Dot’s mind was already ticking, racing around the map in her head, trying to locate the tiny area. Why was there no map in this room? There should be maps in every room, she thought, frustrated. At least she had a starting point.
“How can I reach you?”
“I’m afraid you won’t be able to. I’m here for now, but then I am flying.”
Operation Overlord, she realized. He’d be involved in the invasion. Despite everything, she still hadn’t gotten used to the human part of what she did. The fact that those planes plunging from the sky were manned by actual men. Men like Gus. And Fred. And now Pete.Please be safe, she thought.
For a heartbeat, all she heard was the empty crackle of the long-distance telephone line.
When he spoke again, his voice was somber. “I wish I could offer something else, Dot. I… your sister is an incredible woman, and she loves you very much. I don’t know if I’ll ever meet you in person, but after all she’s told me, I’d have liked to say hello.”
“Pete, you and I will meet one day,” Dot assured him. “If Dash is alive, I will find her.”
She fled the room, her mind scanning every face she passed, searching for someone—anyone—who could help her. She worked withspies,for crying out loud. There must be someone. But everyone else was doing their duty, telling lies, spreading misinformation, sending the Germans on a wild-goose chase, far from the beaches of Normandy.
A map. She needed a map. From the corner of her vision, she spotted a large one of Europe, practically waving to her from the corridor. She found the location of B-21, Sainte-Honorine, right away, six hours northwest of Paris. The area would likely be teeming with Germans. She skimmed her finger toward Calais and dared to think that it might not be quite as bad. The enemy forces were on the movepastParis, heading northeast instead, on their way to what they believed would be a major battle at Calais.
Gus had parachuted in behind enemy lines, hoping to land near Düsseldorf. He would have carried out his orders on the German-Belgian border, then he and his operatives would have continued toward the sea, tasked with slowing the Germans on every front. But that was weeks ago. Maybe he was closer to France by now. Realistically, he could be anywhere, but Dot held on to the sliver of possibility that he and his fighters were somewhere near B-21. She had to believe in that. She had to find him.
Hydra.
Rushing from the main building, she burst into the late-day sunshine. Dash was in trouble. She could die. She might be dead already. And Dot could stand in front of a firing squad just for trying to find her.
“Doesn’t matter,” she whispered, walking purposefully toward Hydra.
Bill Hardcastle was sitting outside the door as he often did, letting the radios receive and transmit while he took a well-earned break, and she was briefly tempted to turn back. Never in her life had Dot considered sneaking around or breaking rules—except for that one night when Gus had taken her to see her father. Now her squeaky-clean reputation was a thing of the past. Dot had been trained for deception, and she figured this was as good a time as any to put that into effect. The trouble was, she wasn’t sure she could outwit Bill.
Pulse hammering in her temples, Dot approached as if nothing was out of the ordinary and stopped beside him. “Hello, Bill.”
“Good afternoon, Dot. Lovely day.”
Every nerve in Dot’s body strained toward the transmitters. “Itcertainly is. June sunshine, I have always thought, is the most hopeful.”
He tilted his head. “I like that. I’ll keep it in mind when I’m working through all the dark hours on Overlord.”
“At least there’s one extra day. I hope the weather cooperates this time.”
“It’ll be a mess if it doesn’t,” he agreed. “Ah well. Weather will do what it will do. Rather large consequences in this case, however.”
It struck her then, that if anyone would know how to look for help, it would be Bill. But if he didn’t want to help, if he decided to report her…
“Bill,” she began. “I need your help.”
His dark eyebrows lifted. “From the look in your eye and the tone of your voice, I imagine this is not something that Gerald has authorized.”
She shook her head. “It’s not. It’s… it’s personal.”
“Oh!” He chuckled. “Well, in that case, take a seat. I don’t know much I can help with personal issues, but it’s a nice day for a chat.”
“No, uh, it’s something personal that I am hoping you and Hydra can help me with.”
His guard rose instantly. “Aha. I had hoped you wouldn’t say that. What’s this about?”
“I need to find someone. One of our agents in Europe. It’s a matter of life or death.”
“Isn’t everything these days.” He tugged at his collar. “I don’t know, Dot. You’re asking a lot.”
“I know, but it’s nothing bad. It’s just… I need to find this agent.”
