Free Blood Red City by Justin Richards Page B

it was stored or sent on to von Braun and the others. Kammler was in charge. Now he oversees some sort of construction project.’
    Hoffman knew exactly what sort of construction project Kammler was working on. But Kruger’s suggestion was a good one. He thanked him, and continued on down to the Vault.
    *   *   *
    Even now that her SOE training was complete, a summons to Colonel Brinkman’s office usually meant that he wanted Sarah to arrange transport for him. If she was busy, she arranged for an army driver. Sometimes Sergeant Green was happy to oblige. Often she drove him herself, grateful for an excuse to get out of the office. If she was lucky, she might need to fly Brinkman or some of the team somewhere.
    But today it was not about transport. At least, not in the way Sarah imagined. Leo Davenport was already in the office, leaning nonchalantly against a filing cabinet and smoking a cigarette. Brinkman waved Sarah to a chair.
    â€˜We’ve found the artefact,’ Brinkman said. ‘Or at least, Mrs Archer and Leo have.’
    â€˜That’s great,’ Sarah said, wondering what it had to do with her. ‘So where is it? What is it?’
    â€˜It’s an ancient axe-head, it seems.’ Davenport pushed himself away from the cabinet and leaned past Sarah to stub out his cigarette in the ashtray on Brinkman’s desk.
    â€˜Do you know J.D. Sumner?’ Brinkman asked.
    â€˜I’ve heard of him, of course,’ Sarah said. ‘Everyone has. Eccentric millionaire who collects, well, just about everything. He endows arts funds, sets up museums, buys art and antiques. But I don’t think anyone actually knows him, do they? He’s some sort of recluse. Does he own this axe-head then?’
    â€˜Apparently,’ Brinkman told her.
    â€˜Well, sorry to disappoint you, but just because one of my parents is American doesn’t mean I know everyone else who’s American. I doubt if I can help.’
    â€˜You might be surprised,’ Davenport said.
    â€˜Oh? I’d have thought you’d have more chance of knowing Sumner. You must have contacts in LA.’
    â€˜I do,’ Davenport agreed. ‘And it’s my contacts in LA who tell me that Mr Sumner entrusts artefacts in his extensive collection to just one shipping company. He wants anything moved, then there’s one man he calls.’
    Sarah could guess where this was leading. ‘My father, I suppose.’
    â€˜You suppose correctly.’
    â€˜And you want to know if I can persuade my dad to get you an appointment with J.D. Sumner?’
    Brinkman shook his head. ‘No. I want your father to get you an appointment with him. I’m sending you and Sergeant Green to Los Angeles.’
    â€˜Sergeant Green?’ That surprised her more than anything else. ‘Surely to deal with Sumner we need a trained diplomat, not an army sergeant and an ATA girl. Why not send Guy?’
    â€˜It’s a good point,’ Brinkman conceded. ‘But I think you’ll find Green is more than up to the job. As are you, now that you’ve completed the SOE course. And in any case, although he doesn’t know it yet, I need Guy to go with Leo, to France.’

 
    CHAPTER 6
    It didn’t seem to Jed Haines that the paper’s readers would be at all interested in the sixty-eighth meeting of the American Astronomical Society. Especially as it had taken place a couple of weeks previously, and at Yale University. But Felix was keen to publish what he called ‘lighter’ material to distract from the news of the war.
    The challenge for Jed was coming up with some sort of local angle to give the story some interest. He hadn’t been out of the city for months. For one thing he was too busy, with the paper and with seeing Cynthia. For another, the few times he had driven out in the hope of finding someone who had seen the mysterious aircraft back in February had soon