by Robbie, Vic
Smee roared in agony and dropped the gun, which spilled out into the night air, and, unbalanced, both were falling. And Smee somersaulted over him, his screams dying on his descent as they merged with the sounds of the traffic below.
Ben was no longer falling.
Something had stopped him. He felt around, working his fingers feverishly for anything he could cling onto. And he realised his jacket had snagged on a metal stanchion. But it wouldn’t hold him for long as the stitches were straining and popping. He had only seconds left. The biting cold was making it hard to concentrate and a jumble of recriminations, memories, and fears clamoured for attention while the lights of the city whirled like a showground waltzer beneath him.
The next gust of wind would detach him like an autumn leaf although he wouldn’t spiral gently downwards. It would be route one, the shortest and fastest, a hundred and seventy pounds racing each other to the ground. Too much alcohol, not enough exercise. It was a long way down, almost four hundred feet. Average velocity 90 mph. Five seconds to impact with the unyielding ground. Would he make an impression – an indentation, as celebrities do when they leave their handprints in concrete on Hollywood Boulevard before schmaltzing off to the hospitality bar for canapés and champagne?
In years to come, they would line up to see his mark and look upwards, craning backwards, shielding their eyes from the sun, to see where he’d come from. And they would wonder what it was like to fall free as a bird. There would be no cocktails this time, just bagels and beer. And for him a body bag and the morgue. An autopsy to empty and analyse the contents of his stomach. Any illegal substances? There has to be a reason for every eventuality; the report demanded it. Then again, it might be degenerative. Slice off the top of his skull and investigate.
The street sounds of Manhattan drifted up to him and he could identify every one and smell every coffee and every burger on every corner.
His vision was deteriorating and he was losing consciousness. He glanced up at the open window and reckoned if he could find some purchase he might be able to stretch up and get his fingers onto the windowsill and perhaps pull himself up. But the danger was that the effort would dislodge him and there would be nothing to stop him from falling.
A dark object appeared in the window, blotting out the light from the room, and he screwed up his eyes in an attempt to identify the image. Natalie smiled down at him or was it a grimace? She spoke to him and it sounded like: ‘Reach up, give me your hand, chéri.’ And she said something else, but the wind carried it away.
He couldn’t be certain. He couldn’t be sure they’d made love on the boat or whether she still worked for Smee and would kill for the highest bidder. He didn’t know anything anymore and the lights and the sounds of the city came together swirling in his head as if he were in a vortex spiralling out into space.
Should he rely on a piece of cloth to hold him until help came or make one last effort to reach up and grasp the hand that might save him or push him out into the night? It was his only chance; he had to take the gamble.
More of his jacket ripped and he fell another few inches.
It was now or never.
Straining every sinew, he launched himself upwards and, reaching out, clutched Natalie’s hand. And it was cold and hard.
Epilogue
Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States entered the Second World War.
Early in 1942 Germany launched a U-boat blitz on the United States’ East coast resulting in the loss of 348 ships. U-boats torpedoed several in sight of Boston and New York.
America’s first intelligence agency, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was established on June 13, 1942, and evolved into the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
In February 1943 a team of Norwegian commandos, trained by the Special Operations Executive, sabotaged the Vemork power station in Telemark, Norway, destroying the Germans’ work on heavy water that would have been used to produce nuclear weapons.
A coup, led by Commander Henri Tourtet, took control of Fort Desaix on June 27, 1943, and announced their support for the Free French. Admiral Georges Robert’s troops surrendered without a fight. The Free French took control of France’s gold, which was repatriated by the FS Montcalm in March 1946.
On July 15, 1943, Admiral Robert left Martinique leaving the island in control of the Free French.
Under the codename Teardrop, the US Navy drew up contingency plans to respond to anticipated missile attacks by German U-boats and in March 1945 destroyed four of six enemy craft sailing for the American coast.
In 1946 ‘Lucky’ Luciano was released after serving ten years of a thirty to fifty-year stretch when Governor Thomas E Dewey commuted his sentence. He was deported to Sicily.
Admiral Robert was tried for collaboration and sentenced to hard labour and national degradation for life on March 15, 1947. He was released after six months and pardoned in 1957.
Published by Principium Press
Copyright ©Vic Robbie 2015
Vic Robbie has asserted his right in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of Vic Robbie. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
This novel is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, localities or persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Cover design by Books Covered (www.BooksCovered.co.uk)
Cover photograph: © Shutterstock
Find out more at www.VicRobbie.com
ISBN: 978-0-9573464-6-8
About the Author
VIC ROBBIE was born in Scotland, lives in England and spends time in California. An author of fiction and non-fiction, he is an international journalist whose work has been published worldwide. He has worked for newspapers and magazines in the UK, Australia and the US as a writer, columnist and editor.
His first book in the Ben Peters Thriller series, In Pursuit Of Platinum: The Shocking Secret of World War II, reached #2 on Amazon’s best-selling lists for War stories and #3 for Spy stories.
He is also the founder and editor of the award-winning magazine Golf & Travel and published the PGA Official Yearbook. In addition to playing golf with a passion, but little skill, he has run several marathons including New York and London.
Find out more at
@VicRobbie
VicRobbieAuthor
www.vicrobbie.com
[email protected]
Acknowledgements
A BOOK requires much information, knowledge and support from many sources. On the island of Martinique, I am indebted to journalist and author Rodolf Etienne, of the island’s newspaper, France-Antilles, for explaining the history and politics of Martinique, and helping me find my way around Fort-de-France’s amazing library, La Bibliothèque Schœlcher. Thanks also to Marc Martial for his tour of the island and giving me an insight into the life of Martinicans. Once again, John Peacock’s encouragement and enthusiasm for the written word was an important motivation. And, as always, nothing would have been achieved without the encouragement and inspiration of my team – Christine, Gaby, Kirstie, Nick, Maia, Jed, Archie, Isla, and Sandie. Last but certainly not least, my admiration for Stuart Bache’s stunning cover.
Also by Vic Robbie
IN PURSUIT OF PLATINUM
Read the first book in the Ben Peters se
ries
‘Brilliant. Exciting. Suspenseful.’
IT’S THE SECRET they don’t want you to find out – buried in government archives and not to be revealed until 2045. As the Germans are about to invade Paris in 1940 American Ben Peters attempts to smuggle a fortune in platinum out of the city in the legendary Bullion Bentley. But the Bentley is carrying an even more valuable human cargo, a mysterious Frenchwoman escaping with her young son and a secret that could change the course of the Second World War. Alena and Ben are the targets of Adolf Hitler’s ruthless investigator Ludwig Weber, whose family will be executed if he fails. His orders are to silence Alena before she can reveal her secret; capture her young son and take him back to Berlin; and recover the Banque de France’s platinum. As they flee their hunter, they experience the stark and tragic realities of war and the raw emotions of two brave people living on the edge of fear. And not everything is as it seems. Who is Alena and what is her secret that could destroy the Nazis?
http://viewBook.at/InPursuitofPlatinumTheShockingSecretofWorldWa
#2 on Amazon’s best-selling lists for War Stories and #3 for Spy Stories
www.VicRobbie.com