A TBO homage: The Crimson Courtesan

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

This was inspired by TBO.

Slight difference:, US did not NukeNukeNuke this Germany until the very dust glowed. After seeing the effects on Japan, they were more selective.

'Dour Hall' was the 'code name' for a very unusual girls' 'boarding school'. It operated between the Dunkirk debacle and the German take-over, when all evidence of its activities was erased...
--
Timeline B

"Are you sure it's her ? Not just some sad, solitary biddy of a shepherdess ?"

"Yes, Sarge. See her ginger roots ? Her green eyes ? The way she looks at you like a fox ?"

"Did she give you any trouble ?"

"We did not give her the chance."

"Well, the Agent from Regional will be here, soon: Seems she has several 'items' outstanding on her account.

"Ah, here he is ! Lt. Reed, I'm Sergeant Jackson."

"Thank you for your urgent call, Sergeant, I came as soon as I could. I've just peeked into the holding room. Cleaned up, she could well be the 'Crimson Courtesan'. Been a few years, but description fits to a 'T': Under that grime, she's still a 'Looker'...

"We checked possible sightings of her in Istanbul, Cairo, Morocco, Mexico and Argentina. From your report, she may have been living here the entire time !"

"Do you think she could lead you to the 'Odessa Five' ?"

"It's possible. We know she got them out. One by one, a few weeks apart, apparently to a small submarine. Where-ever they went after that, they've lain low.

"I'll need a few words to be sure..."

The woman, hand-cuffed to hard-points on the table, peered out from behind her dirty curtain of lank brown hair as the Lieutenant warily entered the interview room.

"I'm Lieutenant Reed." He showed his ID. "Special Investigations.

"I have reason to believe you may be Michelle McGuire, the infamous 'Crimson Courtesan'."

Her sniff was eloquent. More than mere denial, it was verdict upon the utter absurdity of the accusation, of hauling her in irons from that lonely hill-side croft.

"The 'Settlement Report' commuted your death sentence 'In Absentia', but we really, really would like to know where the 'Odessa Five' went after you helped them escape Germany's collapse...

"Merkel, Himmler, Von Ryk, O'Brian and Fairchild, those five monsters of the Late Reich.

"They are out there, some-where, and their death-warrants are still open."

The shabby woman trembled, then her shoulders began to shake. Big, slow tear-drops fell, punctuated by short gasps. After a while, she whispered something nigh inaudible.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that..." He leaned closer.

"Dour Hall." She spoke so quietly that six inches further would have failed. Nor had her lips moved enough to read. The Lieutenant lurched backwards, stared at her.

"Slap me," she mouthed. And, when he hesitated, added, "That's an order."

Though unwilling, his big hand came across, connected with the side of her face.

"Harder."

She went side-ways, was still slumping when the local constabulary burst in, dog-piled the Lieutenant.

"What the fookin' hell d'you think you're doing ?" The brawny Sergeant yelled. "Striking a woman ! And she's in irons !"

"She is the 'Crimson Courtesan', Sergeant and, given all she's done, she asked for it." Lt. Reed stood, slowly straightened his jacket. After a slow breath, he said, "Some of the war was too terrible even for the 'Settlement Report'. All I can say is that your station has earned a big commendation.

"Now, please transfer this, this *monster* to the back of my car, securing her ankles and wrists to the anchor rings."

About five miles down the road, her strong hands clasped the Lieutenant's throat. She crooned, "♫ Keep your eyes on the road, ♫ Keep your hands on the wheel..."

He gulped.

"That was well done, Lieutenant. You, too, have earned a commendation... " Her fingers caressed his neck. "Yes, the 'Odessa Five' trusted me, the damned fools ! Hadn't they noticed all my naughty 'Toy Boys' came to unhappy ends ? Madness, suicide, accidents or worse ? All five left singly as 'deck hands' on that small coaster. And, some miles out, beyond the Black Sea's coastal shelf, each transferred to a small submarine which whisked them away...

"But it was a very, very small submarine. Drugged to helpless but aware, each was folded into a 55 gallon drum. There were some ballast weights in the bottom, several small holes. The lid, which clamped on, had several small holes plus a 'schnorkel'.

"Hoisted out as a buoy, the contrivance took long, long minutes to slowly, slowly flood, to finally sink. The skipper and crew would wait for the bubble stream to cease before spitting on that watery grave.

"I'm sorry your people looked all over for the 'Five' and me but, as you said, some truths, some deeds were too terrible. Mine were worse than most...

"Ha ! Dönitz, then the Gestapo, spent years trying to figure how I got my spying information out. They put peep-holes in the walls, microphones in my rooms, my bed-frame, my writing desk. They drove my Toy Boys crazy by repeatedly changing their orders at short notice, hoping those changes would show up some-how, some-where. The waiters and maids were all agents. They searched my rooms, desk and wardrobe so often they were falling over each other.

"But they had it back-wards: I wasn't spying on those poor fools, I was *destroying* them...

"Turning us children into spies and assassins was beyond unforgivable..." She took a breath. "But necessary...

"Huh. What became of young Jackie Smith ? Code-name 'Mongoose' ?"

"You knew 'Mongoose' ? Of course, if you both came through 'Dour Hall' ! Well, she's rather famous ! Did all-sorts with the Resistance ! Finally, rescued a US pilot, went off as his war-bride !"

"Ah, how sweet ! Did you know she set the terrible 'accidental' fire which destroyed Blenheim House ? Killed Mosely, his 'Sandford Seven', their cronies and that Mitford bitch ?"

"That was HER work, too ??" The Lieutenant gulped again. "Phew !"

"Yes, our 'Mongoose' was disconcertingly deadly. Now, tell me about this pilot she rescued..."

"Ah, yes, Ma'm. Well, after the first nuke's fire-storm ashed the entire forest with his half-assed 'National Redoubt', the Big_H ordered all captured US air-crew tortured, shot. After dropping the third nuke, on Wewelsburg Castle, Captain Eastwood's bomber was jumped by a 262. They shot that down, but could not nurse their damaged plane to neutral Eire. So, his crew got out over partisan-held Northumberland, he circled away South to draw pursuit.

"That SS squad was too busy kicking him and laughing to notice their numbers shrinking. Then 'Mongoose' switched to her Sten, chopped the rest. War-bride, moved to the States, four good kids. Captain Eastwood now flies a B-52 for 'Strategic Air Command'.

"By curious coincidence, their local 'Black Sheep', whose rich daddy had 'bought off' several claims of rape, went missing for a week. Found wandering in the desert, battered, bruised, cut about, badly sun-burned and, um, 'Slightly Wrong In The Head'. Claimed he'd met a 'Warrior Angel' and, 'Warned From The Path Of Evil', would sin no more. Joined VSO, is still doing 'Good Deeds' and, um, still nervously looking over his shoulder from time to time..."

"Ha ! Yes, Jackie had that effect on people !" she laughed. "Are you married or have a girl-friend ?"

"Uh, no, Ma'm--"

"Well, young man, I need to report in. Take a nice, long shower. Or three. A glass of something better than our local 'Moonshine'. Then, if you have not fled the country, I'll show you why I'm the 'Crimson Courtesan'..."

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

So, when did she retrieve the lock-picks concealed in her clothing ?
Yes, while slumping side-ways after the second, harder slap...

The official death sentence may have been commuted, but there might still be an un-written 'Account Closure' in force...

[jemhouston]

Love these stories.

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

Note the 'neutral' Eire...

By that stage, the SS had abandoned Eire.
It wasn't safe.
Commando raids, carrier air-strikes etc made the place untenable.
The scant Luftwaffe assets were simply shot from the sky.
Rocket-armed carrier aircraft and, yes, Commandos with Bazookas, meant vehicles were doomed.
Those SS only had Panzer Twos and Threes, but even they were needed in the East.
So, eventually, the SS pulled out.

After a really, really rough crossing to Holyhead, the last two ferries' passengers entrained for the Channel ports.
'Pilot' shunter in front with guards and repair crew.
Double-header train with sea-sick SS jammed into the carriages or perched on the flat-beds with their vehicles.

But Genny Jones, 'Code-name: FISHPLATE', was waiting.
She contrived a big cliff-edge break-away and rock-fall which swept entire train into lake...

Edit: Missed a copy/pasta line...

Being a very tidy 'Demolitionist', Ms. Jones even made it look like the cliff-top's hapless German patrol had triggered the collapse. Found among the cliff-foot wrack and rubble, their fatal injuries did not match knives, garrottes, gun-fire or explosion...
Her team had used blunt force and cross-bows, recovered all their quarrels...