Night Over Water - Ken Follett [210]
Slowly, Hartmann got up from the floor.
Everything was up to her, Margaret realized with icy, fearful logic. She could save Hartmann by sacrificing herself. It’s not fair, she thought. I wasn’t expecting this. I’m not ready for it. I can’t do it!
She caught her father’s eye. He looked horrified.
In that awful moment she recalled how he had taunted her, saying she was too soft to fight, she would not last a day in the A.T.S.
Was he right?
All she had to do was move. Luther might kill her, but the other men would jump on him before he could do anything else, and Hartmann would be saved.
Time passed as slowly as in a nightmare.
I can do it, she thought with the same frozen composure.
She took a deep breath and thought: Goodbye, everyone.
Suddenly she heard Harry’s voice behind her. “Mr. Luther, I think your submarine has arrived.”
Everyone looked through the windows.
Margaret felt the pressure of the gun barrel at her temple ease a fraction, and she saw that Luther was momentarily distracted.
She ducked her head and wriggled out of his grasp.
There was a shot, but she felt nothing.
Everyone moved at once.
The engineer, Eddie, flew past her and fell on Luther like a tree.
Margaret saw Harry grab Luther’s gun hand and tear the weapon from his grasp.
Luther crashed to the floor with Eddie and Harry on top of him.
Margaret realized she was still alive.
She suddenly felt as weak as a baby, and she sank helplessly into a seat.
Percy dashed to her. She hugged him. Time stood still. She heard herself say: “Are you all right?”
“I think so,” he said shakily.
“You’re so brave!”
“So are you!”
Yes, I was, she thought; I was brave.
All the passengers began to shout at once; then Captain Baker yelled: “Quiet, everybody, please!”
Margaret looked around.
Luther was still on the floor, facedown, pinned and harmless with Eddie and Harry on top of him. The danger from within the aircraft was over. She looked outside. The submarine floated on the water like a great gray shark, its wet steel flanks gleaming in the sunshine.
The captain said: “There’s a naval cutter nearby and we’re going to radio to it right away and tell them about the U-boat.” The crew had come through from number 1 compartment, and now the captain addressed the radio operator. “Get on the horn, Ben.”
“Yes, sir. You realize the submarine commander may hear our radio message and run for it.”
“All the better,” the captain growled. “Our passengers have seen enough danger.”
The radio operator went up the stairs to the flight deck.
Everyone kept looking out at the U-boat. Its hatch stayed shut. Its commander must have been waiting to see what would happen.
Captain Baker went on. “There’s one gangster we haven’t caught, and I’d like to bring him in: the skipper of the launch. Eddie, go to the bow door and lure him aboard—tell him Vincini wants him.”
Eddie got off Luther and went away.
The captain spoke to the navigator. “Jack, collect all these damn guns and take the ammunition out.” The captain realized he had cursed, and added: “Pardon my language, ladies.”
They had heard so much foul language from the gangsters that Margaret laughed at him apologizing for saying “damn”; and the other passengers nearby laughed too. He was taken aback at first and then saw the joke, and he smiled.
The laughter made everyone realize that they were out of danger, and some of the passengers began to relax. Margaret still felt peculiar, and she was shivering as if it were freezing cold.
The captain nudged Luther with the toe of his shoe and spoke to another crewman. “Johnny, stick this guy in number one compartment and keep a close watch on him.”
Harry got off Luther and one of the crew took the man away.
Harry and Margaret looked at one another.
She had imagined he had abandoned her; she had thought she