The Occupation Secret by Mario Reading

Author:Mario Reading
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781788634663
Publisher: Canelo Digital Publishing Ltd
Published: 2019-05-13T16:00:00+00:00

Erste Licht

Someone was banging at the door. Max looked up from the letter he was writing. The church clock chose that moment to strike five for the second and final time, its tocsin seemingly dampened by the darkness.

Ah. Berger. On the dot, as usual. An hour before his customary time, just as Max had requested. Max folded up his unfinished letter to Bettina and locked it inside his desk, alongside his other unsent and unsendable words. ‘Come in.’

Berger concealed his surprise at finding Max already up and fully clothed, and set about laying the breakfast table with his usual clatter. Fresh farm eggs, salted bacon and Komissbrot, made by the unit cook to an old German recipe.

From his position near the writing table, Max could make out the first faint signs of the dawn breaking through from the east. It was going to be a beautiful day.

‘I shan’t be needing you anymore, Berger. I have a staff meeting to attend. In Montauban. I shall be driving myself.’

Berger stared across at Max, his mouth agape. For a split second he almost lost sight of his subordinate position. ‘Driving yourself, Herr Sturmbannführer? But that’s impossible. What about the terrorists? I shall fetch Hohner for you. It will only take me five minutes to wake him up. And you can detach one of the guards from the house to accompany you.’

‘I don’t need you to wet-nurse me, Berger. I said I shall be driving myself and I mean it. We have had absolutely no terrorist activity in our sector to date, and to be frank I don’t expect any until the Tommies invade. And as far as I am aware, they have not invaded this morning.’

‘No, Herr Sturmbannführer.’ Berger had regained some measure of self-control. He straightened up from arranging the breakfast things. ‘I mean yes, Herr Sturmbannführer.’

‘Yes, they’ve invaded?’

‘No, Herr Sturmbannführer. They have not invaded. But when they do, we shall repulse them.’

‘Yes. Yes. We certainly shall. In the meantime, you’d better make me up a packed lunch in case I am delayed en route. Some leberwurst sandwiches and a thermos of coffee should be more than sufficient. Real coffee, Berger, and not that ersatz nonsense you’re so keen on.’

‘Jawhol, Herr Sturmbannführer.’

Max watched Berger hurrying through to the kitchen. There was no earthly way to avoid the man suspecting something, of course. Best just to let him think that his commanding officer was a suicidal fool – at least that would tie in with the reputation he apparently enjoyed with the new intake. It didn’t seem to have occurred to any of them that the only way a man could earn himself a chest full of medals and survive to enjoy the glory was to be either resolutely non suicidal, or an arse-licking sycophant on the General Staff – and that the second course wasn’t exactly a viable option for normal human beings – just as Meyer, the freshly-minted martinet, had implied a few hours before.

Max finished his breakfast standing up, then busied himself checking the loads in his pistol.

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