Cruel enough to order her death, though.

Had Angie or anyone else told her about the bugged phone call between Boden and Siegfried? Wilde wasn’t going to be the one to tell her.

‘His mother was another matter. I knew the moment I met her that she hated me for loving her son. I knew that she would kill me if she could.’

‘Well, you’re with good people now. I hope you find a better life for yourself in Paris.’

Wilde clutched them all by the hand. ‘It has been a great pleasure to meet you, Angie – and you, Jerzy. I know you will always miss your own mother, but I think you will find that Dr Gray has great qualities of her own. And you look after her, too, OK?’

The boy grinned. ‘Don’t worry, boss. She’s safe with me. You like one last picture?’

‘Why not?’

Jerzy grabbed a passing nurse by the sleeve, handed her the camera and showed her how to press the button. Then he lined up with Wilde and Angie Gray and Lilly Marais and the nurse took a couple of snaps.

‘Send me a copy, Jerzy,’ Wilde said. ‘I’ll leave you my address.’

*

His final visit to CIC Garmisch was not easy. ‘Are you going to tell me what happened up there, Professor?’

‘I’m not entirely sure, Lieutenant.’

‘Was the Hitler bastard there?’

Wilde shrugged. ‘I’m not sure we’ll ever know.’

‘Come on. We’re in this together. You and me, a team from the word go. I saved your life, remember?’

‘And I paid my debt. All I can say is that I no longer believe a hunt for Adolf Hitler would be a productive use of time or manpower.’

‘So you killed him?’

Wilde simply smiled.

‘I’ll take that as a yes. My only regret is that I didn’t get to fire the bullet.’

Wilde shook him warmly by the hand. ‘You’re not the easiest of men, Lieutenant Heck, but somehow we muddle through, I think.’

Heck grinned. ‘You’re saying I’m difficult? Well, that makes two of us, Professor.’

*

Wilde hitched a lift to the Schongau airbase and joined a military flight to Wiesbaden. He found Allen Dulles in his office, digging the ashes from his pipe. He stood up as soon as Wilde entered and shook him by the hand.

‘Well, who would have thought it, Professor Wilde. You found the bastard.’

Yes, he had. And yet it still felt unreal. He was the man who tracked down Adolf Hitler and witnessed his death.

‘Just a shame there was nothing but ashes and a couple of bones. Not even a damned dental plate to identify him.’

‘But you believe me, Mr Dulles?’