BIGGLES – SECRET AGENT

 

by Captain W. E. Johns

 

 

VIII.                        ENTER VON STALHEIN  (Pages 127 – 146)

 

The sun is falling fast by the time they return to Unterhamstadt.  Biggles decides to return to the hotel, although dangerous, as to not do so will create more suspicion and possibly a hue and cry looking for them.  They go in and no one is around.  “It rather looks as if it is all quiet on the western front” says Biggles.  Back in their room, Ginger notices a storm-trooper outside.  Biggles establishes they are all around the hotel and he is afraid they have walked into a trap.  Biggles and Ginger go downstairs and act normally, ordering drinks “a glass of beer and a lemonade”.  The proprietor is nervous.  Four storm-troopers come in and go upstairs.  They arrest the girl and bring her downstairs.  Whilst she is struggling she screams “Spies!” in English at Biggles and Ginger.  Then her blond wig drops off revealing dark, close-cropped hair.  “You murdered my father “she” says in German to the Stormtroopers.  The “girl” is in fact, Beklinder’s son.  Another man comes in.  Ginger “saw Biggles stiffen”.  This man is a soldier of superior rank and he speaks with the proprietor.  Ginger recognises the words “Bigglesworth” and “Hebblethwaite” being said by the proprietor.  The officer swings “round on his heels and raised a monocle to his right eye – it is Erich von Stalhein, one-time German Intelligence agent on the Imperial Staff and now chief of the Lucranian Secret Police, officially known as the Grospu.  He comes over to our heroes “Well, well, well, my dear Major Bigglesworth – and, yes, it is our young friend with the difficult name” he says in faultless English.  Biggles invites him to sit and have a drink, which he does; a cognac.  Asked if he is on just a friendly visit to see this beautiful country, Biggles agrees.  Von Stalhein talks of the arrest of the “boy masquerading as a girl” and of his father, Professor Beklinder.  He says this place seems ill-fated for visitors.  An employee of the Foreign Officer on holiday not long ago was killed after climbing rocks near the castle.  He fell and fractured his skull.  Von Stalhein gets up to go and says “You know, Bigglesworth, there are moments when I could wish that you were on my staff”.  He goes outside and leaves in his car.  Biggles says to Ginger “We’ve got about five minutes to get clear”.  Ginger doesn’t understand why he didn’t arrest them there and then.  Biggles says he daren’t risk it single-handed, he knew they would be armed.  He has gone off to get his gang of greyshirts.  Biggles has a plan, they go to their room and open the window wide and leave the room locked.  Having opened room 17, Ginger locks Biggles in it and, after hanging the key back up, goes around into the Courtyard where Biggles pulls Ginger up into room 17 by the rope. They then hear vehicles arriving.  Biggles uses his screwdriver to prise up the trap-door.  “This is the way we go” he said cheerfully.