The Passenger by F. R. Tallis Read Free Book Online Page B

mainland,’ Ziegler replied.
    â€˜But where is he really?’
    â€˜The wireless monitoring service has plotted the source of the signal, and he is definitely in London.’
    Lorenz smiled at the young seaman. ‘Ever been to London, Berger?’
    â€˜No, Herr Kaleun.’
    â€˜A very fine city: I’m particularly fond of the view from Greenwich.’
    â€˜Perhaps I’ll visit London after we’ve won.’
    Lorenz sighed with satisfaction. The chief had done it again. BBC propaganda was so prodigiously good for morale.

    A RADIO MESSAGE FROM THE U-boat command center warned of several British destroyers in the vicinity. Lorenz gave the order to submerge, and U-330 began a silent run at forty meters—speed one and a half knots—just sufficient to maintain depth. The subdued atmosphere in the control room was intensified by the red glow of the dark-adaption light. Lorenz and Müller were leaning over the chart table, conversing in low tones, when Hoffmann interrupted them. ‘Excuse me. Kaleun? The sound man wants a word.’
    Lorenz nodded and climbed through the fore bulkhead hatchway. Thomas, the younger hydrophone operator, was turning the hand wheel and looking at the large dial located above it. The pointer swept from 220 degrees to 260 degrees, stopped for a moment, then rose until it was vertical. When Thomas saw the commander he said, ‘I’ve been picking up something very odd, Herr Kaleun. I’ve never heard anything like it before.’
    â€˜Odd?’
    â€˜Yes. And I’ve been wondering whether it’s some kind of long-distance detection system. There’s whistling and a sort of squeaking noise.’ Thomas raised a hand and brought his fingers together. ‘Like when you squeeze a rubber toy. It’s been intermittent. There’s nothing there right now.’ Thomas offered Lorenz a pair ofauxiliary headphones. The captain took off his white cap, wrapped the metal arch around the crown of his head, and pressed the circular pads against his ears. Thomas began searching for the sounds again. His hearing must have been very acute because Lorenz saw the hydrophone operator’s expression change from neutrality to excitement a few moments before he, Lorenz, detected the first faint whistle. ‘There!’ said Thomas. He continued to turn the hand wheel backward and forward, and as the range of these movements narrowed, the volume of the whistling increased.
    Lorenz grinned. ‘No, Thomas. That’s not some fiendishly clever Tommy invention. We’re listening to dolphins.’ The commander was captivated by the eerie charm of the sounds: clicks, whickering, peeps, and a low churr that accelerated and rose beyond the upper limit of human audition. Occasionally there were loud thuds as the dolphins bumped against the hull. Lorenz imagined the pod weaving through the water, tracing elegant, interlocking ellipses; playful, carefree, curious, circling their discovery. A stark contrast: the natural world, innocent and joyful, and the boat, malevolent and deadly. ‘Yes,’ Lorenz added while removing the headphones, ‘Definitely dolphins.’ He was about to leave when he noticed Thomas was frowning. ‘What?’
    â€˜It’s just . . .’ The youth seemed about to raise some objection but changed his mind. ‘Thank you, Kaleun.’
    The hydrophone operator lacked experience, and Lorenz supposed that Thomas’s natural diffidence might make him overly reticent: he might feel foolish for having mistaken dolphins for a detection system and consequently fail to report something significant. Lorenz rested his palms on both sides of the doorway and leaned forward into the sound room. ‘What’s bothering you, Thomas?’
    An inner struggle was taking place, and it was only after a lengthy pause that the youth finally mumbled, ‘I thought I heard words.’
    â€˜Words?’
    â€˜Yes,