Chapter 11

Biggles Goes To The Opera

In the foyer of the Wolfinger Biggles looked at his watch again. Algy had still not appeared and he was now beginning to get seriously concerned about his cousin's absence. He hesitated, mulling over his options. When, after he had smoked several cigarettes, there was still no sign of Algy, Biggles made up his mind. He had come to Austria to do a job. He would have to try to contact the professor and hope that Algy would make his way back to the hotel as soon as he was able.

Biggles stubbed out his last cigarette in the over-flowing ashtray and stood up. As he crossed the foyer, making his way to the entrance, the receptionist called him back.

"A telephone call for you Herr Bigglesworth," the man said, holding out the receiver. "Frau Lacey wishes to speak with you."

Biggles looked at him curiously. "Frau Lacey?" he queried. "Not Herr Lacey?"

"No mein Herr, the caller is a woman. She said she was Frau Lacey."

Intrigued, Biggles took the receiver and cautiously repeated her name, wondering if it was a trap of some kind.

The voice on the end of the telephone sounded young and frightened. "Algy told me to ring you," she announced hesitantly.

Biggles' instincts told him this was no trap, but aware that the conversation might be listened to, he chose his words carefully as he tried to discover the purpose behind the telephone call. Any news of Algy would be welcome. "Thank you, my dear," he murmured gently. "That was kind of you. How is your husband?"

There was a slight sigh of relief in his ear as if the caller had been expecting a challenge. "He has gone to see my mother," the girl told him. "She hasn't been well since we had to move from Fabrikstrasse."

Biggles was instantly alert at the mention of the address. "I see," he breathed. "And your father?" he asked carefully.

There was almost a sob in the voice at the other end of the line. "He has had to go away unexpectedly. To serve the Reich," she informed him.

"I'm sorry to hear he had to leave so suddenly on this important work," announced Biggles. "When did that happen?"

"This morning," came the disconcerting reply.

Biggles drew in a sharp breath. "I am disappointed to have missed him," he commented truthfully.

"We were hoping you would be able to come round to see us tonight," the girl continued, "but unfortunately, that's not possible now."

"No," agreed Biggles. "I wouldn't have been able to in any case," Biggles told her meaningfully. "I have arranged to go to the Theatre tonight. The performance starts at 8."

"Eight o'clock?" the girl repeated. "You don't have much time to get ready and walk to the Promenade. I shall ring off and let you get changed. I hope you enjoy the opera. I believe it is very uplifting."

"Thank you," acknowledged Biggles. "I have to make the most of my free time while I'm here; I expect our work will be finished shortly and we shall have to leave."

The girl's voice was steadier now as she wished him good night. Biggles put the receiver down and went up to his room to consult the map. It took him only a few moments to find the Promenade. He had said the Theatre on the spur of the moment and was thankful that the young woman seemed to be quick on the uptake. It turned out to be only a few streets away from the Wolfinger.

Thinking it would not take him long to walk there, Biggles strolled out of the hotel into the square. He had barely turned out of the Hauptplatz when he collided with a pretty young woman in a shabby coat, who seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Biggles apologised profusely, raised his hat and would have rushed away, but to his surprise she spoke his name.

"You're the young woman who rang me?" he questioned.

She nodded imperceptibly. "I'm Becca Meier," she informed him. "Your cousin gave me some coins and told me to telephone you, calling myself Mrs Lacey. I couldn't come to the hotel because I'm Jewish."

"Perhaps that was just as well in the circumstances," Biggles told her. "I think I'm being watched." He smiled. "I guessed who you were. I knew Algy was a quick worker, but I couldn't see him managing to get himself hitched in a couple of hours." He glanced around. "We had best keep walking towards the Promenade," he observed. "Anything else would be suspicious." He raised his hat and walked off.

Becca walked a few paces away from him, apparently intent on an errand of her own. As they made their way to the Theatre, she brought him up to date on how she had met Algy and everything that had happened since.

"I was waiting for your friend to come back when I heard the SD patrol go along the street," she concluded. "I watched them go up to our house. When they broke the door down and went in I was terrified. They must have arrested them both. I couldn't think what else to do, so I followed Algy's plan to get in touch with you. I crept out onto the street. I was so afraid they would spot me, but they were all intent on getting into our house. Nobody looked my way, so I managed to get to your hotel. I rang you from the café opposite. I was afraid you would think it was a trap and refuse to talk to me, but when you did I started to hope again. I knew you would have to cross the square to get to the Theatre and if I hadn't managed to bump into you, I would have waited for you there," she finished with a small sigh.

Biggles heard the conclusion of her story with dismay. "This job was never going to be easy," he observed, "but it seems to be going from bad to worse. First I missed the professor by hours and now it looks as though I've lost Algy and your mother. What else is going to go wrong?" he queried plaintively.