Enigma

abruptly let go of the arm. 'Now get out of my sight.'

5

    God, but he was tired. Exhaustion stalked him like a living thing, clutching at his legs, squatting on his sagging shoulders. Jericho leaned against the outside wall of A-Block, rested his cheek against the smooth, damp concrete, and waited for his pulse to return to normal.
    What had he done?
    He needed to lie down. He needed to find some hole to crawl into and get some rest. Like a drunk searching for his keys, he felt first in one pocket and then another and finally pulled out the billeting chit and squinted at it. Albion Street? Where was that? He had a vague memory. He would know it when he saw it.
    He pushed himself away from the wall and began to make his way, carefully, away from the lake towards the road that led to the main gate. A small, black car was parked about ten yards ahead and as he came closer the driver's door opened and a figure in a blue uniform appeared.
    'Mr Jericho!'
    Jericho stared with surprise. It was one of the Americans. 'Lieutenant Kramer?'
    'Hi. Going home? Can I give you a ride?'
    Thank you. No. Really, it's only a short walk.'
    Aw, come on.' Kramer patted the roof of the car. 'I just got her. It'd be my pleasure. Come on.'
    Jericho was about to decline again, but then he felt his legs begin to crumple.
    'Whoa there, feller.' Kramer sprang forward and took his arm. 'You're all in. Long night, I guess?'
    Jericho allowed himself to be guided to the passenger door and pushed into the front seat. The interior of the little car was cold and smelled as if it hadn't been used in a long while. Jericho guessed it must have been someone's pride and joy until petrol rationing forced it off the road. The chassis rocked as Kramer clambered in the other side and slammed the door.
    'Not many people around here run their own cars.' Jericho's voice sounded oddly in his ears, as if from a distance. 'You have trouble getting fuel?'
    'No, sir.' Kramer pressed the starter button and the engine rattled into life. 'You know us. We can get as much as we want.'
    The car was carefully inspected at the main gate. The barrier rose and they headed out, past the canteen and the assembly hall, towards the end of Wilton Avenue.
    'Which way?'
    'Left, I think.'
    Kramer flicked out one of the little amber indicators and they turned into the lane that led down to the town. His face was handsome—boyish and square-cut, with a faded tan that suggested service overseas. He was about twenty-five and looked formidably fit.
    'I guess I'd like to thank you for that.'
    'Thank me?'
    'At the conference. You told the truth when the others all talked bull-shit. “Four days”—Jesus!'
    'They were just being loyal.'
    'Loyal? Come on, Tom. D'you mind If I call you Tom? I'm Jimmy, by the way. They'd been fixed.'
    'I don't think this is a conversation we should be having . . .' The dizziness had passed and in the clarity that always followed it occurred to Jericho that the American must have been waiting for him to emerge from the meeting. 'This will do fine, thank you.'
    'Really? But we've hardly gone any distance.'
    'Please, just pull over.'
    Kramer swerved into the kerb beside a row of small cottages, braked and turned off the engine.
    'Listen, will you, Tom, just a minute? The Germans brought in Shark three months after Pearl Harbor -'
    'Look -'
    'Relax. Nobody's listening.' This was true. The lane was deserted. 'Three months after Pearl Harbor, and suddenly we're losing ships like we're going our of business. But nobody tells us why. After all, we're the new boys around here—we just route the convoys the way London tells us. Finally, it's getting so bad, we ask you guys what's happened to all this great intelligence you used to have.' He jabbed his ringer at Jericho. 'Only then are we told about Shark.'
    'I can't listen to this,' said Jericho. He tried to open the door but Kramer leaned across and seized the handle.
    'I'm not trying to poison your mind against your own people. I'm just trying to tell you what's going on here. After we were told about Shark last year, we started to do some checking. Fast. And eventually, after one hell of a fight, we began to get some figures. D'you know how many bombes you guys had by the end of last summer? This is after two years of manufacture?'
    Jericho was staring straight ahead. 'I wouldn't be privy to information like that.'
    'Fifty! And d'you know how many our people in Washington said they could build within four months;