Comes a Horseman

by Anne Barwell

  “I’ll do what I can.” Liang nodded. “Four of hearts if you both survive. What if—”

  “There is no what if,” Kristopher said. Michel was his strength, and although Kristopher did not want to carry his secret through a long life alone, he might not have a choice. If it came to that… he’d find somewhere else to disappear to, where no one would know who he was or what he’d done. “I’m sorry, but I won’t be contacting you if I’m alone. Michel….”

  Michel had already lost too much. If he was alone, Kristopher doubted Liang and the others would ever hear from him again. For an instant, he almost felt Michel’s fingers brush his cheek as he remembered Michel telling him about Corin and François, and how scared he was that Kristopher might join them.

  Kristopher pushed back his chair and grabbed his coat, then shoved it on and crossed his arms. Although it wasn’t chilly outside, he wasn’t sure he’d rid himself of the cold he felt inside.

  “I’d say it’s all right, but it’s not.” Liang briefly put an arm around Kristopher, who hadn’t noticed him get up from the table. “I’m sorry.”

  “I know. So am I.” Kristopher managed a smile. It wasn’t like Liang to be so demonstrative. He’d squeezed Kristopher’s hand, and now this. If just talking about it hurt the people they cared about so much, what was it going to be like when he had to go through with the reality of it? Kristopher hoped he could find the strength to do what needed to be done.

  “Walk with me,” Liang said. “We can be back before the others return so they won’t know we were gone. I don’t know about you, but I need some fresh air.”

  “You wanted to talk to me about something.” Kristopher waited for Liang to put on his jacket.

  Liang studied Kristopher for a moment before shoving his hands in his coat pockets. He didn’t make a move toward the back door and lowered his gaze to the floor. “When Holm and I had tea, just before….” Liang shuddered and visibly pulled himself together. “He told me he couldn’t understand why I would be working with Ken.”

  Kristopher frowned, yet knew he needed to wait until Liang had finished.

  “I didn’t believe what he told me next. I couldn’t believe it. Ken and I might argue at times, and he can be insufferable, but then so can I. I wanted to think we were friends, so when he and Michel rescued me, I decided Holm was wrong. Then….”

  “What did Holm say to you?” Kristopher prompted.

  “He told me Ken was half Japanese.” Liang looked up suddenly, accusation in his eyes. “Did you know?”

  “No, I didn’t.” Even if Kristopher had, he wouldn’t have told Liang. That decision wasn’t his to make—it was Ken’s. “He’s not an easy man to get to know, and Matt never said—”

  “Matt knows. I overheard them last night. Matt called Ken by another name—Tsukino.” Liang started walking toward the door. Kristopher had to run to catch up with him. “That’s the thing,” Liang said. “A couple of months ago, I couldn’t have comprehended a Japanese man working for the Allies. I thought all Japanese were…. I lost family in Nanking. I know what they did to us.”

  “You can’t judge one man by what others have done.” Kristopher caught Liang’s arm. If Liang truly thought that, what must he think of Kristopher—a German fighting a war started by Herr Hitler, a man who claimed to be fighting on behalf of the Fatherland.

  “I know that now.” Liang shook off Kristopher’s hand. “A couple of months ago, I would have reacted badly and confronted him. It wouldn’t have gone well. But now… as you said, Kit, we’re friends, and yet you’re German. You’ve shown me that I can’t judge a good man because of what others have done. And Juliane….” Liang’s voice softened when he mentioned her name. “Juliane’s risked so much, especially considering who her brother is.”

  Kristopher hadn’t been surprised to learn Juliane was part of the Resistance, although she’d hidden it well. She and Clara had been friends for several years. He’d renewed his acquaintance with her when he started work at the institute, and they’d chatted a few times over coffee. He’d always been struck by her intelligence and wit. It was a shame Liang hadn’t met her under different circumstances, as they’d be well suited. Whenever Liang spoke of her, it was obvious he was smitten.

  “Ken’s a good man, as are you. I’ve known Juliane for years, and she has very high standards. She wouldn’t fall for just anyone,” Kristopher said. “We’re all keeping secrets because it’s too dangerous not to. I’ve heard a little of what is going on, not only in America but England too. People thrown into camps who have done nothing wrong. Hell, Hitler is hunting Jews for the same reason. Surely we’re better than that? I know you are.”

  “Thanks for your confidence. I know my reaction is foolish, yet a part of me replays the stories my grandmother told me. I’m struggling to reconcile the men in those stories with the man I consider my friend.”

  “Will you tell him you know?” Kristopher wasn’t sure it would be a good idea, but if it was affecting Liang in this way, it might be better to clear the air.

  “I don’t know.” Liang opened the door and breathed in the fresh air. “Walk with me a while? I think we both have far too much to think about, don’t you?”

  ANOTHER FEW minutes and this mission would be done. Ken rolled and shrugged his shoulders, trying to get rid of the kink across his neck. This time he, Michel, and Arlette were providing the distraction, while Matt and Sébastien unbolted a piece of railway track farther up the line. While Matt’s mission should be safer, as it wasn’t drawing attention to his position by blowing it up, nothing about these missions was safe.

  Ken would be glad when they were finally on the way home, although he had to admit he’d miss the adrenaline rush that came with these acts of sabotage. They hadn’t received the final coded message from London yet, but the weather hadn’t been great, and it made sense to delay the invasion until it cleared. Hopefully that evening they’d get the go-ahead and only have forty-eight hours to wait until the Allied troops arrived.

  He heard a noise behind him, turned quickly, yet couldn’t see anything. Where were Michel and Arlette? They should have set the explosive by now and be on their way back. Nicolas had been annoyed he hadn’t been able to come with them, although he had a bad cold and kept sneezing. In the end, he’d left his precious explosives in Michel’s care, yet he’d refused to listen to Cécile’s orders to go to bed. Ken smiled at the memory of the banter between Nicolas and his wife. It was very obvious they cared for each other deeply. He envied them being able to show that affection in public.

  “What kept you? Any problems?” he asked when, a few minutes later, Michel finally slipped out of the shadows and walked over to where Ken was hiding. He kept his voice low. “Where’s Arlette?”

  “I’m here.” Arlette ducked down next to Michel. “We ran into a patrol just as we were about to set the explosives. Luckily they didn’t see us, but we had to wait until they’d gone to complete our task.”

  “Better to be safe.” Ken nodded his agreement. Matt would wait until the explosion created the diversion he needed, and he knew there was a good chance it might be delayed. “Any other problems?”

  “No, but something about this worries me.” Michel kept glancing behind them. “The patrol walked right past us, and I would have expected them to stop and search the area for the guard who should have been there.”

  “I hope you’re not suggesting we shouldn’t have restrained him?” Arlette muttered something in French that Ken thankfully couldn’t understand.

  Michel raised an eyebrow. “No, of course not, although you did hit him harder than was necessary.”

  “German pig deserved what he got.” Arlette glared at Michel. “We’ve done our job well this evening. Let’s head back.” She shoved her gun into the waistband of her skirt, then stood and walked away without waiting for either Ken or Michel to follow her.

  “She’s angry,” Michel said. “She’ll get over it. Arlette rarely backs down from an argument.
” He shrugged. “Apparently it’s difficult to do that if you’re always right.”

  “She can be as angry as she likes as long as her behavior doesn’t give away our position.” Ken had learned to trust Michel’s instincts. If he thought something was off about the patrol, there probably was. “Arlette is right about one thing. We should head back.”

  He wanted to be clear of the area before the explosives went off. Although they were creating a diversion away from the real target, he had no intention of being caught.

  “Yes.” Michel glanced at his watch. “We delayed it longer than we discussed because of the patrol, but we’re still running out of time.”

  “Matt will figure that out and wait as long as he needs to.” Ken holstered his gun. Although he wanted to be prepared if there was still a patrol in the area, it wasn’t a good idea to advertise the fact he was carrying one.

  Michel nodded but said nothing. He led the way silently, and Ken waited a few minutes before speeding up his pace so they were walking together. With the long walk ahead of them, Ken didn’t want to waste any time with small talk. One reason he enjoyed Michel’s company was that he didn’t insist on conversation. It suited Ken—he wasn’t one for talking much either, except when he was with Matt, but then Matt had a way of bringing Ken out of himself that no one had done before.

  A loud explosion was quickly followed by another. Ken didn’t bother looking behind him. He knew what it was, and it wouldn’t be long before the Germans were alerted to it as well. No sign of Arlette yet, but she’d gotten a good head start. She’d probably reach the safe house first and report the success of their mission.

  Scratch that.

  Kristopher and Liang were at the safe house, and Ken doubted she’d want to talk to them. Arlette seemed to get along with Liang all right, but she and Kristopher only exchanged words when they had to.

  In the distance, a flock of birds suddenly took flight. Michel grabbed Ken’s arm and ducked behind a tree.

  “Someone’s up ahead,” he hissed.

  “The birds?” Ken mouthed, not surprised when Michel nodded. Given his expression, he didn’t think it was Arlette, although she would have probably reached that point. Hopefully she hadn’t run into trouble because she’d allowed her anger to distract her.

  Another few moments and it grew quiet again. Perhaps an animal had spooked them, but Ken didn’t think so. They hadn’t seen anyone since they’d started walking, and he would have at least expected them to have to dodge a patrol by now. They were half an hour’s walk from Cyrville-sur-Mer, and this was an area patrolled by the Germans, as it was close to the railway line. It was still before curfew, but that didn’t mean anything. Ken had heard of men and women being stopped on a whim rather than because they were suspected of anything.

  “Do you think we should get rid of our weapons?” Ken asked Michel. If they were caught with them, they’d be arrested immediately, as civilians were not allowed to carry them.

  “I’d thought about it,” Michel admitted. He glanced around again. “I don’t like this. I’m thinking we should change direction. If we’re being followed, I don’t want to lead them to the safe house.”

  “Spend the night in the forest and head back in the morning?” Ken asked.

  “Yes.” Michel pulled his jacket collar up. “This weather should break very soon, or at least I hope it does.” He held out his hand. The overcast sky was turning to rain. “I don’t fancy a night in the open if this keeps up.”

  “You’ve considered the possibility that Arlette’s in trouble?” It would explain their suspicions that someone was up ahead. One person walking silently wouldn’t have upset the birds to this degree. A group of people might, especially if there had been a skirmish of some sort.

  “Yes, but if she’s been arrested, we won’t be doing her any favors by ending up in the cell next to hers.” Michel turned to walk in the opposite direction, then stopped. “Merde,” he muttered. “If she has been arrested, she knows too much. We’ll need to warn the others.”

  “Arlette’s smart and she’s tough,” Ken said. “If she has been caught, mounting a rescue isn’t a good idea.”

  “I’m not suggesting a rescue, just reconnaissance,” Michel said. “You know as well as I do that even someone tough will crack under the right torture. We can’t ignore this, as much as I’d like to.”

  “I never thought we should ignore it,” Ken said evenly. “Just get close enough to find out what’s going on, if anything. It could have just been an animal that spooked those birds.”

  “Perhaps. If you want to head back to the safe house and warn the others, I can investigate this on my own. As you say, it might be nothing.”

  “You don’t really think that, do you?” Ken asked. “If we do this, we’ll do it together and watch each other’s backs. All right?” So much for his telling Matt they’d both be back in time for supper.

  “If you insist.” Michel didn’t seem happy with the suggestion.

  “I’m just as concerned about warning the rest of our team as you are.” Ken wasn’t sure why he was wasting time with an explanation. A few months ago, he wouldn’t have. There might be something to Matt’s theory that their team had grown together in something akin to family.

  Maybe.

  “I know,” Michel said softly. “Thank you. But no more talking. We need to stay quiet, oui?”

  Ken noticed Michel had begun slipping the occasional French word into his speech since they’d returned to his country. How long had he gone without speaking his native tongue? Although Ken’s German was much better than it used to be, and his French slowly improving, he couldn’t imagine it not being safe to speak English to anyone for months at a time.

  “Oui,” Ken replied.

  Michel smiled at the response and gestured for them to move out. They walked in silence for a distance, keeping just off the road and taking care to stay silent. As they approached the thicket of trees where they’d seen the birds, Michel stopped and put his fingers to his lips. He pointed to the road and edged out toward it.

  The distinctive sound of a truck rumbled a short way off. Not a good sign. Ken drew his gun. Even if Arlette had avoided capture, were they walking into a trap?

  The truck could be nothing. After all, the explosion should have alerted the Germans that something was wrong.

  “Oh hell.” Ken suddenly realized what was niggling at him. The explosion had been at least ten minutes ago. Why wasn’t the area crawling with soldiers?

  Normally he and Michel would be long gone. The explosives had been set on a timer in order to give them the chance to get out of the area. They’d stuck around in order to find out what was going on.

  To hell with Arlette. She was probably closer to the safe house than they were, and this was a very dangerous wild goose chase.

  Michel sprinted toward him. “We need to leave now,” he hissed, obviously having come to the same conclusion.

  Both men froze when they heard a scream. A woman’s voice, muffled, and cut off suddenly.

  “Damn it,” Ken said. They’d found what they were looking for. Michel had been right. What were the chances of it being another woman? It had to be Arlette. “We have to leave her. The others need to get the hell out of the safe house. The whole cell could be compromised if she talks.”

  Michel pulled his gun and took a step toward the scream. “If she talks?” he said grimly. “It’s more a case of when.”

  “Going after her now would be suicide.” Ken grabbed Michel’s arm and yanked him back the way they’d come. They’d have to reach the safe house by another longer route and hope to God they weren’t too late.

  “That scream was Arlette’s. I’m sure of it. Don’t worry, I’m not going after her.” Michel pushed Ken’s arm off him. “She’s a friend, but as much as I want to save her from being tortured before she’s killed, it’s not practical. I also promised someone I wouldn’t do anything foolish.”

  “That’s almost a shame.” R
einiger walked out in front of them. Where the hell had he come from? Or had he been waiting silently the whole time? “Herr Schmitz. Herr Lowe. Predictable as ever, I see.”

  Ken didn’t turn around. He raised his arms in surrender, as did Michel. Reiniger wouldn’t have come alone. Like all bullies, he preferred the safety of a group.

  The truck they’d heard approaching slowed down and stopped at the edge of the road. They’d definitely been expected. But how?

  Reiniger snapped his fingers and a soldier dragged Arlette into view. He had his hand over her mouth, and her arms were handcuffed behind her. The red mark on her cheek was slowly bruising over, and when the soldier removed his hand, Ken saw blood at the side of her mouth.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “They were waiting. They knew we were here.”

  “Enough talking,” Reiniger snapped.

  Ken felt his arms yanked behind him and the cold steel of handcuffs around his wrists. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Michel being handcuffed too.

  Reiniger walked over to Michel and punched him hard in the stomach. Michel gasped in pain but didn’t double over. Reiniger leaned in close. “That’s for what you and Lehrer did to me in Berlin,” he hissed. His hand came up again, and he slapped Michel across the face. Michel stood still, staring straight ahead, blood running down his mouth. “And that’s for my eye,” he said. “Take them away. Standartenführer Holm is looking forward to renewing his acquaintance with them… and the rest of their so-called team.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “I THOUGHT this was supposed to be summer.” Liang was glad for the beret he wore, although it wasn’t much protection from the cold. Still, it was better than the uncomfortable helmet that went with a German uniform. He thought back to the fedora he used to wear. That, and lecturing at the university, seemed another lifetime ago. “It feels more like midwinter.”