forty yards away from that spot. He lay down on the ground and rolled over. to make his clothes dirty, ~hen he -abbed some of the sandy soil on his face and ran his fingers through his hair. lben, rubbing his wrists to make them look sore, he went,n search of Vandam. He found 4im exactly where he had left him. T’he bonds were still tight and the gag still in place. Vandam looked at Kernel with wide, staring eyes. Kernel said: “My GrA they got you, tool” He Sent down, removed the gag, and began to untie Vandam. “The ~.crgeant contacted me,” he explained. “I came down here looking for you. 1~md the next thing I knew, I woke ap bound &nd gagged with a headache. That was hours ago. I just got free.” Vandam said nothing. Kernel threw the rope aside. Vandam stood up stiffly. Kemel said: “How do you feel?” “I’m all right.” “Let’-3 board the houseboat and see what we can find,” Kemel said. He turned around.
As soon as Kernel tamed his back, Vandam stepped forward and bit him as bard as he possibly –ould with an -Ig-of-thehand blow to the hack of the neck. It might have killed KeMel, but Vandam did not care. Vandam had been bound and gagged, uid he had been unable to see the towpath. but he had 1-nen able to hear: “I’m Kemel. You must be Wolff.” That was how he knew that Kernel had betrayed him. Kemel had not thought of that pomsibility, obviously. Since overhearing those words, Vandam Itad been seething, and all his pent-up anger had gone into the Slow. Kernel lay on the ground, stunned. Vandam rolled him over, nearched him and found the gun. He used the rope that had hound his own hands to tie KemePs hands behind his back. Then he slapped Kemel’s face until he came aroand. “Get up,” Vandam said. Kemel looked blank, then fear came into his eyes. “What are you doing?” ft Vandam kicked him. “Kicking you,” be said. “Get UP. Kernel struggled to his feet. “Turn around.” THE KEY TO REBECCA 281
Kernel turned around. Vandam took hold of Kernel’s collar with his left hand, keeping the gun in his right. “Move.” They walked to the houseboat. Vandam pushed Kernel ahead, ur. the gangplank and across the deck. “Oper the hatch.” Keme-, put the toe of his shoe into the handle of the hatch and liftec;. it open. “Go down.” Awkwardly, with his bands tied, Kernel descended the ladder. Vandam bent down to look inside. There was nobody there. He went quickly dowD the ladder. Pushing Kernel to one side, he pulled back the curtain, covering the space bebind with the gun. He sav,,, Sonja in bed, sleeping. “Get in there,” he told Kemel. Kernel went through and stood beside the head of the bed. “Wakt% her.” Kernel touched Sonja with his foot. She turned over, rolling away from him, without opening her eyes. Vandam realized vaguely that she was naked. He reached over and tweaked her nose. She opened her eyes and sat up immediately, looking, cross. She recognized Kernel, then she saw Vandarr with the gun. She said: “What’s going on?” Then she and Vandam said simultaneously: “Wheres WolffT’ VandaM was quite sure she was not dissembling. It was clear now that Kemel had warned. Wolff, and Wolff had fled without wakinc Sonj,~ Presumably he had taken Elene with him-although Vandarn could not imagint; why. Vandaw put the gun to Sonja’s chest, just below her left breast. He spoke to Kernel. “I’m going to ask you a question. If you give the wrong answer, she dies. Understand?” Kemel nodded tensely. Vandam said: “Did Wolff send a radio message at midnight last night?” “Nol” Sonja screamed. “No, he didn’t, he didn’t!” “What did happen here?” Vandam asked, dreading the answer. “We went to bed.” 282 Ken Follett
“Who did?” “Wolff, Elene and me.” “Together?” “Yes. So that was it. And Vandam had thought she was safe, because there was another -woman aroundl That cxplained WolJrs continuing interest in Elene: they had wanted her for their threesome. Vandam was sick with disgust, not N~cause of what they had done, but because he had caused Elene to be forced to be part of it. He put the thought out of his mind. Was Sonja telling the truth-had Wolff failed to radio Rommel last night? Vandam could not think of a way to check. He could only hope it was true. “Get dressed,” he told Sonja. She got off the bed and hurriedly put on a dress. Keeping both of them covered with the gun, Vandarn went to the prow of the boat and looked through the little doorway. He saw a tiny bathroom with two small portholes. “Get in there, both of you.” Kemel and Sonja went into the bathroom. Vandam closed the door on them and began to search the houseboat. He opened all the cupboards and drawers, throwing their contents on the floor. He stripped the bed. With a sharp knife from the kitchen he slashed the mattress and the apholstery of the couch. He went through all the papers in the –~scritoire. He found a large glass ashtray full of charred paper and poked through it, but all of the paper was completely hurned up. He emptied the icebox. He went up on deck and cleaned out the lockers. He checked all arGund the outside of the bull, looking for a ropedangling into the water. After half an hour he was sure that the houseboat contained no radio, no copy of Rebecca and no code key. He got the two prisoners out of the bathroom. in one of the deck lockers he had found a length of rope. He tied Sonja’s hands, then roped Sonja and Kernel together. He marched them off the boat, along the towpath and up to the street. They walked to the bridge, where he hailed a taxi. He put Sonja and Kernel in the back then, keeping the gun pointed at them, he got in the front beside the wide-eyed, frightened Arab driver. THE KEY TO REBECCA 283