Eagle Day - Robert Muchamore Page 0,78

this.’

‘,’ Maxine scoffed. ‘You’re in no position to Authorise authorise me to do anything, Charles Henderson. It’s settled. If we successfully complete the air-raid operation I’ll head to Paris and work with Bernard.’

‘But,’ Henderson spluttered, turning uncharacteristically red.

Rosie came in from the doorstep and looked at Henderson. ‘Sorry to interrupt your argument,’ she said, ‘but it’s three-thirty a.m. We need to send a message to McAfferty to confirm what happened with the drop.’

Bernard rose up out of his chair. ‘I’ll help,’ he said.

‘That’s not necessary,’ Henderson replied, scowling at the tiny photograph now glued to Bernard’s identity card.

‘It’s more secure,’ Bernard said insistently. ‘My transmission averages fifty-two words per minute.’

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

9 September 05:57 The Farm

Rosie, Maxine and Bernard stood around the kitchen table in their night clothes. PT, Paul, Marc and Henderson were dressed and ready to leave in the truck.

‘OK,’ Henderson said. ‘Our big day is finally here. Did we all sleep well?’

There were a few nervous laughs before Henderson cracked a smile. ‘Me neither,’ he said. ‘You all know your jobs and you all know how important they are.

‘PT, you’re off to Dunkirk, via Calais. Marc is handling Boulogne. Paul and I will deal with Calais. Finally, Maxine and Bernard will be setting incendiary beacons at Dieppe and Le Havre respectively. I’m not one for great speeches, but I do want to say keep calm at all times and make absolutely sure you have all the equipment on your checklists before you leave the farm.

‘I set my watch by BBC radio when I first woke up and the time is now five fifty-eight. All of you have pocket or wrist watches. Make sure they’re properly wound and telling exactly the right time. The RAF raids on all five ports are set for eight-forty. We’ll want beacons at all five ports burning three minutes before that, so that the bombers have a target for the final ten miles of their approach.

‘Everyone except Maxine and Bernard is due back here before ten p.m. If you miss the boat, there are emergency supplies, navigational charts, maps and blank identity documents hidden on this farm and at two locations nearby. There are small vessels all along the coast and my best advice is that you wait for a calm sea and try crossing the Channel. Britain’s pretty big, so navigation isn’t a problem, but be careful you don’t hit any mines as you come ashore.

‘Now, Marc and I have to go to work. Paul and PT are riding with us so now’s your moment if any of you want to say goodbye to Maxine.’

As Henderson headed outside to start the truck, the three boys took turns hugging Maxine. She soon had tears streaking down her face.

‘You’re all so brave,’ Maxine sniffled. ‘I couldn’t be any prouder if you really were my sons.’

‘Don’t forget to drop my gear off when you pass through Boulogne,’ Marc said.

Maxine nodded. ‘Between two trees, after the duck farm, before the junction, and there’s a stone slab with your initials scratched into it.’

‘You can’t miss it,’ Marc confirmed.

Paul was the youngest and the most upset. He gave Maxine a second hug as Henderson walked out to start the truck. The vehicle was more than ten years old and usually needed a few turns with a hand crank before it got going in the morning.

‘Thanks for all the great dinners, Maxine,’ Paul said, trying to hide his tears behind a smile.

‘Paul, you’ve been a joy to have around. Thank you, and I’ll write to you in England as soon as I can.’ Maxine was now crying again.

‘We’re up and running, boys,’ Henderson yelled from the doorway.

After briefly wishing Rosie and Bernard good luck, the three boys jogged out and squatted on top of the equipment in the back of the battered old truck.

Maxine looked at Henderson. ‘Are you still sulking, or do I get a goodbye kiss?’

The Sunday between the parachute drop and the day of the air raid had been planned as a time to relax and prepare, but Henderson had been unhappy with Maxine’s decision to stay in France and the tension between them had soured the mood.

But Henderson managed a smile and pulled her close for an intense goodbye kiss. ‘If I’d only met you before my wife,’ he said.

But Maxine wasn’t fooled. ‘We had fun,’ she said, smiling bravely. ‘And now it’s over, because you’ll either go back home to your wife, or get yourself killed.’

Henderson quickly shook Bernard’s hand before climbing behind the wheel