They Used Dark Forces by Dennis Wheatley Read Free Book Online Page A

the war that he was encouraged also to continue as a farmer. Having such an influential Nazi in our employ is a great asset to us. To him we owe it that we get top prices for our produce, a much bigger allotment of fertilisers than we are entitled to for our acreage and in winter of cake for our cattle; also he sees to it that no investigation is ever made into the amount of meat, butter, eggs and so on that we keep for our own use.’
    â€˜What a friend to have in these times,’ Gregory remarked drily. ‘And does he do all this simply out of devotion to the memory of your late husband?’
    â€˜No,’ she replied quietly. ‘He does it because he hopes to marry me.’
    â€˜Then I congratulate you on your conquest.’ There was no trace of sarcasm in Gregory’s voice, but she immediately took him up:
    â€˜Were I as I was half a dozen years ago you might have some reason for supposing that I had made a conquest, but you surely cannot think that I now have any illusions about my looks? Herman wants me for his wife only because that would make him master of Sassen.’
    â€˜I’m sorry,’ Gregory murmured. ‘In that case, the situation must be awkward for you.’
    â€˜Not at the moment. Fortunately, he has a wife already. But it would become so should he succeed in getting rid of her.’
    â€˜Could he do so legally, or do you mean …?’
    She nodded. ‘His wife is an invalid, so more or less at his mercy. Habit has made these local Party chiefs like Hauff completely unscrupulous. They think nothing of having Jewsand people against whom they have a grudge beaten up so savagely that they die from their injuries. Anyone who holds life so cheap is capable of hastening the death of an unwanted wife.’
    â€˜That’s true. But you told me your father is a doctor, and presumably in a small place like Sassen there is no other; so he attends Frau Hauff. Surely he would become aware of it if Hauff gave his wife an overdose, or something of that kind. And even Nazis cannot murder their wives with impunity.’
    â€˜My father is not a general practitioner. He is something of a recluse and goes out only twice a week to hold a clinic in the village. For that he is much respected because he is a very able physician and treats everyone who comes to the clinic free of charge. But he never visits patients unless called on in an emergency.’
    They fell silent for a few minutes, then she said, ‘You must do your best to gain Hauff’s good will. Flatter him and imply that you have important friends in Berlin who might further his career if you put in a good word for him. In doing that lies your best hope of finding out what you want to know. Like most of these Nazi officials he is very vain and likes to make out that he is more important than he really is. That leads him to become boastful and, at times when he has had a good drop to drink, indiscreet. Everyone about here has known for years that there was an experimental station at Peenemünde, and more recently that there has been a great increase in the activity there. But the area is very closely guarded; so hardly anyone knows what the scientists are working on, and it was from Hauff that I learned about the rockets.’
    â€˜I’ll certainly do as you suggest,’ Gregory agreed, ‘and, as I have met both Goering and Ribbentrop, I should have no difficulty in leading Herr Hauff to believe that they are good friends of mine.’
    Ten minutes later they entered Sassen and, having driven through it, turned into a courtyard flanked by the backs of tall barns, at the far side of which stood the manor house. It was a large, two-storey building about a hundred and fifty years old and typical of the homes of the Prussian
Junker
families.
    Leading the way into a low hall, on the wooden panels ofwhich hung a number of motheaten stags’ heads and foxes’ masks, Frau von Altern rang a