“I bet you wish I hadn’t survived,” he said.
She looked at him briefly before standing. “Take the babies up and let’s go up too. I don’t want them away from us tonight.”
“We’ll have them with us in our bedroom.”
Shirley went into the kitchen. Daniel ran up the stairs with the babies. He went for the cot, carried it into their bedroom and lifted the babies in one by one. His sons and if Shirley hadn’t acted so quickly, though he was not sure exactly what had happened, they could have been hurt. Shirley could have been hurt. He covered the babies and sat on the bed.
He would like something to eat and drink, he thought, because he had not had anything all day. But it would be the height of bad manners to suggest he get something and he wasn’t at all sure of Shirley at this moment. He’d get it after she slept. He lay back on the bed, his eyes on the babies.
He should have realised it was all a con, he thought, and not agreed to meet Schmidt. Schmidt had never been on the level in anything and Daniel should have known better. Except that if he hadn’t gone Schmidt might have tried something later. But having them grab him in London in broad daylight had never crossed his mind.
They had chosen their spot well and must have been waiting for him. There were cameras near the gates but they had grabbed him before he reached them and nobody saw them pull him into their car boot. The surprise of his attack enabled them to succeed and it was not too long before they drove south. He knew it was south because of the sound of the car crossing the bridge. He even knew in which direction they were going because of certain sounds while they travelled.
They took him to a house but by that time he did not know where because any familiar sounds had stopped. By the time they reached the house they had covered his eyes and tied his hands. It was embarrassing. It was humiliating and what would Shirley think of a husband who was so stupid? What would Lindell and Johann think? A member of Intelligence and he had not been prepared or able to defend himself. When they reached the house they left him tied up and locked in a small room.
He managed to free himself. Of course he did. He was good at that, he knew, but how to get out of the house he did not know. By the time he was able to walk over to look out of the small and only window in the room it was seven in the evening. Before he could work out how to escape they burst into the room with guns, tied him up and blindfolded him again. Then they took him to the car where they put him in the boot once again.
He guessed they would go to his house and was terrified of what they would do to his family. The babies. He had to protect the babies. He had to protect Shirley. It was essential that he get out of the boot and into the house before they did or at least that he overpowered Schmidt when they opened the boot. By the time the car stopped and the men got out he had managed once again to untie his hands and remove the blindfold.
He would have been out of the boot in minutes, he knew, because he was expert at that sort of thing. He could probably have overpowered Schmidt and the man with him. But Shirley let him out before he could do so. It was once again embarrassing and certainly humiliating. Whatever did she think of a husband who could not defend himself?
He bent to kiss the babies, a frown creasing his forehead. Two beautiful little sons and what would his involvement in Intelligence do to them? Would he one day actually be dead? Would they not have a father just as Shirley thought they would not when he was reported dead? Would she be pleased to be shot of him? All he ever did was bring her hassle. Even worse, would she one day feel he wasn’t worth it and leave him? He looked up at footsteps and she walked in carrying a large tray filled with food and drink which she set on the locker.
“Have you eaten or drunk today?” she asked.
“No. I need to shower first. I feel filthy.”
“Okay.” She began to undress. His eyes were dark with emotion as he looked at her.
“You want to shower with me?”
“I want to beat you up and I still may. Did they hurt you?”
“No.”
“I don’t believe you because you were in an accident. You’ve got cuts on your face. Undress, Fitzgerald, and get in the shower. We’ll deal with your wounds afterwards.”
He did what she said. She followed him under the water and he turned away from her to try to hide the reaction he always had with her. She reached for him gently, careful not to touch the abrasions on his arms and body.
“You’re hurt,” she said.
“I’m okay and I’m sorry. Just ignore me and I’ll quieten down.”
“Come here,” she said and it was a little while before they went back into the room where the babies still slept.
Shirley began to dab disinfectant on the areas which were raw. Daniel winced but said nothing.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Was the crash very bad?”
“I had a split second to turn the car so the truck hit the back of it more than the side. The car is a write off, I would imagine. It’s in a garage in Dorking. I was about to get out of the boot when you came. I know how to do that but it took a while to untie my hands.”
“I know.”
“What do you mean, you know?”
“Your wrists are obviously burnt from a rope. I also know you wouldn’t have lain in a boot not doing anything. You’re too clever for that. Do your wounds hurt very much?”
It was a relief for him to hear that. It meant she did not regard him as some kind of a wimp. “They’re okay,” he said. “What happened with you?”
“I heard the door open and thought it was you but I didn’t call out in case. Johann rang earlier and Lindell rang this evening. I was going to take the babies to Intelligence because I felt there was nowhere else safe to go and I didn’t want to involve Connie. I stood behind the door and when Schmidt came in I tripped him. The other bloke followed and I did the same to him. I told them to put down their guns but Schmidt came towards me so I shot his hand and his foot and must confess I rather enjoyed doing it.”
“I didn’t know you knew I had guns,” Daniel said.
“I probably know a lot of things you think I don’t. I don’t want us to live in fear. It was supposed to end when the wall came down.”
“It’s just Schmidt trying to get revenge,” Daniel said.
“Maybe but there are others and Brandt, Nagel and Loesel are now free. Are they going to come after us too?”
“They’re back in prison. Johann told me.” He put his arms round Shirley as she began to shiver and held her tightly. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“I think I’m reacting to Schmidt coming in. One of them called out in your voice but it wasn’t your footsteps which made me realise it wasn’t you.”
“Schmidt does voices,” Daniel said.
“Schmidt does a lot of things. Eat, darling. You must be hungry. Have you had nothing at all?”
“Not since this morning. I was more thirsty than hungry.”
“You must be in shock too.”
“I’m okay though the day hasn’t been so good. It’s looking up now.” Daniel stretched on the bed and bit hungrily into the egg and bacon sandwich Shirley had prepared. He handed her one as she sat beside him then paused. “Shall we thank God?”
“For the food and everything.” He prayed and the phone rang. Shirley lifted the receiver.
“Shirley? This is Susan. Are you alright?”
“Yes, thank you. Why shouldn’t I be alright?”
“You know why. You need to find out from Daniel what’s going on. I am sure he knows more than he says and I don’t want you or the babies in danger.”
Shirley looked briefly at Daniel. “What danger?”
“Schmidt went to him for a reason. I’m sure of that. Why he then attacked him I don’t know unless he felt that by doing that he could get to you. I think he still resents the way you both got so much over him and the way he was hurt in the car explosion.”
“I shot his hand and foot,” Shirley said.
“Good for you. He, Nagel, Loesel and Brandt seem to want personal retribution. But I think there’s more than that. Something is going to happen here but I don’t know what nor can I understand why Schmidt said what he said to Daniel about it. We aren’t involved but Johann is, I know. I’m not happy about any of it but I didn’t think it would extend to you. I also cannot understand why Schmidt would stage a crash. It could have killed Daniel. Get it out of him, darling, so things can be sorted.”
“I’ll try. How is Lisette?”
“Beautiful. How are Michael and Samuel?”
“The same. Thank you, Susan. Do you want to speak to Daniel?”
“Not tonight because I’d probably say things I regret. Goodnight, darling.”
“Goodnight.” Shirley set down the phone, picked up her sandwich and began to eat. Daniel looked at her with a frown creasing his face. He liked Susan but he rather suspected she still was not too happy at having her sister married to him.
“What?” he asked.
“What what?”
“She’s mad at me, isn’t she?”
“Yes.”
“What’s new?” He went to get out of bed. She pulled him back. Rolling him she swung him across her and patted him gently before stroking and covering him.
“Stay. I’m not blaming you for what happened tonight. It wasn’t you fault. What we have to do is work out what Schmidt is up to.”
“We?” He turned his head to look at her as she put his sandwich back in his hand.
“We and you’re not excluding me. I am not stupid, as you well know,
and all this affects me as well as you. Susan thinks something is going to happen in Berlin. What is going to happen?”
“I don’t know.” Daniel moved up the bed and began to eat. Shirley moved right up against him and put her leg over his.
“Tell me,” she said.
He gave an exaggerated sigh. “You never let me away with anything, do you?”
“Have you any complaints?”
“Not one except that I don’t want you in danger.”
“I will be in more danger if I don’t know anything. I was this evening. If you had phoned earlier in the day and let me know what was happening I would have been more prepared. I’m not a child, darling, who has to be protected and you never have been able to protect me. Well, you did in Germany when we were on the run but even then we both had to go our own ways in the end and work out what to do. Will you let me know things in future?”
“I’ve been so used to working things out on my own,” Daniel said. “It’s no insult to you but I should have said something. The thing is I thought I was okay because I didn’t go with Schmidt in his car to London. I didn’t know if he really had tried to kill me but I didn’t go with him because I didn’t trust him at all. They grabbed me before I reached Intelligence before I got to the part where there are cameras. Then I was terrified because I was afraid they would get to you but I could do nothing about it. I’m really sorry.”
“That’s okay. Tell me what you think is going to happen in Germany.”
“I honestly don’t know but I think it’s something to do with the official reunification. I’m hoping it’s only Schmidt, Loesel, Brandt and Nagel because now they’re in prison. Johann says he’s heard rumours through his usual grapevines that something is being planned so it could involve a lot of people but those four have to be a bit mad.”
“Totally mad,” Shirley said.
“Yes. I think maybe they’re going to try to do a coup d'état which would mean that more than them are involved.”
“Why do you think that?” Shirley asked.
“Johann knows more about it because he has access to informants. Also Schmidt said something was going to happen though maybe what he did was just a personal vendetta. As you probably know the German Democratic Republic has been dissolved and five states have been recreated.”
“Brandenburg, Meckleburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia.”
“Yes. At the German Reunification they will become part of the Federal Republic of Germany. Elections for new state parliaments are to be held in the five states on October fourteenth. The official reunification is on the third. The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is hoping to become the largest party in all states except Brandenburg where the Social Democratic Party of Germany are in a good position to become the largest party.”
“So you think something may be planned for the third or for the fourteenth?”
“Could be or near to it. That’s what Johann thinks and I rather suspect the division of German Intelligence for which Johann works thinks the same. Schmidt, Nagel, Loesel and Brandt aren’t that interested in politics, I rather suspect, only in themselves. However, it wouldn’t do them any harm if a coup d'état is pulled off and they are probably planning to be in charge. I’m not sure which one of them plans to be president. Maybe all four which, of course, would weaken them.”
“But they’re now in prison,” Shirley said. “Though Lord Drummond has been released.”
“Maybe not for long if there’s someone in the government who is either planning this or helping with it. There are a lot of cranks around who would happily be part of such an enterprise and Germany has been in a vulnerable position for some time.”
“So how are we going to find out what’s going on?” Shirley asked.
“Not….” Daniel paused and fell sideways as Shirley pushed him “I don’t know,” he said, straightening. “I don’t want you and the babies in danger.”
“As I said, I’m in more danger if I don’t know anything.” Shirley turned to put her hand on Daniel’s face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. Did I hurt you?”
He put his arm round her. “I do love you so much,” he said.
“And I you. Did I hurt you?”
“No, darling. You didn’t hurt me.”
“What about Dr. Schneider? He seemed to know more than most.”
“Johann said something about seeing him tomorrow. Emile might be of help as well. One good thing where the Resistance was concerned was that nobody knew they were part of the Resistance which means no-one suspects them of being more than they were and are. I need to go to Germany.”
“If you do I’m coming with you,” Shirley said.
“What about the babes?”
“They go with us, of course. Being in England makes them or us no more safe as was proved today by what happened. I suggest we go tomorrow. We only have a few days until the celebrations and the signing of agreements.”
“Or we just leave German Intelligence to do their own dirty work instead of being involved.”
“Which could involve us. Ring and book us on a plane after you’ve finished eating and I'll start packing. See if you can make it tomorrow morning.”
“Are you sure, sweetheart?” Daniel turned on his side to look at Shirley, his expression rather intense. She put out her hand to trace along the frown furrows on his forehead.
“Darling, we are tied up with all this and we’re not going to have any peace until things are resolved. We have friends in Germany who mean a lot to us and you probably more than me because you were in East Germany for a while. So many people helped you and a coup would affect them as much as anyone else. It would affect Helen, Johann and the expected baby, also Susan, Stefan and Lisette. It will affect us because we think a lot of them all. On that basis we need to at least look into what is going on, even find out if anything is going on. Do you not agree with all that?”
“Yes, I suppose I do. How early shall we go?”
“About twelve. We would have been going to Berlin soon, anyway, because of my concert at the Philharmonie on the third.”
“I forgot about that.”
“By then we want to know that things are okay.”
“Yes.” Daniel lifted the receiver, dialed and spoke into it. “I would like to make a booking for Berlin for two adults and two babies around midday tomorrow,” he said.
Chapter 2
27th September, 1990
Shirley settled in her seat on the plane, her eyes half on Daniel who sat beside her holding Michael and Samuel, half on the paper in front of her. She loved watching him with the babies and never stopped being thankful after she thought he was dead that they had a father. A good looking father with his dark hair, brown eyes and lean figure. She leaned sideways to kiss him and the babies, turned back to the newspaper cuttings and skimmed through them.
She had kept most of the newspapers concerning what had gone on in Germany over the months since the borders opened and one of them was the Los Angeles Times, dated March 20, 1990. She had gone downstairs after Daniel slept the night before and taken articles from different newspapers in order to study them. She read a few before returning to their bedroom. Now she had some more she wanted to examine.
“East Germany's newly elected political leaders began the search for a coalition government on Monday as the pace of German unification once again moved toward full throttle. At his first post election news conference, Lothar de Maiziere, leader of the victorious conservative Christian Democrats and the man likely to become East German prime minister, said that one of the first acts of the new government would be the demolition of the Berlin Wall.”
The Berlin Wall, Shirley thought, and what a lot of misery that had brought. It had separated families. It had been the scene of attempted escapes from east to west. It had been the scene of deaths. It had separated her and Daniel for a long time until the barriers were opened. How she had hated it. She skimmed down the article and started to read again.
“The results of East Germany's first free elections Sunday left the three party group called the Alliance for Germany that de Maiziere's Christian Democrats led just a few seats short of a clear majority in the 400-seat Parliament. De Maiziere called on other parties Monday to join his coalition in a still broader coalition to steer the country through the unification process with West Germany.”
The Berlin Vendetta: Book 3 in the series 'The Enigmatic Defection' Page 4