my first day." You did screw up, Dieter thought to himself. Dieter feels that he has saved the situation, and "Helicopter" now believes that Dieter is a member of the resistance organization. "Helicopter" sounds impeccable in French, but clearly not good enough to pick out Dieter's slight accent.What else could have made him suspicious in retrospect?Dieter stood up when the riot started and yelled, "No!" But a simple "no" didn't mean much, and he didn't think anyone heard him say it.Willi Weber called out "Major" to Dieter in German, and Dieter fired to stop him from talking again. Has "helicopter" heard the word?Will you think hard about it?No, Dieter thought confidently.If "Helicopter" understood the meaning of the word, he would think that Weber was speaking to the other Gestapo, all of them in plain clothes, with any official title possible. "Helicopter" is now convinced of Dieter, and it is Dieter who rescued him from the claws of the Gestapo. It might not be so easy for others to be fooled. There is a new resistance member, code-named Charenton, who was recruited by Miss Remus. This explanation is reasonable.It made sense to London, and to Michel Claret, leader of the Bollinger Resistance.Both parties will ask questions and conduct verifications. Dieter only needs to respond in time. After all, it is impossible to predict all situations. He let himself relax a little bit, enjoying the taste of victory.He's one step closer to his goal of bringing down the resistance in northern France, and it's heartening that he's done it despite the stupid Gestapo getting in the way. What to do now is to use the trust of the "helicopter" as much as possible.Agents should continue to work in the confidence that they are not under suspicion.That way, he could lead Dieter to more agents, perhaps dozens, but it would take some finesse. They reached DuBois Avenue and Stephanie drove into Miss Remus's garage.They entered the house by the back door and sat down in the kitchen.Stephanie got a bottle of scotch from the cellar and poured everyone a glass. Dieter was eager to make sure that the "helicopter" carried a transceiver."You'd better send a message to London at once," he said. "I'm going to send it at eight o'clock in the evening and receive it at eleven o'clock." "Helicopter" said.Dieter secretly remembered it in his heart. "But you need to tell them ASAP it's not safe to meet at the cathedral. We're not letting them send anyone there. There might be others tonight." "Oh, my God, yes," said the young man, "I'm going to use the emergency frequency." "You can set up the wireless station here in the kitchen." Helicopter put the heavy case on the table and opened it. Dieter was extremely satisfied, and secretly let out a long sigh of relief.Here we go. The interior of the box is divided into four, with two compartments on both sides, and one in front and one in the middle.Dieter immediately saw the transmitter in the back of the center, the Morse key in the lower right corner, the receiver in the front of the center, and the headphone socket, and the power supply in the right compartment.After the agent opened the box cover of the left compartment, he could see that there were various parts and accessories inside, including power cords, adapters, aerial antennas, connecting cables, earphones, several spare tubes, fuses, and a screwdriver. This set of equipment is exquisite and compact, and Dieter likes it very much. This kind of thing seems to be made in Germany, and it is not at all the messy stuff he imagined for the British. He already knew the time when the "helicopter" sent and received reports. Now, he needed to know the frequency he was using, and most importantly, the password. The "helicopter" connects the wires to the plug."I thought it was running on batteries," Dieter said. "Battery or mains power will work. I know the Gestapo tactic. When they're looking for illegal radio sources, they cut off the electricity in sections of the city. When the radio signal goes down, they find it." Dieter nodded. "With this thing, if the power goes out in the house, you just turn this the other way and it switches to battery power." "Very good." Dieter decided to inform the Gestapo of this situation, maybe they don't know yet. Helicopter plugged the power cord into a power outlet, then pulled out the aerial antenna and asked Stephanie to hang it on a high cabinet.Dieter looked in the kitchen drawer and found a pencil and a note pad, which may have been written by Miss Remus. "You can use this to write down the message code," he said helpfully. "First of all, I need to figure out what to say." "Helicopter" scratched his head, and then began to write a line of English words: "I want to write this now," he said. Dieter said: "We should provide a new meeting point for people who come later. For example, a station cafe next to the train station." "Helicopter" took this down. He took out a silk handkerchief from the box, on which was printed an intricate letter correspondence.He also produced a notebook with a dozen sheets of nonsensical five-letter words printed on it.Dieter recognized it as a code table for a one-time encryption system, which cannot be broken unless you have the codebook in your hand. Helicopter copied a set of five-letter words from his notebook and wrote them above his line.Then he followed these letters which he had written down to select substitute letters from the silk handkerchief; above the first five letters of the word "Arrival" he wrote the first set of letters from the one-time pad, BGKRU.The initial B told him which column of the silk handkerchief grid to look for, and the letter at the top of column B was Ae.This tells him to replace the first letter "A" of the word "arrive" with an "e". The password cannot be cracked by the usual method, because the next "A" is no longer "e", but replaced by other letters.In fact, one letter could be replaced by any letter, and only a five-letter codebook could be used to decrypt the message.Even if a cracker gets the encrypted message along with its original language message, they will not be able to use them to read other messages, because the next message will be encrypted with the contents of other pages of the codebook, and because of this, it is called a sex codebook.Each page is used only once and then burned. After the "helicopter" encrypted the message, he flipped the switch with a "click" and began to turn a knob marked "Crystal Selection" in English.Dieter looked carefully and found three faint marks made with yellow crayon on the dial. "Helicopter" was afraid that he could not remember correctly, so he marked the location of his radio station.The way he used crystals was definitely for emergencies.The other two flags, one is presumably transmitted and the other is received. He finally tuned it.Dieter saw that he had also marked the frequency dial with a yellow crayon.Before sending the message, he sends out a line of letters, checking the situation at the receiving station: Dieter frowned, thinking.The first group is the call sign "helicopter", and the next "DXDX" is not clear what it means.The number "1" at the end of "QTC1" seems to mean "I have a message for you".There was a question mark at the end of "QRK?", which made him think it was asking if the received signal was clear. "K" meant "end," and he knew that.In the end, only a mysterious "DXDX" remained. He decided to take a guess. "Don't forget to write your security tag," he said. "I haven't forgotten," said Helicopter. Dieter concluded that it must be "DXDX". "Helicopter" was turned to "Receive" and all heard the reply in Morse code: This time, the first set of letters is still the call sign of "Helicopter".The second group of "QRK" appeared in the sent message.Because there is no question mark, it should mean "I received the signal clearly and clearly".He doesn't understand what "QRV" stands for, but he thinks it should mean "please continue". "Helicopter" typed out his message in Morse code, and Dieter watched, smug.It was a spy catcher's dream, to have an agent in his hands who didn't know he was captured. The message has been sent. The "helicopter" immediately turned off the radio.The Gestapo used radio direction-finding equipment to hunt down spies, and operating it for more than a few minutes was dangerous. In the UK, the message would be transcribed, decoded, forwarded to Helicopter's superior supervisor, and possibly consulted with others before replying; these things could take hours, so Helicopter awaits a response at the agreed time . Now Dieter wanted to separate him from the radio station and, above all, from his password data. "I assume you want to get in touch with the Bollinger team," he said. "Yes. London wants to know how many are left." "We put you in touch with 'Monet', 'Monet' is the code name of their leader." He looked at his watch, and there was a "buzz" in his mind instantly. He was wearing a German army officer's suit. If the "helicopter" recognizes it, it's game over.Dieter tried his best to restrain his voice and said: "We still have time, I will drive you to his house." "Is it far?" "Helicopter" said eagerly. "In the city center." This "Monet", that is, Michel Claret, could not be at home now.He will not live in this house anymore, Dieter has checked there, and the neighbors say they don't know where he has been.Dieter was not surprised. "Monet" had expected that the arrested comrade might give his name and address when he was interrogated, and he had already gone into hiding. The "helicopter" prepares to put away the radio."Does the battery need to be recharged frequently?" Dieter said. "Yeah—actually, they told us to plug it in every chance we could, and keep it charged at all times." "Then why don't you put it there? We can put it away later when we get back, let's charge it now. If someone comes, the 'middle class' can hide it in seconds." "good idea." "Then let's go." Dieter led him to the garage, drove the Simca 5 backwards, and then he said, "Wait here for a minute, I'll have a word with the 'middle class'." He goes back into the house.Stephanie was in the kitchen, staring at the portable radio on the dining table.Dieter took the one-time pad and silk handkerchief from the accessory compartment. "How long would it take you to make a copy?" he said. She grimaced and said, "Copy all this gibberish? At least an hour." "Copy as quickly as you can, but without making any mistakes. I'll keep him out for an hour and a half." He got back in the car and drove the "helicopter" downtown. Michel Clarette's home was a small, elegant single residence near the cathedral. Dieter was waiting in the car when the "helicopter" knocked on the door. A few minutes later, the agent returned and said, "There is no one in the house." "You can come back in the morning," Dieter said. "Also, I know that the Resistance shows up in a bar." people." He parked by the station and chose a bar at random.The two sat down to drink watery beer and waited an hour before returning to Du Bois Avenue. Stephanie gave Dieter a slight nod as they entered the kitchen.He understood that she had copied everything. "I see," Dieter said to Helicopter, "you've been out all night and you'd like to take a shower. You really need to shave. I'll take you to your room and let the 'middle class or 'prepare bath water for you." "You guys are so kind." Dieter put him in a room on the top floor farthest from the bathroom.As soon as he heard the sound of water splashing in the bathroom, he immediately got into the room and searched his clothes. "Helicopter" has a change of underwear and socks, all bearing the label of the French store.In his coat pocket were French cigarettes and matches, a handkerchief with a French label, and a purse.There was a lot of money in the purse, a good half a million francs, enough money to buy a limousine if there was a new car to buy.The ID documents were impeccable, but clearly all fake. Also, there is a photo. Dieter stared at the photo in surprise.That's Flick Claret on it.He could not be mistaken, this was the same woman he had seen in the Place Saint-Cécile.Finding this photo was a stroke of luck for Dieter and a disaster for her. She wore a bathing suit, showing off her muscular legs and tanned arms.The dress hugged her small breasts and slender waist, and her round buttocks were very flattering.There are glistening drops of water, perhaps sweat, hanging from her neck, and she is facing the camera with a faint smile.Behind her and slightly out of focus, two young men in swimming trunks are about to dive into the river for a swim.The picture was obviously taken at a normal swimming party, but her half-naked body, wet neck, and that condescending smile made it all the more sexy.None of this has anything to do with the boy in the background, who seems to be about to take off her swimsuit and reveal her body for the person behind the camera.This is a woman smiling at a man she would love to have sex with, Dieter thought, no wonder the young man treasured this photo. For various considerations, agents are generally not allowed to enter local areas with photographs. The Helicopter's affection for Flick Claret would have ruined her, and it would have ruined most of the French Resistance as well. Dieter put the photo in his pocket and left the room.On the whole, he thought it was a good day's work.