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The Crossing - Part 21 free porn video
I was an escaped PoW living as a female spy in Nazi Germany. Now one of
those who knew my secret had been captured by the Gestapo and it was
only a matter of time until they tortured that secret out of him.
THE CROSSING - part 21
by BobH
(c) 2016
- 48 -
As well as his bloody nose, Captain Wendt had an ugly bruise around his
left eye that looked as if it had been inflicted by a rifle butt.
"Put him in my office for now," Grost ordered the men holding him, "and
tie him to a chair. I'll question him in there later before turning him
over to Gruber when he returns tomorrow afternoon."
Helmut and I watched in horror as the Captain was tied up, he because
the man was a family friend and me because he was my link to London.
When his arms and legs had been firmly lashed to the chair, Grost
ordered his men out and locked Captain Wendt in the study. Placing the
key in his pocket, he told them to stand guard outside the door.
"I'm going to take a shower and get ready for dinner," he said. "Should
anyone attempt to gain access to the prisoner you will stop them. Since
I have the only key they wouldn't get very far, but sometimes people
are stupid."
"Shouldn't you at least get the man medical attention?" said Helmut.
"Gerda is taking a bath right now. Let her look at him when she comes
down for dinner."
"Why?" said Grost, looking genuinely puzzled. "He'll look much worse
after Bruno has had a chance to question him. Giving him medical
attention would be a waste of time and effort. Now if you'll excuse me,
I need to get ready for dinner myself."
When he departed I turned to Helmut and placed my hand on his chest.
"Captain Wendt, a traitor," I said, trembling, "I can't believe it."
"Neither can I, my love," said Helmut, sliding his arms around my waist
and pulling me to him. He kissed me softly on the lips, seeing my
distress and wanting to comfort me. Helmut assumed that distress was
caused purely by the fate the Captain now faced, but I was also
terrified he would give me up under torture.
"I need to get ready, too," said Helmut, gently disengaging from our
embrace, "I'm sure we'll discuss this more over dinner."
Going up the stairs he passed Gerda descending them. As it was still a
little early for dinner, she and I retired to the family room where a
servant brought us a pre-meal glass of wine. I filled her in on what
had happened.
"And Albrecht won't let me tend to him?" she said. "At all? That
bastard!"
Not an assessment I could argue with, but how had Wendt been captured
in the first place? Grost told us at dinner, his tone boastful.
"I never bought Wendt's story about Franz Steiner's supposedly
accidental death last year and him finding the body when he visited the
cafe later, but I could never prove anything. Still, I had my
suspicions so I decided to have someone in the village keep an
occasional eye on the good Captain."
So Grost did have another spy here after all. Who could it be? Frau
Engelmann, perhaps, or was she too obvious? I pushed my food around my
plate, anxiety having stolen my appetite, while Grost continued with
his tale.
"Captain Wendt was observed visiting a certain derelict barn after dark
on a number of occasions. Those occasions coincided with times when
illicit, coded radio transmissions had been detected originating from
somewhere in this general region. This was suggestive, but not
conclusive. A careful search of the barn by my agent did not turn up
any radio, so the first thing I did on arriving here yesterday was to
send one of my men out with a direction finder on the off chance a
transmission would be sent last night. Useful things direction finders,
and the Gestapo has one that can be concealed under a long coat. Being
that small it's a short range unit of course, but then we knew where we
should look. We got lucky. Wendt did send a message last night. As soon
as he started transmitting the direction finder picked it up and my men
were able to burst in, to catch him red handed and to capture his radio
intact. It's clear to me now that poor Franz must have discovered
Wendt's treachery and that Wendt killed him to prevent being exposed as
a traitor."
He was right about what Captain Wendt had done, but wrong about it
being to save his own skin. No, he'd done it to save my skin, mine and
Benton's, and it was a debt I was honour-bound to repay, the question
was how? To save him I would have to somehow steal the key from Grost.
I couldn't get close enough to him to do that. Lexi could, but why
would she? If I asked her to she'd want to know why, and I couldn't
tell her. She'd admitted she was only interested in looking out for
herself now so she was hardly likely to agree to take that sort of
chance. Even if I did talk her into it and she got me the key, I'd have
to get past the guards on the door before I could cut Wendt loose. I'd
have to distract them, lure them from their posts, maybe by causing a
car in the courtyard to explode by pushing a flaming rag into the fuel
tank. There were usually staff attending to some business or other in
and around the courtyard though, so doing so while remaining unnoticed
would be tricky. Assuming I managed all this, and got him out of the
castle unseen, I would then have to spirit him out of Rumstahl. It
seemed impossible. That's because it *was* impossible. It couldn't be
done with anything less than a squad of armed commandos, and there was
only me.
Mark Benton had given Captain Wendt and I cyanide capsules to use in
the event we were captured because he thought that if tortured we'd
break and give up the names of the others. I knew myself well enough to
know he was right about me, which meant he was probably right about
Wendt, too. So if I couldn't free him I had to make sure he didn't
talk. There was no time to contact Benton, unfortunately. I would have
to do this myself, and quickly.
"Eva?"
"Mmmm?" I said coming out of my reverie. It was Helmut.
"You were lost in thought?"
"Sorry," I said, "it's just that I always liked Captain Wendt and I
can't stop thinking about what's going to happen to him."
"You must!" said Grost, making it sound like a demand. "Matters such as
these are not things the fairer sex should dwell on."
Unseen by him, Lexi rolled her eyes. Gerda saw, and gave an amused
smile. That was when it hit me, a 'lightbulb' moment in which how I
could do what needed to be done suddenly popped into my brain, fully
formed. I lurched to my feet.
"You'll have to excuse me," I said, then fled the room.
I knew they would think this was my delicate feminine constitution
getting the better of me. In fact I was counting on it. I went straight
to Helmut's room and over to his wardrobe for the box containing his
pea-shooter. In my own room, I stood on a chair and spent a few minutes
firing wooden peas at the pillow on my bed until I was sure of my
command of range and trajectory. I smiled as I gathered up the peas.
I'd told Helmut that as a child I'd been the best shot on my street,
and I still had it. I tucked the box under my arm and, candle in hand,
entered the secret passage connecting my room with the study. I wasn't
happy with what I was about to do, but I had no other choice.
Gazing out through the airbrick I could see Captain Wendt, his back to
me, tied to the chair in front of the desk. His head was lolling
forward, chin on his chest. I hoped this meant he was at worst asleep.
If he was unconscious my plan wouldn't work. I lit the candle with a
match then took the pea-shooter from its box, waggling it
experimentally in one of the airbrick holes. Fortunately, it looked
like the holes were large enough for me to achieve the angle I needed
to. Placing a wooden pea in my mouth, I carefully lined up the shot and
fired the pea. As intended, it hit Wendt on the back of the neck.
Startled, he turned his head round, looking for the source of this
impact. I waved the candle behind the airbrick until he saw it. I now
had his full attention.
In order for the Captain to hear me though the airbrick I would have to
have shouted, something I dared not do with guards just the other side
of the door, hence the candle. By sliding my hand back and forth in
front of the it I was able to tell him who I was and what I intended by
means of Morse code, something he as a radio operator was very familiar
with. At the end of my message I asked him to nod if he understood and
wanted me to continue. He did.
I took out the cyanide capsule Benton had given me, unwrapped it from
the twist of paper I kept it in, and placed it carefully in my mouth.
Once again, I lined up the shot and fired. This time my target was not
Captain Wendt but the flat-faced cactus on the outer corner of the
desk. Two pairs of eyes followed the path of the capsule as it sailed
across the room and I held my breath, knowing I only had one chance to
get this right.
My aim was true.
The capsule hit the face of the cactus and bounced off, landing on the
soil in the pot, as planned. Captain Wendt turned his face back to me
and silently mouthed a single word: "Danke."
I turned away from the airbrick as he started bumping his chair over to
the cactus, not wanting to see what came next, and returned to my room
before heading downstairs.
When I arrived back the dining room Helmut and the women were
sympathetic about my apparent gastric problems, Grost less so.
"If women ruled the world nothing would ever get done," he snorted,
"you don't have the stomach for the job. You're all far too
sentimental."
"You're right," I said, "I'm just a weak, emotional female. If it
wasn't for strong men like you I don't know where we women would be."
"Yes, well," said Grost, frowning as it dawned on him I might be
mocking him. Then he shook his head, dismissing the idea.
Lexi was clearly amused by the exchange. Theirs was a strange
relationship. I knew she was only with him because of his wealth and
the protection he could provide her, but he seemed oblivious to that
fact. She'd told me she could wrap him round her little finger, which
did appear to be the case. He lavished gifts on her, which she regarded
as no more than her due as a beautiful woman, including fabulous
evening dresses such as the one she was wearing now. It showed off her
cleavage of course - Lexi was very fond of her 'girls' and liked to
display them for others to admire too - was exquisitely fitted, and
worked well with her colouring. But then so had the dress she wore to
dinner last night and so, I was sure, would those she would wear for
dinner over the coming evenings. I suspected that spending his money on
his mistress like this was also a way for Grost to rub Helmut's nose in
his greater wealth. Ah, status games! One part of being a man I didn't
miss at all.
It was while we were in the family room after dinner that what I'd done
was discovered. Gerda and Lexi were just finishing their cigarettes
when Grost threw back his schnapps and got to his feet.
"Time to check on the prisoner, I think," he announced.
On the sofa I snuggled up closer to Helmut, waiting for the inevitable
explosion. I did not have to wait long.
"Gott im himmel!" came Grost's shocked voice, followed by him shouting
at the guards.
"What the devil is going on?" asked Helmut. "I'd better go and see."
He got to his feet and left the room, while Lexi, Gerda and I exchanged
puzzled frowns. Unlike mine, theirs were genuine. Helmut returned,
followed closely by Grost.
"Captain Wendt is dead," said Helmut, eliciting a shocked gasp from
Gerda. "It appears he had a second cyanide capsule."
"Impossible!" said Grost, angrily. "He was searched thoroughly. Someone
must have given him the second capsule after his capture."
"How would that have been possible?" asked Lexi.
"You!" said Grost, pointing an accusing finger at me. "You left us for
ten or twelve minutes during dinner."
"I felt unwell," I said, "and went to my room to be sick. Your guards
watched me go up the stairs, and the maid Helga happened to be passing
as I went into my room. I'm sure they'll all confirm this."
"You could have got it to him somehow," he replied, unwilling to let
this go.
"How?" I said. "I couldn't have slipped anything under the door without
the guards seeing, nor could I have scaled the outside of the building
and somehow got it to him through the window. Not only is such a feat
beyond me, but the window in my room overlooks the castle courtyard
while the window in the study looks out over the village. Nor is my
room directly above the study so drilling through the floor would be
pointless."
"Eva's right," said Helmut. "Even assuming she had somehow acquired
such a capsule and had reason to want to help him, there's no way she
could have got it to Captain Wendt."
"As I understand it, the Captain was securely lashed to a chair," said
Gerda, "so he could not have picked up the capsule. It has to have
already been in his mouth, possibly concealed under his tongue."
"Why would we have caught him attempting to put one cyanide capsule in
his mouth if he already had another under his tongue," said Grost.
"That makes no sense."
"On the contrary, given the circumstances it's the only explanation
that does make sense, the only way what happened could have happened.
Did you check under his tongue when you searched him?"
"Well, no," he reluctantly admitted, "but then why would we have?"
"I agree," said Gerda, "but in this case you clearly should have."
Grost had no answer for this. He gave me a black look then stormed out,
clearly still believing I had something to do with Captain Wendt's
death but unable to figure out how. Unfortunately, this would mean he'd
be watching me more closely in future. I'd have to be more careful than
ever now.
- 49 -
My suspicions about Lexi's expensive dresses being a way of Grost
showing off his wealth received a boost the following day when we all
attended Sunday morning service in the village church. More demure, as
befitted church, it was nevertheless beautifully cut and sewn. A calf-
length black silk marvel, Lexi had accessorised it with matching hat
and gloves and a fox fur stole. Her jewellery was minimal, her make-up
as skilfully applied as my own. Outside after the service, I took her
to one side.
"There's something I'd like to show Lexi," I said to the group, "so why
don't you others go on ahead and we'll catch you up."
"Yes, all right," said Helmut, "we'll see you both later."
Grost merely grunted, then fell in beside Helmut and Gerda to climb the
hill to the castle.
"What are you going to show me?" asked Lexi, hooking her arm in mine.
"A grave. I want to pay my weekly respects to my brother."
"Your...what?"
"You'll see," I replied, amused by how non-plussed she was.
"'Rudolf Schumacher'," said Lexi, reading the gravestone when we
stopped before it, "now I understand. He was the real Eva Schumacher's
brother so you like to show your respects when there are villagers
around to see you do so."
"That's right," I said, "but Rudolf was better known to Helmut as
Steffi and was his lover before she died. Most of the clothes I wear
now used to be hers."
"Oh, the poor thing! And her gravestone carries her birthname rather
than her chosen name. That's so sad."
"That's the way it has to be."
"For now, yes," said Lexi. "One day, God willing, the gravestones of
girls like her will reflect who they really were in life. Do you mind
if I pray for her with you?"
"No, of course not," I said, not surprised by how this had affected
her.
"To our sister, Steffi," she intoned, as we closed our eyes, "we never
knew you but we pray you've gone to a better place, one where through
the grace of God you can be the real you."
She turned to me.
"Thank you for sharing this with me," she said.
"From the way you talked about these matters, I thought you'd
appreciate it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like a few minutes alone
here."
"Of course," she said, kissing me on the cheek. "I'll see you back at
the castle."
As soon as he was sure she'd gone, Mark Benton emerged from behind a
tree.
"I wasn't certain you'd seen me," he said.
"Of course I did. You taught me to be aware of my surroundings at all
times. I suppose you're here about Captain Wendt?"
"I am. It's a bad business. I first heard he'd been captured, then that
he was dead. What happened?"
I told him the whole story. When I finished he placed a sympathetic
hand on my shoulder.
"You did the right thing," he said.
"I know I did. So why do I feel so guilty?"
"That's an entirely natural reaction, even though it was what he wanted
and he thanked you. You feel guilty because you think you should have
saved him. You couldn't have, believe me."
"With Wendt dead and his radio captured what happens now?"
"When I finally got here I requested a second radio be parachuted in
against just this eventuality, which I then buried somewhere without
revealing its location to Gustav Wendt. It's a Model Type A, mark III
British suitcase radio. Designed for transmission and reception of
coded messages for up to 500 miles, it's S.O.E issue and the smallest
clandestine radio of its type."
"So you'll be taking over from him as a radio operator?"
"Not as such, no. Given we're compromised it would be dangerous to use
it to send anything more than pre-assigned four-letter codewords. I
intend only using it twice. First, I'll send the codeword indicating
our radio operator has been captured and killed but that I'm proceeding
with the mission. If I didn't they'd think I'd been captured too in the
absence of Gustav's weekly check-in with them, and they'd then send a
Mosquito to kill Hitler. It would fire on your wedding party and kill
many others in the process, yourself probably included."
"Yes, you definitely need to send that one," I said. "What's the
second?"
"After I take my shot at Adolf, I send either the codeword confirming
his death and that we're heading home, or the one telling them I failed
and we're heading home."
"What happens if you're captured or killed? What do I do then?"
"Your safest bet would be to stay with the Count. Our brass are well
aware of how important he, von Braun, and the others are. More than
anything they want to take them alive. There's something called the
Black List. It's the code name for the list of top German scientists
and engineers targeted for immediate interrogation by our military
experts. Stick with them and with luck you'll end up in British or
American custody. When that happens don't immediately blurt out who you
are. Wait until you're alone with an interrogator and out of earshot of
the others since you have no idea how they'd react if they learned you
were a spy. Much safer that way."
"So you don't think I should try to make my way home by myself?"
"Good god, no! No offense, Ripley, but you wouldn't stand a chance
alone. With all the bombings and the way the war's going there's a lot
of tension out there. As a female you'd attract the sort of attention
every pretty girl does, and the first time a man refused to take no for
an answer your secret would be out. As a male you're small and have
been using feminine gestures for so long now it will take a conscious
effort to lose them. That would attract a different sort of attention,
the sort that could get you beaten to death or imprisoned."
I nodded. I didn't like it, but I had to agree with his assessment.
"You'd best return to the castle now, Ripley. The others will be
wondering where you are."
Benton had given me much to think about, and I fretted about my
deteriorating situation as I walked. One of the two men who were my
lifeline to England was now dead, and the Gestapo were staying in the
castle and suspicious of me. Then there was Lexi. She had been nothing
but friendly so far, but could I trust her? What did I really know of
her motives?
Helmut was waiting for me in the family room when I got back. He called
out to me as I walked past the open door.
"Do you have a minute, Eva?" he asked.
"For you always, my darling," I said, smiling.
"Good, because I went into in my study earlier when cousin Albrecht was
supervising the removal of Captain Wendt's body, and I found this. Can
you tell me how it got there?"
He held the item up. It was a wooden pea.
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To be continued.
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Dani
- 25.11.2022
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