They’d gone to the police headquarters on Polititorvet, but no one in the registration and records department could help them: there were quite a few Peter Rasmussens in Copenhagen, but none matched the description of the man they were looking for.

‘And you’ve tried that address?’

‘Of course we’ve tried that address, you fool! What do you take us for?’

None of the Danish officers answered.

‘Has anyone in here come across a Peter Rasmussen?’ one of them called out across the room.

‘Peter Rasmussen, you say?’ It was an older officer, who’d just entered the room, glasses perched on top of his head, reading a document. He hadn’t spotted the two Gestapo officers sitting with their backs to him. ‘Hanne Jakobsen from the Major Robbery Unit at Nørrebro asked us to issue a legitimationskort for a Peter Rasmussen back in November. She signed the authorisation herself.’

By the time the two Gestapo men stood up and turned round, it was too late. The temperature in the room turned ice cold.

‘Hanne Jakobsen, you say?’ A thin smile was spreading across the Gestapo officer’s face.

The room had been quiet up to that point, but now a sudden and chilling silence descended on it. It felt as if the air had been sucked out of the place.

And from that moment on, those who knew Hanne Jakobsen began to speak of her in the past tense.

Chapter 18

London; Peenemünde, February 1943

‘Remarkable Tom, absolutely remarkable.’

‘What is Roly?’

‘Oh do come on Tom. This Agent Blackbird – saves Agent Laertes’ life in Berlin, keeps the whole mission on track and now manages to get him inside Peenemünde. I call that remarkable.’

Tom Gilbey remained impassive. ‘And brave.’

‘Goes without saying. And you totally trust them?’

Tom Gilbey nodded. They were sitting in the meeting room deep under Downing Street, waiting for the others to arrive. Sir Roland Pearson had suggested he and Tom Gilbey meet a bit earlier (‘make sure we’re singing from the same hymn sheet, Tom, you know the score…’)

‘And is there anything else you can tell me about this Agent Blackbird?’

‘Come on, Roly, you understand how this works. The fewer people who know, the better and in any case, she’s Barney Allen’s agent, I told you. I’m not in a position to divulge anything about Agent Blackbird and frankly I’m surprised you…’

‘Naturally one understands that Tom, but of course I only ask in case Winston asks and if…’

‘…in my experience Roly, Winston rarely does ask. He’s got a very good appreciation of how intelligence works. They’ll be here any time now, remember, and I don’t want this meeting to end without a commitment to bombing the bloody place. Don’t let Swalcliffe talk you out of it, Roly. You’re supposed to have Winston’s ear just as much as he does.’