“OK, give me the keys and here’s what we’re going to do.” Nemo explained his plan, and despite objections from Ruthie, he and Patton eventually convinced her it was the best way to escape the men at the gate, at least for the time being. Patton crept around the perimeter fence until she reached the keypad next to the gate. She could see the two men waiting in their car, illuminated by the red glow of a cigarette held by the driver, but they did not see her.

Meanwhile, Nemo and Ruthie, after waiting for the security guard to go inside the museum, pushed the Mini Cooper around the side of the building and pointed it toward the gate. The road led straight downhill from the museum car park, then made two quick turns around the Bletchley Park visitor center before reaching the gate. This meant Nemo and Ruthie could coast almost all the way to the gate without being seen. Twenty seconds before the moment Patton would key in the gate code, with Ruthie folded up in the back seat, Nemo shoved off, the car gaining speed as it coasted down the hill.

When the gate began to open toward them, the men in the car climbed out and walked to the center of the drive. They carried no weapons, but merely stood in front of the gate. As Nemo had guessed, they expected to meet two unarmed people on foot. But a second later the Mini came coasting around the corner, almost silently. It had no headlights on and in the time it took for the men to realize that a car was heading straight at them, Patton was able to run from the bushes and dive into the open passenger door. As soon as she was inside the car, Nemo cranked the engine and flicked on the high beams. Surprised and blinded, the two men barely had time to leap out of the way before the car roared past and turned right into the main road.

“I only got a quick look,” said Nemo as they sped down the empty road, “but those were definitely our old friends Fritz and Franz.”

“Who are Fritz and Franz?” said Ruthie.

“Just a couple of Germans who tried to kill me Sunday morning,” said Patton.

“Look,” said Ruthie, “it’s lovely to see you, Patton, it really is, and I’m happy to help you with a bit of codebreaking, but I didn’t sign up for being chased by German assassins.”

“They’re not assassins,” said Nemo, hugging the side of the road as they rounded a sharp curve and thereby throwing Ruthie across the back seat. “Or at least not very good ones.”

“Yeah,” said Patton, buckling herself in. “Don’t worry about them. If they were any good, I wouldn’t be here.”

“Now, where is this Enigma machine you told us about?”