London, England           The brass plate on the outside of Major Thorpington’s office identified it as the Bureau of Archives. Inside, the Major had just settled himself behind his desk when Mr. Harrington, an aide to the War Secretary, entered carrying a leather wallet.           “Major, I have something here that needs priority attention. I’ve been asked to hand deliver it to the PM’s office, but you need to catalogue it first.”           Another knock on the door interrupted the aide. “Mr. Harrington, the Secretary needs your immediate assistance.” Harrington handed the wallet to the Major. “I’ll be back within the hour to pick this up.”           The Major recognized the leather courier envelope, immediately. As soon as he was alone, he walked over to the door and locked it. He opened the wallet and pulled out the papers. The blood drained from his face. The wallet contained a map of Switzerland and two pages of code, that would undoubtedly turn out to be the encrypted German documents.           How he wished the talk of stolen German papers had turned out to be false, but the proof was now in his hands. He was holding the key to William’s survival. Treason or honor — he had to choose.           He knew he would decide in favor of the only ‘family’ he had.           The Major looked at the map. Except for some lines and notations added to it, it was similar to many of the ones they had in the British War Office. He found a map of similar size and color and quickly traced the markings onto it. He looked at the clock. Doctoring the map had taken him less than ten minutes, but the more difficult task lay ahead. He reached into his pocket and pulled out several pieces of Cliveden stationary that he had borrowed during his short visit, there. He began copying the German documents.           The task took much longer than the Major expected. Because the information was coded, there were no words or sentences he could remember. He had to keep referring back to the original and checking his work.           Forty-five minutes had passed and he had just begun working on the second page. The adrenaline pumping through his body was turning his stomach into a quivering mass.           Damn! A mistake! It would have to be corrected. He started the second page over. He glanced at the clock. Fifty minutes.           The Major had only copied two more lines when the phone rang. He froze. If he answered it, he may be called to someone’s office and never complete this mission. He allowed it to ring. He would tell whomever it was that he had been indisposed. Another five minutes passed.           The Major could hear voices in the hall. They got louder as the two people speaking got closer to his office. Sweat trickled down his brow and dripped off the tip of his nose. The door was locked. He continued working. The voices receded. The Major sighed in relief. One hour had passed.           The phone began to ring again. The Major tensed. He was so close to being done. He refused to stop working. The phone continued to ring and with each new ring, the Major’s stomach twisted into a tighter knot. *** Share | Code Name: Evangeline is available in its entirety on Kindle Don't own a Kindle? Download a free app to read Kindle books on your iPhone and iPod Touch. Or get the free app to read Kindle books on your PC.