by Lou Kuenzler
“Das ist eine Landkarte,” said Karl.
“A map,” translated Gus.
“A treasure map?” asked Greta, her head bobbing up above the windowsill to see.
“Get down!” hissed Gus.
“Quick,” said Edie. “Hide! They’re coming this way.”
Chapter Twenty
Maps and Plans
The Snigsons were definitely heading towards the old railway carriage.
Edie and Gus stared at one another in blind panic.
“What do you think they want?” said Gus, his eyes wide.
“I don’t know.” Edie shook her head. She could feel her heart pounding. “Hurry.”
They only had a few moments to scramble into a hiding place.
She motioned to Karl to squeeze himself under a long bench below the window. He lay down with his fists clenched tightly by his side as Gus threw her the red-and-white tablecloth, and she stuffed it on top of the airman, trying to disguise him as best she could. Gus slid under the bench opposite as Edie grabbed Greta and crawled beneath a row of seats at the other end of the carriage.
Edie lay flat on her tummy, her nose almost touching Greta’s, who was doing the same. She could feel the little girl’s hot, frightened breath on her face. She put her finger to her lips and prayed Greta would stay quiet.
It was only now they were hiding that Edie realized she had made a terrible mistake. She had panicked. They shouldn’t have hidden themselves at all. They should have concealed Karl and then stayed visible themselves, as if they were innocently playing in the carriage. That way, the Snigsons might just have poked their heads in or passed on by.
But it was too late to change their plan now.
The door flung open and Len Snigson strode in.
Edie could see his thick brown boots an inch or so from her nose.
“So,” he said, pacing up and down. “Now we wait.”
“Aye,” agreed Donny. “We wait.”
Edie tilted her head to try and see what they were doing. Len dropped the bulging satchel on the table opposite her. He started to unpack the papers inside.
“We’ve gold dust here,” he said. “Get this into the right hands and we’ll be rich.”
“Aye,” said Donny again. He had wedged the long leather tube between his knees and was gently easing out the rolled up document inside. Karl was right – it was a map. Edie caught a glimpse of little patchwork-square fields and the red lines which marked the roads.
Donny laid the map flat on the table and the two brothers stared at it in silence for a moment. Then Len punched the air.
“You can see the whole chuffin’ railway marked out on here,” he cheered. “Gold dust, that’s what it is.”
He was so excited, he punched the air again. Donny jumped out of the way. As he leapt backwards, he knocked a thick brown envelope off the edge of the table. The contents spilled on to the floor with a thud.
“Pick ’em up,” growled Len, and Donny sank to his knees.
There were at least twenty or thirty photographs spread across the floor. He began crawling around, gathering up the pictures, just a few inches away from where Edie lay. Just one glance sideways and he would see her there, hiding under the bench. Edie had to bite her lip to stop herself from gasping out loud. She stared at Greta with wide eyes, willing her not to make a sound either.
If she’d stretched out her hand, Edie could have touched Donny’s shoulder. One photograph had fallen halfway under the seat where she was lying. Her heart was pounding as she waited for him to turn and pick it up.
“Look here,” said Len, jabbing the table as he pointed to something on the map. “You can see the railway bridge at the bottom of our field as clear as day.”
“That’s good, isn’t it? Reckon that’s just the sort of thing they’ll need,” said Donny, standing up.
Quick as a flash, Edie snatched the last photograph from the floor and clutched it to her chest before anyone could notice they had left it behind and bend down to pick it up. She couldn’t bear to risk being seen all over again.
“Did you get ’em all?” said Len, as Donny stuffed the rest of the pictures back into the big brown envelope.
“Aye,” said Donny. “Reckon so.” He glanced over his shoulder and nodded.
Edie breathed out slowly, her heart thumping.
“How long now?” said Len, pacing down to the other end of the carriage.
“Five minutes. Maybe ten,” said Donny.
They both sank down on the bench by the window. Edie held her breath again. Karl was lying right beneath where the brothers sat, covered only by the thin checked tablecloth. If they looked down and lifted the corner of the fabric, they would discover him at once.
Edie felt a tug on her arm. Greta was mouthing something, her little face screwed up with urgency.
“I need a wee!”
Edie shook her head. She looked away, trying not to make eye-contact. Perhaps if she didn’t look at her, Greta would stay quiet and hold on a little longer. But how much longer? Five or ten minutes, at least. That’s what Donny had just said. But who were they waiting for? And why here, hidden away in the old dining carriage where nobody ever came?
Edie glanced down at the photograph in her hand. It was of the railway – just a long straight stretch of track. Why would anyone want to take a picture of that? She turned it over and saw a line of numbers written in red ink across the back. It looked like some sort of code or coordinates from a map…
Her heart began to pound faster than ever. It was all starting to make sense. The Snigsons were spies! Why else would they be surveying the railway so carefully? They weren’t engineers – yet they had all these photographs and they’d been out and about taking notes. Everything she had overheard the brothers say seemed to have something to do with the railway tracks. They were up to no good, for sure. But this wasn’t just a few black-market sausages or an unlicensed pig: this was maps and photographs and documents.
Edie shivered as she remembered what Perky had said yesterday: “Hitler would love to bring the railways to a standstill… Without trains the whole bloomin’ country would grind to a halt.”
She’d laughed at him for sounding like an old man. But it didn’t sound funny to her any more. It sounded terrible … and true. The Snigsons had maps and photographs showing exactly where the railway lines ran. Britain’s enemies would pay good money for documents like that. The brothers would get rich – and Hitler would get vital information. The German Luftwaffe would know exactly where to drop their bombs.
Edie wriggled her feet, trying desperately not to make a sound. She had been lying still so long she had pins and needles. But she knew what she had to do – even if it meant risking her own life, even if she might expose Karl’s hiding place. She had to stop those documents falling into the wrong hands. The Snigsons were clearly waiting in the old carriage for some sort of secret meeting to hand over these maps and photographs. Edie had to get the papers away from here before that. She only had a few minutes left to act.
“Shh!” She put her finger to her lips to warn Greta to stay still and quiet one last time. Then she slipped out from under the seat and crawled towards the table. She snatched the map in one hand and the satchel in the other. Papers and photographs went flying everywhere as she staggered on to her shaky legs and bolted for the door.
“Oi!” Len Snigson leapt up from the bench.
“Stop!” roared Donny as she scrabbled to open the door.
“I know what you’re doing … and I won’t let you,” cried Edie. She had no real plan – she just knew she had to get away and take as many of the papers with her as she could.
She scrambled outside and began to run.
“Got you!” She was only halfway across the log drawbridge when Donny Snigson’s hand grabbed her collar.
“Like a rat in a trap!” sneered Len as his brother dangled her in mid-air by the scruff of the neck.
Papers and photographs fluttered do
wn into the ditch below.
“What are you playing at?” Len was so close he almost spat in her face.
“I’m not afraid of you,” roared Edie, even though her legs were shaking as they dragged her back inside the carriage. “I can stand up to you all by myself.” She hoped Gus would understand and keep out of sight. But even if he got the message, Greta did not.
“Stop, you big bully! Put Edie down, right now,” she yelled, scrambling out from her hiding place and hurtling towards Donny like a tiny charging bull.
“Well, well, well! So there’s two of you, is there?” Len picked her up under one arm as she squealed and kicked. “Sit there, little’un, and shut up!” He plonked Greta down on the row of seats she had been hiding under. Donny pushed Edie down beside her.
“There’s three of us actually,” Gus crawled out from under the bench at the other end of the carriage.
Edie groaned. She should have known he’d never leave her and Greta to face the Snigsons by themselves. She just hoped that Karl would have the sense to stay hidden.
“Leave Edie and my sister alone,” said Gus, drawing himself up to his full height and standing with his hands on his hips.
Unfortunately, he only came up to Len Snigson’s chest.
“Ha! It’s the little lad too,” sneered Len.
Edie leapt to her feet, but Donny pushed her down again.
“You’re spies!” she said, clutching the remaining papers and pictures as tightly as she could. “That’s what you are!”
“Spies?” Donny gave a nervous laugh.
“What makes you think that?” Len’s face gave nothing away.
“These,” said Edie, waving a fistful of photographs. “And all those maps of the railway. I heard you. You said you were going to get rich. You’re going to sell them to the enemy. ”
“I heard you too,” said Gus. “That’s why you been surveying the tracks. Not just today, but for weeks. We’ve been watching you, you know.”
“Oh, I do know,” said Len coolly. He took a cigarette from his pocket and rolled it between his fingers.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
“You’re laughing at us!” cried Edie. “How dare you.”
“Because you’re going to look daft in a minute, lass, that’s why. We’re not spies,” he said. “You’ve got it all wrong. You can ask Colonel Crowther if you like. We’re taking all this information to him.”
“Colonel Crowther’s not even here,” said Edie triumphantly. She wasn’t falling for that trick. “He’s gone to London, as I expect you very well know.”
“Has he now?” said Len. He lit the cigarette and took a deep puff. “In that case, I’d like you to tell me summit.” He pointed out of the window. “Who’s that, up yonder?”
Edie gasped.
Colonel Crowther was striding along the bank towards them.
“Colonel!” She felt a great rush of relief. “Thank goodness you’re here,” she called, darting to the door. She thrust the pile of photographs and papers into his arms. “You need to look at these documents, Colonel. The Snigsons are spies; they’ve been putting together information about the railway to sell to the Germans. Look!”
Everything would be all right now. Colonel Crowther would take control – he would know what to do.
“Miss Edith, what an unexpected surprise.” He smiled at her and, although he looked a little flustered, Edie felt better already. “And Master Smith and young Miss Smith too.” He nodded to Gus and Greta. Then his eyes darted towards the fallen photographs in the ditch. “Pick those up,” he said, clicking his fingers at Donny. “Now, what’s all this about spies?” He stared over the top of Edie’s head at Len.
“A load of nonsense, that’s what. These kiddies have got the wrong end of the stick,” said Len. Edie was amazed how calm he still seemed, even under the colonel’s steely glare. She didn’t feel half so relaxed. She kept glancing furtively towards the bench where Karl was hiding. She couldn’t help it. Gus was pacing up and down clutching his tummy, looking just as sick as she felt. They’d have to tell the colonel about the hidden airman soon enough. But, first things first, they had to deal with Len and Donny – it wouldn’t be safe to reveal Karl until the two brothers were gone.
“You have to arrest the Snigsons, Colonel,” she said. “Can you call for back-up from the Home Guard?”
Len laughed. “Tell them, Colonel,” he said, as Donny dropped the muddy photographs on to the table with the map. “Tell them how it was you that wanted all this stuff.”
“You wanted it, Colonel?” said Gus. “Whatever for?”
Colonel Crowther cleared his throat. Edie saw his eyes sweep across the map as if taking it all in.
“The colonel was helping us,” said Len. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
“The railway tracks were built right across our land and we weren’t never paid one penny for any of it,” said Donny. “The colonel told us to measure the boundaries of our fields, then bring him maps and pictures of where the railway line runs and he’d help us with our claim.”
“So you’re not spies?” said Edie slowly. Their story seemed to make sense. She felt a hot blush creep up her cheeks. How had she got it so wrong?
“No!” Len snorted. “We are not spies.”
“Honest, we’re not,” said Donny and he looked her straight in the eye. She half expected him to salute and swear on “scout’s honour”.
“Wait.” Gus was standing over the map. He had laid the photographs out in a long line. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“Business matters never do make sense, especially when you’re just a boy,” said the colonel, striding over to the table. “I suggest you go back to playing trains. Leave us grown-ups to our dreary paperwork, eh?” He began to stuff the loose photographs into the satchel. “Roll this thing up, will you? Quick as you can.” He tapped the map with impatient fingers as Donny fetched the long leather case.
“Wait,” said Gus again. “It’s all wrong.” He held up one of the photographs so the Snigsons could see it too. “This picture is of the station.” He picked up another. “And this shows the meadow below Three Chimneys… Why would Colonel Crowther ask you to take photographs of these places in a dispute about your land?”
“Exactly,” said Edie, suddenly understanding Gus’s point. “Those tracks are nowhere near your farm. They can’t have anything to do with your claim.”
“Er.” Donny scratched his head.
“How do we know what these fancy lawyer-fellows need,” said Len with a shrug. “We just collected what the colonel told us to.”
“Quite so!” The colonel shifted his feet. Edie saw his eyes dart towards the satchel full of papers yet again. He kept glancing at them in exactly the same way she and Gus couldn’t help stealing guilty looks towards the bench where Karl was hiding.
Why was the colonel behaving so strangely? He was jumpy as a rabbit. Gus was right. There was no reason for him to ask the two brothers to find maps and pictures of the entire railway line, just to prove something on one corner of their land.
“I think the Snigsons are telling the truth,” she said quietly. “You’re the one who wants all this information, Colonel. But it’s not for the railway company, is it?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth she knew they were true.
“Now listen here,” the colonel said, wiping his forehead with a red-and-white spotty handkerchief. “Time for you boys and girls to run along home.”
Edie edged around the table towards the satchel full of precious papers. Colonel Crowther wanted those documents desperately – so desperately that fresh beads of sweat were already breaking out along his brow.
“It’s you, Colonel,” she breathed. “You are the spy.” Her hand shot out to grab the satchel.
But the colonel was quicker.
“Little devil,” he cried, grabbing her wrist as he spun her round. His arm was across her throat in a headlock before Edie could even try and wriggle free. He was
pressing down so hard on her windpipe, she couldn’t even scream.
“Steady on!” gasped Len Snigson.
“Let her go!” roared Gus, tugging at the colonel’s sleeve.
“Hilfe!” Greta opened her mouth and screamed. “Hilf uns, Karl. Hilf uns, bitte!”
“German?” Len spun round and stared at her.
“Why’s she speaking Jerry-language?” gasped Donny.
Edie just had time to register the look of shock on everybody’s faces, before the German airman jumped out from under the bench where he had been hiding.
Chapter Twenty-one
Capture
Karl had not taken more than two steps before the Snigsons leapt into action.
They grabbed one arm each and flung him back against the wall of the carriage.
“Don’t!” screamed Greta. “Don’t hurt him. He’s our friend.”
The colonel let go of Edie and sprang to the door. For an old man, he could move fast.
“Looks like I’m not the spy here after all. We have some little German brats in our midst,” he said, blocking the way out. Edie gasped as she saw that he had a pistol in his hand. He raised his arm, brandishing the gun at them as they slunk back against the walls of the carriage.
“Our father is German, yes,” said Gus with a shaky voice. “But we are not spies.”
“How do you explain our friend Fritz, then?” said the colonel. He waved the gun towards the airman.
“His name isn’t Fritz,” said Greta innocently. “It’s Karl.”
Donny snorted.
“Keep her quiet, can’t you,” said the colonel, his eyes flashing.
“Shh!” whispered Edie. “Come here.” She grabbed Greta’s hand before the colonel could turn the gun towards them and pulled her into a hug. “I can explain everything,” she said, glancing between the Snigsons and the colonel. She needed everyone to stay calm. “It was my idea to hide Karl, not the others. It has nothing to do with their father being German.”