Jonas and Arthur were driven to the cottage. The lieutenant, saluted smartly, “The hostage is safe. As per your orders he has been cuffed and is under guard. We found one body in a shallow grave. There are three other bodies in the cottage. One appears to have committed suicide. The weapons are German in origin. The clothes are also German military issue. Are you able to tell me what happened here?”
“I am sorry, Lieutenant, orders from above. We will be taking the hostage back to Scotland Yard. Thank you for your help. Rest assured that your help today will not be forgotten.”
The platoon stayed to quell the fire that had erupted. They left when it was doused.
Brendan sat quietly in the back of the lieutenant’s car, which had been loaned to Arthur, to take them to the nearest train station.
“What’s to happen to Mary-Jane?” Brendan enquired.
“Sergeant Major, I have already reminded you to be silent. If you do not obey my orders, I will gag you. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, sir. I’m just worried, sir.”
Arthur was increasingly irritated by Brendan’s questions. He seemed more concerned about his wife than the upcoming attack.
After many hours of travel, they finally arrived back at Scotland Yard. Brendan was placed in a cell, while Jonas and Arthur decided on the tactics. They were determined to get every drop of information they could squeeze from him.
Brendan was fed and allowed to change into an ill-fitting overall. He sat in an interrogation cell. The officer posted at the door ignored him.
Jonas and Arthur entered the cell. Jonas started the interview by warning Brendan that he was still under arrest and that unless he fully cooperated, he would be sent to a military tribunal for trial and sentence.
“I understand, sir,” Brendan replied.
“We know you attacked the baron. What happened after that?” Jonas asked.
“I was taken to a boat. I do not know where it was moored. I have no idea how long I was at sea. When I awoke, I was bundled into a carriage. It was several weeks before the baron appeared. As soon as I reached a large house with high walls around it, I knew it was near the sea. I could smell it and there were seagulls crying all the time. I was beaten daily.
“They did not ask me anything at first. But, as it went on, I realised they wanted information about the anarchists. Particularly Franz Mizel, I told them I had never met him. They showed me his photograph and I had to admit that I did recognise him. I was severely beaten for lying.
“When the baron came, he told me that I would be executed the next morning. They did that for at least two weeks. I was a bag of nerves. One day, Mary-Jane appeared. I do not know where from. They made her watch my execution. Up until that point no bullets had been fired. This time, someone made a mistake, and I was shot in the arm. The baron was furious. Mary-Jane collapsed, and I have not seen her since. I am ashamed to say I told them everything.”
“Did you mention our involvement?” Arthur asked.
“No sir, I thought that they would be satisfied with what I had told them. The baron told me I would be moved. I did not know where to. I asked him about Mary-Jane, he threatened to kill me if I spoke of her again. After another long boat trip, I was escorted to a boatyard where I was put to work. I helped them fit a machine gun to the rear of a barge. An Armstrong cannon was fitted to the front. The workers were nearly all German. I think military.
“I was then sent to the cottage. You know what happened there. I saw your sergeant. I think they killed him. They were laughing. Also, at the boatyard, I saw Franz Mizel, Liam something or other, and Sergeant Maitland.”
Arthur and Jonas were particularly interested in the boatyard. They stopped the interview, while Arthur contacted his army contacts.
The interview lasted all day and into the early hours of the morning. Brendan was drained. The two inquisitors were relentless. After they had finished with him, they moved to Arthur’s office.
“That barge worries me,” Arthur said. “A cannon and machine gun means the attack will be very violent. A seven-pound shell can do real damage.”
“What are we talking about, damage wise?” Jonas enquired.
“That particular cannon was used in India. It usually sits atop a fort. It is a mountain cannon. It has a range of thousand yards. It was used to wipe out any invading force. If it were fired into Tower Bridge, it could damage the structure beyond repair. I hate to think if it was used against the royal yacht.”
Both men sat in silence for a while.
“So, you think, the target is the yacht or Tower Bridge?” Jonas asked.
“If we put all the information gleaned from O’Carroll and what we already know from our own investigation; it is obvious to me, that the king is the target. I suspect that the tenth anniversary of the construction of Tower Bridge is the date of the attack. We need to involve the palace.”
There was a knock on the door, a constable entered and passed a note to Arthur. He read it and passed it to Jonas.
“It is not good news. The baron has managed to lose the tail I had on him,” Arthur said.
“Perhaps he will call off the attack? He surely must know that we have O’Carroll?” Jonas asked.
“Somehow, I do not think so. It has gone too far. We need to assume that the anniversary will be the beginning.”
“I agree. We need to look at the palace plans for the day. With this new information, security will have to be increased,” Jonas replied.
“That is not as easy as it sounds, the colonel, or rather, the equerry, is not enamoured with what we have done so far.”
There was another knock at the door. A new message arrived. Arthur read its contents. “The boatyard has been vacated. There is no sign of the barge, or the team of workers. They have disappeared.”
“Oh dear, how do we explain that to the colonel?” Jonas sighed.
“Nevertheless, we need to visit the palace,” Arthur said.
Franz and Saul met to discuss the attack details. Franz began by asking about security.
“Saul, are you completely happy with the security of the project?”
“Overall, yes, although I am concerned that we are not being fully briefed about the details of the attack.”
“Is Raul open to your questions?”
Saul thought for a moment. “Sometimes, I am not sure that he is working for us. He went off with Udo on a secret assignment. He refused to tell me why. He got very agitated.”
“Ah, yes, Udo. What do you think about our steersman?”
“I do not trust him. Why do we need so many Germans in the plan?”
“Saul, I need you to do something for me?”
“What do you need?”
“I have my suspicions about the German influence in the plan. Did you see the barge when it was finished? It could take on a battleship. This is not the plan we put together. I think we have been used again to further German interests. If that is so, our revolution may be of secondary interest to our backers. We must find out before the attack starts. You must speak to Raul. Find out who our backers are. Be insistent with him. If necessary, use force. We have one month left. Can you do that?”
“You do not trust him?”
“I do not,” Replied Franz.
“Leave it to me.”
“Saul, be careful, I am being followed, and not by the authorities.”
Saul had known Raul for over ten years. He liked him, but deep down, he questioned his commitment to the revolution. He felt that he was a dilettante. He was sure that Raul was not a traitor, although he had questions about the money he had and how he came by it. Raul was a self-confessed thief, but Saul thought that he must be an extraordinary professional to always have money and never arrested once since he had known him.
Saul tried to tail him after a meeting, but Raul lost him very quickly. He realised that he needed help. He recruited two anarchists who had no knowledge of the plot or Raul Santiago.
The four main plotters were meeting regularly at the Covent Garden address. Franz, Liam, and Saul were careful not to mention their doubts about the banker.
All went smoothly. After their usual meal, they left the meeting at intervals. Liam went first. Within minutes he had disappeared into the back streets. Saul went next. He met up with the two anarchists. They waited for Raul.
Raul came out and looked up and down the road. He buttoned his coat and walked off quickly. Saul pointed at Raul. The two men nodded and began to follow him at a distance. They separated and followed him, always keeping well back.
Raul knew that something was wrong. Call it sixth sense. He decided to slow down and walk around the West End. The crowds were pushing and shoving as they went about their business.
He soon detected one follower. He walked toward Charing Cross station. When he arrived at the concourse, he went into the gentleman’s toilet. He waited for a few minutes and left again.
The man followed him out of the toilets. Raul took the steps down to the river. His ‘shadow’ followed. The poorest people had set up home in the surrounding area. Beggars accosted anyone dressed smartly.
Raul gave a beggar a coin. He was surrounded by a noisy crowd hoping for more. He used the disturbance to slip away. He ran through the arches below the station and appeared in the Strand.
He jumped on a bus heading for Waterloo Bridge. He was confident that he had lost the ‘tail’. He sat back and relaxed.
Saul’s second agent had waited on the opposite pavement in front of Charing Cross station. He suspected that the station was a diversion. The little information Saul had been able to give him, suggested that Raul habitually crossed Waterloo Bridge to get home.
After ten minutes, he saw Raul run across the Strand to a bus stop. He nonchalantly took his place in the queue. He ignored Raul and settled on the top floor. He had a clear view of anyone getting on or off. The bus travelled across Waterloo Bridge and headed toward York Road. Raul alighted the bus and walked in the direction of Westminster Bridge. His tail stayed on one stop further and got off. He looked back and saw Raul hail a cab.
The cab passed him. Luckily, Saul had given the man enough money for every contingency. He hailed his own cab and told the cabbie to follow the one in front. Raul usually changed cabs before going home, but he was confident that he had left his tail by the river. The second cab stopped, one hundred yards away from Raul’s. It had stopped outside a three-storey town house, on Brixton Hill.
Raul entered the premises. The watcher dismissed the cab, found a doorway opposite the house, and waited. In the morning, the watcher decided that this was Raul’s home address.
Later that morning, Saul thanked the man for his diligence and passed him a five-pound note.