Chapter 42 Chapter Forty-One

It took the Jackdaws almost a day to travel from Paris to Reims. They passed all checkpoints safely and without any problems.Their new fake identities are just as useful as the last one.No one noticed that Flick's photo had been redacted with eyebrow pencil. But the train they took missed again and again, stopping anywhere for an hour.Sitting in the hot carriage, Flick felt even more anxious seeing the precious time wasted in vain.She knew why the train kept coming and going—US Army Air Force and RAF bombers had blown up half the line.As the train rumbled on, they watched through the windows as emergency repairs manually cut twisted tracks, replaced smashed ties, and laid new tracks.Her only consolation was that the conditions on the railway line would have made Rommel too frantic to deploy troops effectively to repel the Allied attack.

She felt as if something cold was stuck in her chest, and every few minutes she thought of Diana and Maud.They are now definitely being interrogated, perhaps sentenced, and possibly even killed.Flick had known Diana since childhood.She had to tell Diana's brother William what had happened.Flick's own mother, who helped look after Diana growing up, would share William's distress. Outside began vineyards, then champagne barns, and finally they arrived in Reims at four o'clock on Sunday afternoon.This was Flick's concern: it was too late to carry out the operation that night.This meant spending twenty-four hours with tense nerves in enemy-occupied territory.Flick also had to solve a more specific problem: Where did the Jackdaws spend the night tonight?

Unlike Paris, there is no dilapidated hotel in the red light district where the owner only interrogates the guests, and Flick does not know if there is a convent for nuns that can take shelter.And there are no dark alleys like Paris where the homeless spend the night hiding behind dumpsters and the police ignore them. Flick knew three places to hide: Michelle's house in the city, Gilberta's place, and Mademoiselle Remus's house on Du Bois Avenue, any of which could be under surveillance. , depending on how deeply the Gestapo penetrated the Bollinger organization.If this Dieter Frank presides over the interrogation, she fears the worst is possible.

There is no way but to take one step at a time. "We're going to be in groups of two again," she said to the others. "Four women walking together is arousing suspicion. Ruby and I go first. Greta and Jelly follow us after a hundred metres." They went to Michelle's house first, not far from the station.The house was her wedding room, but she always thought of it as Michelle's home.There is room for four women here.But the Gestapo almost certainly already knew about the place.It would be strange if none of those captured last Sunday had given its address under torture.

The house is located on a busy street with several shops.Flick walked along the sidewalk, sneaking a look at every parked car, and Ruby watched the houses and shops.Michel's house was one of a row of elegant eighteenth-century buildings, tall and narrow, with a magnolia tree in the small courtyard.It is very quiet here, and there is no movement in the window.The front steps were covered with dust. Walking the street for the first time, they found nothing suspicious, no road diggers, no watchers loitering on the pavement outside the Regis House pub.And no one leans on a pole to read a newspaper.

They came back from across the street.There was a black "front drive" Citroen sedan outside the bakery. Two men in suits and leather shoes were sitting in the front row, smoking a cigarette, looking very bored. Flick tensed up.She wore a black wig, and she believed that they would not recognize her as the girl on the bounty notice, but her heart beat faster and she could only walk past them quickly.Along the pavement, she almost waited to hear the shouts behind her, but that didn't happen.At last she turned the corner, panting and calming. She slowed down.Her fears were confirmed.Michelle's house is out of order.There is no alley behind this row of houses, so there is no back door. The Jackdaws could not escape the Gestapo's attention and enter its interior.

She considered two other options.Michele would probably still be living with Gilberta, unless he was caught.That building has a back door that can be used.It's small, though, and the presence of four overnight guests in one room is uncomfortable and draws attention from others in the building. The only place where they could spend the night was Miss Remus's house on Dubois Avenue.Flick was there twice.The house is big and has many bedrooms.Miss Remus is completely believable and willing to entertain these unexpected guests.For years she has hidden British agents, downed pilots and escaped prisoners of war.She probably knew what had happened to Brian Standish.

It's a mile or two from downtown.The four women walked there, still in groups of two, separated by a distance of one hundred meters. Half an hour later they were on Du Bois Avenue.This is a quiet street on the outskirts of the city, and it is difficult for the surveillance team to hide here.There was only one car parked nearby, a Peugeot 201, too slow for the Gestapo.There is no one in the car. Flick first took Ruby past Miss Remus's house once.It's still the same.But her Simca Five was parked in the yard, unlike usual, she always parked it in the garage.Flick slowed down and looked quietly at the window.

She didn't see anyone.Miss Remus rarely used that room.It was an old-fashioned vestibule, the piano was immaculately wiped, the cushions were always flapped, and the door was kept shut except for official visits.Her secret guests usually sit in the kitchen at the back of the house, where they are hidden from passers-by. As Flick passed the door, something on the ground caught her eye.It was a wooden toothbrush.Without stopping, Flick stooped to pick it up. Ruby said, "Do you want to brush your teeth with it?" "It looks like Paul's." She almost thought it was his, even though there were probably hundreds, if not thousands, of the same toothbrush in France.

"You think it's possible he's here?" "possible." "Why did he come?" "I don't know. Maybe warn us of danger." They circled around and she let Greta and Jelly follow before approaching the house again. "Now let's go together," she said. "Greta and Jelly, knock on the front door." "Jelly" said, "Thank goodness my feet hurt like hell." "Ruby and I go to the back and take care of it. Don't mention us after we go in, just wait for us to show up." They walked along the street, several this time together.Flick and Ruby went into the yard, past Simca Five, and tiptoed around to the back of the house.The kitchen runs almost the entire width of the house, with two windows and a door in between.Flick waited until he heard the metallic clang of the doorbell before he ventured a peek at the window.

Her heart almost stopped beating. There were three people in the kitchen: two men in uniform, and a tall young woman with gorgeous red hair who was by no means the middle-aged Miss Remus. For a fraction of a second of shock, Flick saw all three turn away from the windows and instinctively turn in the direction of the front door. She steps aside. She calculated quickly.The two men were apparently Gestapo officers.That woman must be a French traitor, posing as Miss Remus.This person looked familiar, even if he only saw her back.Her fashionable green summer dress had struck a nerve in Flick's memory. It was clear that the originally safe house had been exposed, and Flick was shocked.The place is now a trap for Allied agents.Poor Brian Standish probably fell right in.Flick wondered if he was still alive. Calm and determined will ruled her.She drew a pistol.Ruby did the same. "Three," she whispered to Ruby, "two men and one woman." She took a deep breath.Now it's time to be brutal. "We're going to kill two men," she said, "OK?" Ruby nodded. Thank God Ruby has such a level head. "I want the woman to stand trial alive, but if she runs away, we shoot." "clear." "Two men are on the immediate left of the kitchen. The woman will probably go to the door. You guard this window, I'll go to that one. Aim for the one closest to you, and you shoot when I shoot." She crept across the back of the house and crouched under another window.Her breathing became labored and her heart beat like a steam hammer.But she was as clear-headed as she was playing a game of chess.She has no experience shooting through glass.She decides to fire three shots in rapid succession, the first to shatter the glass, the second to kill her target, and the second to confirm the hit.She released the safety of the pistol and held it with the muzzle up.Then she straightened up and looked in through the window. Two men stood facing the living room, both with pistols drawn.Flick lowered his gun, aiming at the one close to him. The woman disappeared, but while Flick was watching she came back, pulling at the kitchen door.Greta and Jelly entered the room ahead of her without question; then they saw the two Gestapo.Greta let out a cry of fear.Someone said something - Flick couldn't catch it - and Greta and Jelly both threw up their hands. Miss False Remus followed them into the kitchen.Seeing her whole face, Flick recognized her at once.She has seen this woman.In an instant she remembered where it was—she had been at Saint-Cecile with Dieter Frank last Sunday.Flick thought she was the officer's mistress.Apparently she was doing more than that. For a moment the woman saw Flick's face in the window.She opened her mouth wide, opened her eyes wide, and raised her finger to the window.The two men turned around. Flick pulled the trigger.The gunshot and the shattering of glass sounded at the same time. She clenched the pistol tightly, kept the height high, and fired two more shots. A second later, Ruby fired too. The two men fell down. Flick yanked open the back door and rushed into the house. The young woman had turned and slipped away, heading for the front door.Flick raised his pistol, but it was too late.The woman entered the living room in an instant, out of Flick's sight. "Jelly" moved extremely fast, she strode across the door and rushed up, only hearing the sound of the two falling and the furniture breaking. Flick rushed out of the kitchen to look. "Jelly" wrestled the woman to the tiled floor of the hall.They also smashed the bent legs of a delicate kidney-shaped table and broke a Chinese vase on it, scattering dried flowers here and there.The Frenchwoman struggled to get up.Flick pointed a gun at her but did not fire. "Jelly" showed his super-fast skills, grabbed the woman's hair and slammed it against the floor tiles until she stopped moving. The woman wore unpaired shoes, one black and one brown. Flick turned to look at the two Gestapo lying on the ground.Both guys lay there motionless.She picked up their pistols and slipped them into her pocket.Scattered guns will give the enemy an opportunity to exploit. Judging from the current situation, the four "Jackdaws" are safe. Flick completed his actions with a rush of momentum.She knew that there would always be time to remind herself of the man she had killed.Ending a life is terrible.She may not feel the majestic nature of the event for a while, but sooner or later it will come back to her eyes.Hours or days later, Flick would think of the wives and fatherless orphans left behind by the young man in uniform.But in the present situation, she can put these aside and concentrate on her actions. She said, "'Jelly', get this woman under control, don't let her yell. Greta, get a rope and tie her to a chair. Ruby, go upstairs and see if there's anyone else in the house. I Go check the basement." She ran down the stairs to the basement and saw a figure on the stained floor, tied and gagged.The gag covered most of his face, but she could see half of his ear missing from the bullet.She ripped the contents out of her mouth, leaned over, and gave him a long, passionate kiss. "Welcome to France." He smiled and said, "This is the best welcome I've ever received." "I found your toothbrush." "It was a last-second brainstorm because I couldn't quite trust the redhead." "It made me a little more skeptical." "Thank God." She took a sharp knife from the scabbard under her lapel and cut the ropes that bound him. "How did you get here?" "I jumped with a parachute last night." "For what the hell?" "Brian's radio station is definitely being manipulated by the Gestapo. I want to warn you." A surge of emotion made her wrap her arms around him tightly. "I'm glad you're here!" He hugged her and kissed her. "Then I'm glad I didn't come in vain." They went upstairs. "Look who I found in the basement," Flick said. They were waiting for her instructions.She thought about it.Five minutes had elapsed since the gunshot.Neighbors must have heard the shots, but French residents are now reticent to call the police for fear of being called into Gestapo offices for repeated interrogations.However, she didn't need to take risks, they had to get out of here as soon as possible. She turned her attention to the false Miss Remus, now strapped to a chair in the kitchen.Flick knew what to do next, and her heart sank. "What's your name?" she asked. "Stephanie Vinson." "You are Dieter Frank's mistress." Her face was ashen, but she looked proud, and Flick really thought she was very beautiful. "He saved my life." Dieter thus earned her loyalty, Flick thought.It makes no difference, a traitor is a traitor regardless of motive. "You brought the 'helicopter' to the house and he was arrested." She said nothing. "'Helicopter' alive or dead?" "I have no idea." Pointing to Paul, Flick said, "You bring him here too. You'll help the Gestapo catch us all." Anger filled her voice at the thought of the danger Paul was in. Stephanie lowered her eyes. Flick went behind the chair and drew his pistol. "You're French, but you're in cahoots with the Gestapo. You might kill us all." When the others saw this formation, they all stood aside, avoiding the ray.Stephanie couldn't see the gun, but she felt what was going to happen.She asked in a low voice, "What are you going to do to me?" Flick said: "If we put you here, you'll tell Dieter Frank how many we are, tell him what we look like, help him catch us so he can torture us, kill us We... right?" She didn't answer. Flick pointed the gun at the back of Stephanie's head. "What excuse do you have for helping the enemy?" "I had to. Isn't everyone like that?" "That's right," Flick said, pulling the trigger twice.The pistol made a dull sound in the small space. Blood and other things spurted from the woman's face and splashed onto her elegant green skirt, and she swayed forward soundlessly, falling to the ground. "Jelly" flinches, and Greta turns away.Even Paul turned pale.Only Ruby remained expressionless.Everyone was silent for a while.Then Flick said, "Let's get out of here."