For some time, Carter and Cecilie hadn't exchanged so much as a glance, let alone a word.
Cecilie was probably to weary to talk. She managed to stay upright in her chair, but every so often her head would droop forward, then she would straighten with a jerk. Meanwhile Carter paced nervously around the office, unable to keep still. He had investigated the drawers of the big desk, finding nothing more menacing than a broken pencil and a stapler with no staples. The filing cabinet was locked, and he wondered briefly whether it might contain anything worth the trouble of trying to pick the lock, but just as he was going back to the desk to look for a paper clip, the door opened. Instinctively he stepped back, as one of Faulmann's men came in, carrying a tray.
"Herr Faulmann's compliments, sir," he said. "He thought you might be hungry, so he made arrangements." He placed the tray on the table, and removed the cover to reveal a plate of cold chicken, salad and a bread roll, accompanied by a glass of white wine. "There is Schnaps on the cabinet there, if you prefer it."
"Danke. Just leave it on the desk," replied Carter curtly. He glanced at his watch. It was almost four hours since he'd met with Faulmann on the Hammelburg road. He hadn't eaten anything since early morning, but the thought of food repelled him.
"You better have something to eat," he told Cecilie.
She shook her head. "I couldn't."
Carter hesitated for a moment, then picked up the glass of wine and brought it to her. "Listen, I know things have been kind of rough the last couple of days," he mumbled. "But you gotta try to keep it together. Once the colonel gets us out of here, you've still got a long way to go."
"I don't believe he is coming," she said in a low voice.
"Well, you better start believing," replied Carter. "He's coming, all right."
Cecilie gave him a searching look, then sighed, and took the glass from him. "You trust him that much?"
"Heck, yeah." Carter started making a sandwich out of the bread and chicken. "He's never let me down yet, even when...even when things looked real bad." His eyebrows drew in, at the memories evoked. Then he gave himself a shake. Now wasn't the time to start thinking about that. "Just try and eat a little bit," he said, offering her the roll. "You don't want to get all weak and pass out on us, do you?"
It seemed as if she would refuse, but after a moment of indecision she accepted it, and took a small bite. Carter, vaguely aware of her embarrassment at being watched, turned away to get himself a glass of Schnaps. In general, he didn't much care for the stuff, but right now it went down pretty well.
"I trusted Karl," said Cecilie suddenly. "I would have put my life in his hands. Even now..."
"I guess you got to be pretty good friends," murmured Carter, unsure what else he could say.
She acknowledged it with a shrug, and a rueful smile. If Weber had been more than a friend to her, at least she wasn't going to say so. But Carter felt a renewed constraint on his sympathy. He refilled his glass, and went back to the window.
A staff car had pulled up in front of the main entrance. He leaned forward until his forehead was almost touching the glass, trying to get a look at the occupants, but his line of sight was obscured by one of the swastika-emblazoned banners which were suspended from the lamp-posts all along the street.
"Well, someone's here, anyway," he said.
Cecilie gave a start, inadvertently squashing the roll in her fingers. "Is it...?"
"I can't tell." The car wasn't familiar to him, and his stomach began to knot up. Without thinking, he gulped down the entire glassful, then choked, spluttered and started coughing.
"Was ist los?" said Cecilie, staring at him.
He leaned with one hand on the desk, holding the other up until he could speak again. "Went down the wrong way."
"Are you all right?" she asked.
"Sure. Boy, it just figures I'd do something dumb right now." His throat hurt, and he coughed again, and wiped his eyes. "That stuff should come with a safety warning." He took another look out of the window, but whoever had gotten out of the car must already be inside the building. "We better get cleared up, so's we're ready to go when the colonel gets here."
The remains of the meal were hastily returned to the tray, and Carter made an attempt to smooth down his hair and straighten his uniform. Even if it was Eisner, and not Hogan, who had arrived - even if the whole ruse was about to be discovered - well, at least he'd look like a credit to the air corps when they arrested him.
"It'll be okay," he said under his breath. "I know it'll be okay."
He glanced at the door, at the sound of voices in the passage outside, then took a couple of steps to the side, so he would stand between Cecilie and whoever was about to enter. A moment later, two SS men burst through the door, and the breath left Carter's body in a single, involuntary exhalation. His eyes went past them, and he raised his head, straightened his shoulders, and saluted.
Hogan, coming in directly behind O'Brien and Hammond, gave him an anxious once-over, as he returned the salute. "Good to see you safe at last," he said.
Carter nodded, a glow of pure relief illuminating his face, although Faulmann's arrival in Hogan's wake made him hold back his own emphatic exclamation. Hogan, after that one searching gaze, had already moved on. "And this is our friend from Düsseldorf. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, madame." His eyes had narrowed slightly, at sight of the bruise on her face, but he made no comment on it. Cecilie glanced up at him, then looked away. A faint flush of pink stained her cheeks, but she didn't speak.
"She's agreed to co-operate, sir," Faulmann put in. "She'll tell us whatever we want to know, if we take care of her afterwards." Carter's lips pinched together. Trust Faulmann to make a grab for whatever credit might be going.
"I think that can be arranged," said Hogan, after a moment. "But we'll take her back to Berlin, for security reasons. What about the other two prisoners?"
Faulmann gave him a startled look. "Forgive me, sir, but have you forgotten? Or perhaps your aide didn't pass on the message."
There was the slightest hint of doubt in his eyes, and Carter hastily stepped into the breach. "I think what the colonel means is, how did you dispose of the bodies?"
Hogan caught the pass, and played on. "Exactly. You always understand me, Karl. Well, Faulmann? The usual method, I suppose."
"Yes, sir. I can assure you, there will be no consequences." Faulmann glanced uneasily at Cecilie. "But perhaps it's not something we should discuss in present company."
"Of course," replied Hogan genially. "In any case, I have no doubt you handled the matter adequately." He turned to O'Brien. "Take the woman down to my car."
"Begging your pardon, Colonel," Faulmann broke in, "must you leave at once? I thought perhaps..."
"Oh, you thought, did you?" Hogan cut him off without ceremony. "When I'm around, I do the thinking. And what I think is, this town is crawling with Underground members, who will be very anxious to silence her before she can talk. It'll be just like that business at Mainz last year. And I can tell you, I don't want to be here when that hand grenade comes flying in the window."
"Sir, we are on the sixth floor," Faulmann pointed out.
"Yes, I believe they used a home-made compressed air gun on that occasion. Remarkable, the range those things have." Hogan paused, as if pondering the matter, then abruptly turned on O'Brien. "Well, what are you waiting for? Take her down at once." Without waiting to see his orders followed, he turned to Carter. "You will come with us, of course. Your mission is now complete, and once you have been debriefed you will start preparing for your next assignment."
"Yes, sir," said Carter, snapping to attention.
"Sir, will you at least allow me to supply an escort for the journey?" Faulmann wasn't giving up without a fight.
"No, I already have an escort," said Hogan. "Captain Weber, you will accompany me in my staff car, along with the woman. My security guards will follow in the truck. You've done very well in this matter, Faulmann," he went on, before the Gestapo could renew his objections. "Very well indeed. I will certainly mention you favorably in my report. There is just one more thing, I will need a copy of your dossier on this operation. You have a duplicate copy, of course."
The smile with which Faulmann had received the compliment froze on his lips. "Uh, not yet, Colonel Eisner. As the matter is ongoing...I can arrange to have a copy sent to you by courier within the next few days."
Hogan sighed patiently. "Perhaps it would be better if I take the file with me, and have a copy made by my own office in Berlin. Please bring it down to my car at once."
"But..."
"At once." Hogan fixed a stern gaze on him. "I will be waiting. And if I am not on my way within ten minutes, I may have to reconsider the wording of my report."
Faulmann blanched. "Yes, sir." He saluted, and made a hasty exit.
As soon as the door was closed, Hogan turned to Carter. "You okay?"
"Yes, sir." Carter wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "Boy, was I ever glad to see you. Not that I thought you wouldn't get here, it's just...Gee, Colonel, you sure put on a good act. You really had Faulmann going. Heck, you almost fooled me."
"Well, I studied under one of the master performers," replied Hogan, his eyes dancing as they rested on the master performer himself. "Okay, make it quick. Anything I should know?"
"They got some kind of hidden base, out of town, that's where they had her," Carter said.
"Yeah, LeBeau told me. We'll have to take care of that. What else? They worked her over already, right?"
"Yeah, but not so much. She didn't give them anything yet, so Faulmann got me to talk to her, and we fixed it up so they'd think she was ready to talk. She was pretty good friends with...uh, with Weber." Carter's voice hardened a little. "I think that's all."
Hogan regarded him keenly for a few moments. "Another ten minutes, we'll be out of here," he said abruptly. "And once we get back to camp, you're going straight on sick call. For the next couple of weeks I don't want to see you engaged on any activity more strenuous than an afternoon nap."
Carter gave a shaky laugh. "You know something, Colonel? That sounds pretty darn good."
Hogan clapped him gently on the shoulder. "Just stay on the ball till then, okay? We still have to get out of here. You ready?"
"Boy, am I ever!"
Hogan had to smile. It was a long time since he'd seen that gleam in Carter's eye. "Okay, Andrew," he said. "Let's head for home."