Free Attack Alarm by Hammond Innes Page A

bike.
    “Well, be reasonable, John, it ain’t dark yet.”
    “All right, Micky, I was only kidding you.” He propped his bike up against the parapet and vaultedinto the pit. He produced two bottles of beer from beneath his battle blouse. He tossed one to Micky and the other to Chetwood.
    “I thought you went to the orderly room,” said Kan.
    “I did,” he replied. “But I stopped off at the Naafi on the way back.”
    I was conscious that he glanced in my direction as he spoke. He went over to the gun and looked at the safety lever. The other four settled down on the bench, drinking from the bottles. The first ’plane went over high, faintly throbbing. The searchlights wavered uncertainly. Langdon came over to where I stood leaning against the sandbags. “You seem to have got yourself into a spot of trouble, Barry.” He spoke quietly, so that the others should not hear. “You understand that you are confined to the site for the next four weeks, and that all letters and other communications must be handed in to me so that I can pass them on to Mr. Ogilvie to be censored?”
    I nodded.
    “I don’t want to pry into your affairs,” he added, “but if you care to tell me about it, I’ll see what I can do to get the sentence mitigated. Ogilvie’s no fool. He knows the strain we’re living under.”
    I hesitated. “It’s very nice of you,” I said. “I may want to talk it over with you later, but at the moment—well——” I stopped, uncertain how to explain.
    “All right.” He patted my arm. “Any time you like. I know how you feel.” I don’t know what he thought I’d done.
    It was then I realised that the four on the bench were casting covert glances at me. They were leaning forward listening to Fuller, who was speaking softly. I heard the word “Friday” and I guessed what they were talking about. I remembered that Fuller hadbeen talking to Mason when I came out of the orderly room. Micky looked up and met my gaze. “Is that true, mate?” he asked.
    “Is what true, Micky?” I said.
    “Bill here says that that Jerry pilot told you this place was going to be wiped out on Friday.”
    “I didn’t say” wiped output in Fuller.
    “You said a raid, didn’t you? What’s the difference?” He turned to me again. “You can’t deny you was talking to the feller. I saw you wiv my own eyes. Chattin’ away in German you was like a couple of old cronies. Did ’e really say we was for it on Friday?”
    There was no point in pretending he hadn’t. I said, “Yes, that’s what he told me.”
    “Did ’e say Friday?”
    I nodded.
    “Cor blimey, mate, that’s practically to-morrow—an’ I was going to ’ave a haircut on Saturday.”
    “Do you think he really knew anything?” asked Kan.
    “I don’t know,” I said. “It was probably just bravado. He wanted to frighten us.”
    “Well, he ain’t succeeded,” put in Micky. “But, blimey—to-morrow! It makes ye think, don’t it? And we got to sit ’ere and just wait for it. Wish I’d joined the ruddy infantry.” His brows suddenly puckered. “Wot you confined to the site for?” he asked.
    The directness of the question rather disconcerted me. That was like Micky. One was always being faced with the problem of replying to remarks which other men would never think of making. I made no reply. There was an uncomfortable silence. Langdon broke it by asking about my conversation with the pilot. I told them what he had said. He made no comment. The others were silent too.
    “How come you speak German?” Micky asked suddenly.
    “I worked in the Berlin office of my paper for some time,” I explained.
    He turned that information over in his mind for a moment. Then he muttered, “An’ you got yourself into trouble. Wasn’t anything to do with what you said to that Jerry, was it?”
    I said, “No.” Perhaps I denied it a little too quickly, for I sensed a sudden atmosphere of suspicion. I realised that I was not the only one who had