Cast No Shadow, Peter Sharp [books to get back into reading txt] 📗

already making her way back to the cabin, but she paused, half turned and called out to him, “Danilova!”

The sound was lost as the wind took it and carried it away.

Heavy Water

With the sun almost down, Kelly observed the small gap in the wire fence from his vantage point in the shadows of the trees. Only a few inches of the damaged lower wire showed above the snow. However, allowing for about a foot of snow, this would give a gap of about eighteen inches.

There was an open space of about five yards between him and the fence, the distance entirely covered in snow. His progress to the gap in the fence would leave a track clearly visible.

He looked around. Spying a low pine branch, he wrenched it from the tree then allowed himself a few more minutes to scan the area, making sure he was not being observed. At last, he felt confident enough to break cover, walking backwards towards the fence and using the branch to sweep his tracks away. It wasn’t perfect, but better than leaving a clear set of footprints.

On reaching the gap he threw the branch back into the trees and, lying on his back, he forced himself under the gap utilizing his arms to force the wire up as high as he could. He used his head and shoulders as a snowplough, pushing the snow under the fence in front of him.

Finally, he emerged from under the fence, breathing heavily. Quickly he reached under the gap and smoothed the snow as best he could, building it up again to cover the gap. With nerves as taut as bowstrings, he forced himself to remain calm as he tried to remove all traces of his entry.

After a pause he shuffled backwards to the nearest wooden cabin, again smoothing the snow with his hands as he went. Once in the shadow of the cabin he slowly straightened up and breathed deeply, his heart beating fast with a mixture of fear and excitement.

He had no definite plan of action; just a vague feeling that something important was happening here and he wanted to find out as much as he could. These cabins were almost certainly only used for storage. What he needed were administrative buildings. Scanning the area, the nearest suitable target appeared to be a five-storey building located about a hundred yards from him.

Thrusting his hands inside his pockets he broke cover and walked purposefully and without hurry towards the building. If anyone saw him, he hoped they would assume he was supposed to be in that area. As he approached the structure, he could see an armed guard in the foyer. The man was leaning against the glass door, his back almost turned towards Kelly. He was smoking and appeared to be reading some kind of magazine.

Kelly veered away from the entrance and walked around the building towards the rear, keeping to the shadows as he did so. This side of the building was in darkness with barely enough light reflected from the snow to allow him to scrutinise it. All of the windows on the ground floor were barred on the inside. His only way to progress seemed to be a fire escape ladder, but the bottom rung was about ten feet from the ground.

Kelly tried a few standing jumps to convince himself that he couldn’t reach it, before looking around for something to use as a platform. Nothing! These Germans were fastidious in their tidiness.

Kelly made a snowball out of a few handfuls of snow, then placing it on the ground, he started to roll the ball in the fresh snow. As he did so the ball grew in diameter. In a few minutes he had a ball with a two-foot diameter, which he rolled under the fire escape. Gingerly he climbed on the ball and reached up for the bottom rung. He was about six inches short. Bracing himself he leapt upwards catching the bottom rung. The ice on the rung took him by surprise and letting go he fell back onto the giant snowball, which crumbled under his weight and sent him sprawling.

Ruefully he picked himself up and surveyed the damage. He quickly repaired his makeshift platform and decided he was only going to get one more chance at this. He walked away a few paces from the ball, turned, took a deep breath and ran towards it.

Using the ball as a vaulting platform he hurled himself up, reaching, catching and gripping the bottom rung of the ladder. He held on tightly despite the searing cold that cut into his hands. Using all of his strength he hauled himself upwards, scrabbling with his feet against the wall until he was able to let go with one hand in order to swing and grasp the next higher rung. He continued in this manner, until finally he was able to get a foothold onto the ladder and haul himself into an upright position.

Kelly’s arms and legs shook with the exertion. He remained still, trying to calm himself for a few moments, however he was very aware that despite the gloom at the rear of the building he was in an exposed position. As soon as he was able, he continued up the ladder until he reached a first-floor window.

It was locked and barred.

He climbed to the next level. No bars!

Kelly tried the window. It was latched but there was a great deal of “give” in it. He managed to ease his fingers under the frame, then bracing himself, he jerked the window upwards.

There was a crack and the sound of something falling inside the room, probably the latch, Kelly decided. In any event the window was now free and, after some difficult manoeuvring, he was inside the room.

Kelly took stock of his surroundings. He found himself inside a small office. In one corner of the room an oak desk took pride of place with a leather upright chair behind it. Above the desk,