by Vicki Beeby
Evie shuddered and tried not to picture the horror of a fight with no weapons. Alex had survived, she told herself. Don’t think of what might have happened.
‘Who did it?’
Alex shook his head. ‘That’s the whole problem. I’ve no idea. It could be anyone. Whoever did it is still at large and could strike again at any moment. Might not stop at matchsticks.’
‘But that’s barbaric.’ A horrible thought struck her. ‘What if they’ve done it before? Only they succeeded that time, and the plane was destroyed? We would never know.’
‘I thought of that too.’ His brows drew together as though from pain. ‘Josef was killed the same day.’
‘Oh no.’ Evie felt sick. She could picture Josef clearly, laughing at one of Jiří’s jokes. It was impossible to believe he was gone. ‘Was his Hurricane sabotaged?’
‘No one saw him fire a shot,’ Alex replied in a flat voice. They both sat in silence for a while. Evie could hardly take in the implications of Alex’s news.
Finally, Alex said, ‘I wanted to question the men in other squadrons who’ve lost pilots. See if any of their losses could have been caused by sabotage. But Bob didn’t want me interfering with any investigation he set up. Said I’d only get in the way.’ He radiated frustration, and Evie sympathised. Maybe being exiled from their homeland gave them a stronger link, but the bonds forged between the pilots in Brimstone squadron seemed even tighter than those of the other squadrons at Amberton. And Alex, with his Czech heritage, was welcomed whole-heartedly into the fraternity. Evie was fond of them, but she knew that was nothing compared to the weight of responsibility Alex must feel for the young men under his command. If a saboteur was responsible for Josef’s death, he would resent leaving the investigation to someone else.
It struck her then that as a WAAF she was well placed to make discreet enquiries of her own. All the men enjoyed gossiping and flirting with the girls. She couldn’t ask anything directly, of course. But she was sure she could manoeuvre a conversation to find out who they had seen hanging around Brimstone’s dispersal pens before the fateful flights.
She glanced sideways at Alex, her stomach performing a slow swoop when their eyes met. She mustn’t tell him what she had planned. He would never allow it, but she was sure she could be useful. She thought of Jess and May. Maybe she’d promised not to tell anyone, but her two closest friends didn’t count. If anyone could cajole an airman into revealing a secret it was Jess. And May, as driver to Peter Travis, would surely be able to worm information from him about the official investigation.
That would have to wait until she returned to Amberton, of course. ‘How long are you in Oxford for?’ she asked, snuggling against Alex’s shoulder.
‘When does your sick leave end?’
‘Tuesday.’ Still four days away.
‘I’ve got to return on Wednesday, so I’m free to spend every day with you until you leave.’
Four days. They could forget about the war for four days, and she would do her best to help Alex forget his worries in that time. But when she returned to Amberton, she would do all in her power to find the saboteur threatening the lives of their pilots.
Chapter Eighteen
‘There she is!’
Evie looked round as she climbed down from the carriage to see May and Jess standing at the platform entrance, waving madly. She slung her kitbag over her shoulder and hurried over to them and was greeted with enthusiastic hugs.
‘I’m so glad you’re back,’ May said.
‘Me too,’ Evie said, harbouring the knowledge of Alex to her heart, looking forward to telling her friends all about him when they were together in High Chalk House. ‘How did you both manage to wangle the time off to meet me?’
‘I’m on duty,’ May replied. ‘I had to drive one of the Erks to the hospital because he broke his arm.’ She took Evie’s kit bag, ignoring her protest that she could manage it herself. ‘My flight officer said I could collect you on the way back.’
‘And I’m back on duty in an hour, so get a move on,’ said Jess, taking Evie’s arm and hurrying them through the ticket office towards the waiting car. ‘But I’ve got the whole night off, so I’ll catch up with you this evening.’
By the time the three girls were curled up in the armchairs in the schoolroom that night, cradling steaming cups of cocoa in their hands, Evie felt as though she had never left.
‘Spit it out,’ Jess said. ‘Tell us what’s put that dreamy glow into your face. That wasn’t put there by a dose of the flu. Am I right in thinking it has more to do with a certain squadron leader?’
‘What?’ Heat flooded into Evie’s cheeks. ‘How did you know?’
Jess laughed. ‘I didn’t until now, but when I heard he’d taken his Hurricane to the CRU I suspected.’
‘Is the whole station gossiping about me?’ Evie imagined walking into the Ops Room the next day, everyone whispering behind their hands.
‘Of course not.’ May frowned at Jess. ‘We’re your friends. We suspected Alex would call on you, but we didn’t breathe a word of it to anyone else.’
‘We’d never talk about you behind your back,’ Jess put in. ‘I’m hurt you would think so.’
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t—’
‘Nah, I’m just teasing.’ Laughter danced in Jess’s eyes. ‘Tell us everything. Don’t leave a single thing out. Seeing as you forgot all about us and didn’t write.’
Evie’s eyes slid out of focus, and she was back on Shotover Hill in Alex’s arms. She sighed. ‘It was wonderful. And I didn’t forget about you. But when I tried to write, I couldn’t find the words.’ Several times she’d sat in her room, pen poised over paper, but had found it impossible to express her feelings on the page.
‘Find them now. We’re dying to know.’
Evie told them all about the day out in Oxford, and the girls hooted with laughter when she described the incident with Julia Harris.
‘Good for you!’ Jess said. ‘I wish I could have been a fly on the wall and seen the expression on her stuck-up face when she saw you getting into that Lagonda.’
‘I’ll remember it for the rest of my life,’ declared Evie. ‘She looked like she’d bitten a lemon! She treated me like a piece of dirt all the years we were at school together. You can’t believe how good it felt to show her I’ve made something of my life. And Alex was marvellous.’
She allowed herself a few moments of reflection to remember the satisfaction of making Julia jealous, then went on to describe the rest of her time with Alex. ‘He was so lovely,’ she concluded. ‘I was worried he would look down on me after seeing where I lived, but he was perfect. Oh, and I took him to meet Cornelia, and she gave him the seal of approval.’ Cornelia’s brusque, ‘He seems like a good man,’ when she’d sent Alex on a spurious errand to get him out of the way had been the icing on the cake for Evie. Her mentor had then eyed her gravely and said, ‘Be certain you both want the same thing from your relationship before making a lasting commitment.’
Evie still wasn’t sure what Cornelia meant by that. Of course she and Alex wanted the same thing.
She shook off the memory, letting thoughts of Alex warm away the slight chill of misgiving. ‘He even helped me in the garden.’ She paused to take a sip of cocoa. ‘It’s funny. I never knew pulling weeds and harvesting vegetables could be so romantic.’
‘He actually helped?’ May’s eyes were round with shock.
Jess snorted. ‘Give me a dinner and dance any day. I can’t imagine Kincaith kneeling in the dirt with his sleeves rolled up.’
‘Well, he did. And without me asking, too. When he saw how worried I was about leaving Mum’s garden in a state, he offered to help.’
Evie noticed that May had bowed her head, studying her cup, chewing her lower lip. She remembered what May had said about having to wait on her father and brothers. ‘Not all men are like your family,’ she said softly.
May looked up. ‘I…I hope not.’
‘Alex i
sn’t. Nor is Peter.’
May gave a wistful smile, and Evie’s heart twisted. She hated what May’s family had done to her, but knew it was ultimately up to Peter to win her over.
‘Forget about the gardening,’ Jess said. ‘I want to hear about everything else.’
‘I’ve told you.’
Jess arched a perfectly shaped brow. ‘Everything? He didn’t expect anything in return for all his help?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean’ – Jess glanced at the closed door and lowered her voice – ‘did he try and persuade you to do anything you’re not ready for?’
‘No!’ Evie knew her face must be flaming; it felt like she could fry eggs on it. ‘He was a perfect gentleman. And even if he had, I wouldn’t let him. I meant what I said about taking my work seriously. I’m in the WAAF for the duration. I’m not going to risk getting knocked up and kicked out.’
But she’d thought about it. The day he had helped her with the garden, they’d been alone, Dora being at work. She’d thought then how easy it would be to invite him up into her bedroom. How tempting.
Jess studied her face as though trying to read her thoughts. Finally, she nodded as though satisfied. ‘Make sure you hold to that. It’s too easy, when the men are off risking their lives, to give in to them, but never forget you could end up ruined for life, with no blame sticking to the man, no matter the circumstances.’
Evie stared at Jess in surprise. She might have expected such a lecture from her mother or even May, but never Jess. Jess, the irreverent flirt, lecturing another girl on good behaviour? But a glance at Jess showed her that Jess’s mouth was pulled tight, and her eyes seemed focused on a scene far away from the cosy schoolroom. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. Jess spoke from bitter experience, she was sure, but judging from her closed expression, it was no good asking her about it.
‘Trust me. I’m not going to let Alex take advantage of me, even if he tried, which I’m sure he won’t. But listen. There’s something else.’
She told them of the sabotage attempt.
Jess’s eyes grew rounder as Evie recounted Alex’s brush with death. ‘What kind of bastard would do that?’ Then she paled. ‘Josef. Is that what happened to him?’
‘Alex thinks so.’
Jess clenched her fist. ‘Wait till I tell—’
‘No!’ Evie leaned forward so fast she slopped hot cocoa onto her knee. She ignored the scald and grasped Jess’s arm. ‘You mustn’t breathe a word to anyone. Alex made me promise not to tell a soul.’
‘Then why tell us?’ May asked, looking pale.
‘Because…’ She paused. She’d been so sure Jess and May would want to help, but was it fair to ask? They were working long hours; dark smudges ringed the eyes of both girls. It didn’t seem right to ask them to spend their precious free time trying to identify the saboteur. Besides, it could be dangerous.
But Jess leaned forward, her eyes shining. ‘You think we can ask around, see if we can hear anything the official investigation will miss?’
‘Yes, but—’
‘Count me in.’
‘Me too,’ said May, much to Evie’s surprise.
‘I don’t know,’ Evie said. ‘Maybe I’m being stupid. I was all fired up to give it a try when I first found out but now I don’t know what we could do that the station commander won’t have already tried.’
Jess snorted. ‘He’s not going to find out anything, the way he’s going about it. I mean, there have been no arrests, so they can’t have caught the saboteur.’
Evie dabbed at the spilled cocoa on her knee with her handkerchief while she thought. ‘Have any other pilots been lost?’
‘Two. Not from Brimstone,’ Jess added quickly. ‘Frank Pearson from Catseye and Simon Taylor from Wagtail.’
Was it wrong to feel relief that the pilots killed were ones she didn’t know personally? ‘Do you know what happened to them?’
Jess focused on a distant point while she answered. ‘Simon Taylor was shot down when I was on watch.’ She grimaced. ‘His flight was bounced by 109s when they were sent to intercept a raid heading for Southampton. Miracle any of them made it back, if you ask me. But Simon was in the fight for a while before he was shot down. No reports that his guns jammed.’
Nothing to indicate sabotage there. Evie chewed her lip. ‘What about Frank Pearson?’ She tried to picture him. She had a vague recollection of being introduced to him at the pub one evening: a young man with an earnest expression and dark red hair that wouldn’t lie flat. He’d only joined the squadron in July, not long before the German raids had started to arrive in wave after wave and Evie had been so exhausted at the end of each watch that she’d stopped going to the pub so often.
Jess shrugged. ‘It only happened today, when I was off the station, meeting you. I heard about it on my last watch, but there wasn’t time to ask more. Not that I knew there might be anything suspicious.’
‘I could ask Peter,’ May said. ‘He’ll get to see the combat reports.’
‘But don’t make it obvious you’re asking questions.’ Then Evie paused. ‘What makes you think Peter will tell you anything?’
May flushed. ‘We’ve been taking walks.’
Jess grinned. ‘Attagirl!’
‘Not like that!’ May’s cheeks glowed brighter. ‘Just as friends. I think he likes having someone he can talk to.’
‘Keep your hair on,’ Jess said. ‘I was only teasing. Promise to tell me when he plucks up the courage to start courting you, so I can give you the same lecture I gave Evie.’
May gave a reluctant smile.
‘But this is why we can do better than the station commander and the whitecaps,’ Jess said. ‘We can ask questions without raising suspicion. Make it seem like innocent chat.’
‘That’s what I thought, but we must be careful.’ Evie eyed her friends seriously. ‘This isn’t a game. Someone on the station is trying to kill our boys. And never forget the person you’re talking to could be the traitor.’
* * *
Alex flew his mended Hurricane back to Amberton the day after Evie left Oxford. ‘Give this a good look-over, Rawlins,’ he said to his fitter, climbing out of the cockpit onto the wing. ‘I don’t trust that crowd at the CRU as well as you.’
Rawlins grinned. ‘Right you are, sir.’
Alex jumped down and slung his parachute over the wing.
He was about to stride away when Rawlins called him back. ‘One more thing, sir. Good news: we’ve finally got our gun cameras. The lads finished fitting them yesterday.’
‘Good job, Rawlins. Thank you.’ Alex walked away with a spring in his step. He’d requested the gun cameras weeks ago and had awaited their arrival with increasing impatience. At last he’d be able to review gun camera footage to confirm kills.
An hour later, he was heading out of the station commander’s office, cleared for duty.
‘Welcome back, sir. Want a lift to dispersal?’ A car pulled to a halt next to him, and Alex saw Milan leaning over the passenger door, looking up at him. He was wearing his flying kit, his parachute slung on the back seat. Black streaks decorated his face like warpaint.
Alex looked him up and down as he climbed into the back. ‘What happened to you?’
Milan twisted around in his seat. ‘My engine overheated so I had to return early. She packed up when I reached the coast – the engine smoked like billy-o – I put her down in a field just before she caught fire.’ His odd mixture of formal English, as taught by Evie and Jess, peppered with slang picked up from the Erks and British pilots, always made Alex smile.
Alex sank into his seat as the car sped towards dispersal, but then he sat up, struck by a horrible thought. An overheating engine could be pure bad luck, of course, but it could also be sabotage. ‘Can anything be salvaged?’
‘No. I only just got out in time. She burned to a shell.’
Which meant any evidence of tampering would be destroyed. Alex hated feeling so h
elpless in the face of such a deadly threat. ‘Any casualties among the others?’
‘Not before I had to leave. They should be back now. Karol pulled out before me. Something about a jammed gun.’
Alex sat up straighter, all senses tingling. He gave a non-committal grunt but his mind whirred. He would have to talk to Karol immediately.
When they arrived at dispersal, Milan was greeted like a hero. Alex looked around, seeking for any face among the Erks and pilots that displayed chagrin that Milan was back safely. But everyone seemed genuinely happy to see Milan safe and sound. They welcomed Alex warmly as well.
Alex exchanged greetings but retired to his office as soon as he could get free, beckoning to Karol to follow. He closed the door behind Karol and pointed him to a chair. Then he sat at his desk and leaned forward, studying Karol across the top of steepled fingers.
‘Milan tells me you had to return early.’
Karol nodded. ‘The guns didn’t work.’
‘Did they give any trouble before?’
‘No. They work well until now.’ Unlike most of the other Czech pilots, Karol always tried to speak English, and it was improving as a result, even if he did make the occasional slip.
The roar of aero engines starting up split the air, drowning Karol’s last words. Alex waited for the flight from Catseye to take off before speaking again, grateful for the chance to frame his next words. Bob Law hadn’t wanted him to get in the way of the investigation, but he was damned if he was going to do nothing while his pilots flew into battle in machines that had been tampered with. He would have to be careful not to make it obvious he was doing anything other than making routine follow-up on a sortie, checking the readiness of his pilot and plane.
The growl rose to a crescendo. Alex glanced out of the window to see three Hurricanes rolling across the airfield, gathering speed. They lifted into the air and began to climb, the din fading to a distant drone.