The chances, of course, were that the woman was a simple housewife, living here herding cattle on a beautiful high pasture before returning down to the valley in the winter.

Wilde handed the eyeglasses to Paula. ‘Do you recognise that woman?’

She studied her for half a minute, then handed the binoculars back to Wilde. ‘No, I am certain I have never seen her.’

‘I have to go down there,’ Wilde said. He took out the map and they studied it together. Three paths were marked, two of them from the direction they had come. ‘Which one looks best to you, Paula?’

‘Best in which way? Easiest to negotiate, or best for not being seen?’

‘Oh, the latter. It won’t be a good idea to announce my approach.’

‘You really think he’s down there?’

‘I don’t know. What do you think?’

She shrugged. ‘I don’t know either.’

‘Well, if he’s not dead he has to be somewhere. Why not here?’

‘Then he will have protection. Armed men. So you have to be wary – see who is guarding him.’

Wilde smiled at her. He moved back from the ridge, stood up and stretched, then donned his backpack and weapons.

He handed the binoculars to Paula. ‘Watch the house. If anything happens to me, get out as fast as you can and report to Lieutenant Heck. You’ll find him at the American Counter Intelligence Corps base in Garmisch. Wish me luck.’

‘Good luck, Professor Wilde.’

He soon realised that he had picked the toughest possible route down to the house; much of the path was loose scree and there were no trees for cover. He was open and visible against the rock face if anyone cared to look. But at least the woman at the house had gone back indoors and no one else was outside. The only witnesses to his descent were Paula Jaeger above and the grazing cows below.

Like a mountain goat picking its way from ledge to ledge, he stopped every few steps. The climb down took twenty minutes. And finally his feet touched the lush grass and bright flowers of the hidden meadow.

He crouched down and rested a few moments, then unslung the M3 from his back and cradled it in his arms. The weapon had a thirty-round stick magazine and no safety catch. He rested his right index finger lightly on the trigger.

Chapter 44

Chapter 44

The woman with dark hair came out of the house again, but scuttled back inside as soon as she saw him approaching. Wilde was not surprised by her reaction. Anyone would be alarmed to see a stranger striding towards them with a sub-machine gun in their arms.

He moved faster. Now he was on the verandah where she had been dead-heading. ‘Excuse me, lady,’ he called out in German.