Epstein explained to Swan, for legal purposes, the Rathaus has the plans to most stately homes in and around Hamburg, but on this occasion, he had obtained them through an attractive clerical assistant, who he’d been dating.
The men surveyed them closely. The ground floor had six rooms, including a drawing room, kitchen, large dining hall, and a study. Upstairs on the first floor, there were six bedrooms, all with en-suite bathrooms.
Swan checked the age of the house that was written at the bottom of the document. Weitz noticed the Englishman's curiosity. ‘What are you looking for, Mr Swan?’
‘I was wondering how old the house was, in case of any secret rooms, or tunnels had been built.’
Weitz picked up a document explaining that the house had been built in 1784, and originally had been named Hollenwaldenburg. The Fleischer family had then acquired it following a controversial gambling wager, taken up by the original occupier. They had then renamed it.
Swan suddenly spotted something on the plan, and turned to his German colleagues. ‘Most interesting layout, gentlemen.’ He pointed to a section on the plan. ‘See here, we have a large dining hall, then in a room off this, is the study. Now compare this room, to the others, on the same side of the hall.
The two BND officers, leant forward, following Swan's finger.
Weitz then noticed it too. ‘It is smaller!’
Verdi agreed. ‘Why would this be?’ He took a silver cigarette case from his pocket, opened it, then offered each of the men a cigarette.
Swan took one, thanking the German BND man. ‘I’m not sure, Verdi, but there is only one way to find out.’
Chapter 38
At Fleischergarten, Katrina Holz, wearing a cornflower blue housecoat, answered the ringing telephone. ‘I am afraid he is at the office, this morning. May I help you?’ She listened carefully to the caller, her eyes widening with shock. After hanging up, she immediately attempted to contact her lover.
In the courtyard of the Fleischer and Hoch Construction vehicle factory, Fleischer stood next to a new tractor unit, speaking with the driver. Over the man's shoulder, he suddenly saw his assistant running towards him. ‘What is it, Ingrid?’
‘Please excuse the interruption, Herr Fleischer, Fraulein Holz is on the telephone, and she has said it is urgent.’
Fleischer was curious. ‘Very well, I will come now. Please excuse me, Walter.’
In the office, he took the receiver from his secretary and waited, until she left the room.
‘What is it, my dear?’
Holz sounded flustered, as she informed him of the bad news she just received. ‘We are being watched, and the telephone has been bugged. There is also evidence, you are responsible for the things in England. The authorities are planning a raid on the house.’
Fleischer cursed silently to himself, but for Katrina’s sake, he had to remain calm. ‘Listen to me carefully. I want you to get some things packed, enough for a long stay, away from the house, and meet me at our rendezvous point. You remember the roses?’
Holz recognised the area. ‘Yes, I do. Oh, and one other thing, the Britisher Swan, he is in Hamburg working with the Bundesnachrichtendienst.’
Fleischer’s pulse suddenly raced, the anger welling within him. This man is obsessed with me as much as I am with him, he thought.
A few minutes later, again after being reassured by her lover, Holz put down the phone, ran upstairs to the bedroom and pulled a full suitcase from the wardrobe. She got dressed and after retrieving a few other things, loaded the case into her small Volkswagen, closed the storage compartment, then jumped into the car.
After a short drive, she arrived at the rose garden. Fleischer was already waiting, and was sitting in his car. Holz walked over and climbed into the passenger seat next to him.
He checked the entrance to the rose garden. ‘Were you followed?’
Holz shook her head. ‘I do not think so, Gunther. I'm so scared. What shall we do?’
Fleischer gave her a stern look. ‘We have to get out of the country. It has all been arranged. We will go to America. Horst is waiting for us at the Dutch border. He will see us across, give us passports, and we can get a plane from Schiphol to Paris, fly to New York, then on to Miami. He reached over to her and clasped her trembling hands. ‘Do not worry, my dear. Now, get your things and load them in the car. We will leave your car here. The authorities will trace it, but by the time it is discovered, we will be half way across the Atlantic Ocean.’
Holz gave him an uncertain nod. ‘Yes, Gunther.’ Walking back to her car, she began to think things through. The next couple of hours, were going to be difficult. She also realised, that at some point during their escape, and without Fleischer knowing, she would have to try and make a phone call.
Later in the day, Weitz was handed another transcript from Fleischer's phone tap. He read through it, then cursed.
Swan glanced over. ‘What is it, Bruno?’ They had earlier decided on a friendlier first name address.
Weitz handed the transcript to him.
Swan shook his head. ‘He's gone? What about the surveillance?’
Weitz looked at Epstein. ‘Well, Verdi?’
Epstein looked sheepishly at them. ‘Well gentlemen, as we had already decided to raid Fleischer's house, I called it off yesterday, so that our assault team could move in, when we gave the order.’
Weitz barked at him. ‘You did, what?’
Swan butted in. ‘It looks like we actually have an advantage here, gentlemen.’
Weitz gave him a puzzled look. ‘What do you mean by this, Alex? How? Fleischer has escaped?’
Swan walked over to the table. ‘What I mean is, that we go and have a look around Fleischergarten, and we go now.’
At Schiphol Airport, Fleischer had made a phone call. He had now returned, sitting next to Holz in the departure lounge. ‘We first go to Paris, then get a flight to Miami. From there, we get a taxi to Titusville, and I have just arranged that we have a place to stay.’
Although still nervous, Katrina Holz managed a smile. ‘That is good, but I will be happier, once we are out of Europe.’
Fleischer checked his watch, assuring her they would be on the plane within the hour. ‘Swan is behind all this, but we will be safe from him, in America.’
A few hours later in Paris, they waited at the boarding gate, Holz still conscious of being watched, kept checking around her at the other seated passengers. Finally, the call for their Air France flight to Miami, had arrived. They showed their boarding passes to the attendant, and mounting the steps to the white and blue Boeing 707 airliner, Fleischer sensed a feeling of relief, tinged with a little apprehension. He sat, thinking to himself. Would this reprieve from his new adversary, really be permanent?
At Highdown, Professor Ron Hallett skipped around the transporter as the white crate containing Black Arrow R-0, was carefully lifted aboard. The final propulsion tests had been a success, and the British rocket was now at the start of its final journey to the Woomera range, in Queensland, Australia.
Hallett spoke to the driver as they stood watching the spectacle above them. Paul Baxter and Brian Mitchell were on the other side of the trailer. Mitchell shouted to his boss above the noise of the crane's motor. ‘It's a shame that we can't launch it from here, Ron.’ Hallet laughed. ‘That would indeed be a site to see, Brian.’
An hour later, the trailer and its cargo, were escorted out of the main gate by two army Land Rovers, and moved slowly along the service road. At the junction to the A3539, the mechanised entourage turned left, heading for the airfield at Bembridge.