part0020

“I’ve heard that the 7th Division is going to pull out of the Middle East, except for some battalions assigned to the 9th,” said Matt. “It’s to fight the Japs. They’ll probably be shipped out of Suez at the end of the month. They’ll also ship out the wounded Australians and maybe the 6th as well.”

“Yes, I’ve heard something similar,” said Johnny. “It won’t affect the situation here much. As we know, most of the 7th battalion are mainly on garrison duty in Syria and Palestine. As for ourselves, we can carry on as usual.”

“Yeah, well, I was thinking that you could probably operate better without me. Not much is going on at the moment and I doubt I’m much use.”

“Ah, so what you’re saying is that you’d like to go back with the 7th,” said Johnny. “Join the defence of Australia, eh?”

“Yeah, and me scars have become a bit infected now and again,” said Matt. “I can get fixed up better in Australia. Some of me wounded mates from the 9th will be going back and I’m sure they’ll take me too.”

“Looks like you’ve already checked on that,” said Johnny.

“Yeah, well, I would like to go.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to stop you,” said Johnny. “In fact, I have to tell you the terrible news, just confirmed, that four weeks ago the British battleship HMS Prince of Wales and the battle cruiser HMS Repulse were both sunk by land-based Japanese bombers north of Singapore. So I imagine your country will need all the help it can get in the future, particularly if it takes a while before the US Navy comes into effective action after the attack on Pearl Harbour. I’ll fix whatever paperwork is necessary if your heart’s set on it. We’ll be sorry to lose you, of course, but I understand the situation.”

“Who the hell are we going to get now to crash-tackle large Germans?” said Jamie with a smile.

“What about your girlfriend, Fanny?” asked Jacko. “What does she think about you leaving?”

“Aw, I haven’t told her yet,” said Matt. “She’ll be right. She’s got a lot of friends, mainly war widows. They’ll all be chasing after the young American lads pouring into Cairo in large numbers.”

“Well, perhaps, but you seem to have been close for a while,” said Johnny, “so perhaps you’d better tell her.”

“We should all have a bit of a night out before you leave,” suggested Jamie.

“That’s for sure,” agreed Matt.

In mid-January 1942, the weekly lunch of the Widows Club had just finished and Marianne Connolly decided to go straight home from the Turf Club. She needed to do some washing in preparation for a do at the Polo Club the next day; she wanted to look her best for the newly arrived American officers and diplomats who would be attending. She hoped some of them were unattached. The topics spoken about at lunch had included the usual moaning about the lack of good men available and that single British officers preferred the local exotic women or were too boozy or old to deserve consideration. The lunching friends had also been bored to death as usual by Fanny Bright boasting about her Australian boyfriend, although she had seemed a lot more subdued today than previously.

As Marianne crossed the small bridge to the east bank and headed towards her little flat, she had the feeling that someone was following her. Looking around, she couldn’t see anything unusual in the crowds of people wandering around that part of the city, so she shrugged her shoulders and walked on. Passing Shepheard’s Hotel, she looked around again but still saw nothing unusual.

“Must be getting the heebie-jeebies in my old age of twenty-seven,” she muttered to herself.

She arrived at the little house which she had continued to rent after her husband’s death in the desert war. It had a small garden surrounded by a white picket fence, and the entrance was through a charming lychgate built of natural wood. She checked her mailbox next to the gate and walked up the path to the front door of the house. She fumbled to find the keys in her handbag and as she was turning the key in the lock, she felt a sudden rush behind her. A hand with a cloth smelling of chloroform was slapped over her mouth and nose, while the other hand pushed her heavily against the side of the door as it swung open. Unable to breathe, she felt herself being half carried, half dragged into her house as she tried to kick out. The last sound she heard was heavy breathing behind her as her knees buckled and she lost consciousness.

A week later, sitting at their usual table at Le Coutume Café, Johnny, Jamie and Jacko were sombrely sipping tea, munching on croissants and waving the flies away from their faces.

“It doesn’t look good for the British and Australian troops in Malaya,” said Johnny. “The Nips seem to have landed far superior forces on the peninsula and it won’t be long before they’ll all have to retreat south to Singapore.”

“Yeah, well, it doesn’t look that great here either,” said Jamie. “The battle out in the desert has become a bit of a stalemate. A few seesaw battles here and there but nothing decisive.”

“Well, as long as the Germans don’t control Tobruk, they have to get their supplies from a long way west of there and that’s difficult for them,” Johnny replied. “We do have some information on Rommel’s movements. My MI6 boss told me that our fellows have broken some major code, but it’s all very hush-hush. How are we going with the Russians, Jacko?”

“I’ve followed the beautiful Yasmina back there a few times,” said Jacko. “I don’t think we’ve got much to worry about from that quarter. She’s getting all her information from the drunken utterings of Major General Percival-Jones who, I am told, is a relic of the Indian army and is not privy to anything current.”

“Yes, that’s good,” said Johnny with a grin. “I’ve asked the authorities to leave him alone because if they quietly removed him, Yasmina might get onto someone who knows something. I am sure the old boy is having the time of his life with a gorgeous damsel pursuing him. Have you chaps found out anything about the new German couple who were with Henry Marshall and Fifi on New Year’s Eve?”

“Yes,” said Jacko. “Jess Harkness and Greta Clark of San Antonio, Texas. They’re not exactly an item. They have separate rooms on the fourth floor of the Continental. I’ve trailed them around the city a few times. So far, they’ve only done everything normal tourists do. I think they’re waiting for someone or something.”

“So they haven’t made any obvious contacts with other nasties?” asked Johnny.

“No, nothing like that,” replied Jacko. “They even joined an American tour to the Great Pyramid. I arranged for Monique to meet them and show them around but the two Nazis didn’t do anything suspicious or contact anyone.”

“What did Monique think of that?” asked Jamie with a wink. “You getting her to do your dirty work for you.”

“She was very happy to do it and she said they paid well,” said Jacko. “She said she was fascinated by all the intrigue.”

“Yes, well, you’d better not get her too involved or tell her too much,” said Johnny. “It wouldn’t be fair to her and we don’t want her to know too much about our operations.”

“Don’t worry, boss,” said Jacko. “I’ll continue to keep a sharp eye on the San Antonio tourists. Perhaps we’ll find out what they’re really doing here.”

They became aware of the figure of Fifi walking towards them across the square.

“Voilà, mes chéris! My three handsome Js,” she called as she approached. “I shall always think of you as my three Js. Where is Monsieur Scarface? Missing again?”

“He is getting ready to return to Australia,” said Johnny. “He’ll be shipped out before the end of the month. In fact he’ll be going to Port Suez tomorrow with a number of the Australian war wounded.”

“We’re having farewell drinks with him this evening,” added Jamie. “Might even stop by the Casino Opera at some stage during the night.”

“So I will be left with only my three Js to report to,” she said. “I don’t think my amorous Henry has plans for the music hall tonight. He doesn’t even have plans for me. He has to go to some meeting tonight and he’ll be off somewhere tomorrow with the other two pretend Americans. I don’t know where. He told me to meet him at his hotel tomorrow night.”

“Interesting!” said Johnny, turning to Jacko. “I think you might have to get an early night tonight, Jacko, and be ready for your role as a proper Egyptian gentleman in the morning so you can find out what Henry and his friends are up to.”

“That suits me, boss,” said Jacko. “I’ll have my fez and newspaper with me by 6.30 in the morning at the Continental. Nobody stirs before then.”

“That’ll be perfect, Jacko,” said Johnny. “Anything else happening, Fifi?”

“Non, nothing. Very dull,” she said. “But Jacko, please tell me how your amour develops, s’il vous plait. I think it is très romantique, n’est-ce pas?”

“Well, maybe a bit romantic,” said Jacko. “I think Monique is truly wonderful but I’m nowhere near her class. I don’t really deserve someone like her.”

“Oh, poo to that!” Fifi said. “If she loves you she won’t want to let you go. It’s like Romeo and Juliet. Never parted nor broken-hearted.”

“Yeah, maybe. But I could never give her anything like the life she leads here in my part of Australia.”

“Ah, you like to give yourself the bad mouth, n’est-ce pas?” she said. “She may prefer any life in Australia rather than a life of ease without you. One day you will have to ask her.”

“Aw, I dunno,” he said. “I’d be happy to fight the whole German army but I’m not sure I’m brave enough to ask her.”

“Silly boy,” she purred. “I shall be following this fascinating romance carefully and if you don’t do anything about it in the future, you can forget the German army, I shoot you myself.”

“Better watch myself, eh?”

“Oui, you’d better,” she said with a wide smile. “Anyway, I have to leave you handsome men. I take advantage of not being with Henry to visit some relatives and friends.”

As she departed, Jamie said, “Well, I suppose we’d better get back to our digs to see how Matt’s going with his packing up and if he’s worked up a thirst.”

“Yeah, I might stay with you fellows until dinnertime,” said Jacko, “and after that I’ll peel off and get an early kip.”

At six the next morning, Jacko was sitting in his favourite chair in the lobby of the Continental Hotel pretending to read his Arabic newspaper, which he had to be sure was not upside down, dressed in local clothing including his fez. A waiter stopped by his chair and offered him a cup of coffee, which he accepted.

As he sipped it, he thought, what is it with this country and coffee? You could stand a teaspoon straight up in this thick gooey stuff.

When he had left their pension earlier in the morning, the others were still asleep, with a certain amount of snoring going on probably as a result of the late night. He hoped that Matt would be able to find his way to the bus leaving for Port Suez through the haze of a hangover. As far as their communications and operations were concerned, Johnny always seemed to be on the ball whether he had slept or not.

As a couple of hours had passed, Jacko found himself thinking of Monique. He knew he was head over heels in love with her and that she was very fond of him too. He thought about what Fifi had said, but he would never be able to offer Monique the privileged life she enjoyed here. In any case he was happy to dream and more than happy to spend time with her while he could. She was such fun to be with. Those eyes!

He came quickly alert as the three faux Texans, Henry, Jess and Greta, walked out of one of the lifts and went up to the reception desk to speak to the clerk. They passed Jacko on their way to the front door, where he was seemingly engrossed in his newspaper. He stood up casually and followed them out the door at a discreet distance. They waited for a while outside the hotel until a hantoor drew up and they ascended into it.

“Dammit, I should have organised a horse or a bicycle,” Jacko mumbled to himself. However, the hantoor took off at a leisurely pace and Jacko was able to walk briskly a short distance behind it. They were obviously not in a hurry so Jacko felt lucky, but it was also possible they were just sightseeing. They continued north for several miles along the Nile Corniche, the main road along the east bank of the river, leaving the northern tip of the island of Zamalek behind them. As usual at that time of day, several feluccas were drifting up and down the river, the boatmen calling out to one another as they passed.

Eventually, the hantoor turned up a gravel laneway to the east, away from the river. Staying close to the bushes on the side of the lane, Jacko kept up with the casual pace of the carriage. Further up the lane a few hundred yards in front of the hantoor, eight Egyptian men and a young girl stood in a group, some of them waving. It seemed they had been waiting for the arrival of the three Germans. This was confirmed as, on reaching the group, the hantoor stopped, the three passengers descended and they were greeted with introductions and handshaking. Jacko stayed concealed in the shadow of a stand of papyrus reeds on the side of the lane but from his position he recognised the girl as Fahmy, one of the dancers from the Casino Opera.

The hantoor, having delivered its passengers, turned around and headed back down the lane, passing Jacko a few feet from his hiding place. The 12 people up the road then walked to a narrow path leading off the lane and Jacko worked his way through the scrub to get closer without being detected. He could hear them talking and realised they were conversing in English. The conversation was largely about money and he heard a voice with an obvious German accent telling the rest not to worry about money. Thousands of British pounds would be supplied to them in one- and five-pound notes, along with radio equipment. They would be joined by other agents from Alexandria in a few months and together they would form the eyes and ears of the German army in Cairo.

Jacko then heard the young girl, Fahmy, in her strong Arabic accent, telling them she guaranteed that after the victory by Rommel’s desert army, the British would be forever banished from Egypt. Some cheering resulted from this announcement and this was followed by general talk.

Like a shadow, Jacko crept closer until he could see the group standing around outside an old shed built from stone with a sheet iron roof and an old stable door. They started to enter the shed, which Jacko thought must be some sort of headquarters for the local group, so he decided that he was unlikely to learn much more by hanging around and silently headed off back to the city.