Liquid tinkled into the basin. “Bernardus will need to go into hiding,” Gerrit said. “For the same reason he can’t go to hospital.”
If he survived. First, Ivy had to stop the bleeding, and she applied clamps to ruptured vessels. “I have a car and some petrol. After I finish the operation, I’ll take him to my uncle’s farm.”
“Yes. That’s a good idea. They’ve hidden someone before. They’ll know what to do.”
Demyan Marchenko. Ivy’s jaw dangled, and she glanced at the Dutchman catching the last dribbles of Dakin’s solution. How did he know?
Demyan had mentioned someone helping him escape after he shot the guard. Was it Gerrit? Bernardus?
Gerrit dumped the basin in the sink. “How else can I help?”
All she wanted from him was answers—but she hadn’t the time. She dragged her gaze to the table. What could he do? Chloroform? Bernardus was unconscious, but she couldn’t have him wake during surgery. “Wash your hands well. I’ll put a few drops of chloroform on a cloth mask, and you can tie it over his mouth and nose. I’ll have Charlie monitor the anesthesia when he returns.”
“Yes, Doctor.”
With the main vessels clamped, Ivy chose forceps to pick out bits of fabric and gravel that had evaded the irrigating solution.
“Tomorrow morning.” Gerrit paused with his hands under the water. “They’ll realize he’s gone, send out a manhunt.”
Ivy sighed and plucked out a shred of black fabric. “My uncle will hide him well.”
“Unless ... what if they think he escaped? The boat—yes.” Gerrit spun to her, and thoughts darted in his green-blue eyes. “The cinema. Charlie. I’ll need to—I need to leave. Now. Can you spare me?”
Ivy bobbled a nod. She had no idea what he was talking about.
Charlie entered the room with a box of supplies.
Gerrit scrambled past Charlie to the door. “Charlie, I’m working on a plan. I’ll come back later tonight, tell you everything. You’ll need to know.”
“All right.” Charlie stared after his friend, then at Ivy. “What’s happening?”
“That’s what I’d like to know.” Ivy tilted her head to the sink. “Take off your jacket, put on Dad’s white coat, and wash your hands.”
Charlie shrugged off his jacket, revealing his vest—his shirt must have become the tourniquet. “We’ll need to distract Fern when she comes home.”
And when they transported Bernardus to the car. Somehow.
Charlie slipped on Dad’s coat. “You probably want to know about the resistance.”
She did. More than anything. But first, she had to save this man’s life.
chapter
25
St. Aubin
With gloved hands, Gerrit used his knife to sever the telephone line into the Aubin Hafen gun battery. How ironic that after warning Bernardus against sabotage, Gerrit was committing sabotage himself—to protect half a dozen lives, including his own.
He sheathed his knife, ran along the beach to the wooded area, slid into the car, and drove toward the hotel.
To prevent a manhunt, he had to convince the Germans that Bernardus had escaped—preferably, had died in the attempt. He had to explain why Charlie had fetched him at the Forum, which had been witnessed by Riedel and others. He had to explain why he’d waited so long to alert the Germans. He had to convince them of his own loyalty.
And Gerrit had never been good at lying.
“Start with the truth. Stay as close to the truth as possible.” He added a prayer for forgiveness for deviating from the truth—again. But if his story worked, he could save the lives of Bernardus, Charlie, Arthur and Opal Jouny. And Ivy.
Gerrit drove down the darkened road. He could still see Ivy’s wide brown eyes staring at him with a mix of confusion and shockand ... hope. Or maybe he’d seen his own hope in her eyes. He hadn’t wanted her to know about his resistance activities, but now she did. Now she knew he wasn’t a collaborator looking only to save his own skin.
