The Angry Hills - Leon Uris [80]
Everyone nodded.
“Where are you going now, Thanassis?” Michalis asked.
“I must go out for a while,” he replied.
“Are all your arrangements completed?”
“All my arrangements are quite completed,” Thanassis answered. He turned on his flashlight and made his way through the cellar to the ladder and disappeared through the trapdoor.
“He acts rather odd, sometimes,” Dr. Thackery observed. “I wonder if he is getting nervous?”
“We are all nervous,” Mike said.
Dr. Thackery folded the map and stood up. Papa-Panos blew out the candle and plunged the place into darkness. Lisa leaned against Mike and closed her eyes.
“It’s all right, honey, it will be over soon....”
“I still don’t like his choice of getting out of Athens,” Michalis said.
“It is our only chance, Michalis,” Dr. Thackery said. “We must make the move. It will be only a matter of time until someone goes to the Gestapo.”
Thanassis had lost much of his scholarly calm.
“You told me that my share would be twenty million drachmas!”
“Dear fellow,” Julius Chesney wailed, dramatizing their mutual plight. “Twenty million was all I could get from Heilser. We agreed to split, fifty-fifty. This is your share, ten million.”
Thanassis counted the ten million drachmas. He was gone beyond return with Chesney and, although he knew he was being cheated, he had no choice now. It was a cheat’s game. He placed the money in his pocket. “Very well. You have all the details.”
Chesney nodded.
“I will see you at the cove at midnight, then.”
“Ah, Konrad and Zervos. Right on time, I see.”
“The information,” Heilser snapped. “Do you have it?”
“Yes, I have it. And I do thank you for the prompt transfer of fifty million to my bank. Drink, gentlemen?”
Heilser was already at the bar and poured himself a half tumbler of Scotch. His hand trembled. He emptied half the glass in one gulp, some of the Scotch dribbling down his chin.
Julius Chesney unfolded a map of the province of Attica-Boeotia and placed it on the bar.
“Morrison and Lisa are departing from Athens at seven-thirty tonight.”
“Where are they?”
“Apparently they are changing hideouts every hour, so no one is absolutely certain.”
Heilser took another swig of Scotch.
Julius Chesney continued. “It also seems they have mapped a half dozen alternate ways of leaving Athens, so I cannot give you specifics on that, either.”
“Go on...”
“What I do know is this: A submarine will contact them at this point. Now, gentlemen. They leave Athens at seven-thirty. At eight-fifteen they are to rendezvous with Lisa’s sons who are hiding somewhere on the outskirts. From there they dash by car to Marathon.” Chesney’s pencil drew a line past the town of Nea Makri and farther north past Soros. His pencil stopped at a heavily forested area on the coast. “There is a cove at this point. They are due to arrive at the cove five minutes before midnight using an approach from the south.”
Heilser studied the map for several moments. He turned to Zervos. “Do you know this area?”
“Yes. It is perfect—well chosen for a submarine. Quite isolated—many coves, smooth sea, good cover with a forest in the background and no towns or troops for miles.”
“At midnight,” Chesney said, “a sentry will be on this hill above the cove. He will signal for the submarine to surface.”
Heilser was on his feet pacing the room. “We must triple the guard around Athens. I will move a battalion of men along the escape route. Another company will cover the rendezvous point....”
“Just a minute, dear fellow, just a minute,” Chesney halted Heilser. “You paid fifty million drachmas for this information. I would truly be embarrassed if you did not come up with Mr. Morrison.”
“Exactly what do you mean?”
“First off, you are underestimating your opposition.