Where Eagles Dare

'The Major Smiths of this world don't drive off cliff-tops,' she said calmly. She paused, then stepped forward suddenly and gave each man a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. 'But you had me a little worried there.'

'You just keep on worrying like that,' Schaffer said. 'No need to worry about him, though.'

Heidi waved a hand in the direction of the other end of the village. From the cable-car station on the lower slopes they had an excellent if distant view of the fire. 'Are you responsible for this?' she asked.

'It was a mistake,' Smith explained.

'Yeah. His hand slipped,' Schaffer added.

'You two should audition for a turn on vaudeville,' Heidi said dryly. Suddenly serious she said: 'Mary thinks you're both gone.'

'Hardly surprising,' she murmured. 'Or hadn't you noticed the size of the fire.' She paused, then went on bleakly: 'They're not the only ones who are on to you. Kramer knows you're British agents after General Carnaby."

'Well, well, well,' Smith said thoughtfully. 'I wonder what little bird has been whispering in Kramer's shell-like ear. One with a very long-range voice, methinks.'

'What are you talking about?'

'Nothing. It's not important.'

'It's not important! But don't you see?' Her voice was imploring, almost despairing. 'They know -- or will any minute -- that you're alive. They know who you are. They'll be expecting you up there.'

'Ah, but you overlook the subtleties, my dear Heidi,' Schaffer put in. 'What they don't know is that we are expecting them to be expecting us. At least, that's what I think I mean."

'You're whistling in the dark, Lieutenant. And one last thing: your friends are being brought up to the castle any time now.'

'For interrogation?' Smith asked.

'I don't expect they've been asked up for tea,' she said acidly.

'Fair enough,' Smith nodded. "We'll go up with them.'

'Not "in". With.' Smith peered at his watch. "The post-bus in Sulz's garage. Be there in eighty minutes. And oh! -- bring a couple of crates of empty beer bottles.'

'Bring a couple of -- oh, all right.' She shook her head in conviction. 'You're both mad.'

'Shines through in our every word and gesture,' Schaffer agreed, then, suddenly serious, added: 'Say a prayer for us,' honey. And if you don't know any prayers, keep your fingers crossed till they ache.'

'Please come back,' she said. There was a catch in her voice. She hesitated, made to say more, turned and walked quickly away. Schaffer looked after her admiringly as she walked down the street.

"There goes the future Mrs. Schaffer,' he announced. 'Bit tetchy and snappy, perhaps.' He pondered. 'But funny, I thought she was near crying at the end there.'

'Maybe you'd be tetchy and snappy and tearful if you'd been through what she's been in the past two and a half years,' Smith said sourly.

'Maybe she'd be less tetchy and tearful if she knew a bit more about what's going on.'

'I haven't the time to explain everything to everybody.'

'You can say that again. Devious, boss. That's the word for you.'

'Like enough.' Smith glanced at his watch. 'I wish to God they'd hurry up.'

'Speak for yourself.' Schaffer paused. 'When we -- well, if we-r -- get away, is she coming with us?'

'Heidi, of course!'

'Heidi, of course. If we make it -- and we can only do it through Mary, and Mary was introduced by -- '

'Say no more.' He stared after the retreating figure and shook his head. 'She'll be a sensation in the Savoy Grill,' he said dreamily.

The seconds crawled by and became minutes, and the minutes in turn piled up with agonising slowness until almost quarter of an hour had passed. Brilliant moonshine and a contrastingly almost total darkness had alternated a score of times as the low, tattered, black clouds scudded across the valley, and the cold deepened until it reached down into the bones of the two watchers in the shadows. And still they waited. They waited because they had to: they couldn't reach the Schloss Adler without company and company was a long time in coming.