87 
Deciphering the Clues

Now, what’s this about, young lady?” asked Churchill, his eyes animated, the moment they were all seated in his office twenty minutes later.

“I was in Vienna last summer,” Amanda began. “The people that had to do with the pamphlet—”

“What’s it called . . . what was it, Jack—you and Admiral Snow were looking into those people . . . something about illumination?”

“The Fountain of Light,” replied Amanda. “I didn’t know it at the time I sailed from England, but they have a house in Vienna, and it was there I began to overhear things.”

“Who was involved?” asked Churchill.

“An Englishman named Hartwell Barclay—”

“The blackguard formerly with the Secret Service—of course! I remember rumors about the fellow.—Whatever turned up about him, Jack? He was one of your people. Didn’t he turn up missing?”

“He dropped out of sight about a year and a half ago,” replied Secret Service Director Whyte. “There were rumors, as you say, but nothing solid. We looked into it but were never able to turn up anything of substance.”

“And Lady Hildegard Halifax—” added Amanda.

“Right . . . now that I hear the name again I recall there being some question what became of Lady Halifax,” said Snow. “Nobody’s seen her for months.”

“Or her son,” added Langham. “I met the chap a time or two. Knew him at Cambridge, then he wrote for the Mail . . . and then suddenly he too disappeared.”

“It’s Lady Halifax’s house in Vienna that is the headquarters,” Amanda said. “At least I assume that. That’s where all three of them were. There were all sorts of people always coming and going. The assassins of the Black Hand were there before the war started.”

“The Fountain people were involved in the assassination!” exclaimed the army’s Forsythe.

“I don’t think they knew about it ahead of time,” Amanda replied. “But later, one of them called Mehmedbasic was talking about secretly getting to England so he could disappear.”

“He is one of the seven who is still at large, I believe, sir,” Lieutenant Langham said.

“What else, Miss Rutherford?” asked Churchill.

“I overheard talk about bringing people in and out of England.”

“How were they doing this?” Whyte asked.

“I think using a lighthouse, sir. I heard frequent mention of a lighthouse.”

“Have you ever heard the name Spengler, Miss Rutherford?” asked Admiral Snow.

Amanda shook her head.

“Colonel Spengler is assistant to Generaloberst von Bülow,” added Churchill. “He is the head of German naval operations. Colonel Spengler has recently defected to the Allied cause.”

“The other name, the long one you just said, von Somebody . . . that is a name I remember,” said Amanda. “I think he was at the house in Vienna once too.”

“Could they be planning an invasion?” Colonel Forsythe said to Churchill.

“If so, they would certainly stop at nothing to silence Spengler. He would know the whole plan.—But you say they talked of signals to England. Where?” said Churchill, turning again to Amanda.

“I didn’t hear anything about a location as long as I was in Vienna, just signals from a lighthouse,” she answered. “But then just two days ago, when I was following Mr. Barclay in Antwerp—”

“You were in Antwerp!” exclaimed Forsythe. “That’s behind the lines.”

“I have an Austrian passport,” said Amanda.

“How did you get it?”

“Actually, I stole it when I escaped from the house in Vienna,” she answered sheepishly.

“It sounds like you are the spy, young lady,” said Churchill with a wry grin.

“I need to recruit her in the service,” laughed Whyte.

“But go on,” Churchill said. “You have certainly succeeded in getting our attention.”

“In Antwerp I heard the words Hawsker Head,” Amanda said. “It sounded like they were talking about the location of the lighthouse.”

“That’s got to be it!” exclaimed Churchill. “That just may be the missing link we’ve been waiting for.”

“I also heard the word Dauntless,” added Amanda.

The three naval men glanced at one another, taking in this new piece of information with serious expressions.

“Hawsker Head is up north, isn’t it?” said Whyte, looking about at the others.

“Somewhere on the east coast, I believe,” said Timothy, speaking now for the first time. “Yorkshire, I believe.”

“Is there a lighthouse there?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know, sir.”

Churchill glanced over at Langham. “Find out what you can, Lieutenant.”

Langham rose and left the room. When he was gone, Churchill turned to Amanda with a more serious expression than before.

“Your father may be in danger,” he said. “That word you heard—Dauntless—is the name of his ship.”

“My father—what is he doing on a ship?”

“I assumed you knew,” answered Churchill. “When the war broke out I asked him to resume his commission in the Royal Navy. He and your brother are both aboard the Dauntless at this very minute. They are bringing Colonel Spengler to Scotland. They are probably somewhere off the coast of Norfolk or Lincolnshire by now. We have maintained radio silence because of the delicacy of their mission, so I don’t know their exact location. I am scheduled to leave for Scapa Flow tomorrow to meet them when they put in.”

This new information noticeably sobered Amanda and Timothy.

Lieutenant Langham returned in about five minutes.

“There is a lighthouse on Hawsker Head, sir,” said the young lieutenant. “Disused for some time, finally sold twelve years ago to a private organization. As far as the records indicate it has not been in use since then.”

“The name of this private concern?”

“The name on the transfer document reads simply ‘The Fountain,’ sir.”

“That’s it, then!” boomed Churchill, nearly exploding out of his chair. “Let’s go. We’ve got to get to Yorkshire and put a stop to this before these traitors can do any more damage.”

He was already halfway out of the office, with Snow, Forsythe, Whyte, and Lieutenant Langham on his heels, leaving Amanda and Timothy looking at each other in bewilderment.

Churchill paused in the middle of the doorway for the second time that day. This time, however, it was to turn back into his own office.

“Well, come on, young lady,” he said, gesturing impatiently to Amanda. “You don’t think I plan to leave you behind now after you’ve nearly solved the case that has kept us baffled for months? I may need you to identify some of these rascals.—Rev. Diggorsfeld, thank you for bringing her to me,” said Churchill, shaking Timothy’s hand once more. He then turned again to Amanda. “Let’s go, young lady—we’re off to Yorkshire!”