The Fallen Sparrow

Captured during the Spanish Civil War, Kit endures two years of torture while withholding vital information from his captors. The interrogators are led by a never-seen Nazi figure described as having a limp, a mastermind behind the pressure. The ordeal leaves him wary and haunted by the shadows of his past.

Kit's lifelong friend Louie Lepetino, a New York police lieutenant, orchestrates his escape from captivity. The plan is dangerous, but it preserves Kit's life and binds them in shared peril. This escape sets the stage for Kit's later return to confront his past.

Louie dies under suspicious circumstances, prompting Kit to cut short his convalescence in Arizona and fly back to New York. Kit suspects foul play rather than a simple accident. His return marks the shift from survival to pursuing the truth.

Back in New York, Kit tries to uncover what authorities know, but Inspector Tobin insists Louie's death was an accident. Kit distrusts the ruling and begins his own informal inquiry. He resolves to uncover the real cause behind Louie's fall.

Kit stays in Ab Parker's apartment as a guest at a party where several guests mingle. He encounters Dr. Christian Skaas, his nephew Otto, Kit's old flame Barby Taviton, Toni Donne, singer Whitney Parker, and pianist Anton. Skaas's discussion about torture unsettles Kit, echoing his past.

Amid the chatter, it becomes clear that Toni is the only witness to Louie's death, which raises Kit's suspicions about everyone's stories. Their growing attraction adds personal tension to the investigation. The mystery of loyalties in the room deepens as suspicions mount.

Kit keeps hearing or imagining the man with the limp, suggesting the captors never stopped watching him. The sense of surveillance heightens his paranoia and resolve. The elusive leader with the limp remains a looming presence over the events.

During a confrontation, Anton discloses that Kit was allowed to escape Spain and has been monitored ever since in the hope he would betray himself. The revelation confirms Kit's fears about being hunted. It deepens the tension between Kit and the other guests.

The morning after the tense sequence, Ab Parker is found dead with a gunshot wound. Inspector Tobin again insists it was suicide, which Kit disputes due to Ab's known fear of guns. The death intensifies the sense that someone is manipulating outcomes.

Kit presents Toni with a medallion from the brigade's battle standard, signaling that he knows where the flag is hidden. Toni urges him to abandon the dangerous pursuit, calling the flag a dirty rag. Kit remains determined to foil the 'little man' in Berlin.

Kit and Toni plan to slip into Dr. Skaas's office at another party to confront the mastermind. They prepare a delicate scheme to unmask him and recover essential truths. The plan hinges on catching the limping leader in the act.

When they confront Skaas, the truth spills out: Otto killed Lepetino and Skaas murdered Ab. Kit has been drugged by a prior drink, but he fights on, shoots Skaas, and summons help before losing consciousness. The revelation ties together many of the earlier mysteries.

Toni reveals her three-year-old daughter is being held hostage, forcing urgency into their mission. Kit agrees to help and arranges to meet Toni in Chicago to coordinate further action. The personal stakes sharpen the political stakes.

Kit informs Inspector Tobin that he intends to go to Lisbon to retrieve the flag and hand it to some of the boys, signaling a revival of brigades. Tobin questions whether he is certain about Toni and the risks involved. The plan marks a shift from personal revenge to a broader resistance effort.

In the final moment, Toni boards the Lisbon Clipper, and Kit tries to dissuade her with a grim remark about wishing there had been a little girl. Police take Toni away, a grim note to the mission's costs. Kit watches as another sparrow falls, signaling a season of betrayal and loss.