Page 54 of Whispers At Dawn
Jack told Lev not to worry. He would arrange supplies. ‘They want us to carry out the operation today and then we will get organised.’
‘You mean I’m being tested?’ Lev said, a slight edge to his voice, his cigarette glowing in the dark as he removed it from his lips.
‘I suppose you could say that, but it’s a formality.’
The acrid smoke assailed Lizzie’s nostrils, and she sneezed uncontrollably.
Lev put his finger to his mouth. ‘Shhh.’
‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘It’s the smoke. How long until the train is due?’
Jack said, ‘About fifteen minutes. I’ll plant the other explosives. You two stay here and keep watch. Have your weapons ready, just in case.’
Lizzy touched her gun that nestled in the lining of her raincoat. It was like having a safety net, and she was surprisedby how comfortable she was with carrying a weapon. In the early days, she had been terrified, but wartime had made her a quick study.
‘Be careful,’ Lizzie whispered to Jack.
She and Lev stood watching and waiting on one side of the track.
‘Have you done this before?’ Lizzie asked.
‘I have. You?’
The temptation to regale him with her past escapades was quelled by the knot in her chest that reminded her never to share more than she absolutely had to. Secrecy was her best friend right now, and the less anyone knew about what she had done in occupied France, the better.
Just the hint of suspicion that she had been involved in acts of sabotage against the Nazi regime was enough to have her thrown in the Saint-Michel fortress-like prison in the centre of Toulouse, where prisoners were interrogated or executed. When Luc told them the name of the prison, the irony wasn’t lost on any of them.
The night air was still cool and blended with the tremors of fear that ran through her body, making her shudder. Lizzie saw the light of the torch hovering in the distance near the tracks as Jack meticulously planted the explosives.
Soon, he ran back over to them. ‘It’s done. Now let’s get out of the way and wait.’
They lay flat in the ditch at the side of the railway, waiting for the sound of the train as a signal to ignite the explosives. Each minute crawled by and seemed like an hour until Lizzie wondered whether the train wasn’t coming. She knew from past operations that a scheduled train didn’t mean it would arrive on time, or even at all. She shifted on the hard ground as she watched the track, mouthing a silent prayer that soon they would hear the approaching train.
‘There it is,’ Jack said. ‘Lights, camera, action! You know what to do.’
The train rumbled along the track, and they saw a hazy shape roll into view with its faint masked headlights.
Lev ignited the explosives and called, ‘Get out of the way!’
They scrambled out of the ditch and up onto the bank and disappeared into the thick bushes. Their breathing was a hard and fast chorus as they waited to see if the fruits of their labour would be successful.
The steam train hissed closer like a serpent in the dark, fast approaching the rigged track. Then the familiar crackling sound of the explosives reached Lizzie’s ears, followed by several loud booms, and she felt a tremor beneath her feet. The sounds of the track cracking ripped through the night, and alarmed voices rang out.
The train screeched to an emergency stop, and for a few seconds, there was a ghostly silence. Then another loud explosion split the track wide open, and the smell of marzipan permeated the air. No soldiers emerged from the damaged train.
The intelligence they had received told them it would be a train packed with produce and provisions destined for the Reich. The Germans had begun systematically plundering the Free Zone, as well as occupied France. The SOE’s order was to frustrate their ability to transport goods.
‘Time to go,’ Jack said.
They ran through the woods and didn’t stop until they reached the edge of the road that led back into the city.
‘Good job,’ Jack said to Lizzie and Lev. ‘We put a spanner in the works. That track won’t be back in operation for days, if not weeks.’
He patted Lev on the back. ‘Now, get home without anyone seeing you. We’ll be in touch in the usual way.’
Lev nodded and disappeared onto the dark road.
‘We must go quickly, or it’ll be light before we get back,’ Jack said. ‘Can you run?’
