Echo of the Reich

19

22 July 2012

Klaus Drescher ended the call on his mobile phone and looked across at Wolf with a satisfied expression on his face.

“The pieces are coming together precisely as we planned it, Marcus. That was Lutz, the leader of the group from the Czech Republic. There were no problems in the substitution of the two vehicles, so now the device is on its way to London with all the correct documentation. I’ve reminded him of the importance of the timing, and he and his team will get the vehicle across to the Calais area fairly quickly, and then wait there for the optimum time to cross the Channel. Even then, they’ll still have time in hand, and will be able to park on the road between Dover and London to ensure that they arrive precisely when we want them to.”

Wolf nodded, and glanced down at the screen of the laptop computer that was open on the table in front of him.

“Excellent,” he said. “Now, before you leave, there’s one other matter you need to be aware of. I’ve received another e-mail from Georg in London. As we discussed, he’s sending this former policeman-Bronson-to see us here. He thinks he might be useful to us because of his knowledge of British police tactics and so on. I’m not convinced, but I do respect Georg’s judgment.”

“That has worried me ever since Georg mentioned it,” Drescher replied. “I gather that Bronson was an army officer before he joined the police force, and that implies that he might have a strong loyalty to his native land. If he somehow managed to find out exactly what we are intending to do, I’m convinced that he would go to the authorities.”

“Then we have to make sure that he doesn’t find out,” Wolf said. “And we also need to establish such a strong hold over him that he would find it impossible to tell anybody about us.”

“How can you do that?”

Wolf smiled, but it was the kind of smile that conveyed no amusement whatsoever, only cruel anticipation.

“I think I know a way that we can do so. In fact, I think I can provide a foolproof guarantee that he will do exactly what we tell him, when we tell him.”

“How?” Drescher asked again.

“Trust me on this, Klaus. I will brief my men here to check him at the rendezvous and ensure that he is unarmed and not wearing any kind of transmitter. You arrange for everyone else to come here tomorrow evening, to arrive no later than seven o’clock. Then we will all see what this man Bronson is like, and you will be able to satisfy yourself that we have him entirely within our power before he leaves here.”

“And if we’re not satisfied? If your guarantee somehow fails to work?”

Wolf smiled again.

“Then the Englishman will leave this house feetfirst, and we will dump him somewhere in the forest. We’ve come too far in this operation for there to be any doubts, any doubts at all, about the final phase. If Bronson won’t join us, then he will die. It’s as simple as that.”