‘Last time I was a war hero. A gallant Irishman who’d been wounded at Dunkirk and invalided out.’ Devlin tapped the bullet scar on the side of his head. ‘This helped the story, of course.’
‘Good. Something like that then. What about method of entry?’
‘Oh, parachute again.’
‘Into England?’
Devlin shook his head. ‘Too chancy and if I’m seen, it’s bound to be reported. No, make it Ireland like last time. If they see me there, no one gives a bugger. A stroll across the border into Ulster, the breakfast train to Belfast and I’m on British soil.’
‘And afterwards?’
‘The boat. Belfast to Heysham in Lancashire. Last time, I had to take the other route from Larne to Stranraer in Scotland. The boats get full, just like the train.’ Devlin grinned. ‘There’s a war on, General.’
‘So, you are in London. What happens then?’
Devlin lit a cigarette. ‘Well, if I keep away from Vargas, that means no help from any of your official sources.’
Schellenberg frowned. ‘But you will need the help of others. Also weapons, a radio transmitter because without the ability to communicate…’
‘All right,’ Devlin said. ‘So a few things are going to have to be taken on trust. We were talking about my old friend in Wapping earlier, Michael Ryan.
Now the odds are good that he’s still around and if he is, he’ll help, at least with suitable contacts.’
‘Such as?’
‘Michael ran a cab and he worked for the bookies on the side. He had a lot of underworld friends in the old days. The kind of crooks who’d do anything for money, deal in guns, that sort of thing. That IRA active service unit I had to knock off in London back in thirty-six _ they used underworld contacts a lot, even to buy their explosives.’
‘So, this would be excellent. The help of your IRA friend and the assistance, when needed, of some criminal element. But for all you know, your friend could no longer be in London?’
‘Or killed in the Blitz, General. Nothing is guaranteed.’
‘And you’re still willing to take a chance?’
‘I reach London, I assess the situation because I have to do that however clever the plan looks that we put together here. If Michael Ryan isn’t around, if it simply looks impossible, the whole thing, I’m on the next boat back to Belfast and over the border and safe in Dublin before you know it.’ Devlin grinned. Til give you the bad news from your Embassy there. Now could we go back to your office? It’s so damn cold I think my bollocks are going to fall off.’
In the office, after lunch, they started again, Use sitting in the corner taking notes.
Schellenberg said, ‘Say, for argument’s sake, that you got Steiner out one dark evening in London.’
‘Broke him out of the Priory, you mean?’
‘Exactly. And that’s only the first step. How do you get him back? Do you take him to Ireland? Return the way you came?’
‘Not so healthy that,’ Devlin said. ‘De Valera, the Irish Prime Minister, has played it very cleverly. Kept Ireland out of the war, but that doesn’t mean he’s putting himself out for your people. All the Luftwaffe crews who’ve ended up in Ireland have been put in prison camps. On the other hand, if an RAF plane strays and crash-lands they usually give them bacon and eggs for breakfast and send them home.’
‘And he’s been imprisoning IRA members, I understand.’
Devlin said, ‘In forty-one, I got back on a neutral boat, a Brazilian cargo ship from Ireland that put in at Lisbon, but that’s a tricky one. Nothing guaranteed at all.’
Use said diffidently, ‘Surely, the moment the Colonel is out, they’ll be looking for him.’
‘Exactly,’ Devlin said. ‘Police, Army, Home Guard, the Security Services. Every port watched, especially the Irish routes.’ He shook his head. ‘No, once out we’ve got to leave England almost immediately. Be on our way before they know what’s hit them.’
Schellenberg nodded, thinking about it. ‘It occurs to me that one of the cleverest things about Operation Eagle was the way Colonel Steiner and his men were transported to England.’