The rage returned. Eddie started to take out his gun, but changed his mind. A shot might be heard — and he also had an irresistible urge to kill the Nazi with his bare hands, to hear bones break and feel the windpipe crush as he broke the bastard’s neck…
The intruder reached Macy’s body, stepping around it to get a clear look at the face. He was only ten feet from the Englishman, and didn’t have a weapon at the ready. Eddie knew he could reach him before he had time to react. He moved out from his hiding place, crossing the few steps to his target.
The man turned as he heard a noise, but too late—
‘No!’ cried Julieta. ‘It’s Roland!’
Eddie had already grabbed him, arms clamping around his head and upper chest. One sharp twist would be all it took…
‘Please, no!’ Her voice was a scream. ‘Don’t hurt him!’
‘He’s one of them,’ he snarled.
‘No, he isn’t! I love him! Please, let him go!’
Roland squirmed helplessly in Eddie’s grip, struggling to breathe. ‘You speak English?’ His prisoner managed a terrified nod. ‘You do anything I don’t like, I’ll kill you. Understand?’ Another feeble twitch of the head. ‘Okay.’
Eddie released his hold and shoved Roland to the ground. He shone his torch at the panting youth’s face — feeling a shock of recognition. He was the twin of Volker Koenig, indistinguishable from the man who had been gunned down in Los Angeles. His eyes were wide with fear.
Eddie felt no sympathy. Macy’s had been the same. He drew the gun, making sure the young man could see it. ‘You’re Roland Koenig?’ he demanded, ignoring Julieta’s frightened protests.
‘Yes,’ gasped the blond. He peered past Eddie. ‘Julieta? Is that—’
‘Shut up,’ Eddie snapped. ‘You’re talking to me.’ He gestured with the torch at Macy’s body. ‘Who did that? Who killed her?’
Roland didn’t dare look away from him. ‘I do not know. She was taken to the Oberkommando, but — but I do not know what happened to her. I was not there.’
‘Then what the fuck are you doing here now?’
‘I was told Macy was here. I did not believe it, but she said I should go and see, and — and she was right. It is true…’
‘Who said? Who were you talking to?’
‘Dr Wilde. She—’
‘Nina?’ Eddie exclaimed. ‘Nina Wilde?’ Roland nodded. ‘You spoke to Nina? When?’
‘Not long ago — about twenty minutes, twenty-five?’
The Englishman felt a rush of relief. Nina was alive!
But the Nazis had murdered Macy; they could kill Nina too. ‘Where is she?’
‘In the Kerker, the prison. There was a man with her, but I do not know who he is. The other man, the Arab, he was not there.’
‘The man with her now — was he young? Loads of curly hair?’
He nodded. ‘He was hurt. There was blood all over him.’
Julieta came closer. ‘Please, let him go.’
Roland looked up as the torchlight’s spill illuminated her face. ‘Julieta!’ Even with a gun aimed at him, he smiled. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘I came to find you,’ she replied, kneeling and taking hold of his hand. ‘I had not seen you for days, and after what happened to Volker, I was worried.’
His smile vanished. ‘Dr Wilde said that… Volker is dead. Is it true?’
Julieta glanced at Eddie, reluctant to answer. Roland turned back towards the Englishman. ‘Yeah. Your brother’s dead,’ Eddie told him.
‘But—’ The young man looked at Julieta again, as if hoping for a denial, but none came. ‘No…’
Eddie remembered the youth’s earlier words. ‘Nina told you to come out here. Why?’
It took a few seconds for Roland to compose himself enough to reply. ‘I did not believe that Herr Kroll had killed her friend. Dr Wilde… challenged me to see for myself. I thought that if she was lying about Macy, then she must also be lying about the other things she said.’ He turned away, downcast. ‘She was not lying.’
‘No, she wasn’t. And I’m not lying either: I’m going to get her out of there, and I’m going to kill anyone who gets in my way. Are you going to get in my way?’
Though afraid, Roland still found enough courage to look Eddie in the eye. ‘No, I am not. I do not know what to think any more. All I want is to be sure that Julieta is safe.’ He faced her. ‘I will take you back home.’
She shook her head. ‘No. Roland, we have to help him rescue his wife. You have to help him. For Volker.’
He looked between them, unsure what to do. ‘At least show me where this prison is,’ said Eddie.
Julieta held Roland’s hand tighter. ‘Please, Roland. Something bad is going on. Help him stop it.’
‘I… Very well,’ he said, with a deep sigh. ‘I will show you. But Julieta, you cannot come with me.’ She tried to object, but he raised a hand. ‘Please. I love you, and I do not want anything to happen to you. I did not think before that you would be hurt if you were caught in the Enklave, but now…’ A grim glance at Macy’s body. ‘Wait for me; I will find you.’
She nodded reluctantly. ‘I will wait at the ruin. And… you will take care of him?’ she asked the Yorkshireman.
Eddie was in no mood to make promises, especially concerning the people who had killed Macy, but he tipped his head slightly. ‘We’ll see.’
He lowered the gun and backed up so Roland could stand. The young couple embraced, then kissed, speaking in Spanish. Roland sounded more fluent in that language than in English; meeting Julieta had encouraged him to focus his linguistic skills. ‘All right, get a bloody room,’ muttered Eddie. The pair unwillingly separated. ‘Julieta, get going — but take these, and watch out for trouble.’ He gave her the binoculars.
‘What kind of trouble?’ she asked.
‘Explosions, shooting, screaming, that kind of thing. If you see any, get out of here, fast. I’ll watch out for your boyfriend.’
The two kissed again, then Julieta said, ‘Te amo,’ before making her way back out of the pit.
‘Te amo,’ Roland called to her, watching her retreat until she was lost to the shadows.
‘Christ, young love,’ Eddie said impatiently. ‘Come on, then.’
Roland climbed out of the ditch. Eddie gave Macy’s still form one final look. ‘You’re not going to stay here,’ he told her quietly. ‘I’ll make sure you get a… a proper burial.’ He felt his throat clench again; he caught himself. ‘And the people who did this are going to pay. All of them.’
27
The young man led Eddie towards the heart of the Enklave. Even though it was now dark, they used the sparse vegetation to stay concealed as much as possible. ‘All right,’ said Eddie, ‘I need to know this place’s layout. Where’s the prison?’
‘It is on the far side of the compound, past the Kinderhaus,’ Roland replied.
‘The what?’ He knew the two parts of the compound word — child and house — but wasn’t sure if it meant what he thought.
‘The children’s building, there.’ Roland pointed at a large white-painted structure beyond the barracks. ‘It is where I grew up. Where we all grew up.’
‘All the kids live in one building?’
‘Yes. I was surprised when Julieta first told me she lived only with her father and mother.’
‘Wait, you mean you didn’t live with your mum and dad?’
‘No, I was born of one of the Zucht-Frauen.’
‘What are they?’
‘There are nine at the present time, I think? Six of them are Kindermädchen; they look after the children and teach them useful skills, like cooking and how to make clothes.’