The icy smile that sent
shivers up Sorbay’s spine spread across Polly’s face. “One last word,
lads. You all know Sorbay and you all come recommended by WO. None of you have
worked with me before, I am the hardest taskmaster. Do exactly as you are told
and do it well and you’ll walk on the sunny side. Disobey me and
your girlfriends will no longer be interested. Are we clear?”
Saturday 28 June 2014
Sowerbutt's Shadows
Brendan Bracken nodded. “Sorbay’s men
spotted the Ghost leaving the village. I had hoped to put
him back into the shadows in case of public difficulties. But you are
right, Prime Minister. We have a dangerous killer to find. Operation
Guthrum must succeed.”
Sowerbutt's Help
Churchill growled: "May I suggest that Mr Sorbay
is brought in to help our nation once again. We cannot honour a brothel-keeper,
but you can reward him.”
Sunday 22 June 2014
Sowerbutt's View
“One of my favourite spots,
don’t you know,” said the slight military man, who was wearing a camel-hair
overcoat. “Used to come here
for a sandwich before this lot spoilt the view,” he said, waving at the
anti-aircraft gun emplacements and the steel hawsers securing a barrage
balloon floating above their heads.
“And look at this
desecration,” he said, pointing to a rise to one side of St James’s
Lake, now scarred by two parallel trenches. “The
most beautiful spread of snowdrops and croci would herald the first signs of
spring to be followed by blazes of daffs and jonquils. Never found out who ordered
them dug. If Jerry gets this far, it will be white flags not fighting in the
trenches.”
Sowerbutt, who wore a
long leather coat to keep out the cold, smiled; he had never seen this
nature-loving side of the military man before.
His companion patted the
park-bench. “At least, we saved this;
best view in the park. The vandals at Westminster Council were going to take it
away for scrap - war effort. Rang the Town Clerk’s office from No 10 and shared with them that this
seat was a favourite of the King’s late father as a young man and that the
Palace would view its removal with displeasure.”http://www.amazon.co.uk/Colour-Camouflage-Hitlers-Super-Spy-ebook/dp/B00HT48BN8
Sowerbutt's View
“One of my favourite spots,
don’t you know,” said the slight military man, who was wearing a camel-hair
overcoat. “Used to come here
for a sandwich. Before this lot spoilt the view,” he said, waving at the
anti-aircraft gun emplacements and the steel hawsers securing a barrage
balloon that floated above their heads.
“And look at this
desecration,” he said, pointing to a rise to one side of St James’s
Lake, now scarred by two parallel trenches. “The
most beautiful spread of snowdrops and croci would herald the first signs of
spring to be followed by blazes of daffs and jonquils. Never found out who ordered
them dug. If Jerry gets this far, it will be white flags not fighting in the
trenches.”
Sowerbutt, who wore a
long leather coat to keep out the cold, smiled; he had never seen this
nature-loving side of the military man before.
His companion patted the
park-bench. “At least, we saved this. The vandals at Westminster Council were going to take it
away for scrap - war effort. Rang the Town Clerk’s office from No 10 and shared with them that this
seat was a favourite of the King’s late father as a young man and that the
Palace would view its removal with displeasure.”
Sowerbutt's Cigars
Madame Komarovski looked at his cigar. “I
shall come and talk to you one day, Mr Sorbay, about your cigars. The latest
research says they are not good for you. The girls and I want you to look after
yourself.”
Sowerbutt grinned. “Very
thoughtful, Madame Komarovski. I won’t keep you, Spaghetti and I
have a couple of things to sort out.”
Waiting for the door to
close, Spaghetti said: “Tough old bird. From what I hear, she rules the roost strictly but fairly. And that’s what the girls appreciate.
“You have to pay attention to
what she says, don’t you guv? I’m never sure how old she is. But she looks good.”
Sowerbutt's Journey
Sowerbutt glanced out
the car window as they headed for Cambridgeshire and the old Roman road to
Norwich. “Glad you know the way, Nero. Haven’t seen a signpost since we left
the Smoke.”
“Most of them have been collected for
scrap metal, Mr Sorbay, and to confuse the Jerry parachutists. You only see the
odd one and sometimes a milestone that they’ve missed.”
Sowerbutt's Burial
“Why Weybourne
again?” Lee Gerard asked.
Sowerbutt
grinned. “We’re burying you. Thought you might like to be there.”
“A new
experience,” Gerard laughed. “I knew I’d enjoy working for the Englishers.”
“John’s theory is that it’s
a face-saving exercise that Hamburg will believe. They’d assume we know
something of your activities, but we can’t find you. So we’re pretending you
are dead. That confirms we don’t know about your wireless broadcasts which in
turn strengthens your position."http://www.amazon.co.uk/Colour-Camouflage-Hitlers-Super-Spy-ebook/dp/B00HT48BN8
Sowerbutt's Words
Sowerbutt smiled.
“A bloke was refusing to give me some information. I told him his choice was to
die and that was a certainty. I had a Smith & Wesson pointed at his
head. Or cooperate and take his chances in the future with the bloke he was scared of.”
Lee Gerard nodded:
“You have a way with words, Mr Sorbay. What did your friend do?”
“He cooperated."http://www.amazon.co.uk/Colour-Camouflage-Hitlers-Super-Spy-ebook/dp/B00HT48BN8
Sowerbutt's Question
“John is waiting to be convinced that
you are on our side, that he can trust you. We are both carrying, as you know.
We wouldn’t be if we were friends," Sowerbutt said.
Sowerbutt paused,
remembering what the slight military man had instructed him to say. “Your
brother executed as well. It’s up to you.”
Gerard grimaced:
“I’m not convinced you are going to win, Mr Sorbay. I know about a new life in
Canada or a farm here for my brother and I. But the many sympathisers
in the United States or here would hunt us down.”
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Colour-Camouflage-Hitlers-Super-Spy-ebook/dp/B00HT48BN8Sowerbutt's Name
Sowerbutt nodded:
“Lee Gerard, a smart new name. So similar to the old one that there’s no
hesitation. Signature will be the same too?”
The German smiled:
“Your John is a very clever man. A hard man, he still won’t let me see my baby
brother.”
Wednesday 4 June 2014
Sowerbutt's Silence
Sowerbutt pulled Nero behind
a brick wall, near the British Thomson-Houston testing shed in Lutterworth. The
shriek from the shed had almost knocked the two men off their feet. “Hardly
hear yourself think with that racket. How do people round here sleep?
Country will go deaf if this lot ever gets going.”
Nero grinned: “They call it
the Silent Noise, Mr Sorbay. But that’s about all they’ll say. It’s very
hush-hush.”
Sowerbutt's Offer
“Why don’t we go into
business together, senor? Lots of shortages and a big black market in London.”
Sowerbutt looked surprised:
“And leave John, he wouldn’t be very happy. Room service in the Tower of London
is not the best.”
Rosetta's eyes flashed: “I’m so
bored, senor. Baby-sitting a spoilt rich boy who deserves a bullet,
not an Iron Cross. My big excitement of the day is pedalling around a sleepy
little village, where nothing has happened in a hundred years.”
Sowerbutt's Mistake
Rosetta pressed home her
advantage. “You are growing slack, senor. I walk in and you didn’t see me. We are
in a back pool, back water, but you should not relax. Is that not so?”
Sowerbutt poured a couple of
glasses of Old Bushmills. “You are working with John, no doubt. But
indulge an old friend, how did you find us? John would not have said. Left
hand, right hand, he’s never even introduced his hands to each other.”
Sunday 1 June 2014
Sowerbutt's Vision
“You recognise me despite the
make-up, senor," Rosetta said. "I shed my clothes, but taking off the make-up is too much
trouble.”
Sowerbutt grinned: “I’m
pleased you shed your clothes, otherwise I wouldn’t have recognised
you. Your disguise is very good.”
“Tsk, tsk, senor. You talk
about taking off my clothes, I recall you had a lady?”
Sowerbutt kept a straight
face, he suddenly had a vision of Polly hurling phone books and shoes at him.Sowerbutt's Shock
For once, Sowerbutt was
speechless. A dowdy, middle-aged woman wearing gold-rimmed glasses was standing
by the table inside the farmhouse. Nobody had spotted the
intruder. Before his hand could stretch inside his leather jacket for his
Webley, his jaw dropped further. The woman pulled off her shapeless beret and shook out her long raven hair. It couldn’t
be, this woman was too old. She watched him as she threw off her padded
raincoat, revealing a shapely figure. It was Rosetta.
Sowerbutt's Blow
The slight military man
puffed his corona. “I remembered something I wrote nearly four
years ago during the Spanish war. I had the file pulled to jog my memory. I was
around when Durruti, the Anarchist, was shot dead in Madrid at the end of ’36.
The Anarchists claimed it was a sniper’s bullet - yes, it was. But no ordinary sniper, it was the Ghost. He laid several
trails. Durruti would be killed at his home, his mistress’s brother was after
him and so on. The Ghost also put out the story that the Nationalists were
targeting Durruti in the fighting. And that’s where he died - a double bluff.
“He’s like a champion boxer, Sorbay. Feint,
feint, feint, then when the opponent is distracted, the knock-out. You never
know which of his feints is the real blow until the end."
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Colour-Camouflage-Hitlers-Super-Spy-ebook/dp/B00HT48BN8 Sowerbutt's Clue
The slight military man said:
“The Ghost did leave one clue, Anglo-American technology was the phrase. We think it may be aircraft engines
where we are developing a version which will travel at very high speeds.
“This is top secret, Sorbay.
You should be signing the Official Secrets Act.”
“And killing one man would
make a difference?” Sowerbutt said.
The slight military man puffed his corona. “Yes,
it would."http://www.amazon.co.uk/Colour-Camouflage-Hitlers-Super-Spy-ebook/dp/B00HT48BN8
Sowerbutt's Visitor
“Here’s a sight for sore
eyes, guv.” Spaghetti said.
Sowerbutt picked up the
Webley pistol on the kitchen table and moved across to the window.
“No, it’s alright, guv. No
trouble. Come and have a laugh, lads, don’t miss this one.”
One-Line, Missionary, Panda
and Nero moved over to the windows. As laughter broke out, Sowerbutt whispered to
Spaghetti: “Trouble, he wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
The red-faced man, wearing a
fading Gieves suit and cap, came to a halt on his heavy ladies’ bike and glared
at the line-up outside the farmhouse, beside themselves laughing and waving.
The slight military man
dropped the bike, pulled off his bike clips and stalked towards the farmhouse.
Brushing his thinning hair back with his hand, he snapped: “A word, Sorbay, if
you can spare a moment.”
Sowerbutt's Ouster
Madame Komarovski spat in the
teacher’s face. “You stupid man. Sorbay will slice and dice you and your bits
will go in The River. You interfere with his business, you are a dead man.”
McGaskie's high-pitch
giggle filled the bar. “I think not, my dear. Your hero has fled the
Smoke, miserable tail between his legs. I’m in charge now, this is my kingdom.”
Sowerbutt's Enemy
“The Fascist filth shall
abase themselves before me,” McGaskie said.
Chin and chest stuck out, he told his audience of one: “They will beg for mercy and crawl on their bellies to
my feet. I will forgive them and anoint them as true sons of the proletariat.
We shall make membership of the Party compulsory; our branch will be the
biggest in England.”
His eyes narrowed as he noticed his companion had started sobbing again.
“Stop snivelling, Peregrine. We
are the vanguard of the revolution. You must relax more, the capitalist war is
getting to you.”
He paused and threw his arms out wide; for a moment he struggled to keep
his balance. “We’ll take over Sorbay’s brothel, that’s what we will do. It will cheer you up, stop you
snivelling. You can have a woman, you’ll like that. It
will do you good. Why didn’t I think of that
before? He’s fled our brave city, we’ll take over his larders too and make lots of money.
We’ll be rich, I have such
brilliant ideas.”
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