‘The only thing I’m sure of, General, is that we don’t have any choice. We’ll see you or we won’t. Over and out.’
Schellenberg dropped the mike and turned to Leber. ‘Can we get down there?’
‘Oh, yes, General, there’s a road leading to an old slipway.’
‘Good. Then let’s get moving.’
‘If I have to land in the sea this thing’s not going to float for very long,’ Asa said over his shoulder to Steiner and Devlin. ‘There’s a dinghy pack there behind you. The yellow thing. Get it out fast, pull the red tag and it inflates itself.’
Steiner smiled. ‘You swim, of course, Mr Devlin.’ Devlin smiled back. ‘Some of the time.’ Asa started down, easing the column forward, sweat on his face, all the way to five hundred and his altimeter kept on going. The Lysander bucked in a heavy gust of wind and they passed three hundred. Devlin cried, ‘I saw something.’ The fog seemed to open before them, as if a curtain was being pulled to each side, and there were great waves surging in from the Atlantic, half a mile of wet sand stretching towards the cliffs of Cap de la Hague. Asa heaved the column back, and the Lysander levelled out no more than fifty feet above the whitecaps that pounded into the surf on the shore.
Asa slammed the instrument panel with one hand. ‘You beautiful, beautiful bitch. I love you,’ he cried and turned into the wind to land.
The truck containing Schellenberg, Leber and several Luftwaffe mechanics had reached the slipway at the very moment the Lysander burst into view.
‘He made it, General,’ Leber cried. ‘What a pilot,’ and he ran forward waving, followed by his men.
Schellenberg felt totally drained. He lit a cigarette and waited as the Lysander taxied towards the end of the slipway. It came to a halt and Leber and his men cheered as Asa switched off the engine. Devlin and Steiner got out first and Asa followed, taking off his flying helmet and tossing it into the cockpit.
Leber said, ‘Quite a job, Captain.’
Asa said, ‘Treat her with care, Flight Sergeant. Only the best. She’s earned it. Will she be safe here?’
‘Oh, yes, the tide is on the turn, but it doesn’t come up this far.’
‘Fine. Do an engine check and you’ll have to refuel by hand.’
‘As you say, Captain.’
Schellenberg stood, waiting as Steiner and Devlin came towards him. He held out his hand to Steiner. ‘Colonel, a pleasure to see you here.’
‘General,’ Steiner said.
Schellenberg turned to Devlin. ‘As for you, my mad Irish friend, I still can’t believe you’re here.’
‘Well, you know what I always say, Walter, me old son, all you have to do is live right.’ Devlin grinned. ‘Would you think there might be a bit of breakfast somewhere? I’m starved.’
They sat round the table in the little canteen drinking coffee. Schellenberg said, ‘So, the Fuhrer arrived safely last night.’
‘And Rommel and the Admiral?’ Devlin asked.
‘I’ve no idea where they’ve been staying but they will be joining him very soon now. Must be on their way.’
Steiner said, ‘This plan of yours makes a wild kind of sense, but there is a considerable uncertainty.’
‘You don’t think the men of this parachute detachment will follow you?’
‘Oh, no, I mean what happens to the three of you in the Chateau before we arrive.’
‘Yes, well, we’ve no choice,’ Schellenberg said. ‘There’s no other way.’
‘Yes, I see that.’
There was a moment’s silence and Schellenberg said, ‘Arc you with me in this, Colonel, or not? There isn’t much time.’
Steiner got up and moved to the window. It had started to rain heavily and he stared out for a moment and turned. ‘I have little reason to like the Fuhrer and not just because of what happened to my father. I could say he’s bad for everybody, a disaster for the human race, but for me, the most important thing is that he’s bad for Germany. Having said that, Himmler as head of state would be infinitely worse. At least with the Fuhrer in charge one has the prospect of an end to this bloody war.’ ‘So you will join with me in this?’ ‘I don’t think any of us have a choice.’ Asa shrugged. ‘What the hell, you can count me in.’