Airship City

Chapter 17

JOSEPH

He spotted Monmouth, or rather his black fedora, as soon as he entered the gardens in the centre of Finsbury Circus. Monmouth was sitting on a park bench, looking out over the bowling green. Joseph marched up to him.

“Why did the ZA try to crash Hughes’s airship?”

Monmouth looked up in surprise. “What? That’s nonsense! The ZA had nothing to do with that. We would never do such a thing.” He frowned. “How did you get to hear about it, anyway?”

“Hear about it? I was on H-1 when it happened! I could have been killed!”

Monmouth gaped at him, his face turning pale. “You were on her? But how?”

Joseph flopped down onto the bench next to him. “You told me to spy on Hughes. The opportunity to go with him to Aeropolis arose, so I took it.”

“Joseph, I only asked you to report on Hughes’s movements, not become his constant companion!” Monmouth paused for a moment, and then continued in a more moderate tone. “Look, I admire your initiative, and I want to hear more about it. But firstly tell me why you think the ZA was involved with this… accident.”

Joseph looked at him sharply. “It was no accident! I saw the other ship make straight for us.”

“All right, let’s say for the sake of argument it was deliberate, although I don’t think I’ve heard anything else to suggest that. Why did you think the ZA was involved?”

“Because Hughes said so.”

“He said it openly? In front of you?”

Joseph frowned. “No, I overheard him speaking to Clive Thornton. He asked if there was any sign of ZA involvement. Only he pronounced it differently. Instead of ‘zed’ he said ‘zee’. As Americans do. Because of that, I didn’t make the connection at the time. It only struck me afterwards.”

“And tell me, did Thornton reply that there was any such sign?”

Joseph frowned, thinking back to the overheard conversation in the Aeropolis control centre. “No, I don’t think he did.”

“Oh well, there you go. Hughes blames every little problem of his on us. It’s well-known on Aeropolis. Surely someone mentioned it to you?”

Joseph remembered his conversation with Harry. “Yes, I suppose they did.” Even Ione had said that her father had thought he had been kidnapped by the ZA, when the truth was that he had simply gone off by himself. 

“You must know that Hughes is not the most stable individual in the world. Everyone knows he gets these funny ideas from time to time.”

“I do know that,” said Joseph sullenly. He felt a bit foolish for having accused Monmouth so readily. But then he remembered something else that Harry had said. “But even if Hughes is crazy, the ZA is still known as a bunch of troublemakers on Aeropolis. Why is that?”

Monmouth made a dismissive gesture. “Many people dislike what we do. A lot of it’s jealousy if you ask me. Hughes keeps a tight rein on his workers, makes it difficult for unions to function. Part of that is telling people how awful the ZA is.”

“Why? Is the ZA a union? You said it was part of the Zeppelin company, didn’t you?”

A couple were strolling through the gardens, evidently enjoying the summer sunshine. Monmouth waited until they had passed out of earshot, then turned to Joseph.

“No, I said that I was still helping the Zeppelin company. Which is true. But I work for the ZA, which is a special government agency.”

“Which government?”

“The German government. Its full name is the Zollabteilung, which means ‘Customs Detachment’. We work to stop people evading their responsibility to pay customs duties.”

Joseph shook his head. “I don’t understand. How does that help the Zeppelin company?”

“Well, let’s go back in time a bit. How much do you know of the Hitler years?”

“We learned about it at school, of course.” Joseph scratched his cheek, trying to remember. “Hitler was elected Chancellor for a brief period, then the SA staged a second revolution and had him imprisoned.”

Monmouth nodded. “Yes, the SA or Sturmabteilung was led by Ernst Röhm in those days, and he and Hermann Göring realised that Hitler had no intention of carrying out the Nazi party’s socialist principles. So they joined forces to bring him down. Unfortunately, by acting against Hitler, they split the Nazi party, and the Social Democrats won the election.”

“What does this have to do with the ZA?”

“Well, some of the Nazi leadership decided to promote the socialist cause by working through the new government, rather than opposing it. It’s taken a long time, but at last Hermann Göring has created the ZA. Customs duties are an important tool for protecting German workers, and one of the greatest threats to customs duties is Aeropolis. Because of my experience with the Zeppelin company, Göring recruited me to run a special operation against Hughes and Aeropolis.”

“So what you’re asking me to do has nothing to do with my father!” Joseph felt the anger rising again. “I’m just a pawn in your game with Hughes, aren’t I?”

Monmouth looked alarmed, and glanced quickly around him to see who was listening. “Keep your voice down! This has everything to do with your father. He was going to leave the Zeppelin company and work for Hughes, but as an agent of the ZA. I believe that Hughes somehow found out, and had him killed.”

Joseph felt his anger deflating as the foolish feeling returned. I’ve got to stop jumping to conclusions! “I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

But Monmouth didn’t seem at all fazed. “That’s all right, Joseph. It’s a lot to take in, and I think you’re doing very well, considering.” He sat staring into space for a few moments, then turned to Joseph, smiling. “Enough ancient history. Tell me more about your visit to Aeropolis.”

Joseph recounted what had happened at the meeting between Hughes and Churchill. Monmouth listened intently, making notes from time to time in a little notebook. Joseph felt rather gratified that his words were being taken so seriously. He strove to remember every impression and every nuance.

At last he was done, and had told everything that he could remember of his encounters with Hughes. 

“So Ione dragged you off to lunch, did she?” Monmouth grinned. “Unfortunate for me that you had to miss the rest of the meeting with Hughes, but perhaps not for you. She is said to be nearly as charming as her mother.”

Joseph felt his cheeks grow warmer. “I do like her, yes.” He decided not to mention the disastrous end to their lunch. It didn’t really matter, because they were friends again. “She wants to see me again, tomorrow.”

Monmouth’s eyebrows rose. “Back to Aeropolis?”

“No, no, she is coming here. Well, to Kensington Gardens, anyway. I am to meet her there at noon.”

“Excellent! You must be as charming as possible. I want her to invite you back to Aeropolis.”

“Why?”

“There is something that you need to do for me. When we meet again, say on Monday, and you have secured your invitation, I will tell you what it is.” He stood up, looking around carefully. “I’ll meet you in the tearoom at King’s Cross at nine sharp, I need to take the train to Paris at eleven.” He nodded at Joseph and then strode off through the park.

Joseph sat on the bench a while longer, looking at the flowers in the bed in front of him. There was something about his meetings with Monmouth that left him feeling uneasy. He supposed it was just the tension caused by the element of secrecy and the sneaking around, and he reminded himself of how he was helping to track down his father’s killer, and that helped a bit. He got up and started walking back to the office, wondering what he should wear to the picnic with Ione the next day.