‘I’ll set out for Berlin first thing in the morning. You remember the place we met in October?’

‘Yes. You mean the—’

‘Don’t say where it was: be there at four o’clock tomorrow afternoon. Wait for half an hour, and if I don’t show up, return at eight o’clock the following morning. Again wait for half an hour, and if you’ve not seen me by then, return at two that afternoon.’

‘And if you’re not there then?’

‘Then I won’t be there at all.’

When Willi Kühn replaced the receiver, sweat was pouring from his brow and his hand felt quite numb from gripping the phone so tightly. He breathed an enormous sigh of relief and looked up at the Russian, who nodded and said well done.

‘And what happens now?’

‘We wait to see if he shows up at four o’clock tomorrow. You could have asked him where he was coming from.’

‘I doubt he’d have told me. What if he suspects something is up? He could try and shoot me.’

‘I don’t imagine a wanted Nazi is going to shoot someone in the middle of Berlin, not even in the French sector. In the morning, you’ll show us where it was you met him, and then we can make arrangements. In the meantime, we’ll find you a bed for the night.’

‘Can’t I go home?’

Iosif Gurevich laughed. ‘No, Willi, that wouldn’t be a good idea.’

Chapter 27

Berlin and Austria, December 1945

According to the luminous dial on his bedside clock, it was around a quarter to three. It was pitch dark, and no sound crept into their hotel room from the ruined streets of Klagenfurt. Prince assumed he’d been woken by an inevitably complicated dream in which he’d been running with his son through the fields near their home in Lincoln and for some reason had hidden in a copse, ignoring Henry’s increasingly disturbed cries.

His absence from Henry was clearly on his mind, and he realised he ought to make his son his absolute priority. They’d soon be on their way home. He’d make sure they returned to Lincoln as soon as possible. No one would be able to accuse him of not having served his country.

But it soon became apparent that there was another reason why he’d woken. From the narrow landing outside their room came the creaking sound of movement on the uneven floorboards. There was only one other room on that landing, and the manager had assured them it was unoccupied. They were, he told them sadly, the only guests in his hotel.

Prince turned round to face Hanne. A tiny shaft of half-light caught her hair splayed over the pillow. He gently touched her face, and she moved as he slowly slipped his hand over her mouth and tapped her shoulder at the same time. Her eyes opened wide and he placed one finger on his lips before pointing to his ear and then to the door.

As Hanne turned over to face the door, there was the sound of a lock being turned. Both of them sat bolt upright, and as Richard rose from the bed, the door opened and a large figure squeezed into the room. He closed the door and stood with his back to it.