The Berlin Crossing by Brophy Kevin

Author:Brophy, Kevin [Brophy, Kevin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780755380879
Publisher: Headline
Published: 2012-01-05T00:00:00+00:00

Seventeen

‘He’s on time anyway.’ Fitch-Bellingham had the binoculars to his eyes, watching Roland’s progress at Checkpoint Charlie from a fourth-floor window on Kochstrasse.

‘So he learned something yesterday,’ Adams said.

‘Let’s hope he’s learned enough to stay alive.’

‘He’s a tough bastard, sir.’

Fitch-Bellingham said nothing. He watched Roland’s slow progress as the line snaked forward past the sandbagged barriers in Zimmerstrasse, into the killing zone, under the gaze of the observation towers. Armed border guards shepherded the line towards the passport control huts. Uniformed Stasi, the elite officers of the Ministry for State Security, were in charge of passport control.

‘He’s there,’ Fitch-Bellingham said, as Roland was ushered, out of sight, into one of the control cabins. There was no reason why the boy should not get through without mishap; all the same, you could never quite get rid of that lurching feeling in your stomach.

‘There he is.’ Adams’ voice had a triumphant edge to it. ‘Look.’ He fingered the blind, eyes narrowed.

Fitch-Bellingham could see him now. Tall, over six feet, duffel coat swinging open as he sauntered into East Berlin. As if he were a carefree postgrad on a day excursion into an interesting city. Young Roland Feldmann, Fitch-Bellingham told himself (not for the first time), was a serendipitous discovery. The young fellow had style, no doubt about it. He felt an odd pang of regret as Roland passed out of sight, swallowed up by the crowd on the pavements of Friedrichstrasse.

Fitch-Bellingham lowered the binoculars and gazed down, unseeing now, on the wide thoroughfare of Kochstrasse.

‘I hope’, he said, ‘that he gets back just as easily tonight.’

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