The Luger stuck in his belt felt heavy and awkward under his coat as Dirk walked down the dark street. He felt on edge. Seeing demons in every shadow. Hearing the pounce of an ambush with every sudden sound. Ahead of him he could make out the sturdy figure of Oskar hurrying along. Behind him he was aware of Sig.
They were all intently conscious of the risk they were taking. The Gestapo scatter raids at all hours of day or night were still taking place. When the call had come they had quickly decided that the safest way to travel the night streets of Hechingen would be separately. Dirk, who had no chance of bluffing his way through an arrest, would carry the gun. If the worst happened, he would have to try to shoot his way out. With Oskar in front and Sig in the rear, they were hoping to get enough warning in case of a sudden raid for Dirk to find a hiding place. If not — he would have to use the Luger….
It was past ten thirty. Himmelmann's urgent call had come just minutes before. It was imperative that he see them at once, he had whispered on the phone, his voice harsh with anxiety. At the Zum Güterzug Bierstube. At once! And he had hung up.
They had debated what to do. They were shaken. Was it a trap? Had Himmelmann caved in? Was he betraying them? Dirk thought not. The man knew where Oskar lived. The Gestapo would have been all over the damned place if Himmelmann had talked. What, then? They had to find out. Himmelmann was crucial to the success of the raid. They had no choice but to heed his summons.
There were few people on the streets. The foreign workers, wary of the scatter raids, stuck close to their barracks. Even the native citizens were unwilling to be on the streets more than necessary.
The Bierstube was only half full. Mostly Germans. The dirty-blond waitress seemed considerably less harassed. The atmosphere of the place was markedly more subdued than when they had been there before.
They spotted Himmelmann sitting alone at a table in a corner. He looked nervous and edgy Casually they walked to the table and sat down.
Himmelmann did not look at the two Americans. His face had an unhealthy pallor. He talked directly to Oskar, his voice low and tense.
“Listen to me, Herr Weber,” he said “I shall talk to you only I do not wish to be seen talking to them. They must not address me Understand? Or I shall leave at once!” He glanced around the room. “I — may be watched!”
Dirk and Sig tensed. What the hell had they walked into? Dirk was sharply aware of the Luger bulging at his waist. It must be apparent to everyone. Instinctively he sucked in his stomach. Sig beckoned to the waitress, and presently each had a stein of beer before him. When they were once again alone, Himmelmann spoke. He looked straight at Oskar — but he was speaking for the ears of Dirk and Sig.
“The Gestapo knows much about you,” he said tautly. “The area chief, StandartenFührer Werner Harbicht, is determined to catch you. He is your single greatest danger. He will be your nemesis.” He paused. Again he looked around nervously.
“You will have to abandon your attempt to sabotage the pile,” he said hurriedly. “I will not be able to help you! Tomorrow morning I am being evacuated to the nuclear installations in the Alpenfestung! On the Führer's direct orders. I — and every scientist not essential to the final test at Haigerloch the day after tomorrow! Already all the other atomic scientists possessing secret knowledge have been ordered to the Alpine Fortress. They — and all their papers, records and documents. From Stadtilm. From Celle. From Gottow. Grunau — and Tailfingen. The Gestapo threatens to shoot anyone who refuses! They make certain you obey…. “He sounded agitated. He glanced quickly around the tavern.
Dirk and Sig were listening in stunned silence, the foam on their beer dying unnoticed. They saw their plans crumble in a card-house collapse.
“There is nothing I can do for you anymore,” Himmelmann said urgently. “Give up your sabotage plans. Abandon the operation. You cannot succeed!”
Sig could contain himself no longer.
“The hell you say,” he mumbled. “I still have my pass. I can still get in!”
Savagely Himmelmann turned to him. His eyes blazed in his pale face. Anger made his voice harsh and tight. Anger at finding himself in mortal danger. Anger at having been drawn into a conspiracy he'd sought to avoid Anger at the ungodly depravity he had been forced to be part of. Harbicht. Reichardt. Wanda. Pent-up anger suddenly finding a target.
“If you try to use that pass,” he hissed, “you will be arrested at once! And I hope to God you do try! All passes for foreign workers — even Red Passes — have been revoked! For the restricted area. And for the caves! There is no possible way for you to carry out your scheme!”
He stood up. Without another word he turned on his heel and walked stiffly from the table, disappearing through the door to the street.
Dirk and Sig stared after the departed Haigerloch scientist.
With him had gone their only hope of success. Of survival.
It was 2307 hours, April 8. Their intricate operation was less than thirty-five hours away.
Already it was abortive….
PART III
The Day of
10 Apr 1945
1
Major General J. Edward McKinley tried to relax. It was a twenty-five-minute ride from the Pentagon to his home in Georgetown. He sat back in the seat of the staff limousine and closed his eyes. Lately he'd developed an almost imperceptible twitch in his left eyelid. It was not noticeable to anyone, but he could feel it.
The car sped along the darkened streets. He opened his eyes. It was no go. He was too keyed up. He'd have to wait until he got home, where he could take a sleeping aid.
He sighed. The burning sensation of an attack of acid indigestion bothered him. That was something else that would have to wait. A Bromo.
He glanced at his watch. He had difficulty seeing it in the dim light. He never had been able to get used to Washington in the brown-out. It was just past midnight.
He belched. It gave him no relief. A new day had already begun. April 10. So far he was not enthusiastic about it.
He'd spent the last few hours in conference with Colonel Reed and some other officers, discussing the latest Alsos situation in Germany.
The Alsos people in Heidelberg had been informed that Patton's Third Army was about to overrun a town called Stadtilm, which might turn out to be a goldmine of information about the Nazi atomic effort. Alsos thought there was even a possibility of an actual pile there. He'd had trouble spotting Stadtilm on the map, but he finally did. Just below Erfurt.
Colonel Pash had broken off his preparations at SHAEF for Operation Harborage and only two hours before had pulled out for Sixth Army Group Headquarters in Kaiserslautern. He would continue to Heidelberg — and on to Meiningen with a twenty-man task force to wait for Stadtilm to be taken. This meant Pash had to set up the Stadtilm operation on the run. No time for coordinating with field commanders. And the operation might have to be carried out in the middle of the fighting. Not the ideal conditions. It also meant that someone else would have to follow through with the preparations for the ground operations against the Hechingen-Haigerloch targets. It could mean a delay.
McKinley felt uneasy. Undoubtedly Stadtilm was important Reports had it that one of Germany's leading atomic scientists headed up a laboratory there. But he had a gut feeling about the project at Haigerloch.
Perhaps it was because of the disappearance of the Gemini agents….
2
Signal Station #49 was located in an isolated area on the right-of-way outside the railroad yard proper. It could be reached without having to go through any gate or checkpoint. That was one reason Oskar had chosen it as the place for stashing the high explosives. That — and the fact that the station was serviced only once a month or if an emergency arose.