Over the past week, the crew had gradually collected equipment in the storeroom for the raid.
Henrik grabbed a black jacket, made sure it was his—they all looked alike—and put it on.
After he pulled on his black gloves, he passed out black balaclavas knit by Janne Thorup, who never questioned why Henrik needed eight.
Each man stuffed pockets with rags, rope, and a lighter, and each looped a whistle around his neck, to abort the raid if necessary.
Henrik extracted a fake gun from a crate and tucked it into his waistband. Frandsen had sawn off lengths of steel pipe and soldered shorter pieces to one end. It would feel like a gun if jabbed in a man’s ribs and might even look like a pistol in the dark.
Koppel beckoned the crew together. “Speak only if necessary, and disguise your voice.” His words barely reached Henrik’s ears.
Then the crew chief slipped outside alone. In a minute, he returned and pointed to Hyllested. The man left with wire cutters.He would cut a hole in the fence down by the harbor to make it look as if outsiders had broken in—a hole the crew would use to escape. Then Hyllested would stand watch along the escape route.
Koppel gave Henrik and the other five men a significant look. They’d go in pairs to round up the two night guards, the most dangerous part of the raid.
The men picked up metal gasoline cans and headed into the night.
Even though Henrik didn’t have his full strength back, he’d managed to row the Øresund. He could sprint for safety if necessary.
He nodded to Gunnar Skov—he’d insisted on keeping the loose cannon by his side—and they took off running, low and quiet, down to the water, then along the waterfront, passing the bows of ships under construction.
His senses on edge, Henrik scanned between the ships, behind him, ahead. When he reached the last ship, he stopped and peeked down the rails for the crane, down the row of buildings, searching for movement in the darkness, sound in the stillness.
Crouched low, he edged across to the buildings. He pressed back against a shed, Skov beside him. They set down their gas cans, and Skov pulled out his fake pistol.
Henrik’s breath steamed the inside of his balaclava. Where were those guards? The crew had to capture them before they could start the sabotage.
Hugging the wall, Henrik crept forward and peeked around the side of the building. No one there, so he dashed to the next shed.
There—a golden spark in the night, and a glow silhouetted a man leaning against the next building. A Danish guard smoking a cigarette.
Henrik tapped Skov’s arm and pointed out their target.
The cigarette glow blinked in and out—the guard had his back to them.
Henrik inched forward, rolling heel to toe, holding his breath.
About six feet from the guard, Henrik held up his hand and raised one finger, two fingers, three.
He charged forward, slapped his hand over the man’s mouth, and twisted the man’s arm behind his back.
Skov darted in front and jammed his fake pistol into the guard’s gut. “One sound and you’re dead,” he said in a deep growl.
The guard let out a gulping whimper and nodded against the pressure of Henrik’s hand. Skov lifted a rag, and as soon as Henrik released the man’s mouth, Skov gagged him and Henrik yanked the guard’s other arm behind his back.
After Skov tied the gag, he bound the man’s wrists with rope.
With the man’s arm in his grip, Henrik grabbed the guard’s machine pistol, which was propped against the wall. He pointed the pistol to the guard’s side and urged him toward the sterns of the ships.
The guard whimpered again.
“Quiet,” Skov growled. “He’ll shoot.”
“Ja.” Henrik would knock the fellow out cold rather than shoot, but he’d shoot if necessary. He sympathized with Danes who feared working for the resistance, but he felt no sympathy for Danes who workedagainstthe resistance.
They hustled their prisoner to the hammerhead crane, where Koppel waited. Henrik shoved the guard down to sitting, and Koppel tied him to the crane.
Henrik handed Koppel the machine pistol. He’d use it to guard the prisoners, then hide it in the carpenter shop. Somehow they’d sneak it out to a resistance group.
