Hitler's Secret by William Osborne Read Free Book Online Page A

still irritated about the chocolate.
    Otto knew they were only getting angry at each other because they were scared and they had no idea where they were, but they just had to make the best of it. There was no going back now.
    “Sorry, all right? Can I have another piece?”
    Leni handed him the rest of the chocolate and he wolfed it down. Then he stood up and adjusted his uniform, pulling up his long khaki socks and tightening the brown belt holding up his black lederhosen. The Hitler-Jugend uniform was immaculate in every detail, right down to the enamel badges on his shirt pocket for proficiency in swimming and sailing.
    He remembered how upset his parents had been when his father had finally decided he and his brother would have to join. Not to have done so would have risked imprisonment for his parents and an orphanage for them. Not that it had mattered much in the long run, but right now he wished he could explain that to Leni.
    “How do I look?” he asked her as he slid his service dagger with the swastika hilt into the scabbard on his belt.
    “Horrible,” she said.
    Otto nodded. “So do you.”
    Together they picked up their packs and set off down the farm track.

They reached the village Otto had spotted from the woods well before six in the morning. They gave it a wide berth to avoid meeting any locals. Farmers were often up at first light. Once past it, they checked Otto’s map again and were surprised to discover that the village had to be Reit im Winkl. It meant that they had at least landed west of the River Inn, which was something. Together they plotted a simple course that would take them east and then north to the town of Prien. From there they could catch a local train to the port of Stock on the Chiemsee.
    It promised to be a hot day, and they were already sweating under the weight of their packs. Otto retrieved his water bottle and took a long swig before passing it to Leni. She gazed around as she drank, taking in the lush green farmland. They were almost in the foothills of the Alps, with the mountainsrising up to the south. A few of the highest peaks were still covered with snow even now. She had taken summer holidays in the Alps.
    Leni passed the water bottle back to Otto. “Why are you smiling like that?”
    “Like what?” He stowed the bottle in his pack.
    “I don’t know …” Leni said. “Like you’re at home or something …” She paused, staring at him. “Of course. You’re from around here, aren’t you?” He spoke with a Bavarian accent but he’d refused up till now to tell her exactly where his hometown was. That must be another reason why MacPherson wanted Otto for this job , she thought.
    Otto looked as if he was wondering what to say. They weren’t meant to tell each other too much about their previous lives. Now that they were in Germany again, it was vital they stuck to their aliases. They had to think of themselves as Otto and Leni Fischer of Salzburg.
    “Sorry, I know we’re not supposed to tell,” Leni said, and walked on.
    “You’re right,” came Otto’s voice behind her. “I used to live not far from here, to the north.” He sounded so sad.
    Leni decided to ask no more questions, and they walked on in silence for another half an hour until they reached an enormous road. They both stopped and stared in amazement. In front of them was one of the new and famous Autobahns of which the Reich was so proud: six-lane roads that the Führerhad built all across Germany. This had to be the new route between Munich and Innsbruck. They would have to cross it to keep their line east across the farmland. It was empty now, but from the south came the low rumble of vehicles.
    Leni grabbed Otto’s arm. “Should we hide?”
    Otto shook his head, and Leni supposed he was right. It was too late, anyway.
    A convoy of army vehicles was coming towards them. With a shudder, Leni recalled how such similar cold parades had rolled through the streets of Vienna three years before.