A Time of Secrets

by Deborah Burrows

  ‘How? You can’t stop him. I’ll work something out myself. And call me “Sergeant” at work.’ I sounded sulky. ‘May I leave now, sir? I’ve got work to do.’ At his nod I saluted.

  I got another nod and a scowl in return.

  *

  I slipped out at five with Mary and Faye and we headed north along Park Street towards Domain Road and the Botanic Gardens.

  ‘The Bot’s such a nice hotel,’ said Mary. ‘Have you been there before?’

  It was a solid, square building with some elegant Victorian embellishments at the front. Faye had a tight hold on my arm as she pulled me through the front doors and into the foyer. We walked past the noisy exuberance of the house entrance to the public bar on our left. When a US soldier pushed the doors open to go inside I caught a glimpse of American servicemen packed in tight, all the way to the back wall. It was like a set from a Hollywood movie. The clamour of their voices and their heavy boots on the tiled floor almost drowned out the clinking of glasses and the chime of the cash register as they bought beer, and yet more beer.

  Faye was heading for the door to the ladies’ lounge. It was less crowded than the public bar, but only slightly quieter, as it was full of AWAS girls laughing and talking nineteen to the dozen. There were Australian servicemen in the lounge bar, but quite a few Americans as well.

  ‘There she is,’ said Faye, and waved. ‘Mares, will you get the beers?’

  Across the crowded room Helen Avery raised an arm and gave us a nervous smile. Faye and I pushed through the crowd and settled in next to her. Around us, conversations were in full flow. Given the noise, I wasn’t worried that we’d be overheard.

  ‘Sam’s here,’ said Mary when she returned with the beers. Helen ducked her head and looked around anxiously, as if there was a sniper in the room.

  ‘Don’t let him see me,’ she said in a voice that was breathy, scared. ‘He’ll tell Lieutenant Cole I’m talking to Stella.’

  Faye exchanged glances with Mary. ‘Why is Sam de Groot here?’ Faye was frowning and her tone was suspicious. ‘What did you tell him?’

  Mary blushed. ‘He’s nice. I just mentioned that we were having a drink here after work. There’s no harm in girls having a drink. He doesn’t know what we’re talking about.’

  ‘Then you damn well march over there and keep him company. Keep him away from us, you drongo. And don’t say anything about Helen. Jabber on with your usual rubbish. That seems to amuse him.’

  ‘Sorry. I didn’t think.’ Mary’s bottom lip was out and she looked like a little girl who’d been chastised. ‘Sorry, Helen.’ She picked up her beer and disappeared into the crowd.

  I turned to Helen, who was sitting with her back to the wall, shoulders hunched and head tucked in. Her eyes were constantly scanning the crowd.

  ‘Thanks for talking to me,’ I said.

  ‘Look, Stella . . .’ Helen paused, nibbled at her lip and looked down as if checking her nails. Her beer was untouched on the table. ‘Cole would have me transferred or demoted if he knew I was gabbing.’

  ‘Why are you gabbing?’

  ‘I’m that worried, I have to tell someone.’

  ‘Tell me then.’

  She glanced down again to check her hands, then looked up at me with wide, fearful eyes. ‘You know that a receiver gets familiar with a wireless operator’s fist on the Morse key.’ I nodded. The operator’s fist was their touch on the keys.

  Helen began to pick at her cuticles, not looking at me. ‘The Australian liaison officer for Destro is Bill Ellis. He’s a commando and he’s true blue as they come. I got used to his fist when he started sending his dispatches. But after about six weeks up there his fist was wrong.’ There was a flash of blue eyes and she looked down again.

  I took a sip of beer and thought about how to reply.

  ‘Surely something like that,’ I said, ‘someone’s touch on the key I mean, wouldn’t it change, depending on the circumstances? If Bill was feeling off or was in a hurry, for instance.’ I needed more than a feeling from Helen if I was going to take this to Ross.

  She smiled faintly. ‘That’s true, but an operator’s fist is like a signature. I knew Bill’s fist. Also, the day it changed was the first time that Bill had sent a signal in clear text, rather than in cipher.’

  ‘Was there a reason to send it in clear text?’

  ‘He didn’t give one. The next day we had a transmission from the Porto in command – he’s called Lieutenant Avila – telling us that Luis, the Porto wireless operator, had run away and his cipher book was lost.’

  ‘Go on.’ Her story was suddenly more interesting.

  ‘Lieutenant Avila is a fruitcake. By early March, after Destro had been going for a month or so, Bill had sent several transmissions asking for the mission to be aborted. It was clear that he didn’t trust Avila. He said it was a bloody farce – his words, not mine – and he asked for most of the party to be evacuated. He wanted to stay on the island and continue the mission, but only with Luis. Bill trusted Luis.’

  ‘What was the response?’

  ‘Lieutenant Cole told him to stick it out. Told him it wouldn’t be politic to get rid of Avila. Instead, Cole had the bright idea of promoting Bill to lieutenant, so that he was the same rank as Avila.’ I had another flash of blue eyes as she glanced up to check my response. ‘Avila really is nuts, you know. Not long after they’d been dropped there, he suggested that we make boots with the heels in front and soles at the back. He thought that would convince the Japs that we were going in the opposite direction.’

  I heard Faye’s snort of derision. I frowned at her and looked back at Helen. ‘So you were worried that the transmission was a Japanese ruse to get a cipher book.’

  She stared at me. ‘It was the only conclusion to draw. The whole thing stank to high heaven. Yes, Stella. I was worried.’

  ‘Did you make that clear to Lieutenant Cole?’

  ‘He told me to mind my business.’ She looked again at her hands. They were curled into fists. ‘He ordered me not to mention anything. Ordered me!’ She hit her thigh, hard, with a fist. ‘He insisted that Dolly Harper take all of the Destro transmissions after that.’

  ‘Did Dolly ever say that she was worried about it?’

  Faye’s expression was contemptuous. ‘She and the lieutenant are thick as thieves.’ She glanced around and lowered her voice. ‘And Sam de Groot is his blue-eyed little Dutch boy.’

  ‘We’ve been sending men up there to Timor,’ Helen broke in with a sharp whisper. ‘We’ve sent two parties up there since April, codenamed Kestrel and Eagle. You know what happened to Kestrel – they were attacked. The men in the Eagle mission went up after that.’

  I sat very still to think about it all.

  ‘Have you heard anything sinister about Eagle?’

  ‘We received a report that the Eagle party arrived safely and was at work.’

  ‘You had the correct code words?’

  ‘Yes. But the Japs could have got those if they’d ambushed the men.’

  ‘Unlikely,’ I said.

  Helen’s mouth was set in a stubborn line. ‘I’m sure Bill was acting under duress when he sent that transmission.’

  ‘I’ll speak to Lieutenant Ross.’

  Now Helen’s eyes were wide and frightened. She took hold of my sleeve. ‘No. Please don’t. He’ll tell Lieutenant Cole what I’ve said and I’ll be transferred.’

  ‘I have to tell Ross. He might be able to help.’

  She bit a knuckle and looked away from me.

  ‘Helen, what did you think I’d do with this information?’

  She shook her head and gave a small shrug. ‘I don’t know, Stella. I only know that I don’t trust anyone any more, except AWAS girls like Faye and Mary and you.’

  ‘You can trust Lieutenant Ross. I really believe that. He wants to find o
ut the truth.’

  Faye broke in, whispering, ‘There’s this girl I know who’s just been transferred over here from wireless intercept in Perth. She’s got some interesting things to say about Destro. Want to talk to her?’

  I stared at her. ‘It seems that there’s been a lot of talk going on about top-secret matters.’

  Faye made a snorting sound. ‘We AWAS girls are all dinky-di. Face it, Stella, half the time the brass hats don’t know if their backsides are on fire. It’s women who get things done. Want to talk to Alice or not?’

  ‘Alice is the girl from Perth? Of course.’

  ‘She’s on leave and gone to Ballarat for a couple of weeks. As soon as I know she’s back I’ll arrange something.’

  I nodded. What Helen had told me was interesting, but not nearly enough to convince Captain Molloy and General Blamey that Lieutenant Cole was a liability to APLO. I hoped that the woman from Perth had concrete evidence, because if Cole continued to bully me the situation would come to a head eventually. And then it would be me or Cole, I thought. One of us would have to go.

  Twenty-five

  When I reported the conversation to Ross the next morning he was unimpressed.

  ‘It doesn’t help us. Helen Avery has a funny feeling about a communication from Ellis? That’s not evidence. Her feeling that Bill’s fist on the keys was different won’t cut the mustard with Molloy if the codes are all correct.’

  I thought as much myself, but I tried to argue the point anyway. ‘Helen’s a very experienced wireless operator and she’d know if things weren’t right with the transmission. Don’t you think it’s suspicious that Lieutenant Cole ordered her not to mention anything and insisted that Dolly take the transmissions after she told him about it?’

  ‘Well, of course it’s suspicious.’

  ‘Do you want me to ask Dolly about it?’

  He leaned back in his chair and watched the ceiling for a while. ‘No. We don’t want out and out warfare with Cole – it’d just make things worse for you.’

  I swallowed. He was probably right about that.

  Ross waved a hand. ‘Molloy’s finally ordered Cole to give us the wireless reports from Destro. We’ll see if anything jumps out at us. I’m not holding my breath, though.’

  ‘I’m going to meet with a girl from WA – she’s in wireless intercept. Apparently she knows something about it.’

  Ross sat up straight and skewered me with a look. ‘What girl?’

  I shrugged. ‘I don’t know anything about her. I’ll tell you once I’ve met her.’

  ‘When are you meeting her? Should I come along?’

  ‘In a couple of weeks. But it’s girls only.’ I laughed. ‘Apparently you brass hats don’t know if your backsides are on fire.’

  His face relaxed. ‘That’s probably true,’ he said dryly. ‘Meet her, then let me know what the female intelligence network has to offer.’

  *

  The following morning I was locking the door to the flat behind me as I headed off to work when I heard Lieutenant Cole’s voice.

  ‘See you tonight, sweetheart.’

  I turned to see him at Violet’s door, holding her arms and leaning in for a kiss. I moved quickly towards the stairs, hoping I’d be well away before he was finished with Violet. He caught up to me when I was about halfway down.

  ‘So, you’ve hooked Ross. I wouldn’t have thought you were his type.’

  He stood in front of me and put his hands on the wall on either side of my shoulders. My back was hard against the wall.

  ‘You can’t escape me,’ he said, pushing me closer to the wall with a thrust of his hips. He smiled, showing white teeth and cold brown eyes.

  ‘Do you mind?’ I said, keeping my voice as unruffled as I could, although my traitorous heart was racing and the usual feelings of nausea and giddiness had started.

  ‘I’m always going to be around, Stella. And you’ll tell me what I want to know. Sooner or later, you’ll tell me.’

  I remained silent, willing myself to remain calm.

  ‘Ross said he’d kill me if I touched you again.’ He lifted his head to give a braying laugh. ‘Tough words.’

  Slowly, languorously, he leaned forward to press his body flat against mine. ‘Guess what? I’m touching you now and I don’t see Nick Ross anywhere.’

  ‘Let me go,’ I said, glaring at him and trying to push him away. It was like pushing against a brick wall. His smile broadened as he leaned against me. I had no way to get him off. I couldn’t even knee him in the groin. My chest began to tighten and I sucked in air desperately.

  ‘Lance.’ Violet was standing at the top of the stairs. ‘Let Stella go. She’ll be late for work.’

  He raised his voice. ‘She’s all right. Aren’t you, love?’

  ‘Please, Lance.’ Violet’s voice had a hysterical note now. ‘Come on, baby, let her go.’

  He pulled away from me with a smile. ‘I’m glad we had this little talk, Stella. I’ll see you around.’

  I slumped against the wall as he walked down the stairs, pushed open the front door and left. My heart was thumping and I could hear a slight wheeze when I inhaled.

  Violet ran down to me and put her arm around my shoulder. ‘I’m sorry, Stella. He didn’t mean anything by it. He thinks he’s being funny.’

  ‘Don’t make excuses for him,’ I said, straightening up and staring straight into her eyes. ‘I can’t bear to hear them.’

  ‘He – he’s not himself this morning.’

  I snapped at her, ‘He’s exactly like himself.’

  I got my temper under control, and with it the shaking. ‘Violet, I know the type. Why ever did you take him back? Even if you didn’t want to stay with Lieutenant Ross, you’re so pretty and so talented, you can do so much better than Lance Cole.’

  A stubborn expression came over her face. I knew all about that, too.

  ‘I’m sorry he frightened you,’ she said. ‘He – it was a joke, really. He doesn’t know how strong he is.’

  I moved towards the door, shaking my head. She started to ascend the stairs.

  ‘Violet . . .’ She looked at me, the expression in her eyes defensive and wary. ‘If you ever need to talk, I do understand.’

  *

  Ross called me into his office later that morning. He’d been given the transcriptions of the wireless reports from Operation Destro and we pored over them together.

  About a week into the mission the Australian wireless operator, Bill Ellis, radioed to say that Avila had invited his mistress to join the party, together with servants and porters. The group now numbered around thirty and Bill thought it was too large and too unwieldy to operate effectively. He said that Avila refused to consult him on operational matters and Bill relied on the Portuguese wireless operator, Luis, for information.

  By early March, Ellis was obviously very worried and frustrated. He reported that the mission was ‘a bloody farce’ and it was impossible to continue. He begged Cole to send flying boats to evacuate the party. Cole replied that evacuation was impossible, but said that he’d arrange for Bill to be promoted to lieutenant. Cole signalled to him: Stick it out, Bill. Try to avoid an open breach with Avila. We feel certain Destro will turn out to be a good show.

  A week later Ellis again requested the evacuation of ‘Avila and his circus’, saying that the situation was desperate because the Timorese natives were too afraid to feed or hide them. He said they were starving and he feared Japanese capture was imminent.

  I read the transmissions with an increasing sense of horror. ‘He’s in a terrible mess,’ I said to Ross. ‘What was Cole thinking? He should have evacuated them.’

  Ross considered this. ‘You’re right, of course, but it takes a phenomenal amount of planning to place an operation like Destro. Cole’s reputation would have been mud if it had been aborted
so soon.’

  I went back to the papers. After Bill Ellis’s last desperate request to be evacuated, there were no transmissions until, on the twelfth of April, there was a signal from Bill Ellis that read: 12 April 1943. Our position very serious. Are hiding near Obaqui. Have not eaten for three days. Send supplies.

  I looked up at Ross again. ‘This is the transmission sent in clear text, and not in cipher? The one Helen thought wasn’t in his usual fist?’

  He nodded.

  I went back to reading the messages.

  The next day Cole received a transmission from Avila: Continue big pursue against us. Operator Luis run away. We lost cipher book.

  ‘Why didn’t Cole look into it, at least consider the possibility that the mission had been compromised and the messages were fake?’ I waved at the papers on the desk. ‘Doesn’t Molloy think these messages are odd?’

  ‘He’s seen all of this, and sees nothing wrong. After that everything seemed to settle down. Molloy told me that it was clear Ellis and Avila had their problems to start with, but they’d been resolved.’ Ross’s laugh was short and bitter. ‘Cole would never admit that there was a problem with Destro. Instead he organised a drop of food and supplies. And he didn’t stop my mission, Kestrel, or the later mission, Eagle, from being dispatched.’

  ‘What actually happened with Kestrel, sir?’

  ‘We were saved because we landed in the wrong place, about five miles from the drop site. Eric got a bad feeling as we made our way back towards where we thought Bill and the Destro party would be waiting.’ He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. ‘I really should learn to take notice of Eric’s bad feelings,’ he said.

  I thought of Eric’s sudden, vivid smile, and grief was like a physical blow somewhere deep inside my chest. Ross was still talking, and I forced myself to listen.

  ‘. . . so he wanted us to go all the way around and come in from the back. I was worried about the time we’d already lost and insisted that we continue straight to the drop site.’

  Ross fell silent. I looked at him.