Katina moved forward and dropped to one knee beside the old priest’s chair. “Don’t worry about me. My father gave his life. How can I offer less?”
Father John gently touched her head, then he gazed round the room and nodded. “So be it. It becomes evident that I am on my own in this matter.”
There was an audible sigh of relief from everyone and Nikoli Aleko passed Lomax a glass of red wine. “Luck to our venture,” he said with a grin.
Lomax toasted him and Alexias said, “This is the way things go. Tomorrow is the feast of St. Anthony. As usual the whole island will make it a gala day. Every soldier who isn’t actually on duty will be in town enjoying himself.”
“What about the monks?”
“Usually most of them take part in the religious procession. Father John will make sure they all do this year. They’ll leave the monastery at three in the afternoon and would normally be due back by six at the outside.”
“What’s the situation at the monastery?”
“One sentry at the main entrance in a box. During the day the gates are left open, but there’s a swing bar. The tower is on the other side of a tiny square. The guard room is on the ground floor.”
“What about communication with the town?”
“Telephone, but Paros here will cut the wires at the right time. He knows what to do. He’s been working for them. There’s also a short-range transmitter in the installation section of the tower. Nothing we can do about that.”
“How many on duty?”
“Three in the guardroom, four on the installation itself. That’s on the fifth floor, by the way. It can only be reached by a circular stone staircase.”
“That sounds straightforward enough,” Lomax said. “How do we get in?”
“That’s where George and Yanni come in.” Alexias nodded towards the two young men. “They have a shep- herd’s hut near the top of the mountain. Katina will take you up there sometime tonight”
“Then what happens?”
“There’s a ration truck from the town to the monastery every afternoon at three-thirty. You know how methodical the Germans are. George and Yanni will block the road with sheep for a few minutes. It’s up to you to handle the driver.”
“And we drive the truck straight into the monastery?” Lomax said.
Alexias nodded. “George and Yanni have volunteered to go in with you. They can hide in the back. You or Boyd can wear the driver’s uniform.”
“That should place us at the monastery at about three forty-five,” Lomax said. “How long will it take them to reach us from town after they hear the explosion?”
“Quite some time, because they’ll be on foot.” Alexias grinned. “You crossed a bridge over a deep ravine just outside town when you came in from Mr. Van Horn’s villa. Tonight, Nikoli will use the explosive I asked you to bring, to mine it. The moment he hears the explosion at the monastery, he blows the bridge.”
“And that cuts the only road on this side of the mountain,” Lomax said. “The Germans won’t be able to use their vehicles.”
“I thought you’d like the idea.” Alexias held out his glass for his wife to re-fill. “Compared to some of the jobs we’ve pulled on Crete, this will be easy.”
“Except for the fact that the boat that’s taking us off won’t put in to the bay till nine o’clock,” Lomax said. “That gives us roughly five hours on the run with Steiner turning the island upside down.”
“When we took the general on Rhodes they chased us through the island for four days and still they couldn’t catch us,” Alexias reminded him.
“There was room to swing in Rhodes,” Lomax said. “Still, we’ll see how it goes.”
SO
“On the whole you agree to the plan, then?”
Lomax walked to the window and looked out over the harbour, a slight frown on his face. After a moment, he turned.
“Except for one thing. George and Yanni don’t go ia ùwith us. They clear off as soon as they’ve stopped the track.”
Alexias frowned in bewilderment. “I don’t understand.’.
“It’s quite simple. Boyd and I can manage on our own once we get bold of the truck. In any case, we’re going to go hi in uniform. No peasant outfits this time.”