When the Bough Breaks
"Alright gentlemen, gather round, and I'll tell you what we're going to do." Garrison moved towards the table at the end of the room the men shared, kicking the door closed with his foot.
Gathering the remains of his solitaire game out of the way as the Lieutenant dropped the papers he was carrying on the table the cockney pick pocket glanced up, frowning. "You know, Warden, I'm gettin' to where I don't think I like hearin' you say that."
"Come on Goniff how bad could it be?" Casino rolled off his bunk where he'd been reading a well worn letter from his family and started ambling towards the table. "There ain't anything new left,' the safe cracker snorted a laugh, "we done it all."
Actor sat his book aside and knocked the tobacco from his pipe, pocketing it as he pushed out of the leather chair to come and join the conference around the table. "Judging by the look on the Lieutenant's face I would say you might be incorrect in that assumption Casino."
"So what is it this time Warden?" Giving up his usual place at the window by his bed Chief came to the table, pulled a chair around, straddled it and rested his arms on the back as he waited for the answer.
"They're just sending us in for a simple extraction."
Goniff grinned at the men seated around him. "Makes it sound like ruddy dentists visit!"
Garrison laughed as he sorted through the papers and photos on the table. "We just need to get in and get an agent out."
"Yeah! And I'll bet it'll be just that easy too." Casino pulled back one of the chairs and dropped into it. These little jobs were rarely as simple as they sounded when the Warden first pitched them, but he was usually the only one who'd call him on it. "What's the real story? Who's got him?" The last time they went out on a job like this Goniff got himself caught. The little Limey was worked over pretty good and looking right down the throat of a firing squad when the Warden rolled in at the last minute to pick him up. They had to shoot their way out a that one.
"No one, as far as we know," Garrison confided with a furrowed brow, "but he hasn't responded to the order to withdraw."
Actor looked up, frowning his own concern. "I don't believe I like the sound of that, Warden. There could be a number of reasons why..."
"Yeah and the one on the top a the list is bein' a guest of the Gestapo." The safe cracker scowled up at their commander.
"Unless they just put the snatch on him that's not the problem." Garrison crossed his arms on his chest and stared back at Casino. "He's been seen going politely about his regular routine."
"OK, then the next one down the list's even better…." The youngest member of the team took over the position of devil's advocate. "He went over to the other side and don't wanna get out."
"That doesn't make any sense, Chief." Actor reasoned. "If he is working for the Germans he would jump at the chance to come back…"
The young man nodded and finished the thought, effectively cancelling out his own argument. "…so he could work as a double agent for the Krauts."
"Exactly."
Goniff looked from one to the other. "What's 'is problem then?"
The Warden considered the little man and shrugged. "We won't know that until we get over there."
"You got a picture of the mark, … uh…the agent?"
"Only this…" Garrison leaned forward and picked a photo out of the paperwork in front of him and tossed it into the middle of the table. The man that stared up at them was young, in his very early twenties. It was obvious from the smooth forehead and clear eyes that the weight of responsibility had yet to be laid on his shoulders. He was fair, even in the black and white photo his blonde hair and light eyes were obvious, and he seemed slightly built. "This was taken before he went undercover."
"How long has he been working covertly?" Actor picked up the photo and studied it a moment before passing it on.
"A long time." Garrison finally settled himself in a chair and watched as the photograph made its way around the table. "Jeffery Carrigan has been working in Germany as Ernst Hartmann since thirty-eight."
"Jeeze! That's a long time to play act at bein' somebody else." Casino took another look at the young man smiling up from the picture he held in his hand and wondered what working undercover that long could do to a man. Charlie'd only been over there for three years and he cracked, and this guy looked like he was just a kid. As he handed the photo over to Goniff he looked up and caught Garrison's eye. "What makes the brass so sure he's still on our side?"
Garrison shrugged again. "He's still sending information out. And it still checks out." Then he settled more comfortably in his chair. "Carrigan got a position with German Intelligence. It's a low level job but he's got access to a lot of sensitive files. He's been able to send information out when he gets wind of something interesting. He's also been able to substantiate information that comes in from other sources."
"The Jerries must be goin' soft. You'd a thought they'd check a bloke right down to his knickers a'fore they let him anywheres near them kind a files." The little pick pocket puzzled over the photograph before handing it along.
"They did." Garrison said. "He passed their screening with flying colors." To their questioning looks he continued. "Carrigan had family in Germany. He went over in thirty-six and stayed with them… when he was sent back he picked up his cousin's identity."
Casino frowned across the table at him. "The cousin didn't mind?"
"The cousin's dead… The aunt and uncle were already gone by then…. and the cousin was an only child. There weren't any others around after his cousin's death to give him away." Garrison hooked an arm over the back of his chair as he continued to field their questions.
"But surely having connections to America the family's loyalties would have been held suspect."
"Members of the American branch of the family are in the Bund." The Warden explained. "Carrigan's brother, his uncle and three of his cousins are members and he joined after he came home in thirty-six. American membership lists are filed in Germany."
"A guy's family tied up in somethin' like that and they still think they can trust him?" The group's point man turned an unbelieving stare on his leader.
Garrison considered Chief a moment. "They trust me." Born in America but raised in Germany after his father died Garrison came from a similar background and faced the same distrust as Chief unwittingly displayed. His fluency in the language and his intimate knowledge of the country and the political turmoil within it made him a prime candidate for training as an intelligence officer and undercover operator, but even after years of service his grandfather's support for Hitler and his Nazi party left many of those in command suspicious of his true loyalties.
The group's scout paled but before he could open his mouth and try for an apology Garrison waved him off and continued. "Look, he went to them, Chief. When he got home he volunteered for the Army. He told them about his family and he told them what he'd seen over in Germany. He thought he might be able to be of use over there and after he was checked out the Army thought so too. He joined the Bund with their blessing. They figured that might be enough to get him in the door over there. It was pure coincidence that his cousin died while he was there and he was able to take over his identity."
Casino shot him a skeptical look. "Coincidence? I wouldn't put it past 'em to send him over there with orders to off the guy so he could take his place."
The cons sat in silence as they contemplated that possibility. They'd heard rumors about stuff like that and were cynical enough to believe them. Even Goniff, who usually had the most positive outlook of the group, had been over there too many times, seen too much, to put killing off a family member out of the scope of what he considered a spy. Spies… even one workin' for their side gave him the willies.
Actor broke the mood. "It seems like a beautiful set up. Why do they want to remove him if he is in such a valuable position?"
Garrison tapped a report that lay in front of him on the table. "Because we have it on good authority that he's being investigated."
"For what?"
"We don't know. The source could only tell us that he'd seen a file with his name on it."
"Ya see! I told ya the Gestapo was on his tail."
"Casino you said they already had him." Chief reached out and picked up the picture to study it again.
The explosives expert dismissed the difference with a wave of his hand. "Splittin' hairs."
"Uh,,,, Warden." Goniff had been chewing his finger ends since he heard about the dead cousin. "Does this bloke know we're comin' to get him?"
"No. Since we aren't sure why he isn't responding we didn't want to take the chance of sending that information through to him."
"Well that's something' anyway…." Chief looked up. "At least he won't be able to lay a trap for us." With that the young man sent the photograph spinning back to rest of the paperwork that was piled in the middle of the table.
"So how'r we gonna do it?"
"For right now we're just going over to observe him." the Warden told them.
"So, not so sure about him still bein one of us after all?" Casino asked with a sneer.
Garrison reached out to retrieve the photograph and studied it a moment. "Until I know different we treat him as a possible liability."
g
The trip over was free from trouble. Their uniforms and impeccably forged papers had been provided before they left and all of them were more comfortable knowing there was no need to cover telltale blood stains for a change. Once they got on site Garrison spent forty-eight hours observing Carrigan as he went about his routine. The group trailed him from the apartment where he lived to his favorite café and on to the building where he worked, Actor even spent some time inside, ostensibly waiting for an appointment as the surveillance continued.
As he expected Garrison saw no indication that Carrigan had turned his back on his loyalty to the Allies but he hadn't been able to pick up on any overt surveillance of the agent by German intelligence either. Though he knew through his underground contact that another report had found its way into the young man's file, they still had no access to that file, they still didn't what was in those reports.
Garrison gathered the men around him. "Alright, this is how we're going to do it…"
AN You're into it for 12 chapters on this one. I hope you enjoy it... Please take a moment to review and let me know. Thanks! dale