The Reckoning

By Carole McEntee-Taylor

The Reckoning is the fifth and final book in 5 part series, Obsession, which tells the stories of five families across England, Germany and Poland from the 1920s through to the aftermath of WW2.

Its 1954, Neil knows Daisy is bored with him, but his search to put some excitement into their lives will ruin everything. Annie’s life has settled into a pattern and she’s happy. Then one morning Sam is at work, the children are at school, Annie opens the front door and the world suddenly stops turning.

Somehow Rob has survived against all the odds but he is now torn between the two separate parts of his life and can’t make up his mind when he wants to be. Nor can he persuade the authorities to do anything about his fellow POWs. And then he discovers that the man who was responsible for all his suffering is alive and free and he has another decision to make...

Hans has spent too long in exile and he wants to come home. But how can he do that without getting arrested for war crimes? Karin misses her brother but his reappearance triggers nightmares from their past. Will they finally have a chance to put everything to rest or is it too late?

In Soviet occupied Poland Felcia is still hoping to find her son and for Rob to come back, but the Iron Curtain has severed the links between east and west, leaving a successful outcome even less likely. But fate has one more hand to play and suddenly Felcia realises that everything is possible.

Contains adult content

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carole McEntee-Taylor
• Release date: Jul 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9780463660720

Carole McEntee-Taylor

I write military history, historical fiction and memoirs and sometimes a mixture of all three. I am also a ghost writer of novels and memoirs.My non fiction, published by by Pen and Sword Books Ltd, include Herbert Columbine VC, Surviving the Nazi Onslaught, A Battle Too Far, Military Detention Colchester from 1947, The Battle of Bellewaarde June 1915, From Colonial Warrior to Western Front Flyer, The History of Coalhouse Fort and A History of Women’s Lives in Scunthorpe.I have also written a biography of John Doubleday to be included in his book: The Work and published The Weekend Trippers and My War and Peace myself. I am always on the look out for new military memoirs to publish. If you would like to know more please visit my website.My spiritual books are The Re-Enlightenment and The Holiday From Hell.My fiction includeSecrets ( a book of six short stories)Lives Apart: A WW2 Chronicle - a five book series inspired by the true story of my in-laws.Obsession - a five book series inspired by the true story of the missing POWs at the end of WW2.Betrayed - a stand alone murder mystery set in WW2 Germany and Palestine.Secret Lives - a six book series set before and during WW1.A One Way Ticket - a four book series inspired by the true story of Bill Young through WW2 and beyond.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Misiones, Argentina

Hans jerked awake, his heart pounding frantically, his pulse racing. The nightmares had been dormant for years but this time it was so vivid he was struggling to wake up.

The events of the past few days had probably unsettled him; the death of the man and his wife were completely unexpected. It was probably the uncertainty that had brought on the nightmare again. With the man dead, his last tasks had been to organise the funerals for the following day, to invite the right people and then he’d just needed to destroy any evidence they’d ever been there. Hans wondered what Franz would have thought if he’d known the identity of the man. Even now he found it amusing that everyone had believed the man was dead, aided by the Russians’ refusal to co-operate in providing proof. The Allies would have fallen over themselves to get hold of the most wanted war criminal of them all, the man everyone thought was dead: Adolf Hitler.

Life had certainly been interesting since the end of the war. He’d accompanied Hitler to several places in Argentina, including Eichhorn House and to numerous meetings with munitions manufacturers and even to the ballet in Brazil. It was a shame the Führer hadn’t lived long enough to see the fruits of his labours but there were plenty of his followers willing to carry his dream to fruition, including Hans.

He thought back to his nightmare and realised he’d actually opened the door this time and then he’d started awake. If only he could remember…

*******

Somewhere in Russia

‘Where are we going?’ Rob had been in one place for so long he’d almost forgotten he was still at the mercy of the Soviets. He was in shock at being woken early and, while it was still dark, crammed onto trucks with other prisoners. The factory had not been too bad and Rob’s heart sank. He’d grown complacent and now they might be going somewhere where the conditions were worse. The guards ignored him and he closed his eyes and, for the first time in ages, began to pray.

‘At least we’re both being moved.’ Gerhard’s voice was low in his ear and Rob looked across the truck in relief. Rob had tried hard not to get used to having Gerhard around, but it had been almost impossible and eventually he had let down his guard, and he and Gerhard had become good friends, especially after Manfred had succumbed to pneumonia a few years earlier.

The trucks sped on, throwing the men around until even the most hardy felt sick. They finally stopped and the men were taken off the vehicles and herded into a warm shed. Here, much to their amazement, they were given showers, and clean clothes and allowed to shave.

‘What’s going on?’ Rob lowered his voice.

Gerhard shrugged. ‘No idea, but perhaps we should make the most of it.’

Rob was about to say more when they were all told to sit down at a large table and given bowls of stew with real vegetables and meat in. He took a small mouthful and savoured the rich food. Unfortunately, he was so malnourished he could only eat a small amount before he felt full. Gerhard managed a little more and was then violently sick.

Rob sighed. ‘Sorry I should probably have warned you to take it slowly…’

Gerhard looked puzzled, then his face cleared as he remembered what Rob had told him about being a POW and then a prisoner in Majdanek. He felt sick again, but this time he knew it was from guilt because of the way his own countrymen had treated Rob and so many others. He sighed. ‘I’m so sorry, Rob…’

Rob looked puzzled then he shook his head. ‘I don’t blame you, Gerhard… You did everything you could not to fight for them, but there are some people I will never forgive.’ There was an uncomfortable silence broken eventually by Gerhard who was staring at his plate. It would be a shame to waste it if this was all there was.

‘How long does it take before we can eat normally?’

Rob shrugged. ‘I suppose it depends on how long they offer us proper food.’

Gerhard nodded and tried to eat a little more but this time he stopped before he felt sick.

‘Feeling better?’ Rob gave a wry smile that something as simple as some decent food should make him feel happy.

Gerhard nodded, then he frowned. ‘Why the sudden change of policy?’

Rob shook his head. ‘I don’t know and I don’t want to ask in case they go back to how they were before.’ He thought for a while. ‘Maybe there’s some kind of international inspection?’

Gerhard shook his head. ‘If there was, they wouldn’t let you lot anywhere near them. They might have permission to keep us, but how’re they going to explain a load of allied prisoners? In any case, according to the Soviets, they rule the world, so who’d going to inspect us?’

Rob sighed. Gerhard was right. It didn’t make sense but he was grateful for small mercies.

*******

Inzell, Bavaria, West Germany

Sofia sat down at the kitchen table with her morning coffee and toast and opened the newspaper. There was just time to read the headlines before going to work. She’d been at the orphanage for over eight years now and she loved it just as much now as she had done at the beginning. She blushed suddenly as she remembered how she’d almost made a fool of herself over Father Schneider. He’d been so friendly when she’d arrived, battered and worn from Berlin at the end of the war, she’d almost misread the signals. Fortunately she’d realised her feelings were not reciprocated just in time to prevent her from making a terrible mistake. Instead they had become very good friends over the years and would often keep each other company over a meal or even a drink in the small bierkeller in the village. There had been several times she had almost told Father Schneider the truth about her past, but something had always held her back. In the past she’d kept it quiet because the authorities had threatened to have her thrown into a camp if she repeated her accusations. The only time she’d come close was when she’d searched for Karin, but that was obviously not meant to be. She’d struggled to find the courage to speak to her and by the time she’d finally made up her mind, Karin had gone. Then she’d been badly injured in the shelling and when she’d come round she’d decided there was no point, especially as she’d been offered her ideal job, working in an orphanage in Inzell.

As Sofia scanned the articles, she glanced at her watch. She’d better go or she’d be late. She stood up, crammed the last of her toast in her mouth and was just about to close the paper when a photograph caught her eye.

Sofia frowned and leant forward. The picture was of some man in Berlin being honoured for something or other, but it wasn’t him she was staring at. Behind him there was another man. He was half turned away from the camera but she would recognise him anywhere.

Sofia slumped back onto the chair and began trembling. She’d convinced herself he was dead and yet there he was in Berlin. She pulled herself together with an effort, stood up, grabbed her coat and began the short walk to work. But every few steps, she turned around to make sure she wasn’t being followed.

*******

Outside Lublin, Eastern Poland

‘I’m sorry, Felcia. I don’t know where else to look.’ Stani sat down at the kitchen table and took her hand. ‘I’m going to ask Alek to see if he can make any progress on his side of the line, but at the moment I can’t get any messages out.’ He sighed and rubbed his face. Felcia could see how tired he looked. Since the end of the war Stani, Caden, the young orphan he’d met in the last furious months of fighting, Ultarek and his brother Kirill had been part of the resistance, fighting against the Communists. It was an uphill struggle and becoming more dangerous by the day. At the same time, Stani had been trying to find out where Karin Sturm and Mariusz were, so far without any success. Despite the continual crack downs on outside contact, Stani had managed to keep in touch with Alek, albeit intermittently. But now their liaison had been picked up, so they were cut off again.

‘More arrests?’ Felcia stared into his eyes.

Stani nodded. ‘Yes.’

Felcia stood up and paced the kitchen floor. ‘Perhaps you should stop, Stani. It’s getting much too dangerous. Sooner or later someone will lead the bastards here and then we’ll all end up in Siberia.’

‘We didn’t give up when the Germans were here.’ Stani sounded obstinate.

‘No, because someone else was fighting the Nazis as well; it wasn’t just us. Who’s fighting the Communists? Who cares about us?’ Felcia answered her own question. ‘No one does. The west has abandoned us behind this Iron Curtain and there is no escape.’ She sat down at the table and began crying. ‘I’m never going to see Mariusz or John again, am I?’

*******

London

Alan walked through the large doors of Wandsworth prison and out into the cold grey winter morning. He supposed he should count himself lucky he’d not been given longer than the four years he’d served for producing pornographic material. But Alan didn’t think like that. He was furious he’d been caught and blamed everyone but himself. Fortunately he’d had always tried to keep one step ahead and had hidden several films before he was raided, as well as a reasonable amount of money, enough to keep him going until he could set up again. He would get the films out and start distributing them again, but not in London. London was too hot for him and, in any case, since he’d been incarcerated, rivals had moved into the place vacated by him. It would be a struggle to start up again. He would be more successful if he went somewhere else. The question was, where?

He crossed the road and hurried towards the river. The first thing he intended to do was to cross back over to his own side. Being south of the Thames was a bit like walking through Apache territory to someone like him from the north and he couldn’t wait to be back on his own ground. He’d go and have a decent breakfast, work out where to move to and then collect his stuff. The sooner he was back in business, the better.

*******

West Berlin

Franz was busy working when Gehlen rushed in, his eyes alight with the news. Franz stood up and walked to the window, not wanting his superior and good friend to see his emotion. He fought back the tears that were suddenly threatening to overwhelm him, turned and stared at Gehlen. He took a deep breath and struggled to conceal his emotions. ‘You’re quite sure?’

Gehlen nodded. ‘Yes, my friend. They’re on their way now. They should be at the border crossing tomorrow sometime.’

Franz suddenly felt weak, he stumbled back from the window, sank onto his chair and put his head in his heads while he tried to regain his equilibrium.

‘Are you alright, Franz?’ Gehlen was staring at him with concern. A shock like this was enough to make anyone ill and neither he nor Franz were young men anymore.

Franz nodded and finally smiled. ‘Yes. I’ve just waited so long for this moment. There were times I didn’t think I would ever find him and now he’s actually on his way here.’ He stood up again. ‘I must go and tell Rebecca… if that’s alright, of course?’

Gehlen laughed. ‘Of course it is, and I don’t expect to see you here for at least a week. Your son is going to take some time to adjust. He’ll need you as well as Rebecca.’

Franz nodded and shook Gehlen’s hand. ‘Thank you. It would never have happened without you.’

Gehlen shook his head. ‘After all the risks you’ve taken, Franz, this is the least you deserve.’ He watched as Franz hurried out of the room. He hoped Gerhard was not too badly damaged by his experiences. Apart from wanting things to be as easy as possible for his friend, he needed Franz focused on work when he returned to the office and he couldn’t do that if his son was a wreck.

Chapter 2

Hadleigh, Essex

Alek put the telephone down and stared at the wall. He’d lost communication with Stani again and he was concerned something had happened to his brother and the rest of his family. Unfortunately there was no way he could initiate contact and he would have to wait until his brother or one of his sisters’ husbands managed to get word out. He smiled as he thought about the tangled relationships back in Poland. Ultarek who had been Felcia’s ‘husband’ and was Janina’s father was now married to Ala; his brother, Kirill had married Raisa and Stani was now married to Irena. Alek was still sad over Tolek’s death but he was pleased Irena had found happiness with Stani and he was sure his old friend would have felt the same.

In the past few years, Stani had carefully searched East Berlin and East Germany for Karin Sturm and Mariusz, but he had not found any sign of them at all. This meant she and the child were either dead or they were on this side of the barbed wire in West Germany or West Berlin. If they were, there was no way Stani could find them, so it was up to him to try.

Alek had asked Lionel if he had any contacts in West Germany and his father-in-law had promised to help but he hadn’t had any success either. Alek sighed. Felcia must be giving up hope. Mariusz would be fifteen now, nearly sixteen. He probably wouldn’t even remember her. Even worse, as far as he knew, Felcia still hadn’t heard from the English POW she had married. He had left the farm at the end of 1944 to escape the Russians and return to the west. No one had heard from him since, so there was no guarantee he hadn’t been killed, but until she knew for certain, Felcia seemed unable to move on with her life. Alek had tried to find John himself over the years but not had any luck so he’d decided to ask Lionel if he could help in the search for the Englishman as well.

Alek wished he could find one or the other… but trying to find an Englishman called John Smith was even harder than trying to find Felcia’s son.

*******

Shoreham, West Sussex

Albert gazed down at his parents’ shared grave and sighed. It was two weeks since his mother’s death but his father had died only a few months after he’d returned from Japan. At least they had a grave he could visit. Daisy had died on her way to the Isle of Man, he presumed as part of her ATS work although he hadn’t asked. Her body had been lost at sea, so there was nowhere he could go to speak to her. He thought back to his homecoming and the dreadful news that Daisy was dead. He’d wanted to ask more questions but he could see how devastated his parents still were and that they were uncomfortable talking about it, so he’d not asked anything. Now he wished he had because they were all gone and there was only him.

He would sort through the rest of their possessions, give up the house and move somewhere else. He’d found it hard to settle since he’d returned and had gone from job to job, never staying anywhere more than a few weeks. Some days he could hardly find the energy to get out of bed, everything seemed so pointless. Other days he would feel more positive but it never lasted. At first he’d been determined to have his own place but because he couldn’t stick to a job, that was impossible so he’d remained at home with his parents. Being with them gave him a feeling of security and when his father’s health had deteriorated, he’d been able to help his mother. After his father died he convinced himself that he couldn’t leave his mother on her own, so he’d stayed.

He didn’t know where he would move to yet but it was time to start afresh and if he moved somewhere new, maybe the nightmares would stop. They’d receded through the years but never completely gone away. Perhaps if the Japanese had been properly punished for their treatment of the POWs he might have felt better, but the majority of them had gone home and got on with their lives under the protection of the Americans who were more concerned about the rise of Communism in the area, than ensuring that war criminals were brought to justice. He still remembered the appalling scenes in Nagasaki, but they were civilians. It was the soldiers he was angry about; they were ones who had carried out the atrocities. He could feel his anger rising and he tried to push it away. He didn’t need the flashbacks returning.

When the war in Korea had started, Albert’s nightmares had grown considerably worse as the news was full of the war, reminding him of things he would rather not remember. However, that conflict was over now and, having survived the constant reminders, he realised that what he needed was a fresh start. He’d avoided relationships, not wanting to have to explain the things he’d seen or the nightmares that kept him awake at night, but he was lonely. Perhaps it was time to try and put the past behind him and look for a wife so he could settle down and have children.

‘Goodbye, Mum. Look after Dad and don’t keep nagging him.’ He leant forward, laid some fresh flowers on the grave and slowly walked away.

*******

Isle of Axholme, Lincolnshire

Annie finished making Charlie’s birthday cake and smiled at the chocolate iced sponge. It was very strange to be able to buy all the ingredients for his cake now most things were no longer rationed. She could hardly believe Charlie was thirteen, the years had gone so quickly. As usual when she thought about her son, Annie felt a moment of sadness. Rob would have been so proud of Charlie, and she just wished he could see him, even if only for a moment. She gave a wry smile. If Rob suddenly appeared at Charlie’s birthday party, they would probably all die of shock. She was sure he was up there somewhere, looking down on her and that would have to do.

The small party was scheduled for that evening after school. Ivy was coming, as was Sam’s cousin Neil… and Daisy. Annie frowned. She was still confused about their relationship. She couldn’t believe flighty Daisy had fallen madly in love with Neil who was lovely, thoughtful and rather boring. When Neil first began courting Daisy, she hadn’t expected it to last more than a few weeks so she was flabbergasted when they became engaged and even more astonished that they’d actually made it down the aisle. She’d had a horrible feeling Daisy was only using Neil as a way of staying in the area and hiding from whatever it was that had driven her away from London. Annie didn’t entirely believe it was just about the married man but she hadn’t really wanted to know, so she hadn’t pushed Daisy for another explanation. Perhaps she should have, but she’d been convinced Daisy was trying to cause trouble between her and Sam, so instead of investigating further she’d moved Daisy in with her mother and the next thing she knew Daisy and Neil were engaged. Annie was surprised the marriage had lasted, although there were times Daisy didn’t seem very happy.

Annie glanced at her watch. The bus bringing the younger children home from primary school would be here soon. Ronnie had just started school. He wasn’t quite five but the school had taken him before his fifth birthday which was in March, and Hilda was nine. Peggy would have been eight now, if she’d lived.

Annie tried not to think too much about Peggy. She and Sam had been delighted when she’d become pregnant in the late summer of 1945. But their happiness had been short lived when Peggy had been born with a heart defect and died after only six weeks. Although Annie had tried to put the death behind her and get on with her life, she couldn’t. Annie knew at the time she should be grateful both Charlie and Hilda were thriving and she knew how lucky she was, but somehow that didn’t help. Sam also struggled to get over his daughter’s death and would often slip down to the churchyard and sit beside her grave, telling her about all the things going on in his life.

Then she’d become pregnant again. Annie and Sam had spent most of the time worrying, but this time the baby was a large healthy boy they named Ronnie.

Annie pushed thoughts of Peggy from her head and looked out of the window to see if the bus was coming. Today was a happy day, a time to celebrate.

*******

Inzell, Bavaria, West Germany

‘Is everything alright, Sofia? You’ve been very distracted today.’ She was standing in the large orphanage kitchen trying to decide what to do when he spoke, making her jump. She turned around to see Father Schneider was watching her, a worried expression on his face.

Sofia nodded and was about to say she was fine when she changed her mind. ‘No, I’m not, Father…’ She sighed, closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. If she didn’t do this now she never would. ‘Can we speak later?’

The priest smiled and patted her shoulder. ‘Of course we can. Why don’t I come around after you’ve finished here?’

Sofia blinked back tears. ‘Thank you.’

He sighed. ‘Whatever it is that is causing you so much pain, I’m sure we can find a solution, my dear.’

Sofia shrugged. ‘I don’t know, Father…’ Tears began to stream down her face. He watched her with growing concern.

‘I think we should go home now, don’t you?’

Sofia looked shocked and brushed away the tears. ‘But what about the children?’

‘One of the other staff can take over. The children can manage without you for one day. Come on, get your coat and I’ll walk you home… don’t worry, I’ll explain to the Monseigneur.’

Sofia gave up arguing. She was in no mood to concentrate anyway. She allowed him to lead her into the hallway and help her on with her coat. Her heart was pounding. She hadn’t spoken of this for so long, what if she couldn’t find the words…

*******

West Berlin

‘For God’s sake, stop arguing!’ Karin yelled at Heidi and Meier.

‘He started it.’ Heidi, nearly fifteen now and the image of Karin at that age, appeared at the sitting room door, a mutinous expression on her face.

‘No I didn’t.’ Meier looked equally annoyed. He was tall with short blond hair and blue eyes and due to celebrate his sixteenth birthday the following month. ‘I’m trying to get ready for work and she won’t get out of the bathroom.’

‘You’ll both be late for work if you don’t get a move on.’ Karin sighed. If only she was still living in her old house she could get away from their constant bickering. But she had no money, except what she could earn as a secretary in a small building firm, so they were stuck living with Rebecca, her children and Franz in the Emmet’s old house. Not that she really minded living with Rebecca, who was like a sister to her. They’d kept each other going through the horrific time under the Russians and after Hannah’s suicide. Rebecca’s son Aron had been a godsend, looking after the younger children while they earned enough money to survive, and Rebecca had been wonderful after Zelig… Karin pushed away the memories of her son, together with the tears she always shed whenever he came into her thoughts. After years of longing for a child, Karin had become pregnant as a result of the numerous rapes by the Russians. She had no idea who the father was and when she’d discovered she was pregnant she’d felt virtually nothing for the tiny life growing inside her. But that had changed after his birth. She’d finally given birth at the age of forty on the 6th January 1946. The date was etched on her memory, and she would never forget it. Karin had taken one look at her son and fallen completely in love.

Unfortunately, to her utter disbelief, Zelig had only lived until the 5th December 1948, dying at the tender age of two years and eleven months during the Berlin airlift. Karin had been totally devastated and it was only Rebecca’s love and care that had dragged her through the pain.

Karin was about to say more when a scream echoed around the house.

‘What the hell was that?’

Karin made a mental note to do something about her daughter’s language.

‘It sounded like Rebecca.’ Meier looked worried. He liked Rebecca; in fact he preferred her to his mother, not that he would ever tell her that of course.

‘Rebecca?’ Karin was about to go into the main hall when Rebecca came running towards her, tears streaming down her face.

‘Gerhard’s coming home. He’s alive… I can’t believe it! He’ll be here tomorrow!’

Karin stared at her in astonishment then gave Rebecca a big hug. ‘That’s wonderful, Rebecca. I’m so pleased for you.’ Karin realised that was the truth. Rebecca deserved to be happy. If only Hans could come home. Karin gave a wry smile. She missed Hans because he was her brother but things were more peaceful without him. When Franz had come home at the end of 1945, he’d told Karin that Hans was safe, but if he told her where her was she had to keep quiet because if anyone found out, Hans could be arrested and tried for war crimes. Karin had decided it was safer not to know because she didn’t want to risk putting him in danger and over the years she’d grown used to not having him around.

Karin hugged her friend and realised that she didn’t really want Hans home. She was better off without him.

*******

Isle of Axholme, Lincolnshire

Daisy ate her portion of birthday cake and thought how much Charlie resembled his father. She could hear Neil laughing at something Sam had said, and she winced. Neil was a nice enough man but she was bored stiff. She’d only married him because she was fed up working at the pokey little solicitors and she wanted to stay in the country rather than have to risk returning to London. But she’d never been with one man for so long and he was slowly driving her up the wall. She was a prisoner in her own home. Now there was no danger of bumping into Alan anymore her confidence had completely returned and, unlike Annie, who seemed content to stay at home looking after Sam and the children and helping out on the farm, Daisy wanted to go out and meet people and have fun. Unfortunately the area was much too small to risk having an affair; everyone knew everyone else’s business. As far as she was concerned the marriage was a disaster. Perhaps she should just leave and go back to London? She sighed. That wouldn’t be a very good idea at all, although she doubted Alan was still looking for her. He might even be in prison with a bit of luck. There were times when she missed the city, but she didn’t really want to go back there. She would just have to try and find something to amuse herself up here.

Neil watched Daisy out of the corner of his eye. He knew she was bored, but he wasn’t sure what he could do about it. He still couldn’t believe someone as vivacious and exciting as Daisy would have chosen him and he had tried to keep her happy. They didn’t have any children, although it wasn’t for lack of trying; it had just never happened. He frowned. Not that a lack of children seemed to bother Daisy that much; he’d certainly never heard her complain about it anyway. Perhaps it was because she couldn’t work? Daisy couldn’t get a job because married women didn’t work and, as he wasn’t particularly rich, they couldn’t go on lots of holidays, so she spent much of her time at home alone. He sighed. He didn’t think either of those things were the real cause. Daisy needed constant attention and not just from him. It didn’t matter how many times he told her he loved her, he knew it wasn’t enough. Neil frowned as he remembered a newspaper article he’d read. Perhaps that was the answer? He felt a stir of excitement as an idea came to him.

Chapter 3

Outside Lublin, Eastern Poland

Kirill rushed into the farmhouse, his breathing laboured. He slammed the door behind him and flung himself down onto the kitchen chair. ‘Caden’s been shot.’

Stani stared at him in horror. ‘Is he dead?’

Before he could answer, Irena, Ala, Raisa, Felcia and Ultarek rushed into the kitchen. ‘What’s happened?’ Ultarek took one look at his brother then frowned. ‘Where’s Caden?’

Kirill shook his head. ‘He’s dead…’

‘No…’

Ala reached for Felcia’s hand while Raisa stared at her husband in disbelief. ‘He can’t be, not Caden. Are you absolutely sure, Kirill?’

Kirill nodded. ‘Yes, we were coming back from the attack on the power station when we were ambushed. Someone must have talked.’ Raisa walked slowly to the tap, poured Kirill a glass of water and handed it to him. He drank deeply and shook his head. ‘There was nothing I could do. I’m so sorry, Stani…’ Kirill put his head in his hands. Over the years he’d become very fond of the tall lanky teenager, who’d grown into a reliable young man. The Soviets had been on them so quickly, he’d been lucky to get away with his own life.

Stani was still in shock. He tried to ignore the pain and think rationally. Caden had become like a son to him and to Irena, who he had married not long after she’d arrived at the farm after the end of the war. He could hear her sobbing quietly behind him and he turned around to comfort her. For her, Caden’s death would be like losing a second son. He put his arms around her and hugged her for several moments before turning his thoughts back to the practicalities and giving a heavy sigh. ‘Did he have anything on him that could lead the authorities back here?’

Kirill shook his head. ‘No, you know we never carried any personal information, but they will identify him eventually and when they do, they’ll be here.’

*******

Shoreham, West Sussex

Albert opened the envelope and smiled. Good… his appointment for an interview with the Australian Embassy had arrived. He’d thought long and hard about what he wanted to do with his life and had decided that maybe he should move abroad. He’d grown used to living in a warmer climate and he hated the cold damp winters in Britain. It wasn’t as if he had anything to keep him here anymore.

He would arrange a couple of days off work, go to London and, while he was there, he would have one last look around Romford. It would be nice to remember the good times before the war, when all he’d had to worry about was joining demonstrations against fascism in Spain. He smiled as he remembered all the trouble Daisy’s friend Annie had caused when she ran off to Spain with her boyfriend. Then Daisy had written to say Rob had been killed in France. He sighed. It all seemed so long ago now. He wondered what had happened to Annie. Hopefully she had survived the war and was happy.

*******

Misiones, Argentina

Hans stared down at the graves and listened while the priest said some prayers. Having guarded Hitler and Eva since they’d escaped the ashes of Berlin, he’d grown quite fond of them, although she was rather needy, always wanting to be the main focus of attention. It was probably a good thing he’d died because Hans had noticed that Hitler’s mind had been deteriorating over the past few years. He was nothing like as sharp as he had been when he’d first escaped and even then he’d been declining. Still, he’d served his purpose and at least he’d had the satisfaction of knowing that plans to ensure his Reich really would last for a thousand years were in place.

Hans had noticed a certain tension between him and Bormann lately and he’d heard Hitler ranting to Eva that he thought Bormann was trying to usurp his power. As far as Hans could see, that was true. Bormann was the one in charge and most of the real work was being done by him. Hitler had just been the figurehead to bring out every now and again to keep the faithful in check and give them hope.

Hitler had died of a heart attack two nights earlier and, when Eva realised he was dead, she’d taken poison. The irony of that appealed to Hans. At least one of them had died in the way everyone believed.

The Nazi salute was followed by a volley of rifle shots. They were far enough away from civilisation for the shots to pass unnoticed and, if anyone did wonder what the noise was, they had only fired once. Hans glanced around at the illustrious company he was in and thought back to the end of the war. Somehow the first part of the plan had succeeded, now they just had to begin putting the second part into action. Once again he wondered how soon he could go back to Germany. Argentina was a good place to live and he knew he was lucky to still be alive and free but he missed Germany and he wanted to see Karin and Heidi again. He smiled to himself. Heidi would be fifteen now. He wondered whether she was like him and whether Karin had told her who her father was. Perhaps it was time to find a good reason to go home.

*******

East Berlin, East Germany

Rob and Gerhard had been even more surprised when they were herded into a warm barrack block for the night. Rob was sure he was too worried to sleep properly but he dozed off almost as soon as his head hit the soft pillow. When he woke in the morning he was convinced he was dreaming, so when they were given large bowls of porridge for breakfast he had to pinch himself.

After breakfast they were shepherded back into the trucks. Rob stared at Gerhard. ‘You don’t think they’re going to shoot us, do you?’

‘If they were going to do that they would hardly have given us some food first, would they?’ Gerhard gave a reassuring smile but he too was concerned. The guards hadn’t hit anyone since the journey began; they hadn’t even shouted at anyone. It certainly wasn’t normal and his heart began thudding. The vehicle hurtled along the roads but they still had no idea where they were, because they couldn’t see out.

The trucks suddenly skidded to a halt, the back opened and the guards asked them to climb out.

No one moved. ‘Did they really ask us to get out?’ Rob was shaking with fear.

Gerhard nodded. The guards looked impatient and raised their rifles. Rob stared at Gerhard and held out his hand. ‘It’s been good to know you.’

Gerhard hesitated and then the two men shook hands.

‘Out!’ This time the guards yelled at them and they both climbed down. Rob stared in front of him and then reached out a hand to steady himself against the side of the truck.

*******

Isle of Axholme, Lincolnshire

Annie stared out of the window of the farmhouse across the fields and wondered why on earth she should suddenly be dreaming of Rob again. It was ridiculous. She hadn’t really thought of him in ages and now he was back. It must be because of Charlie’s birthday, although the same thing hadn’t happened in previous years. She wished she could talk to someone about it, but since her father had died there was no one she could trust enough and she couldn’t talk to Sam, because she didn’t want to upset him. Although they’d been married for years she knew that deep down Sam was still insecure about Rob. He would immediately jump to the wrong conclusions and that was even more ridiculous than these dreams of Rob. If only her father was still here, he would understand.

*******

Outside Lublin, Eastern Poland

‘I think we should disappear into the forest for a while.’ Kirill stood, arms akimbo, leaning against the kitchen door. Even after a night’s rest they were still trying to come to terms with Caden’s death and to work out what to do to ensure they were safe.

‘We can’t just leave the women and children here.’ Stani glared at Kirill.

‘Of course not,’ Kirill snapped. ‘That wasn’t what I meant…’

‘He means that they should all come with us,’ Ultarek interrupted, concerned the discussion was about to get heated.

Stani shook his head and glared at Ultarek instead of Kirill. ‘They’d never survive in the forest, not through the winter anyway.’

‘Then we should consider getting out of Poland completely.’ Kirill and Ultarek exchanged glances.

Stani stared at the brothers in shock and it was a few moments before he spoke. ‘You’ve obviously discussed this before?’

Ultarek nodded. ‘Yes. We’d come to the conclusion that it was becoming much too dangerous to stay here, and that was before Caden’s death. The Russians are clamping down on any resistance movements they haven’t already destroyed. Our luck won’t hold much longer.’

‘He’s right, Stani,’ Irena joined in. ‘We’ve been lucky so far but I feel time is running out.’

Stani was about to argue, then he stopped. He knew they were right. Felcia had said exactly the same thing before Caden’s death. ‘Alright. I agree. But where can we go?’ Stani tried to think it through. ‘We could get into East Germany without too much difficulty, I suppose, and then perhaps we could go through East Berlin to the west?’

Felcia’s heart skipped a beat. If they were going via East Berlin they would go into West Berlin. She could look for Mariusz. Raisa saw her sister’s expression and guessed she was thinking about Mariusz. Raisa was flooded with the familiar guilt she felt whenever she knew Felcia was thinking about her son.

‘I think that’s a really good idea. Anything is better than staying here and being arrested or shot and if we go into West Berlin we can look for Mariusz.’

Felcia nodded her thanks at Raisa.

‘Isn’t the border defended there?’ Ala had been listening with interest. ‘I thought it was quite difficult to go through Berlin?’

Kirill shook his head. ‘No, that’s just propaganda. The border between East and West Germany was closed last year but there are several places you can still cross in Berlin. The hardest part will be getting to the city. I know people who have just walked across the border. All you need is the correct documents.’

Stani looked at him. ‘Can you get the right papers?’

Kirill grinned. ‘Of course I can!’

*******

Hadleigh Essex

‘Still nothing?’ Lizzy squeezed his hand. She knew Alek was worried about Stani. Despite the difficulties, the brothers had managed to keep in touch reasonably well, but during Stani’s last message he’d said the Soviets were cracking down more and more on resistance cells and Alek was concerned something might have happened to Stani and the rest of his family.

Alek shook his head. ‘No. Nothing at all. But I do have some good news. I’ve just had a telephone call asking me to fly the West Berlin route tomorrow. God knows I’ve waited long enough for this opportunity. I’ve got the address Raisa gave me, so I’ll stay overnight. That way I can spend a full day searching for Mariusz.’ He sighed. ‘It’s been such a long time though… I don’t really hold out much hope.’ He fell silent and Lizzy gave him a hug. She couldn’t imagine how painful it must have been for Felcia to have survived Kazakhstan only to get home and find her son had