So that’s what they did. They found an old kitchen knife mildewing in a cupboard and soon Reevel had sharpened it to a razor edge against the stone of the washroom wall. Cutting was very difficult and he was careful to use short strokes of the knife, slowly working it into the hardened putty.
Within an hour they had removed all the putty. Reevel then concentrated on prising back the small nails that supported the pane of glass. He removed the two from the top of the frame and loosened all the others. This way he was able to pull the glass outwards by twisting the remaining nails out of the way.
He eased the glass pane from the window frame, carefully turning the nail heads round. Then he reversed the process and replaced the glass. He pushed the two upper nails in place and turned exultantly to those who had gathered to watch and were now silently smiling their pleasure.
But now the pangs of hunger were beginning to assert themselves and becoming a real threat to their resilience and mental wellbeing. The temptation to send somebody out foraging was overwhelming now that they had a way out. There was no shortage of volunteers but, for different reasons, none of them were convincing enough to risk their lives in the search for food. By a general consensus it was agreed to wait until Billy showed up that night.
He came just after midnight. Reevel had stationed himself in the washroom and responded immediately to Billy's tapping on the window. He removed the pane of glass and propped it up carefully against the wall. He turned to help Billy through the window, and was surprised to see two Schmeissers being offered through the space.
"Take these," Billy urged him.
Reevel took them and laid them beside the glass. He straightened as Billy came through the window.
"Aye, you're a sight to gladden a man's heart, young Billy," Reevel told him. "Where did you get these?" he asked, pointing at the guns. When he saw Billy straightening up with another Schmeisser slung over his shoulder he said: "Heavens man, you're a walking arsenal. What have you done?"
Billy smiled rather self-consciously. "How are you sir? Never thought I'd meet you like this."
In the darkness Reevel became serious. "Billy, they have your mother."
"I know. I've been watching the bastards all day."
"You've seen her then?"
Billy ignored the question. "Are there no guards inside?" He was satisfied by Reevel's reply. "Good. Where's Ailie?"
"She's through there with Callum."
Billy went through into the schoolroom. He could see in the faint light from the bare windows that many of the islanders were asleep. Ailie was not. She saw Billy come through the door and her heart surged, pumping the blood through her veins at a frantic pace. She felt all the control go out of her and suddenly her legs were like two hollow vessels with no strength in them. She whispered his name in a cracked, hoarse voice, and struggled to get up from the floor.
He came to her, helping her gently to her feet and looked into her face. He had no words for her just then; he just wanted to hold her close and feel their love for each other flow like liquid from two cups, merging into one so that no division could be found in the burgeoning pool. He heard the quiet, passionate whisper. "Billy, oh Billy." He thought he would never know such relief and happiness as he felt then. He pushed her away so that he could look at her and see the joy in her face; joy that had lain dormant and damped beneath the surface for so long.
"Ailie, there's nothing more I want in this world than to survive this war and come back to you. If I had time I would do this properly, but I haven't. I love you lass. Do you understand that?"
She grinned, then laughed and cried and wanted that perfect moment to last for ever. But soon hands were pulling them apart and the others were asking all manner of questions which Billy did his best to answer. Then they settled down and discussed things quietly and objectively until they told him how Schafer had started the executions.
"Ma Ferguson?" he queried. "Old Fergie? No," he told them, "they took her to the catcher."
"But we heard the shots," Reevel protested.
"Aye, and that's all you heard," Billy told them. "He's playing games with you. I heard the shots too. Then I saw them dragging Fergie away to the Nordcaper."
It silenced them for a few moments. "Well the devious …." Reevel stopped and thought about the old woman. "That means she's alive."
"Aye and they want you to think she's been executed."
"This man Schafer does have some compassion then," Doctor Kristen said with surprise gathering in his voice.
"Not the way he's dragging my poor ma about," Billy complained bitterly. 'I've watched their search parties. They take my mother with them." His features hardened. "They drag her around like an animal. They know I'll shoot them any chance I get." His head drooped. "But not with my ma there."
"So you can't get near them, Billy?"
"I'll find a way, Reevel, don't you worry," Billy assured him. "If they don't let her go soon, I'll take her from them."
Marker leaned forward and gripped Billy's arm. "Why don't we attack them? We have the weapons now."
Billy shook his head. "No, Marker, there's not enough ammunition and we wouldn't be good enough. Our best chance is to wait. Let them believe they have the upper hand. When the right moment comes, if it comes, then perhaps we can do something."
"Schafer has to get his men off the island," Doctor Kristen reminded him. "I presume it will be by submarine. He will be at his most vulnerable then. If we wait until they are actually in the water." He stopped because Billy was shaking his head.
"Doctor Kristen, if Schafer is any good as a commander he will have thought of that. Look." He shuffled forward slightly to hammer home the point. "Any disturbance on the beach or anywhere on the island that can be seen by the waiting submarine means that it will go. Schafer would be in serious trouble."
"That means he has got to stop you, Billy," Kristen said quietly.
"I think he will use the Nordcaper. It's seaworthy, isn't it Marker?"
The engineer nodded. "Tanks are full. He had the screws turning yesterday. At least, he said he would."
Billy's head bobbed up and down. "Makes sense. I think he will slip out and rendezvous at sea somewhere."
"And we won't be able to stop him," Marker said sourly. "And he’ll dump the catcher," he added bitterly. "He certainly won’t leave it floating for the Navy to pick up."
"If he finds those documents Manny brought ashore, we've got to stop him," Billy insisted. "I don't know what's .in the papers but if they are worth the risks Schafer is taking, he must be stopped."
,"And how do we do that if we sit in this confounded schoolroom?"
"I may have a way, but I have to get on the Nordcaper without being seen," Billy replied.
"It's well guarded," Marker warned him.
"I know, so someone here has got to make it easy for me."
"How can we do that?" Marker asked in disbelief. "We can't move."
Billy looked at them all, including those whose faces were invisible in the shadows. "Whoever Schafer takes away to the catcher must find a way of dropping a rope through the sheave. It's the only way I can guarantee getting on the boat without being seen."
Ailie stiffened and clutched at him tightly, shaking her head vigorously. Billy prised her fingers apart carefully.
"I may not have to Ailie, but if Schafer finds those documents, I will. It's my duty, plain and simple."
"We don't know who will be next," Reevel told him.
"And we've no way of knowing if Schafer is still bluffing."
"When is he due back?" Billy asked.
Reevel pulled a pocket watch from somewhere and held it so that the pale moonlight reflected off its face. "He said he would take one of us every twelve hours. That means another six hours or so."
Billy nodded thoughtfully. "I think I should leave. If I stay here I may fall asleep, and if Schafer decides to come early." He stood up and the others stood up with him. "Hide those guns and pray we don't hav
e to use them."
"Billy, we need food," Reevel told him. "We never knew why he decided to stop feeding us." He hesitated. "But I think we know now."
"I'll get something to you. Have someone in the washroom all the time." He put his arm around Ailie and kissed her. "Goodbye lass. Pray for me."
Ailie brushed her tears against his cheeks and told him she loved him. The words were dry and fractured but their quality was pure gold. He broke away from her, insisting everybody except Reevel remain in the room. He left the way he had come.
His departure had a deep effect on them all. It was like losing a strong, emotional force whose presence dominated everything. For one so young, Billy's maturity and stature were established beyond question for the islanders. It gave them a little more strength and courage to wait for Schafer's return.
Ailie waited until she was satisfied Callum was asleep, then she moved away carefully, not wanting to disturb him. She walked as quietly as she could towards the end of the room. In the dull light she was afraid of tripping over a sleeping form and waking them. If Callum woke he would know she was no longer by his side, so she moved with agonising slowness. If her plan was to succeed, the last thing she wanted was his well-meant interference.
She stopped about ten feet from the door and sat down. She was afraid, and could feel an emptiness in her chest where her heart rattled beneath her ribs. What she was doing, she kept telling herself, was for Billy. When he had told them he meant to board the catcher, she had nearly died. She knew Billy was prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice, so she prayed hard that her plan would succeed and that she could be on the Nordcaper when Billy gambled his life against Schafer.
She had no idea of the time, and a new worry began to assail her: Schafer might be playing a psychological game with them, stringing out the time to pull their nerves to breaking point. If he chose to wait until daylight her father would notice she had moved. Her plan would be in pieces.
But Schafer came as dawn began its gentle assault on the darkness. The door clattered open and he stood like the devil's debt collector, come to gather his onerous dues. He took a few paces into the room.
"Have you made your decision Herr Anderson?"
"There's none to make," Reevel's voice came back. You have spilled our blood now and will have to kill us all." He stood up as he spoke. "There's not a soul in this room will consort with you."
Schafer's eyes remained fixed on Reevel's shadowy figure. He had not expected this kind of reaction and found it worrying. Instead of weakening, the islanders were showing a remarkable degree of defiance, even in the face of death.
"So be it!"
At that moment Ailie scrambled to her feet and dashed past Schafer. He grabbed at her as she headed for the door but she was too quick. The two guards at the door were lowering their guns as she cannoned into them. They fell back and she tried to squeeze past them and through the door.
Schafer moved like lightning. In three strides he had reached her and pulled her back into the room. Ailie twisted and lashed out at him, striking some fair blows on his face. But the struggle was ineffectual and over very quickly.
He held his face a few inches from hers. "In my country you would be considered a burden to the state. We have the perfect solution." He dragged her out through the door and threw her to the guard. The escort of armed storm troopers gathered her up and took her away.
Ailie's fear came to the surface and reached the point where it was abject. If she had miscalculated, she knew her life would end shortly in front of a firing squad. She hung on to- her sanity and pushed back the scream that rose in her throat, letting the storm troopers drag her through the street. She kept reminding herself of Billy's words, and took courage from them.
Suddenly there was a cracking stutter of gunfire which made her go rigid. Then, almost visibly, she relaxed and virtually collapsed with relief: her plan was succeeding, and like old Fergie she guessed she was being taken to the Nordcaper.
They threw her into a small, cramped cabin and slammed the door shut. The light was on and she could see two figures huddled together on the single bunk. The noise of Ailie's unceremonious entrance woke them and they both sat up. One was the old woman, Fergie and the other was Maura. Fergie smiled at her and then looked across at Maura. Ailie knew what she meant and turned her attention to Billy’s mother as Fergie moved off the bed.
She could see that Maura was in a terrible state. Her clothes were shredded, revealing masses of bruises and cuts. Her hair was a mess, dirty and knotted. Round her neck was a savage rope burn. The beauty that always shone so positively was no longer there. All Ailie could see was a lack-lustre stare from behind weary, vague eyes.
She gasped. "Oh, Maura."
Maura had risen to a sitting position on the edge of the bunk. Her reaction at seeing Ailie was slow, as though her mind refused to comprehend. But when the girl spoke her name it had an electrifying effect on her. She stiffened and her eyes widened.
"Your voice Ailie, you spoke."
She put her arms out and Ailie went to her. They held each other for a while without saying anything, until Ailie pushed her back. She used sign language to tell Maura that her voice had returned, but she needed time to get used to the idea. She asked Maura what Schafer had done to her.
"Oh, I'm dragged around our little island. It keeps our Billy away from them." She tried to play it down and said nothing of Kretschmer's exquisite torture.
Ailie told them both of Billy's visit to the school. It brightened them somewhat. "We shall beat them yet," Maura said calmly. Then her voice hardened. "I wish they hadn't brought you here, child. Your presence on this ship will have an effect on them; I’ve no doubt about that." She was obviously afraid of what the presence of a young woman on the ship could do to the storm troopers.
"I wanted to be here," Ailie whispered hoarsely, explaining how and why she had planned to get on board the Nordcaper.
"You must be mad," Maura told her. "You are risking too much." She wrung her hands and Ailie could see her fingers were trembling. "You'll never get out of here; there is always someone outside the door."
"I will think of a way," Ailie said slowly. "I have to for Billy's sake."
Maura smiled and put her hands on Ailie's cheeks, holding the soft, pink face with tenderness. "God will find a way for you and Billy. He has given you your voice. I'm sure he wants you to have your freedom." She looked round at the bunk. "I must try and sleep now. They will come for me soon. I am so weary I am afraid I will not be able to cope. It will make them angry," she added laconically with half a smile on her face.
Ailie tried to sleep but she couldn't. She lay there thinking over a million and one things, all flitting through her brain and defying her to pin anything down. A germ of an idea began to take root but it seemed plagued with so many difficulties and risks she feared she would never find a solution.
In the end Ailie had to admit she had taken on far more than she realised. Back in the schoolroom she had been inspired by Billy's declaration of his love for her, and by his simplistic attitude to what he believed to be his duty. That inspiration now propelled her into the reckless and dangerous scheme she had at last worked out.
She woke Maura who had plunged into a deep, exhaustive sleep again and took some waking up. Ailie spoke to her in short sentences, keeping her words monosyllabic, nursing the growing strength of her larynx. Maura protested sharply, but Ailie convinced her that she would do it alone if necessary.
Again the waiting seemed interminable and she could never quite supress the fears that plagued her. She hadn't eaten for a considerable time and had no idea when she would eat again. Her hopes of success improved when one of Schafer's men appeared with food. It was so silly that she couldn't believe she was being fed. The repast was meagre but it was sustenance and in truth a banquet for her morale and courage.
"When will they come?" she asked Maura.
Maura's eyes moved lazily. "Soon enough, Ailie. I will pray for y
our foolish head."
Ailie leaned over and kissed her. "It must end. Billy will do it."
Maura thought the girl was being a little naïve, but if that was all she needed to give her courage she saw no reason to protest further. She knew that if Ailie succeeded, she herself would be punished for her complicity and would almost certainly be shot. Ailie hadn't thought of that, and Maura wasn't about to point it out. It was enough that Ailie was risking her life.
The door opened and Kretschmer came in brandishing the short rope with a noose in one end. Maura stiffened and her flesh crawled. She was still horrified that he could emanate such hard sexuality which affected her so. She felt the little trip hammers stammering within her loins and she shuddered.
He pulled on the rope and Maura came at him like a ferocious animal, tearing at him with venomous fury. The speed and strength of the woman overwhelmed him long enough to bring the guard outside dashing in to his assistance. As he came through the door Ailie threw herself at him, sending him crashing to the floor. She was out of the door in an instant, standing in the alleyway for a single moment. Just long enough to get her bearings.
There was a wooden door at the end of the alleyway which she knew opened out on to the narrow deck round the after accommodation. She ran for it and pulled it open. She had no time then to look around. The whaling station faced her, but she ignored that and ran towards the forward-end of the catcher. She reached the short ladder to the bridge just as the guard she had knocked over raced out on to the deck. He brought his Schmeisser up to the firing position and took careful aim, bringing the foresight on to Ailie's back as she reached the top of the ladder.
A door along the deck flew open and Schafer dashed out from the crew mess on hearing the commotion. The storm trooper hesitated and called to him to duck.
Schafer fell to the ground and as the gun stitched a line of bullets at the ladder, Ailie cleared it and jumped down on to the catwalk leading towards the prow of the catcher. The bullets flew into the canvas dodger ripping it to shreds.
Schafer sprang to his feet the moment he saw the storm trooper lower the gun. He scrambled to the top of the ladder in time to see Ailie reach the gun platform. He reached down the ladder yelling for the Schmeisser which the guard brought swiftly to him.
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