Hitler's Angel by William Osborne

Author:William Osborne [Osborne, William]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Australia

CHAPTER 27

KEMPTEN EXPRESS

They had just minutes to retrieve their packs. They clambered aboard the train as the platform guard blew his whistle and the train pulled out of the station. They managed to find a six-seater compartment to themselves and within five minutes of departure the train guard had come and punched their tickets. Now they could sit back and relax – at least for the next hour. Not that Leni was in the mood to do any such thing. She sat opposite Otto, glaring at him.

“How many more times do you want me to apologise?” Otto muttered. They'd pulled the blinds down on the side windows and door, hoping this might deter anyone from joining them in the compartment.

“A few more times,” Leni said acidly.

“All right, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. It was just . . . we were there in Munich and I thought—”

“No, Otto, you didn't think. You just chose to please yourself, regardless of the risks.” Leni knew he had been up to something, but she'd never have believed he could have done something so stupid and dangerous.

“What's Otto done wrong, Leni?” Angelika was sucking on a boiled sweet.

“He hasn't done anything wrong,” said Leni.

Angelika looked confused. “Then why are you cross with him?”

“All right, he did something silly, a bit like you leaving me in the museum.”

“Oh,” said Angelika. She looked at Otto. “So we're both in trouble.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Otto.

“Don't change the subject,” countered Leni.

“Who's changing the subject? What happened at the museum, Leni?”

“All right, Angelika went missing for a little bit, but it was fine. So don't even try to equate that with what you did.”

“I wasn't going to.” Otto folded his arms and looked out of the window.

The train had got up a good head of steam and was well out of the suburbs of the city. It clattered along, past fields filled with ripening corn, orchards and smallholdings just beginning to fill up with the season's bean, tomato, pepper and courgette plants. Further on were fields of hops and vineyards beginning to leaf. Only the grey-and-green military trucks towing field guns in long convoys on the dusty roads spoilt the rural landscape.

Angelika rested her head against Leni's shoulder, and closed her eyes. They'd been on their feet since the early hours with just a few snatched minutes of sleep on the goods train.

“Well, what happened?” Otto arched his eyebrows in Angelika's direction.

“That wasn't my fault,” said Leni defensively.

“If you say so.”

“Oh, let's just drop the whole thing,” said Leni, feeling there was nothing more to be gained.

“Fine by me,” said Otto.

The three of them sat in silence for a while, the heat building. Leni felt Angelika gradually relax against her and her head become heavier on her shoulder. When she was sure that the girl was asleep, she whispered, “You made us come to Munich just so you could see if your family was still there.”

Otto shook his head. “Of course not. Going to Munich was the right thing to do.

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