The Soldier Spies (Men at War 3) - Page 121
Once she learned that the radio had come from Müller, Gisella would feel free to listen to the BBC, which meant that she would be reported for listening to the BBC, which meant that he would have to have a word with Hauptscharführer (Sergeant Major) Ullberg, who handled such things, to stop him from going further with it.
There was a straight-backed chair and a small table against the wall of Gisella’s bedroom.
“Find some other place for the chair and the table,” he ordered. “Put them in another room.”
“Are you going to tell me why?” she asked.
“Do what I tell you, if you don’t mind,” he said, but tempered the curtness with a smile. The thought had just flashed through him that Gisella might tell Müller how he was treating her. As smitten with the bitch as Müller was, that could mean trouble for him.
When she carried the chair from her bedroom, Peis picked up the table and followed her.
“Just put it down anywhere,” Gisella said. “I’ll decide where to put it later.”
He set the table down, went to the door, and motioned for the policemen to pick up the FEG combination bar, phonograph, and radio. It just barely cleared the door, and it was necessary to move Gisella’s bed out of the way before they could get the radio up against the wall.
“That will be all, thank you,” Peis said to the policemen. “Don’t forget to take the blanket with you.”
“And the boxes in the truck, Herr Hauptsturmführer? What do we do with those?”
“You bring them up here, of course,” he snapped.
When they had gone, Gisella said,“Very nice. Whose is it?”
“It is a small gift, a token of respect from Standartenführer Müller,” Peis said. “He hopes you are free to spend the evening with him.”
“Just the evening? Or dinner, too?” Gisella asked, artificially innocent.
“Listen to me, you dumb bitch,” Peis snapped. “The Standartenführer is a very important man. He can be very useful as a friend.”
“To both of us,” she said.
“And very dangerous if displeased. And if he is displeased, I will be displeased. ”
“What time?” Gisella asked.
“I will be back here at quarter after six,” he said. “We are to join the Standartenführer at half past six.”
“We?”
"It will be a small party,” he said. And then he added:“I want you to think it over, and consider why it is important for the Standartenführer to have a good time.”
“I will,” she said.
“Be outside at six-fifteen,” he said. “I will be driving the Standartenführer’s personal car.” He paused, and then added, to prove how important that Standartenführer was,“An Opel Admiral.”
“An Admiral?” Gisella asked. “The Standartenführer must be an important man. The only other Admiral I’ve seen in Marburg is the Gauleiter’s.”
“You should consider yourself fortunate, Liebchen, ” Peis said,“to have attracted such a man.”
“I attracted you,” she said, smiling sweetly. “Why not a Standartenführer?”
Chapter THREE
Headquarters,
Eighth United States Air Force
High Wycombe
Source: readsnovelonline.net