Escape Read Online Free Page A

lavatory. There, the cap and canvas trousers of his electrician’s outfit were hidden behind a cistern. Away from the middle of the town, James felt it was now safe to take on his Bulgarian disguise. Inside the tiny w.c. cubicle he removed the silk patches from his buttons, sewed on the shoulder insignia, and darkened his light hair with theatrical make up, to make him look more Eastern European.
    Christof Lindholm had disappeared – and out stepped Ivan Bagerov. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, James walked up to a station guard, and presented him with his forged letter of introduction.
    The man read the letter and gave James a smile.
    â€œWhere are you going to, sir?” he said.
    James told him he was heading for the port of Lübeck, on the Baltic Sea. This would be the perfect spot to head for Sweden.
    â€œFollow me, sir,” said the guard briskly, and they walked off to the ticket office.
    James’s letter worked like a magic charm. The guard found out which trains he would have to take, wrote down the details for him, and gave him a ticket. Then he took him to the station waiting room and bought him a beer from the bar! James had to struggle to stop himself from laughing out loud, or gushing with gratitude. He wanted to give the man a big hug, but forced himself to remain as aloof and formal as he thought a visiting Bulgarian naval officer ought to be.
    The train arrived, and James was soon heading for the coast. The officials he met on his way – ticket inspectors, policemen, guards – all stared blankly at his Bulgarian pass, and all of them waved him on his way with a polite nod.
    After a couple of hours the train pulled into Hamburg, where James needed to change trains. He had to spend an hour in the waiting room, and here he was stared at suspiciously by a German soldier. James was sure this man had seen through his disguise and recognized his Royal Navy uniform, but he decided to bluff it out. He thought “What would I do if I was really Ivan Bagerov and someone was staring at me? Why, stare straight back!”
    James glared at the man with such hostility the soldier became embarrassed and let his gaze slip to the floor. He left the waiting room shortly afterwards. James wondered if he had gone to fetch a policeman, but by the time the train arrived no one had bothered him.
    The journey passed slowly. James had to get off the train again to spend an uncomfortable night in a waiting room in Bad Kleinen, but he had covered 320km (200 miles) in a single day. His escape was going better than he could ever have imagined.
    The next day the train continued on to Stettin, another port on the Baltic Sea. James thought he would try his luck here, as Stettin was just as likely to have Swedish ships as Lübeck.
    But it didn’t. As James wandered along the waterfront there was not a single Swedish ship to be seen. Cursing his luck he headed into the town, and went to several bars, hoping to overhear some Swedish voices.
    By late afternoon James realized Stettin had been a big mistake. There was nothing else to do but continue on his journey. So he returned to the station and caught a train heading to Lübeck. Again, he had to get off the train in the evening, and spent another uncomfortable night in the dining room of a very crowded military rest camp. As James tried to sleep at a table in the corner of the room, he was joined by several German Naval officers. He couldn’t have wished for worse companions, and felt sure they would recognize his British uniform. But they must have been even more tired than he was, for they said nothing to him, nor even gave him a second glance.
    Next day he hurried off to the station and arrived in Lübeck by late morning. By now his smart lieutenant image was beginning to look a bit shabby, especially as he had two days of stubble on his chin. James headed for the nearest barber and asked, in halting German, if he could have a shave.