Free The Lisbon Crossing by Tom Gabbay

let out a low whistle.
    Christ, it hurt!
    I retreated to the bathroom, where I sat on the toilet and plucked the larger fragments of glass out. After flushing the wound with warm water and wrapping it in a towel, I limped out onto the narrow balcony that overlooked the hotel pool. The predawn air was fragrant and still, the only sound the waves crashing onto the beach in the dark distance.
    That was no hotel thief, I thought. Those guys work the day shift, when the guests are busy lolling around the pool. And besides, with all the fat cats in residence, no decent second-story man would take an interest in me. No, I couldn’t say what this guy was after, but it sure as hell wasn’t the family jewels. I’d have to watch my back from now on.
    A hazy pink light started to emerge on the eastern horizon. You could almost smell the heat of the day coming on. I decided to get dressed and go down to the lobby.
     
    I t was too early for breakfast, so I headed to the bar where a stone-faced waiter set me up with a pot of coffee. I lit the first Lucky of the day and picked up a dog-eared copy of the London Times . It was a week out of date, but so was I.
    The front page looked like this:
    LARGEST DEFENCE ARMY IN HISTORY READY TO HOLD ISLAND
    LONDON, JUNE 29—While Britain’s fleet has been distributed for a complete continental blockade, German submarines and air force are undertaking to isolate this island as a prelude to invasion. The British, however, in their island fortress, with the largest defending army in history awaiting attack, face the future confidently, certain that supplies and determination are sufficient to withstand any assault…
    And so on. More of a pep talk than news, which was about what you’d expect under the circumstances. I flicked through more of the same until I came across a more intriguing item buried on page twelve:
    APPEASEMENT MOVES ARE FEARED
    LONDON, JUNE 29—Along with the military aspects of the war, Great Britain was said by informed spokesmen today to be experiencing a hidden political battle. There is a widespread concern in Whitehall, according to these spokesmen, that if Germany should invade England and score early successes, there are those in Parliament, and elsewhere, who would seek to overthrow the Churchill government and form a “peace” cabinet which would not hesitate to deal with Germany.
    In a related development, the German radio station DJL last night declared that Britain was “making well-camouflaged, undercover moves toward approaching the Axis powers for the purpose of ascertaining under what conditions Germany might be willing to enter negotiations with England.” The statement went on to say that Germany was in possession of information indicating that the royal houses of Europe would play the principal role in the “hoped for” negotiations. The broadcast, which was in English and possibly intended for the British public, said that royal houses close to the British Crown would be used as a channel for the feelers.
    Advices from London last night stated that there was absolutely no truth in reports from abroad that Sir Samuel Hoare, British ambassador to Spain, had broached the question of peace or armistice terms in Madrid. On the contrary, it was said, he has emphasised the determination of this country to continue the struggle.
    Meanwhile, Labourite J. J. Davidson declared that he would ask Home Secretary Sir John Anderson tomorrow if he was aware that “former members of the pro-Nazi organisation, The Link, met in London last week and discussed the question of peace terms under a sympathetic government.”
    Interesting. Not so much that there was a faction in Britain that wanted to make peace with Germany—I would’ve been more surprised if there hadn’t been one—but interesting that an item like that would appear in the Times at all. Treason isn’t the sort of thing you want to be peddling to a jittery public on the eve of an invasion, yet the