Page 52 of Echoes of Betrayal

It was Brunner or Hauser.

Lizzie stood on the old bridge, watching the banker’s body being swept away and dragged down in the turquoise water by the current and his heavy coat and shoes. He was a portly man who had lived far too lavishly to survive the shock of being pitched into the freezing river. Her breathing was ragged as she watched him disappear beneath the water. Turning, she shoved her trembling hands into her pockets and left the bridge, walking as fast as she could without attracting attention. With each step through the Old Town, she worried a Swiss agent would appear to arrest her, but as she got closer to the Legation, she realised Voss had likely told her the truth. He didn’t take her in for questioning because he couldn’t risk creating a diplomatic incident.

During her time in Bern, Lizzie had learnt that the Swiss did their best to keep everything sinister hidden below the surface, so they were viewed as neutral and beyond reproach.

Tom was waiting for her in the cipher room, his tie crooked. ‘If you didn’t show up soon, I was about to come and search for you.’

‘Well, it’s just as well you didn’t. We had far too many visitors to the vault as it was.’ Lizzie’s breathing had calmed, and she forced herself to act normal. Tom could not know what she had done.

‘Tell me what happened,’ he said, running one hand through his dishevelled hair. ‘I’ve been going out of my mind, thinking I should have insisted that I accompany you.’

Lizzie removed her coat and hat and sat down, watching him pace about. ‘It’s fine, don’t worry,’ she said, as though she hadn’t just pushed a man to his death.

Tom plied her with questions, and she gave him an almost full account of events. ‘So, Voss turned on Hauser? I didn’t see that coming.’

‘No, nor me. When Hauser arrived, he was out of control and seemed serious about betraying Brunner to the Nazis. Then, when Voss showed up, I thought I’d had it. I know you said I have some immunity, but to be caught in the vault stealing secrets the Swiss are doing their best to cover up, seemed a step too far.’

Tom nodded thoughtfully. ‘But he said he’ll question you?’

‘Yes, although it was vague. He also said I should return to London immediately, so it may have been an empty threat or meant only for Brunner. He probably felt helpless, catching us together down there, but unable to do anything about it.’

Rising from his seat, Tom opened a drawer and produced a cigarette.

A look of disbelief crossed Lizzie’s face. ‘I didn’t know you smoked!’

Tom laughed at her astonishment. ‘I don’t as a rule, but I have a secret stash for when I’m extremely nervous.’ He lit the cigarette and took a long drag. ‘This is one of those times.’

‘You know what? I’ll have one too,’ Lizzie said, lighting up. The rush of nicotine steadied her. ‘Why are you so nervous? I told you it all went fine.’

Exhaling, immersed in plumes of smoke, Tom didn’t look convinced. Eventually he said, ‘Something’s not right. Two and two aren’t quite making four.’

Lizzie stood and fished the camera out of her waistband pocket. ‘Voilà!’ she said, her expression jubilant. ‘Enjoy the victory, but I will have to love you and leave you, I’m afraid.’

‘You’d better hide that somewhere safer than the safe,’ he said.

‘You don’t trust anyone, do you?’ Lizzie said.

Tom met her gaze, his eyes quizzical, and shrugged his shoulders. ‘When you’ve been in this game as long as me, trust is a rare commodity, and echoes of betrayal are everywhere.’

Lizzie stood and checked behind the picture frames. ‘The copies are still there, so I don’t think we’re compromised.’

‘Maybe so, but I still haven’t received confirmation that the pouch arrived in London. There’s no report of a plane on that route being shot down, either, so it’s all rather odd for it to vanish in thin air like that. Like I say, two and two don’t quite make four.’

Lizzie shook her head, pondering the situation. ‘Fortunately, we’re not dependent on the pouch any longer. I may even burn those copies, so they don’t fall into the wrong hands.’

Tom stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray he also kept hidden in his desk drawer and sprang into action. ‘I’ll start making arrangements immediately for you to be picked up over the border. The sooner we get you out, the better.’

‘You mean the same spot where they dropped me in?’

Tom confirmed that was what he meant, and soon he was tapping on the wireless equipment, contacting Baker Street.

Lizzie gazed around the room, wondering where she should hide the camera, but decided that keeping it on her would be the safest option. Swiss counterintelligence agents didn’t have the power to search her, which was the benefit of operating in Switzerland. She breathed a sigh of relief. The mission was wrapping up successfully, and she had everything, and even more than Val had tasked her with smuggling out of Bern as evidence of Swiss collusion with the Nazis.

And Jack. Soon she would be home with her fiancé, and the thought permeated her whole being with unbridled joy. Officially being his fiancée still felt like a fairy tale after keeping their relationship secret for so long.

Lizzie replaced the camera in the hidden pocket and signalled to Tom to lock the door after her as she let herself out of the cipher room. At her desk, she learnt Pemberton was still out, and she presumed he was on another of his long lunches with the local bigwigs. When he returned, she would notify him she must leave for London to attend to an urgent personal matter as soon as Tom had arranged her travel. She might never see Pemberton again, but it was no great loss.

Later that afternoon, she still hadn’t heard from Tom about her travel details, so she left work for her apartment. All going to plan, she estimated she would be picked up the following night. The SOE needed some time to organise these things, and she would have to take the train to Basel and cross the border as when she arrived. It wouldn’t be a minute too soon after what she had done.