The Ops Room Girls

by Vicki Beeby

  ‘We weren’t talking about you, of course.’ Jess shifted to give Milan room and changed the subject. But even as she asked May for more details about her narrow escape, the thought of promotion buzzed around her head. Hellerby thought she was a suitable candidate! No one ever thought she was good at anything. Until now. After all those failed auditions, being grateful for every walk-on part and place in a chorus line, she’d never expected to find success in the WAAF. An escape, yes, but not a fulfilling career. But did she really want to leave Amberton? She shot a sideways glance at Milan. There was something about the handsome Czech pilot that had got under her skin and she would miss him if she was posted elsewhere. Having said that, Evie was right: sooner or later they would be moved anyway. Wasn’t it best to go on her own terms?

  There was no harm in seeing Hellerby. She could always decline if she decided against it in the end. But wherever she ended up, she promised herself she would keep in touch with May and Evie.

  ‘What do you think, Jess?’ Evie’s voice roused Jess from her thoughts. She started and looked round to see all eyes on her.

  ‘I’m sorry. I was miles away.’

  Evie grinned. ‘We could see that. We were discussing whether Milan should buy a car.’

  ‘Best wait until the road’s repaired.’

  Milan shrugged. ‘It won’t take long. Then I can take you all to the seaside.’ He sighed. ‘We don’t have a coast in Czechoslovakia. It’s a shame I can only see your coast in the wartime, when all the beaches are covered with wire.’

  He looked so wistful Jess felt a twist of pity. She covered his hand with her own. ‘You’re on. Next time we can arrange a day’s pass at the same time, we’ll go to the sea.’

  ‘I would like that.’ Milan’s fingers were warm beneath hers, long and strong. His gaze met hers and the noise of the pub seemed to fade away.

  ‘I…’ Her brain had suddenly turned to mush. What had she been about to say? Say something. Anything. ‘Er…where do you go on holiday if you can’t go to the sea?’ Her voice sounded breathless. Milan’s thumb stroked the side of her palm. She snatched her hand away.

  ‘Lakes or mountains.’

  Jess had to think for a moment to remember what she had asked him in the first place. ‘Are they near your home?’

  Milan shook his head. ‘I live in Prague.’ His face changed. It was like a cloud moving across the sun as the light disappeared from his eyes. ‘Or I did, before the Germans came.’

  May leaned forward. ‘Karol was telling me about Prague the other day. He said it was very beautiful.’ Good old May, trying to cheer Milan up. Jess was grateful to her intervention, because she could think of little else save the lingering warmth in the hand that had touched Milan’s.

  Milan snatched at the offered comfort. ‘It is. More beautiful than any other city in the world.’ His accent became more obvious as he spoke, his eyes focused on a point a thousand miles away.

  ‘Did you know Karol before the war? He said he used to go to a club…’ A pucker formed between May’s brows. ‘A funny name. Dovey Vrahn. Or something.’

  Milan’s face creased in a smile, the sun dawning again. ‘Dvě Vrány?’

  ‘That was it. Do you know it?’

  ‘I did. It was very popular. It closed down some years ago.’

  May shook her head. ‘You must be thinking of a different club. Karol said he went there the last night he was in Prague, to say goodbye. What else did he say?’ She tapped the side of her glass, frowning into her drink before looking up. ‘I know. He said it was on an island. Something to do with tents.’

  ‘Tents?’ Then Milan’s face cleared. ‘Kampa Island?’

  May giggled. ‘I knew it was something to do with tents.’

  ‘But that’s the club I thought you meant. Dvě Vrány.’ Milan shrugged. ‘It’s on Kampa Island. Or was. Like I said, it closed years ago, in about 1935. Karol can’t have been there last year.’

  Evie glanced between May and Milan, frowning. ‘Why would he lie?’

  Milan shrugged. ‘Who knows?’ Then he grinned. ‘Perhaps he really comes from Moravia and is too ashamed to say.’

  Another Czech pilot happened to pass the table, and Milan hailed him. ‘Hey, Jiří. We think Karol is really a křupan from Moravia.’

  Jiří paused. ‘You may be right. The other day, I asked where in Prague he lived, and he said Vyšehrad. I asked which street because he might know my uncle. He changed the subject.’ He grinned. ‘Imagine if he’s really a farmer from Moravia!’ Jess had learned a little of the rivalry between Bohemia and Moravia while teaching English to the pilots. The Bohemians considered themselves superior to the Moravians, more educated and cultured. The Moravians thought the Bohemians were snobbish and unfriendly.

  Milan glanced around. ‘Where is he, anyway? He’s supposed to be back today.’

  ‘He left a message. Couldn’t get past the bridge. He’s going to try going the long way around across the fields tomorrow.’

  ‘May managed it,’ said Jess indignantly. ‘He should have made more effort.’

  Jiří shrugged. ‘It will save on ammo.’

  ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

  Jiří opened his mouth to answer, but Milan spoke to him sharply in Czech. Jiří looked chastened and walked away.

  ‘What was that about?’

  ‘I warned him not to spread rumours.’

  ‘What rumours?’ An idea was forming in Jess’s mind. From the sudden lift of Evie’s eyebrows, she could tell Evie was thinking the same thing.

  ‘I shouldn’t say,’ Milan replied, shifting in his seat as though unable to get comfortable.

  Evie leaned across the table. ‘Milan, I promise we won’t speak of this to anyone else, but this might be important. What did Jiří mean about saving ammo?’

  Milan chewed his lower lip and glanced around at the three girls. ‘Promise me this won’t go any further?’ When the girls all nodded, he said, ‘Karol often runs out of ammo before the rest of us, which means he breaks off an attack early. Some of the pilots think he’s afraid to fight, that he fires his guns over the sea to empty them before he returns to the station.’

  ‘Does Alex know?’ Evie asked.

  Milan nodded. ‘He’s had a word with Karol already about wasting ammo. I think he’s reluctant to take it further. The RAF doesn’t approve of cowardice.’

  Jess nodded. She’d heard tales of pilots accused of ‘lacking moral fibre’. In some cases, they’d been transferred to the ground crew on remote stations, treated like lepers.

  ‘I think he wants to give Karol a chance,’ Milan continued. ‘Some of the lads are running out of patience, though. They say he’s a danger to the rest of us.’

  Jess would have asked more, but Evie glanced at her watch. ‘Goodness,’ she said, ‘Jess, we’re back on watch in half an hour.’

  Jess sprang to her feet. If she was going to pursue promotion, she mustn’t have any black marks against her name.

  Milan rose as well. ‘I’ll walk you back.’

  ‘That’s very kind, but it’s still light.’ Evie shot Jess a look, which Jess interpreted as a plea for her to agree.

  ‘We’ll be fine, Milan. Anyway, I wanted to ask Evie’s advice on how I should cut my hair. You’d find our conversation terribly dull.’

  May must also have interpreted Evie’s stare, for she rose. ‘I’ll come back with you. I could use a bath and an early night after the day I’ve had.’

  ‘Very well.’ Before Jess knew what he’d planned, Milan lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. ‘Na shledanou.’

  The back of her hand burned long after she’d left the pub.

  * * *

  Evie waited until they were out of earshot of those sitting at tables outside, enjoying the warmth of the evening. She collected her bike and pushed it alongside Jess and May. Her heart pounded with excitement at what she’d just heard, but she managed to contain herself until she knew they couldn’t be overheard.
<
br />   ‘Spit it out, Evie,’ Jess said finally. ‘We both know you’re dying to say something. We could have had another quarter of an hour at the pub.’

  Evie wondered if Jess had wanted to spend more time with Milan. Milan certainly had seemed keen. She wondered why Jess, who flirted with all the men, was always more reserved when with the handsome Czech pilot. Then she pushed the thought from her head. What she had to say couldn’t wait. ‘What if Karol is the saboteur? Don’t you find it suspicious that he says he comes from Prague, but didn’t know a well-known club had closed down?’

  ‘I wondered that,’ May said, ‘but he’s Czech. I thought the Czechs hated the Nazis even more than us.’

  ‘What if he’s not Czech? What if he’s a German spy?’ Then Evie remembered something else. ‘That reminds me. I met him in the woods once, and I thought there was something odd going on.’ She explained about the metallic tapping noise she’d heard. ‘I didn’t think much of it at the time, but it could have been a Morse key.’

  May came to a sudden stop, nearly tripping Evie, who’d been walking slightly behind. ‘I drove him to the railway station the other day. He wouldn’t let go of his suitcase the whole way there.’

  Evie felt the hairs rise on the nape of her neck. ‘This is it,’ she said. ‘It’s him. It has to be.’

  ‘But what can we do?’ Jess asked. ‘All we have is rumour. No actual evidence. I’ll admit Karol’s a bit too oily for my liking, but that’s no grounds to accuse him of spying.’

  Evie walked on in silence for a while. The only sound was the rattle of her bicycle chain. ‘I’ll talk to Alex,’ she said eventually. ‘He’ll know what to do.’ She paused again, then said, ‘I hope to God he takes me seriously this time.’

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Evie got her chance to speak to Alex late the next morning during her first two-hour break of the day. Brimstone squadron had returned from Tangmere the previous evening, but several pilots had suffered flesh wounds and most of their Hurricanes needed repairs. The station commander had taken the decision to stand the squadron down for two days to give everyone a chance to recover and get their Hurricanes back to working order. That left Alex free to meet Evie after her watch; Evie, wanting some peace after a frantic morning, elected to go for a walk.

  They left the station together and strolled up the lane, heading for the wooded hillside behind the station. As soon as they were outside the gate, Alex tucked her arm inside his, and Evie leaned against his shoulder, enjoying this rare moment of closeness. The worry of yesterday still lingered in her mind, and she observed him sidelong, looking for any sign of injury. It was a great comfort to discover him whole and well. She breathed in the faint scent of soap and cigarette smoke that always seemed to linger about his person. The roar of aero engines filled the air as six Hurricanes from one of the other squadrons took off. She watched them climb until they disappeared into the clouds. It was easier to admire their graceful flight when she knew Alex was safe on the ground.

  She hated to break this moment of peace, but her news was too urgent to delay. When they reached the stile that gave access to the woodland path, she paused. ‘Alex, I heard something yesterday that got me thinking. Please hear me out before you say anything.’

  To his credit, Alex didn’t interrupt while Evie outlined her reasons for suspecting Karol. When she finished, he leant against a fence post and fingered one of the stems of cow parsley that nearly hid the stile from view. ‘Who else have you told?’

  ‘Only Jess and May, and they know better than to gossip.’ Evie still stung at Alex’s refusal to believe neither of her friends had spread the tale of the sabotage.

  ‘Make sure that they don’t.’ Alex let go of Evie’s arm and raked his fingers through his hair. ‘Do you have any idea what you’re suggesting? You think a member of my own squadron is a spy?’

  ‘I know they’re like a family to you but think about it. How well do you really know them?’

  Alex opened his mouth but then seemed to change his mind and looked back at the cow parsley, shaking his head. ‘We have to rely on one another. If I let suspicion into the ranks, the squadron will fall apart.’

  There was a note of finality in his tone that made Evie grit her teeth. Was that it? Alex, her lord and master, had spoken so she was expected to accept his word as law? She couldn’t let it go; the stakes were too high. ‘If you have a spy in your midst, the squadron’s in far greater danger.’

  Alex gazed at her for a moment, the corners of his mouth pulled down. A tight knot formed in Evie’s stomach; she hated being at odds with him when their time together was so precious. ‘Alex, you must—’

  Alex tore away his gaze and snapped off the head of cow parsley with unnecessary force. ‘Give me a moment to think. Not only have you just announced a member of my squadron is a spy, you’ve also clearly been asking around when I told you not to.’

  He reached for her hand, but she jerked it away. ‘That’s so unfair. Believe it or not, the whole thing about Karol came out in conversation with Milan. I wasn’t even thinking about the saboteur at the time but pardon me for realising it might help you find him.’ Alex’s eyes widened in shock, but she couldn’t seem to stop the words pouring from her mouth. ‘Next time I learn something that might save lives I’ll keep it to myself, shall I?’

  She glared at him, daring him to snap back at her. For the space of several seconds, counted out by the painful pounding of her heart against her ribs, Alex said nothing. Then he closed his eyes and sank onto the stile with a groan. He reached up and pulled her down to sit beside him. This time she didn’t resist.

  ‘God, Evie, I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’m saying. I just’ – he swallowed and clasped her hand more tightly – ‘I cannae bear to think of anything happening to you.’

  The broadening of his accent was a sure sign he was upset; the fight drained out of her as she remembered May’s opinion that Alex was trying to protect her. ‘I worry about you, too, but I don’t try and stop you from flying. I know it’s something you have to do and something you love. The flying, not the fighting.’ She was starting to babble. She gathered her thoughts and tried again. ‘What I’m trying to say is you need to let me do my duty, do the things I love and…’ She fumbled for the right words then abandoned the attempt. ‘Oh, I can’t explain myself. I’m a mathematician, remember. I’m better with numbers than words.’ She was relieved to see the beginnings of a smile tug at the corners of Alex’s mouth.

  ‘I think you explained yourself better than you think,’ he said. He rose, tugging her to her feet. ‘Let’s not spoil our walk.’ He put his foot upon the stile then paused and looked back at her. ‘I promise I’ll think about what you said. I do value your opinion. I hope you realise that.’

  Some of the tightness in her gut eased. ‘Thank you.’

  Once over the stile, they walked into the woods. Now September had arrived, the first signs of autumn were appearing. The brambles were weighed down with ripe blackberries, and wasps and hoverflies hummed around the heavy, purple fruit. The edges of the beech leaves were tinged with the faintest signs of gold. Here and there Evie could see horse chestnut trees, their branches bowing under the weight of spiky green conkers.

  They strolled on, their footfalls muffled by the crumbled remains of last year’s fallen leaves. Eventually Alex spoke again. ‘If you had firm evidence, I could investigate, but I won’t ruin a man’s chances because of hearsay and supposition. There are logical explanations for all your suspicions. If you’d seen him use a transmitter that would have been different.’

  Evie sighed, not having an answer. The trouble was, now she came to relate her suspicions, they did sound feeble. As Milan had pointed out at the pub, just because Karol didn’t come from Prague when he’d said he did, it didn’t make him a spy. He could simply be ashamed of his origins. She wished more than ever that she’d seen what he was doing in the woods.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I didn’t mean to hea
p more worry on your head.’

  Alex spoke again. ‘I’ll keep an eye on him. I can promise you that, at least.’

  She knew she should be satisfied with that, but she couldn’t let go of the worry that Karol would cause more harm unless he was stopped. If Alex couldn’t, or wouldn’t, investigate, she would have to keep watch on him herself.

  It was just one more thing to keep from Alex. She wondered if she should tell him about her decision to go for officer training. In the end she decided against it. She still didn’t know if she’d be accepted on the course, and she didn’t want to break it to Alex that she would be leaving Amberton until she knew for certain.

  * * *

  After parting company with Evie by the entrance to Ops, Alex wandered aimlessly for a while. Try as he might, he couldn’t shake Evie’s argument from his mind. Was she right? Had he been harbouring a spy and a saboteur all this time? No. He pushed aside the thought with an effort. Surely he would have noticed something wrong by now if it were true.

  You’ve already had to speak to him about wasting ammo. The thought prodded at him, but he did his best to ignore it. He turned his face to the sky, determined to enjoy the sun on a rare day of freedom.

  It felt strange being in the midst of a hive of activity with nothing particular to do. Teams of men clustered around bomb craters, filling them in, while others repaired shattered windows. By tomorrow, Amberton would look like it had never suffered an attack.

  The drone of approaching aircraft made him look up in time to see two Hurricanes skimming the hedge at the far end of the airfield. Black smoke poured from the engine of one; Alex held his breath as it touched down. An ambulance and a fire engine tore down the field towards it, bells ringing.

  ‘Open the canopy,’ Alex muttered. ‘Don’t get trapped.’

  He watched, dry-mouthed, as the Hurricane taxied to a halt well away from the dispersal pens. The ground crew flung down their tools and raced towards it, shouting, probably screaming at the pilot to get out, but Alex couldn’t hear from this distance. Flames were licking around the fuselage by this time, but the canopy was still closed; the fire crew sprayed water while two of them climbed onto the wing. But then the fuselage caught fire with a rush of flame, and the rescuers barely had time to fling themselves clear before the cockpit was consumed. Alex felt sick but couldn’t tear his eyes from the scene. He was too far away to see but imagined he could see hands clawing at the canopy from inside.