V2 A Novel of World War II - Robert Harris Page 0,74

was Biwack’s idea, apparently. And this will interest you in particular, Doctor, bearing in mind our conversation over dinner the other night. He has Professor von Braun with him.’

14

IN THE BANK VAULT IN Mechelen, it had been quiet for several hours.

Wing Commander Knowsley had left his desk and gone upstairs. Flight Officer Sitwell was writing up a report on the morning’s activities for the Air Ministry. The WAAF sergeants and the corporal from the Signals Corps were staring into space. Barbara’s head was nodding forward. Occasionally she raised it and looked around to check if anyone had noticed, then almost at once it drooped again. She had completed the last calculation in six and a half minutes, just ahead of Kay, and when it had checked out she had clasped her hands above her head like a boxing champ.

Kay sharpened her pencil and studied Barbara’s thick blonde hair. The colour was natural, as far as she could tell. What she wouldn’t give for hair like that! She gathered the pencil shavings into the palm of her hand, trickled them into the ashtray and went back to doodling circles and chequer boards around the edges of her notepad.

At Medmenham there had always been something to do. On the days when bad weather grounded the reconnaissance flights, the interpreters went back over the earlier coverage to see what they might have missed. It was like being stuck indoors on a rainy day in a country house filled with hundreds of uncompleted jigsaw puzzles, and it was during those lulls that some of the most significant breakthroughs had been made in the analysis of Peenemünde. But in this job, if the V2s didn’t launch, one could only sit idle. She wondered who it was who had first said that war was long stretches of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror. People were always repeating it. Someone must have said it first.

She heard footsteps behind her descending the stairs. Louie, the short-haired, mannish WAAF officer, and the Scottish girl, Flora, appeared.

Sitwell looked up at the noise and frowned.

‘Ma’am.’ They saluted.

‘Is is two o’clock already?’ Sitwell swung round in her seat and peered up at the clock. ‘All right, ladies – shift change.’

Kay leaned across and touched Barbara on the shoulder. ‘Barbara? We’ve finished.’

Her eyes half opened. ‘Was I asleep?’

‘You could sleep standing up,’ said Louie.

Flora took off her coat and cap. ‘How did it go?’

‘Two launches,’ said Kay. ‘I think we finished the plots in time. It’s hard to tell. What are your digs like?’

‘Would you keep the chit-chat down?’ called Sitwell. ‘We are still on alert, you know.’

Kay retrieved her coat from the back of the chair and Flora slid into her place. ‘Ooh, lovely and warm,’ she whispered.

‘Wait a minute, ladies!’

Knowsley trotted down the steps and strode to the front of the room. ‘Before you go, I have some news I’d like to share with you. Everybody!’ He clapped his hands to get their attention. ‘None of what I’m about to say is to be repeated. This is strictly classified – I hope that’s clear.’ He tried to look stern, but he couldn’t help breaking into a smile. ‘I just got off the phone to Stanmore. As a result of our efforts this morning, two attacks were mounted on the launch sites in Holland. All our planes returned safely, and Fighter Command is reporting that both targets were destroyed!’

A murmur of excitement went round the room. Kay looked over at Barbara and mouthed, ‘Well done!’ She gave her a thumbs-up.

‘And well done you!’

Knowsley beamed at them. ‘Yes, jolly good show, the pair of you. You’re both off duty now, so why don’t you go over to the mess bar and have a drink on my tab?’

Barbara said, ‘That’s very kind of you, sir. Do you know, I think we might just do that!’

‘For the rest of you, I’m afraid, it’s back to waiting.’

There was a good-humoured groan.

Out on the street, Barbara threw her arms round Kay and hugged her. ‘I can’t believe we did that!’

‘I know. Isn’t it marvellous.’ Kay patted Barbara’s back. Over her shoulder she could see a couple of Belgians looking at them. ‘We probably ought not to make too much fuss in public.’

‘Oh, right. Good point.’

They crossed the road and went into the headquarters. Upstairs in the bar, Kay studied the small shelf of bottles. ‘What do you think we ought to have? A beer?’

‘Beer? We can do better than that! Two gin and tonics,’ Barbara said