Disclaimer: Foyle's War was created by Anthony Horowitz, and the characters of Foyle, Elizabeth Addis, Sam and Adam Wainwright, Valentine et al., jointly created by Mr. Horowitz, Mr. Michael Kitchen, Ms. Hermione Gulliford, Ms. Honeysuckle Weeks and all the other brilliant actors. No infringement is intended.

Author's Notes: Continual thanks to GiuliettaC for beta-reading and offering improvements to the manuscript.


Chapter 4

Foyle went alone to the first interview, as the absence of both him and Valentine from the Security Service offices on what was essentially unofficial business might cause comment. He met Captain Michael Rees at his home outside of London, and immediately understood why the man had requested the private location. Tall, well-built and fair haired, he walked with a stiff limp, and his otherwise youthful face was lined with pain.

"Took a few bullets in Italy. Never been quite right since," was all he'd say on the subject, but was willing enough to help Foyle with his inquiries.

They were seated in the front room with a finger of whisky in their glasses.

"Still sorting things out two years on, eh? Yes, I served in Yugoslavia, on missions to the Chetniks." He declared the last part with an aggressive pride.
Foyle reminded him of the dates and locations of his later missions in the region, and got straight to the point,
"You may have crossed paths with the subject of this inquiry, Captain Thomas Addis. Do you recall meeting him?"
"Addis? Yes… An earnest, wiry chap, a linguist, got on well with the locals, good man. Never dwelt on setbacks, always focused on finding a way forward."
"No...em...controversies, that you were aware of?" Foyle realized he had to tread a careful line between casting aspersions and prompting a memory. Nonetheless Rees eyed him with suspicion.
"Involving Addis? Nothing at all. He was a good man, as I've said, well liked, from what I saw of him. Straightforward. He did what was required."
"Can you tell me where you last saw him?"
"It was the night of the brawl. I'll never forget it. Mid-December '43. Agents from different missions had been called in to a temporary HQ on the coast of Montenegro. Those of us who had been with the Chetniks got briefed first. We were told the 'commanders on high' had just cut off all support, ordered us to cease operations, and we were hopping mad. I remember Addis saying darkly that it was Cairo, it was all Cairo's doing."
"Did he name anyone in particular?"
"No. That's all he said. And when we were invited to join the missions to the Partisans, he got up and walked out."
"What was the, er, 'brawl' you mentioned?"
Rees shook is head unhappily,
"Agents from Partisan missions arrived later. Colonel Stuart was to brief us all on enemy positions and planned engagements. But some of our lot started calling out, blaming the other agents for standing by as the Partisans attacked their own countrymen instead of the enemy. Accusations flew back and forth, a punch was thrown, ...and a general affray ensued."
"Addis wasn't a part of it?"
"No, he'd left."
"Had anyone else walked out?"
"Not that I saw. Well, not everyone hung about once the fists were flying. Shameful really, but who could blame them? Look, I'm no political analyst, but...their own countrymen meant nothing to the Partisans. Tito had his own agenda, his own goals, and he worked for those goals exclusively, even if it meant weakening our fight against the enemy."

Foyle waited while the man drained his glass.

"Yes, the Chetniks were criticized for avoiding the Germans, but it was the reprisals on innocent villagers, you see. When the Germans said they'd shoot one hundred civilians for each soldier killed, General Mihailovic ordered his people to withdraw into the mountains. Tito didn't care about civilian deaths, especially if they were Serbians."
Rees leant forward in eagerness to make his next point, but a spasm of pain crossed his face and he sat back again, laying a hand across his stomach,
"The Chetniks were very effective saboteurs. Took out railways, bridges, roads, disrupted the supply lines, and kept fighting the Germans where they could. Mihailovic was waiting for the Allies to land, to join the fight. But we were told to pull our support. We left them to be hunted down by the Partisans. Yeah, you could say there were hard feelings between agents."

Grim-faced, Foyle nodded, then asked,
"The brawl, er - you didn't get involved?"
"I might've thrown a few punches."
Foyle smiled sympathetically.
"You didn't see Addis after that?"
"From a distance, saw him chatting with Will Hudson, another liaison officer.
"Friendly chat, would you say?"
"Serious."

The interview seemed concluded, however, Rees offered,
"I met Addis's wife - widow, I should say. In London in May of '44. I was back in hospital, needing another procedure. She had to investigate a string of deaths of agents in France. Very grateful for the bit of intel I could supply her, about circuits I'd set up in '42. We had a long talk about pals from the Chetnik days. She was as good as her word, came here that summer to visit and see that I was stronger."

Foyle gave him a brief, indifferent smile, and thanked Rees for his time.

Back in his car, Foyle got out the chart of SOE missions and located the name of the agent Rees had mentioned, Hudson. He saw the man's field work had intersected three times with Addis in 1943, first in February, then in May and the final time in December. He'd find out more about the objectives of those operations, and the work the two men had undertaken, when he returned to the office. For now, he would carry on to his next interview, with Retired Col. Roy MacInnis.

To be continued...