The Saboteurs Read online

  “W.E.B. Griffin is the best chronicler of the U.S. military ever to put pen to paper—and rates among the best storytellers in any genre.”

  —The Phoenix Gazette

  Praise for the Men at War novels

  by W.E.B. Griffin…

  THE LAST HEROES

  THE SECRET WARRIORS

  THE SOLDIER SPIES

  THE FIGHTING AGENTS

  THE SABOTEURS

  “WRITTEN WITH A SPECIAL FLAIR for the military heart and mind.”

  —The Winfield (KS) Daily Courier

  “SHREWD, SHARP, ROUSING ENTERTAINMENT.”

  —Kirkus Reviews

  “CAMEOS BY SUCH HISTORICAL FIGURES as William ‘Wild Bill’ Donovan, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., David Niven, and Peter Ustinov lend color…suspenseful.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  W.E.B. GRIFFIN’S CLASSIC SERIES

  PRESIDENTIAL AGENT

  Griffin’s electrifying new series of homeland security…

  “The prolific, mega-selling Griffin is well on his way to a credible American James Bond franchise. It’s slick as hell.”

  —Monsters and Critics

  “Told in Griffin’s trademark clean and compelling prose, studded with convincing insider details.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  THE CORPS

  The bestselling saga of the heroes we call Marines…

  “GREAT READING. A superb job of mingling fact and fiction…[Griffin’s] characters come to life.”

  —The Sunday Oklahoman

  “THIS MAN HAS REALLY DONE HIS HOMEWORK…I confess to impatiently awaiting the appearance of succeeding books in the series.”

  —The Washington Post

  “ACTION-PACKED…DIFFICULT TO PUT DOWN.”

  —Marine Corps Gazette

  HONOR BOUND

  The high drama and real heroes of World War II…

  “ROUSING…AN IMMENSELY ENTERTAINING ADVENTURE.”

  —Kirkus Reviews

  “A TAUTLY WRITTEN STORY whose twists and turns will keep readers guessing until the last page.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “A SUPERIOR WAR STORY.”

  —Library Journal

  BROTHERHOOD OF WAR

  The series that launched W.E.B. Griffin’s phenomenal career…

  “AN AMERICAN EPIC.”

  —Tom Clancy

  “FIRST-RATE. Griffin, a former soldier, skillfully sets the stage, melding credible characters, a good eye for detail, and colorful, gritty dialogue into a readable and entertaining story.”

  —The Washington Post Book World

  “ABSORBING, salted-peanuts reading filled with detailed and fascinating descriptions of weapons, tactics, Green Beret training, Army life, and battle.”

  —The New York Times Book Review

  BADGE OF HONOR

  Griffin’s electrifying epic series of a big-city police force…

  “DAMN EFFECTIVE…He captivates you with characters the way few authors can.”

  —Tom Clancy

  “TOUGH, AUTHENTIC…POLICE DRAMA AT ITS BEST…Readers will feel as if they’re part of the investigation, and the true-to-life characters will soon feel like old friends. Excellent reading.”

  —Dale Brown

  “COLORFUL…GRITTY…TENSE.”

  —The Philadelphia Inquirer

  “A REAL WINNER.”

  —New York Daily News

  ALSO BY W.E.B. GRIFFIN

  HONOR BOUND

  HONOR BOUND

  BLOOD AND HONOR

  SECRET HONOR

  BROTHERHOOD OF WAR

  BOOK I: THE LIEUTENANTS

  BOOK II: THE CAPTAINS

  BOOK III: THE MAJORS

  BOOK IV: THE COLONELS

  BOOK V: THE BERETS

  BOOK VI: THE GENERALS

  BOOK VII: THE NEW BREED

  BOOK VIII: THE AVIATORS

  BOOK IX: SPECIAL OPS

  THE CORPS

  BOOK I: SEMPER FI

  BOOK II: CALL TO ARMS

  BOOK III: COUNTERATTACK

  BOOK IV: BATTLEGROUND

  BOOK V: LINE OF FIRE

  BOOK VI: CLOSE COMBAT

  BOOK VII: BEHIND THE LINES

  BOOK VIII: IN DANGER’S PATH

  BOOK IX: UNDER FIRE

  BOOK X: RETREAT, HELL!

  BADGE OF HONOR

  BOOK I: MEN IN BLUE

  BOOK II: SPECIAL OPERATIONS

  BOOK III: THE VICTIM

  BOOK IV: THE WITNESS

  BOOK V: THE ASSASSIN

  BOOK VI: THE MURDERERS

  BOOK VII: THE INVESTIGATORS

  BOOK VIII: FINAL JUSTICE

  MEN AT WAR

  BOOK I: THE LAST HEROES

  BOOK II: THE SECRET WARRIORS

  BOOK III: THE SOLDIER SPIES

  BOOK IV: THE FIGHTING AGENTS

  BOOK V: THE SABOTEURS

  (with William E. Butterworth IV)

  PRESIDENTIAL AGENT

  BOOK I: BY ORDER OF THE PRESIDENT

  BOOK II: THE HOSTAGE

  BOOK III: THE HUNTERS

  THE SABOTEURS

  W.E.B. GRIFFIN

  AND WILLIAM E. BUTTERWORTH IV

  THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

  Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada

  (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

  Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)

  Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia

  (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)

  Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India

  Penguin Books (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0745, Auckland, New Zealand

  (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)

  Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

  Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  THE SABOTEURS

  A Jove Book / published by arrangement with the authors

  Copyright © 2006 by William E. Butterworth IV.

  copyright © 2007 by W. E. B. Griffin.

  Cover design © 2006 by mjcdesign.com.

  Cover photograph © Jack Delano/Corbis.

  Cover typographic styling by Lawrence Ratzkin.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors’ rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  ISBN: 9781101424995

  JOVE®

  Jove Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  JOVE is
a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  The “J” design is a trademark belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  THE MEN AT WAR SERIES IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED IN HONOR OF:

  Lieutenant Aaron Bank, Infantry, AUS, detailed OSS

  (Later Colonel, Special Forces)

  November 23, 1902–April 1, 2004

  Lieutenant William E. Colby, Infantry, AUS, detailed OSS

  (Later Ambassador and Director, CIA)

  January 4, 1920–April 28, 1996

  It is no use saying,

  We are doing our best.”

  You have got to succeed in doing

  what is necessary.

  —Winston S. Churchill, British Prime Minister

  CONTENTS

  I

  [ ONE ]

  [ TWO ]

  [ THREE ]

  [ FOUR ]

  II

  [ ONE ]

  [ TWO ]

  [ THREE ]

  [ FOUR ]

  [ FIVE ]

  III

  [ ONE ]

  [ TWO ]

  [ THREE ]

  [ FOUR ]

  IV

  [ ONE ]

  [ TWO ]

  [ THREE ]

  [ FOUR ]

  V

  [ ONE ]

  [ TWO ]

  [ THREE ]

  [ FOUR ]

  [ FIVE ]

  VI

  [ ONE ]

  [ TWO ]

  [ THREE ]

  [ FOUR ]

  VII

  [ ONE ]

  [ TWO ]

  [ THREE ]

  [ FOUR ]

  VIII

  [ ONE ]

  [ TWO ]

  [ THREE ]

  [ FOUR ]

  IX

  [ ONE ]

  [ TWO ]

  [ THREE ]

  [ FOUR ]

  X

  [ ONE ]

  [ TWO ]

  [ THREE ]

  [ FOUR ]

  [ FIVE ]

  XI

  [ ONE ]

  [ TWO ]

  [ THREE ]

  [ FOUR ]

  THE SABOTEURS

  [ ONE ]

  Villa del Archimedes

  Partanna, Sicily

  1215 25 February 1943

  I do not want to die that way, Professor Arturo Rossi thought as he looked through the doorway at the far end of the tiled hallway. It’s utterly terrible…inhuman.

  His light olive skin paler than usual, the tall, slight fifty-five-year-old felt himself swaying, faint from all he had seen.

  The bruised, disfigured bodies of four men lay strapped to battered wooden gurneys inside the room. The ancient villa on the hillside overlooking the Mediterranean Sea had six such rooms off of the common hall, three on either side, each of cold coarse stone with the windows to the outside boarded over. More than thirty men also lay bound to gurneys in the other rooms, lit by harsh light—alive, but barely.

  A warm hand gently gripped Rossi’s left upper arm, steadying him, and he turned to look at his soft-spoken old friend from the University of Palermo.

  Dr. Giuseppe Napoli, his wild mane of white hair flowing, had brought Rossi here to witness with his own eyes the unspeakable acts that were being committed by the German Schutzstaffel—the SS.

  Rossi had followed the elderly physician’s stooped walk down the hallway in shocked silence. He had glanced through the staggered doorways and noticed that the condition of the men worsened room to room, from mildly sedated with no obvious illness to grave with astonishing symptoms.

  And then they had come to this last room, with its horrid stench of death.

  It was the worst of all.

  The torsos were mostly covered by dirty gray sweat-and blood-stained gowns, the arms and legs exposed, and the wrists and ankles secured to the gurneys by worn-leather straps. All the bodies bore some sort of rash. The legs on a couple also showed small open wounds—infected and festering—while the arms and legs of the others were spotted with blisters filled with dark fluid.

  Rossi noticed that the smell of rotting flesh was made worse—if that was possible—by the unemptied tin buckets hanging beneath the gurneys. These held what had been the contents of the men’s bowels, which with all Teutonic efficiency had passed through a hole fashioned in the gurneys for unattended evacuation.

  Rossi quickly turned away from the doorway. His throat contracted, and he felt his eyes moisten, then a tear slip down his right cheek.

  It was clear that these men—all Sicilians, as his friend had warned him—suffered greatly in their final weeks and days. Yet the contorted faces of the dead suggested that not even death had brought them any real peace.

  Rossi realized that what disturbed him—beyond the obvious outrage at such atrocities against his fellow man—was that foreigners could come in and inflict such terrible things upon Sicilians in their own country in a villa named for Archimedes, perhaps the greatest of all Sicilians.

  And that they could do it with what appeared to be absolute impunity.

  But how can anything be done about something no one knows—or admits—is happening?

  The villa, built by the Normans nine centuries earlier, overlooked the sea a little more than ten kilometers up the coast from Palermo’s Quattro Canti quarter—the “four corners” city center—and the Norman-built Royal Palace, as well as the University of Palermo.

  Far enough away so that any screams or gunshots or whatever would be lost to the blowing winds. And the secret remains safe….

  “So now you know,” Napoli whispered.

  Rossi looked at his friend, who held a cotton handkerchief over his nose and mouth. Rossi could see in his eyes genuine sadness and more than a little fear.

  Rossi nodded softly and risked another glance around the cold, hard room.

  “The Germans have brought yellow fever here,” the doctor continued. “They use these human hosts to keep the virus alive…and, I think, to serve as an example of what they are capable of doing. I fear that this is just the beginning. I hear the Germans are experimenting elsewhere with other unorthodox methods—worse ones that also could be brought here.”

  Rossi had heard such stories, too, when he had visited the University of Rome. Quietly told, they described what was happening in the concentration camps run by the SS. Humans treated worse than laboratory rats. Bodies dissected without benefit of anesthesia. Legs and arms and torsos collected and stacked dispassionately, like so many cords of firewood.

  The stories recounted conditions and acts so horrific, it was said, that German soldiers had to be bribed with bonuses of cigarettes and salamis and schnapps in order for them to agree to serve there.

  And now, here in Sicily, this outrage of using humans—Sicilians—to keep alive a deadly virus strain.

  “Where are they getting these poor people?” Rossi asked softly.

  “Sturmbannführer Müller of the SD—”

  “The Sicherheitsdienst?”

  Napoli nodded.

  Rossi knew the reputation of the SD, the SS’s intelligence branch. They were ruthless in the execution of their job: to take out any threat to the Nazis.

  “—he has ordered them brought in from the island prisons.”

  “That’s where they took town leaders who opposed Mussolini. Many were mafia.”

  “And many of these here are mafia. Sturmbannführer Müller says the SD, with Il Duce’s blessing, wants to neutralize them. This way, they’re not a possible threat—and they’re no longer ‘useless eaters.’”

  Rossi nodded slowly. That was another of the stories he had heard in Rome. As far as the Nazis were concerned, you either actively contributed to the war effort or you were a burden—a useless eater.

  “So Müller says at least now they are useful,” Napoli said.

  Rossi stared him in the eyes.

  “For what? I do not understand why they bring this virus.”

  Napoli checked behind them and down the
hallway before responding.

  “They’re useful in the preparations for the Americans and British,” he said softly.

  Rossi shook his head.

  Napoli went on: “There is much talk that they could invade Sicily and then Italy on their way to Germany. As Hitler has not sent many German soldiers here—perhaps cannot send many, as rumors suggest he is stretched thin on other fronts—he needs other methods to defend against such an invasion. And so the few forces that he has sent—Müller, for example—have very short and very mean tempers….”

  The two men glanced at the bodies on the gurneys.

  Rossi softly finished the thought: “…And they are not at all unwilling to do the unspeakable.”

  They stood there a long time before Rossi broke the silence.

  “What about Carlo? He would never stand for this.”

  A brilliant mathematician and a kind man, Dr. Carlo Modica was, like Napoli, in his seventies, and had served as the head of the University of Palermo for almost ten years. In his specialty as a metallurgist, Rossi had at times worked closely with him.

  Napoli put his hands on Rossi’s shoulders.