Wilde crawled forward on his belly to the craggy rim and peered down a few hundred feet into the most perfect scene he had ever witnessed. The lake was a small oval of still black water, surrounded by the green of a pasture. The solitary building was more like a small farmhouse than a traditional single-room shepherd’s hut. Smoke spiralled from a single chimney.

Cows munched lazily at the grass and flowers.

Almost-verticle peaks rose on all sides of the meadow, so that it made more a vase shape than a bowl. This, he reflected, could be Hilton’s mythical Shangri-La.

No one could stumble across this place by mistake. It was, truly, a hidden meadow – Die versteckte Alm. The sun was high and the whole valley was bathed in light. It was all simply beautiful.

Wilde turned and gestured for Paula to come forward and look for herself. She gasped as she looked down.

‘It is wonderful,’ she said, ‘so peaceful. Hitler cannot be here.’

‘I was thinking much the same. Is this Austria still, or Germany?’

‘According to the map, it is close to the border. It seems to be Germany. What will you do now?’

‘Well, someone has to be there – look at the smoke. I’ll watch for a while and see who comes out of the house, then we’ll see what – or who – we’re dealing with. Perhaps you should go back to Almrosen.’

‘No, you’ll need me to help you find your way back.’

‘Are you certain, Paula?’

She unpacked her bag. ‘Let’s eat – bread and cheese. And cold coffee.’

*

Mozes Heck slept fitfully. Every time he drifted into wakefulness he considered his options. He had lost his second chance to kill Julius Boden and he badly wanted to get back there and finish the job. But the nurse had made it clear that she would be observing him.

‘No more night terrors, please, Lieutenant. No more somnambulism. OK, my dear? I’ll be outside the room, so just call if you need anything.’

What most kept him awake was trying to solve the puzzle of the part being played by Colonel Appache. It was obvious from the snatch of conversation of the two doctors that the colonel not only knew that Boden was here, but had somehow facilitated it. Why would he do that? And why would he keep such a thing secret from the two men hunting him?

Heck knew his mind was foggy, that nothing was making sense, but something was not right. He knew that much.

When the nurse arrived again in the morning and asked whether he was well enough to eat a little breakfast, he told her he needed to speak with Colonel Appache urgently.

The nurse looked doubtful. ‘I can pass on a message, of course.’

‘Just tell his secretary that Lieutenant Heck has a proposition for him.’

‘Just that?’

‘Just that.’