"That was foolish of me," she said, a lascivious smile anything but hidden. "I'll pick that up for you."
"No! That's OK, I'll come out and get it after I'm dressed." Larry started to turn, then remembered his exposed rear and backed into the bedroom, Eva's eyes following him all the way.
Several minutes later he emerged from the bedroom, dressed in freshly laundered clothes, feeling better than he had in many days, although his hunger was now at a frenzied pitch what with the apartment filled with tantalizing odors. Eva was setting out a plate for him, and he wasted no time in sitting down and unfolding the napkin, turning expectantly to the small stove on which sat several steaming pots. Larry sipped wine from simple stemware as his hostess ladled out a thick soup of aromatic beef stock with potatoes, carrots and cabbage, then placed a basket of dark bread next to him. "I'm sorry but there is no butter to be had."
Larry's mouth was already filled with a piece of bread he had torn off as he replied, "This is great; just fine." Eva served herself a small portion and sat across from Larry, quietly spooning the soup into her mouth or sopping up portions of the thick broth in a piece of roll and delicately, almost sensually placing it in her mouth. When Larry finished she removed the bowl and his plate, placing the former in the sink and piling the latter with large portions of sausages, onions and eggs.
She set the plate in front of him, then removed her bowl. "You must be famished; take your time and eat your full. There is more on the stove."
"Aren't you going to join me?"
"No. I have eaten enough today."
"You're not just saying that so there'll be more for me are you?"
"Not at all. I am not shy, nor am I hesitant to take what I want." She wiped her hands on a towel and continued, "While you are finishing I am going to change. Just leave the dishes when you're through. Relax and enjoy the wine." She sauntered into the bedroom, her body moving and swaying in all the feminine ways, secure in the knowledge that there would always be eyes watching her, except when she was completely alone. Even then, she sometimes liked to follow herself in the mirror.
Larry was, indeed, focused on her as she left the room, but his expression was more thoughtful than lecherous. Schroeder was right when he had spoken of her beauty, but even though he had not gone into detail about her personality and habits, somehow this was not the woman that Larry had imagined. Oh well, war changes a lot of things, especially people. Besides, maybe she was always like this. The General never described a wallflower or some demur recluse. I shouldn't be so judgmental. He finished his meal, pushed his plate to the side and sat thoughtfully drinking his third glass of wine when Eva returned and sat back down across from him. She was wearing a lavender robe of heavy cotton, adorned with a single black rose over the left chest.
"Well, Lorenz, have you had enough to eat? I hope it was to your liking."
"I have, and it was wonderful. My compliments to the chef."
She gave a bow of the head. "You are too kind, sir." After a short pause she continued, "I suppose we have some business to discuss. The last time I saw dear Heinrich he told me there was something of great importance that he had secreted away and it would enable both of us to flee this turmoil and desperation that is spreading through Germany. 'Someone will arrive one day and they will tell you something that will allow you to figure out where it is hidden. You must take them to that place, then go with them when they leave the country.' You are that someone. Tell me, then, where did Heinrich hide this important something?"
"The day after he moved you into this apartment he took you on a picnic, outside of Munich, and you were caught in a rain storm." Eva nodded her head while listening. "There was a barn nearby and you took shelter in it. In that barn, in the center of the floor, a trap door led to an underground storage cellar, and some days afterwards he returned and hid his important package in the cellar. For your own safety he never told you."
"He is such a sweet man, always watching over me, always trying to protect me ever since my parents were killed."
"You remember the place?"
"Ah, what a day that was; not one I'm likely to forget."
A look of apprehension played fleetingly on his face before he could submerge it under the façade of the great game he played. Maria had not commented on the fact that he said the trap door was in the center of the barn rather than in the corner, where it was actually located. Eva, ever the astute observer, noticed the change in Larry, however brief it had been.
"Is something the matter, Lorenz?"
"No. I think the strain of the past few days is just catching up."
She would reserve judgment on the veracity of what he said, but for the moment, outwardly seeming to accept his explanation, she replied, "Well we will just have to de-stress you in some way."
"When can we get going?"
"Tomorrow I will have to seek out contacts that the General told me about in order to arrange for a car and the necessary documents. Unfortunately, with the current state of affairs, it will most likely take all day, perhaps even longer. The usual German efficiency is hampered by the exigencies of war, particularly one we are losing." Larry glanced at his watch. "It is too late to do anything today." She stood up. "For now there is nothing to be done. Well, almost nothing." Eva unfastened the tie around her bathrobe and let it fall open. She wore nothing underneath and the body that was revealed stirred feelings in Larry that she could sense, predator that she was.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
It was the smell of coffee that woke Larry, not the catlike movements of Eva as she moved around the apartment. A thin shaft of sunlight shone into the living room through a narrow gap in the curtain of the one window, and his eyes were instinctively drawn to it as if the beam might help elucidate the questions that plagued him. Eva followed his gaze and said, "Best not to open the curtains any further. My neighbors would not expect a man staying in the apartment."
"Not a problem."
"Help yourself to coffee. There's some cold bratwurst and bread in the kitchen." She returned to her preparations, snapped her purse shut, satisfied that she had what she needed, and placed a dark brown fedora on her head before turning to face Larry. She wore a stylish, although rather masculine brown tweed business suit, which added distinction to her look but did little to hide the woman underneath.
"How long will you be gone?"
"Oh," she cooed, "will Lorenz miss me?"
"Seriously."
"I'm not sure. Like I said last night, it could take all day. I will return as soon as possible. Don't forget to eat something. You must keep up your ... strength." She spun on her heels and, looking back over her shoulder, a sly smile on her lips, she blew him a kiss before exiting. The bolt clicked into place behind her and Larry stared at the door for several minutes before getting up from the couch where he had slept to fetch himself a cup of coffee.
* *
Eva walked several blocks to where the rows of apartment buildings started to give way to commercial structures, mostly storage facilities or staging areas for assorted businesses, all but a very few closed and deserted. When she came to a low brick building, she paused to remove her mirror from her purse and inspected her appearance as well as the pavement behind her, quickly determining that she was alone. The building had two loading docks, both padlocked closed, and several windows, all of them boarded shut. In the middle of the length of the edifice several steps led up to a double entrance, also boarded. She walked the entire length of the structure and turned the corner, where, after proceeding another ten meters, a narrow set of steps could be seen leading down to a metal door, paint peeling from its surface. Eva hastened down the concrete steps, turned the handle and slipped inside, quickly closing the door, then stood motionless while her eyes adjusted to the dim light.
She was in a small reception area, most of the space filled by a counter and a metal desk behind it. On the wall there was a map of Munich and several push pins remained in it although the map itself was f
aded and barely legible in areas. It was, thought Eva, as if portions of the city were just dissolving into oblivion, a metaphor she found to be uncomfortably true, for the entire country even more so than for the city. It is time to leave this place, this ruin of a culture and nation. A stout wooden door was the only path out of the small room and it was locked, which she had expected. She rapped several times, and through the small pane of glass set in the door she could see a uniformed soldier poke his head around a corner, pull back, then reappear holding a set of keys that he used to unlock the door. "Good morning Fraulein."
Ignoring the greeting, Eva strode in and demanded of the young infantryman, "Where is she?"
Used to responding to authority with deference, the soldier said, "Right this way. She's locked in one of the rooms."
"Is she restrained?"
"No, but she started to yell quite loudly this morning and wouldn't stop so I taped her mouth shut." They strode down the corridor to the second door on the left, the private thumbing through the keys until he found the correct one, which he inserted into the lock. "Would you like me to go in with you?"
"Where is your sergeant?"
"He went to get some food. He has his own key to the door."
"Come in then, but wait by the door. Do not say anything."
"Yes, Fraulein." He pushed the door open then stood and held it aside while Eva made her entrance. Closing it behind her he took up a position blocking the egress, his back to the door.
The room was approximately five meters square and had the ceiling been higher than the two and a half meters or so that prevailed throughout the space, it might have seemed almost cavernous, its size inflated by its meager contents and its lone petite occupant. Maria, her mouth taped over, had been sitting in one of the two chairs, but stood up when they entered. The only other furniture in the room was a simple metal table, a small pitcher of water and a single glass sitting on the slightly concave surface. Maria looked from one to the other expectantly, although it was not clear just what it was she expected. Perhaps she hoped for her freedom or merely for an explanation, the latter a hope that would soon be fulfilled but would most certainly bring no joy or relief to the poor young woman. It struck Eva as ludicrous that here was a woman, alone in a room, not tied up or restrained, who left the tape that covered her mouth in place. As she looked closer, however, Eva noticed several bruises on the side of her face and it became clear what the inducement had been that left the gag undisturbed. Turning to the soldier she yelled, "Idiot, don't ever hit this woman. And how could you damage such a pretty face and delicate lips with this industrial tape?"
Eva put her purse on the table, then gently placed a hand on Maria's shoulder while she slowly eased off the tape. "Such an idiot to do this to lips as lovely as these." She stood a good fifteen centimeters taller than the delicate prisoner, and had to bend down as she held Maria's face in her hand, lifting her chin slightly, to plant a lustful kiss on her mouth. Maria's eyes grew wide with shock and fear and she opened her mouth to protest, but in reality only provided an entry for the exploring tongue of the woman who stood over her. When she had finished the forceful and lingering kiss, Eva withdrew her mouth and restraining hand, pivoting towards the table as she said, "Sit and we can talk." Her request, in actuality a command, was unnecessary since Maria, as soon as she was released, collapsed into the chair beneath her, her pupils still dilated and her trembling hand to her mouth.
Removing her hat, Eva made sure her hair, knotted up in the back, was still in place before slipping out of her coat, folding it and laying it alongside her purse and hat on the table. She checked her lipstick in the compact mirror, then replaced it in her handbag, pausing to think a moment before snapping it shut. Suddenly, she spun around, her arm extended and landed a roundhouse smack on Maria's cheek, knocking her completely off the chair to land in a heap on the concrete floor, blood running from her nose. "It's so much easier to talk when you have someone's attention." To the soldier, "You there, tie her to the chair."
"Should I tape her mouth again?"
"No, let her scream." She pulled the remaining chair in front of Maria and sat down, their knees almost touching. "Now, young lady, I need some information, and I don't have much time. Nor, by the way, do you if you don't cooperate." From a depth unknown, Maria drew on courage and fortitude she had always believed was there but until this moment, had never had to validate. She didn't know how long she would last, but she decided that this would be the fire that would forge her determination.
With resolve she said, "My guardian is General Heinrich Schroeder, and you will have to deal with him, not me."
"We have already dealt with him, and what's left is lying along a road somewhere in Italy." Maria visibly sagged and what bravado there had been shriveled into that dark corner of her mind where a tiny child lay curled up, huddled in fear.
The sergeant, having returned with coffee and a few pieces of cold chicken, realized that General Waldman's woman had arrived and he remained outside in the corridor. The solid door muffled much of the sound from within, but several times he thought he could hear a woman's shrill voice yelling, "Pick her up again."
* *
It was dark when Eva returned to the apartment carrying a bottle of wine and some thin slices of veal in a newspaper. Meat was very scarce and she had to use her wile as well as her connection to the SS General who commanded the troops in northern Italy, to wrest the prize from the black marketeers. From the smile on her face and her buoyant air, Larry assumed she had been successful in making the arrangements, and this was confirmed when she said, "We can leave first thing in the morning." His face did not mirror the happy expression of Eva, his countenance was more somber and there was little to allay his misgivings. "Do you still feel stressed, Lorenz?" She stood there, still holding her packages. "Perhaps I can do more to help you relax." Her words carried little of the sexual undertones of the night before; she was genuinely worried, although her concern had nothing to do with Larry's welfare. I wonder if he suspects something? I shall have to watch my words.
"I guess being cooped up here all day is getting to me. I'm just anxious to move on to the next phase."
"I understand that for a man like you inaction must be very difficult," she said as she placed the groceries and her purse on the kitchen table. "Soon we will be on our way." Her handbag had opened and Larry caught a brief glimpse of a small revolver inside before Eva, noticing what happened, snapped it shut. "But first, let me make dinner. Once we leave tomorrow it may be several days before we can have a decent meal."
The meal was eaten in relative silence, each lost in their own thoughts and suspicions. Larry needed Eva to take him to the plutonium, and she needed him as a conduit to get it to Templeton so it could be transferred to the buyer and the deal consummated. She didn't know much about the operational details once it was recovered, only that she had to assist him in getting it out of the country, letting him take the lead in following whatever exit route had been worked out. After dinner Eva left the plates and pans in the sink. Regardless of how things played out, a return to this apartment was not in the game plan for either of them.
Larry pushed his chair back, stood and stretched, rolling his shoulders back several times and extending his arms out to the side, then in front and finally over his head while arching his back. Eva disappeared into the bedroom, emerging a minute later with a small pack Waldman had left for her, and tossed it on the sofa. "This is the only baggage you'll take. You can add some clothes and a few personal items." Larry smiled at the last; other than a small pen knife, he had arrived with only the clothes on his back. "We will start out early tomorrow. I'll wake you a half hour or so before."
Larry grabbed a blanket and pillow that lay on a nearby chair and placed them on the sofa, saying to Eva, "I'll get my stuff together in the morning. I'm going to try to get some sleep now." He sat on the edge of the couch and removed his shoes, then pulled off the sweater he wore before laying down and wr
apping the blanket around himself. She stood there for a moment, looking on, then withdrew silently into the bedroom.
In the morning, when she emerged, Larry was sitting at the kitchen table eating a piece of course bread topped with jam from an open tin that stood nearby. A partially eaten sausage impaled on a fork lay on a plate in front of him. "I hope you don't mind that I helped myself. There's plenty of everything left for you."
"Thank you, and I certainly don't mind that you took your own breakfast. No time for coffee, though. She picked up a piece of bread and spooned some jam on it, eating it while she did a walkthrough of the apartment, making sure, he supposed, that she had everything she needed. Maria must know, he thought, that she will not come this way again. Returning to the table, Eva sat and finished the remains of the bread in her hand, trying to look pleasant. "Soon we will begin our journey and it will not be long before we leave this dilapidated country. This will make you happy, won't it, Lorenz?"
"Yes, it will," he answered, but with little cheer in his voice, for even if they made it out of Germany safely, the future, at least for him, was still bleak. Eva misinterpreted the emotion that she read in his manner, ascribing it to doubt and mistrust, but for Larry that was minor, something he expected in any mission because that was the nature of work behind enemy lines. For him, it was the hoof beats he always heard. When he was intent on the present, focused completely on the task at hand, they were silenced. But when next he looked over his shoulder, the dark-robbed figure, face shrouded in the peaked hood, relentlessly pursued him, the scythe of death at his side and the destrier beneath him breathing smoke as his hoofs sounded ever closer. He slapped his palms on the table in finality, abruptly stood and exclaimed, "We have a mission, you and I, and the sooner it's completed, the better." He strode to the sofa where he grabbed his pack and spread it open with his hands. "I'm going to get my things together, then I'm ready."
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