II. Way out West
Newkirk drove to the Gestapo HQ at Lorenz. Rains were stronger the last half of the fall and there were not many people in the streets. "This is going to be as easy as walking in the park in London on Monday mornings."
"Not many Londoners walk in the park on Mondays, eh?" Carter joked.
"Traffic is fast. It will give us a good margin to get to the next stop." Newkirk slowed down. "All right, you are the major but I'll do the talking."
"No problem here." Carter said. "Let's do it fast, I don't want to spend more time than necessary in that place."
They entered the building, ready with their usual number. Newkirk barked at everybody to stand at attention to salute Carter. The man in the front desk even smiled at them. Carter raised an eyebrow as a sign of disapproval to everything he saw. Newkirk yelled orders here and there until everyone assumed it was a very important matter.
While Newkirk explained their visit, Carter looked around. There were only five uniformed men in the room. There was also the cleaning lady and the handyman doing the windows. They both did not take their eyes off Newkirk and Carter.
["But Central Headquarters just confirmed that someone had been sent for the prisoner. How come you are here so soon?"]
["Bad weather."] Newkirk grinned. ["Most people don't like to drive under this conditions. The road was rather clear."]
["I'll call them now to tell them that you're already here."] The man reached for the phone when one fist slamming on the table made him jump.
"Das führt zu nichts! This leads nowhere" Carter yelled.
Newkirk and the man at the desk turned at once. Carter, all in character, grinned.
"Ich immer das letze Wort habe! I always have the last word" He glanced at Newkirk to take it from there.
["Herr Major is a bit impatient. See? We've been driving all day long. The papers are in order, we need to take the prisoner into custody and get out of here before the storm arrives."]
The man at the desk took a look at the papers. ["I understand... Well, since transfer papers are signed... I think I can phone the central office later.] Warten Sie hier, bitte. Wait here, please." He went through a door on their left.
Newkirk and Carter exchanged glances. Things were going fine. Even if the officer made the phone call, they could put a good distance between themselves and the Gestapo. Carter was about to suggest that Newkirk went outside and get the engine started when one violent blast sent them flying in opposite directions.
Carter's sight was still blurred when he got up and looked around. He was not sure of how much time he had been on the floor. There was smoke everywhere. He stumbled on the debris and scattered furniture. Some guards were unconscious and others were running around with their rifles ready. He steadied himself against the wall. He looked for Newkirk but he was nowhere around.
Carter walked among the debris looking around intently. "Newkirk!" He coughed. People ran by without paying any attention to him. "Newkirk, where are you!"
"Over here!" Newkirk called from the door to the stairs. He kept his eyes on the hallway.
"What's going on?" Carter asked.
"I don't know but let's take advantage of it. The cells must be that way," he said. "Where's your gun?"
"Jeez! I think I lost it in the explosion," Carter turned around to avoid Newkirk's disapproving look.
The Englishman looked down at an unconscious soldier. He bent down and picked up a pistol. He handed it to Carter. "Here. Stay close," he said drawing his own weapon.
They walked down the hallway calling Vasile Dalibor's name.
"Hier!"
They followed the sound of the voice to one of the last cells on their right. Newkirk peered inside. "Do you speak English?"
The man nodded.
"The Lion and the Unicorn were fighting for the 'town'," Carter said.
"Crown, Carter," Newkirk corrected.
"The Lion beat the Unicorn all around the town." Dalibor confirmed the password.
"We're your ride to the airport, sir." Newkirk smiled as he opened the cell door.
"A plane will be waiting to take you to London tomorrow morning." Carter looked around with a watchful eye.
"London?" A tall, slim man stepped out of the cell. His eyes were unreadable but he smiled when said that word.
There was something about that man that Carter did not like. It might be the cheap suit that made him look like a salesman, or the way he combed what was left of his hair. Or maybe, it was that smile frozen on his face and that gave him an air of superiority.
Before he could take two steps forward, Newkirk pointed his gun at him. "You understand that you're now a prisoner of the Allies, do you?"
"I'm not running away anymore."
The confusion was general and they did not have problems getting out. Carter did not see anything wrong with running into the cleaning lady outside. The poor woman had been lucky to get out of there before the explosion, Carter thought. However, his perception changed when she began to yell at them. The man they had seen washing the windows came running after them. He was very tall and looked rather strong. He threw himself on Newkirk and both fell downstairs, fighting for Newkirk's gun.
Carter did not know what to do at first. With one man in custody, he could not engage in a fight. "Newkirk! Can't help you! Finish it right now! We don't have time for this!"
The Englishman pushed the man off his chest and hit him on the jaw with his gun. He got up and glared at Carter. "Next time, you do the fighting!"
["There they are!"] One guard shouted.
They ran to their car and took off.
Carter did not breathe until they were some distance away. "Boy, what was that? Someone actually attacked the Gestapo HQ?"
"Let's count our blessings." Newkirk looked in the rear mirror at Carter and Dalibor. "What about those lines you dropped over there, Carter? Your German is actually improving." He smiled.
"Oh, it was something I memorized from a booklet for tourists that I picked up the other day at the bookstore," Carter said.
Newkirk stared at Dalibor. "You would not happen to know about that bombing at the Gestapo, would you?"
"I'm required by many." Dalibor shrugged. "It wouldn't surprise me that it was all for me."
"Yeah, how about the man that attacked Newkirk? One of your admirers?"
"Those were Romany people," Dalibor said. "They've been on my back for a while. If you hadn't come when you did, I'd probably be dead by now."
"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Newkirk kept an eye on the rear mirror. One black car was getting closer. "Hold on, gentlemen, we've got a tail." He sped up.
They left town and entered a rural zone. Newkirk took the first exit with the Gestapo following closely.
"Those boys never give up." Carter felt his heart beating fast. He did not want to know what would happen if those Nazis started to shoot. He clenched the door handle with everything he had. Two seconds later, bullets began to fly.
"Now it's a good time to answer the fire, Carter!" Newkirk yelled above the cacophony.
"Er... I dropped it here, somewhere."
"Carter!"
"Sorry, you sped up so abruptly, I lost balance..." Carter cursed quietly at his own clumsiness.
Newkirk took his own pistol and gave it to Carter. "Here! Shoot through the window but be careful, don't put yourself on the line of fire."
"What? They're shooting to kill!" Carter complained as he rolled down the glass. He fired a couple of shots and ducked. "I hate this, I hate this!"
"Easy, mate. Just keep them busy." Newkirk kept an eye on the mirror. He stirred every time he heard them shoot. The last bang came straight through the rear window. "Everybody down!" Newkirk shouted as the car took a curve.
Shattered glass flew everywhere. Newkirk instinctively hit the brakes and the car overturned. It felt as though they were flying and Carter closed his eyes anticipating a crash landing. He just prayed for it to be quick.
TBC
I know only a couple of lines in German, I hope these ones are on the right track. The rest of the conversation is in brackets for obvious reasons.
Thank you for your reviews and interest on following the story. :)
Way Out West (1937)
