Doctor Who_ Just War - Lance Parkin [87]
None of them had doubted it.
Roz stubbed out her cigarette. ‘How do we proceed?’
Kendrick hadn’t taken his eyes off the prisoner. ‘Joachim Wolff is an evil man. He killed two hundred at Mallesan, gave the orders to have them rounded up in a church and machine-gunned. Apparently, he did something similar in Guernsey four days ago. I want every last piece of knowledge he has. I want him to confess to every single one of his sins. Captain Forrester, he deserved to have his eye removed.’
The prisoner slowly looked up, staring straight at them for a moment. What remained of his right eye was covered with a simple felt eyepatch. Roz hadn’t realized that they couldn’t regrow eyes in the twentieth century. She didn’t feel sorry for him. He couldn’t see them, of course, he didn’t know they were there, but all three shuddered.
‘I didn’t remove his eye, I just poked it very hard with my fingernail. If I’d wanted to remove it, I’d have used my thumb, in the corner of the eye.’
‘When did he arrive in London?’ Reed asked, not wanting to continue that particular line of conversation.
‘We don’t know. The first sign of him was at Paddington.
We have reliable reports that he was personally responsible for the elimination of the Tomato network. So he was still in Guernsey on the fourth. Why’s he here?’
‘Guernsey? He’s connected with Hartung?’
‘He’s connected with Hartung. He knows everything about the superbomber.’ Kendrick held up a sheaf of papers.
‘The police found these on the woman he made contact with.
Raid analysis from the night of March the first. The night the superbomber was used. She was going to pass them on to him. Any idea why she couldn’t just radio the information across?’
Roz had already wondered about that. No. How did he get to London?’
‘We have no idea. As far as we know, he simply materialized on Paddington station at eight o’clock this morning.’
‘Sir, they could have perfected the Gruber-Schneider Devic— ’ Kendrick silenced Reed with a glare.
‘Hartung has nothing to do with that. Fergus says they are still over three years away from a prototype. We’ll worry about that little problem when we get to it. This is something quite different.’ Kendrick returned to his scrutiny of the prisoner.
Reed nodded, but was clearly frustrated. Roz knew better than to enquire. A state secret, one for another day.
‘Well, how did he get through? You can’t just boat in, jump on a train and get off in London.’
‘He could have flown in,’ Roz suggested.
Kendrick shook his head. ‘Last night was quiet over London.
If he had flown in we’d have picked it up on radar.’ The admiral straightened. ‘I’ll begin the questioning. Reed, accompany me. I think Captain Forrester’s presence might be counter-productive. Keep watch, please, Captain.’
Roz nodded. The two men made their way round into the cell. Wolff pulled himself to attention as they came into the room. Roz plugged in her headphones and switched on the intercom and tape-recorder. Wolff gave his name and his rank. He was a Protestant, a member of the Nazi party — not a huge surprise
— and had no special medical requirements. The interrogation was taking place in German, and although Roz could understand it, Reed was clearly having difficulties. She smiled to herself.
‘How is your eye?’ Kendrick asked.
Wolff didn’t answer him. Kendrick began to speak, but Wolff interrupted. ‘What is the time, please?’
‘It is four o’clock on the afternoon of March the sixth.’
‘You are Admiral Arthur Kendrick of the Scientific Intelligence Division. You have a direct telephone link to the War Cabinet, and to the Prime Minister himself.’
Kendrick nodded.
‘I wish to make a statement. You will wish to relay it to Downing Street.’
Kendrick relaxed ever so slightly. ‘I make no promise about that. Go ahead.’
‘I am Standartenführer Joachim Wolff, assigned to the Luftwaffe zbV. I am speaking on behalf of certain senior elements of the German government and the military. When you hear my message, you will understand why this statement has not come through the normal channels.