Vielleicht
The underground sent word that there was going to be a large gathering of German officers at a small base near the coast. The report didn't say why the gathering had been called, but they did send a partial list of the men who were expected to show up. A number of the officers attending were of high enough rank to be considered local 'movers and shakers' by command so Garrison's group was being sent over to crash the party.
The job was simple enough, and it was right up their alley. All they had to do was get in, rub elbows with the elite, and then get out again and bring back all the gossip. Once they got back the experts would winnow out the most promising leads and further missions would be arranged to follow them up.
As a rule, for a straight intelligence gathering job, they'd go over, pick up the most imposing uniforms they could find, and waltz in and demand access to the information they needed. If Actor and Garrison couldn't bluff the Germans out of what they wanted Casino was more than capable of breaking in later and taking it away from them. This trip was going to be a little different since it was going to depend more on hearsay than documentation but they had something up their sleeve that was going to make the job a little easier. They'd be going in with uniforms and papers this time because a rather obscure German general had just defected to the Allies.
General Geomar Werner Konig was still over on the continent. He was taking a 'rest cure' near the French border while his transportation to England could be arranged. He was perfect for them to use because he hadn't made much of a splash in military circles, or in life for that matter; depending more on nepotism than courage and skill to get ahead. The chances of someone at the party knowing him personally were considered to be extremely low. Intelligence already had a file covering the basics of his not-too-distinguished career and background and Actor already had that committed to memory.
Actor was looking forward to arriving at the gathering in a uniform that actually fit for a change. He was pleased with the rank too, even though he was disappointed by the lack of medals that would be adorning the front of his tunic. It seemed Konig had managed to avoid the type of action that resulted in medals of valor. The con man had gone to great lengths to convince the others, and himself, that the plain, impeccably tailored uniform was far more elegant without all the 'gaudy' ribbons and medals that might be embellishing all the other chests in the room.
The report they'd been given also contained a list of Konig's 'known associates', which included the name of the general's current aide de camp. The Warden would be going to the party as Major Franz Günter Fuchs.
Fuchs had distinguished himself and had the medals to prove it. The medals proved something else too; they proved that Fuchs believed in the German cause and was willing to fight for it. That had turned out to be very unlucky for him. Major Fuchs had been with General Konig when he learned that he was to be given the 'honor' of a transfer to a combat assignment on the eastern front. Soon after that the opportunity to escape to the Allies presented itself and Fuchs hed been killed trying to convince the general not to avail himself of it.
While the group had more than they needed on Konig they had to piece together what they needed on Fuchs. Courtesy of those medals on his chest they knew where he'd served and which battles he'd been in. Courtesy of the ring on his finger they knew where he'd attended school. A little basic research before they left filled in enough details on those battles and that school that Garrison was certain he'd be able to field any questions that might come his way. He wasn't expecting too much attention. He was a mere major acting as an attendant to a general and, even though this particular general wasn't very important, he was depending on Actor's natural flair and physical presence to keep all the attention focused on him.
Fuchs, they found out, had been assigned to act as the General's adjutant while he recovered from injuries suffered in his latest battle. This worked to their advantage too as it would explain away any discernible difficulty the Warden might have in moving around since his own most recent injury. It would also explain why the general's aid was more highly decorated than the general himself….
While Actor and the Warden were inside enjoying the party Casino and Goniff, with Chief as their back up, were going to break into their host's office and private quarters to see if they could find anything else worth lifting. This was Garrison's idea; he always had to come back from these trips with a little something extra.
ggg
"So how's this gonna work anyway?" Chief asked as they went over the material in the Warden's office.
"Drinks, dinner, brandy after… People talk, Chief," Garrison shrugged as he replied, "Even German officers. All we have to do is stand around and listen."
They'd had another report from the underground. A caterer had been engaged for the evening and the man was one of their contacts. From the food and supplies he had been ordered to provide it was obvious this was going to be a purely social gathering, not a strategy planning session as they had originally hoped. Still, headquarters was interested in the officers who would be at the party, and the civilians who were willing to associate with them.
"How come you'r so sure you can get invited to this shindig?" Casino sat opposite Garrison, his feet propped up on the Lieutenant's desk.
Actor answered from his place on the sofa that sat near the French doors that allowed access out on to the back terrace. "Konig attained his rank before the general who is hosting this gathering and so outranks him. Superior officers are never left off the guest lists for these social events. To do so would be a serious insult and it could affect the man's standing in society and his ability to advance in the military."
"Even for this guy Konig?" The group's scout frowned as he sent his question across the room. "I thought you said he was a nobody."
"Even for Konig, Chief." Actor answered from personal experience. His family had been bound by such societal guidelines until his father had lost his fortune and position. "The rules of etiquette are very strict in the circles in which these officers move. General Konig would expect to be received by the base commander wherever he chooses to stop along the way to his next assignment. And, not knowing who Konig might be aligned with, the base commander would most certainly receive him."
"So while you blokes are enjoying the bubbly and fish eggs we nip in the back and do a little nosin' around?"
"That's the idea." The Warden agreed.
Casino turned on his cohort. "Keep you'r mind on what we're doin' in there this time, you dope. I ain't comin' back for you 'cause you take a shine to some cigarette box 'r other."
"Blimey! You didn't come back for me the last time!" the groups' second story man protested before he adopted a superior air. "'Sides I can't help it if I got good taste."
"Good taste? You?!" Casino snorted a laugh and shot his cockney teammate a disbelieving stare before he turned his attention back to the Lieutenant and got back to business. "When do you want us to hit the place?"
The Warden considered that for a moment. "People tend to wander during cocktail hour, better wait until the crowd's been seated for dinner for a while."
"We liftin' the stuff or just gettin' pictures of it?" Chief asked.
"Take it." Garrison decided. "Make it look like a burglary."
"Jeeze, Warden, the way you been makin' us work lately," Casino grinned around at the others. "We may not be able to pull that off."
"I'm sure it will come back to you Casino. Just toss the place." He answered Goniff's question before he had a chance to ask it. "Take enough to make it look good, but small stuff. Can't have you guys getting caught lowering a painting out a bedroom window or hauling an armload of furs across the parking lot." The Lieutenant turned his wrist up and checked his watch. "We've got three hours before we have to be out at the airfield. Get your gear together and then get some rest. I'll call you when it's time."
ggg
He hadn't had a chance to confer with Actor yet, but so far Garrison considered their part of this mission to be a bust. They'd arrived on the local general's doorstep and been quickly informed of, and invited to, the social soiree before being given a tour of the base the general was in charge of. The tour was given by the general's tight lipped assistant not the general himself as the German officer remembered a very important call he had to make and excused himself. After a quick cup of coffee with the general's wife, the general was still unavailable, they'd returned to their accommodations in town to freshen up for the evening festivities. Garrison made a quick sketch of the grounds and the house and went over the layout with the others while Actor got ready.
At precisely six o'clock they presented themselves to the hostess collected their cocktails and started making small talk with the assembled guests. At seven a silver bell rang and they were ushered in to dinner. Their hostess had made adjustments to her seating plan and deftly used one of the unexpected guests as a tablemate for two matrons with inattentive escorts. These ladies monopolized Garrison during dinner; eliminating any chance he might have had to lean anything useful from the other men seated at the table. As the meal came to a close he found his hopes of the gentlemanly camaraderie of the after-dinner brandy and cigars accompanied by the discussion of 'important' topics of the day dashed when the hostess announced they would remove themselves to the music room for a recital to be given by herself and a few of the guests. By that point in the evening the only things he'd learned were that the weather had been unseasonably cool, that Frau Shulz had a touch of gout and was in the middle of a feud with her daughter-in-law which she recounted in excruciating detail, and that Fraulein Weir's favorite meal was sauerbraten and spaetzle served with pickled red and green cabbage; she shared the recipes with him, right down to exactly how to measure the different spices,…and went over it twice just to be sure he'd understood her,... and that she kept cats. At the end of the meal Garrison pulled back the chairs and helped the ladies to their feet and then extricated himself by telling them that, unfortunately, he had his duties to General Konig to attend to.
Actor, seated at another table, had been entertaining a younger set of women during dinner, much to the displeasure of their husbands and companions. Garrison stood just off his right shoulder as he waited to collect him while the elegant con man took leave of the ladies and their escorts hustled them away from him. The two men waited until most of the guests left the room before following along in their wake.
"You get anything interesting?" Garrison asked as they found seats in the back of the music room.
"Oh, a telephone number or two... But I don't believe I will be able to take advantage of them on this trip." Actor turned towards his commander. "You?"
Garrison gave a snort and lowered his voice as the host stepped to the head of the room and called for their attention. "Sure, if you're interested in making sauerbraten."
ggg
Out of the corner of his eye the con man caught Garrison shift in his seat again. "How is your back holding up?" Actor asked quietly.
"It's fine." Garrison answered but a moment later he shifted his position again with an irritated sigh. "Inactivity drives me crazy."
Actor smiled in sympathy. The injuries the Warden suffered on the last mission were healing nicely but he knew Garrison was in the stage of his recovery where the muscles in his back cramped if he was still for too long,… They'd spent about an hour standing in a large parlor having drinks and making small talk when they first arrived. Dinner had been a rather leisurely ninety minutes and they'd been suffering through this little concert for forty-five minutes now. The Italian cleared his throat and then brought his hand up to cover a dramatic cough. "Fuchs, water, if you please."
"Yes, sir!" Garrison rose from the chair and stretched surreptitiously. They were sitting at the back of the room and his withdrawal should go unnoticed. He was grateful for his second's quick thinking; not only would he get a chance to loosen up but a quick look out the window to check on their car would tell him if the other three men had finished their part of the mission while he and Actor had been stuck in this torture chamber. But before he managed to reach the door their host was on his feet calling for a short intermission.
There was a scraping of chairs and a rustle of fabric as the assembled guests took advantage of the break. Garrison held the door as first the ladies, in groups of twos and threes, excused themselves to the powder room and then the higher-ranking officers filed out to visit the bar that had been set up in the next room.
Craig waited for Actor to pass then fell in behind him as they made their way to the table that held the liquor. At a murmured request the general was handed a fine cut-crystal glass filled with a generous measure of cognac, his aide made due with a simple flute of Riesling. The men split up and made the best of their opportunity to work the crowd again.
The group that made up the party included German officers, French politicians, businessmen and industrialists, and their wives. General Konig had been presented to the military men at the beginning of the evening, now they concentrated on the other guests. Actor and Garrison made it a point to introduce themselves to as many of the civilians as possible. Both men had excellent memories and the list of names they would bring back would be evaluated by intelligence before the names of these possible 'collaborateurs' were turned over to the local underground.
The ringing of a small silver bell signaled the end of their fifteen minute reprieve and the crowd shuffled back into the music room. Actor, as usual, was surrounded by a bevy of ladies and was delayed in returning to his seat as he gallantly kissed their proffered hands and returned them to their waiting escorts. Their host, finally mindful of his duty to a slightly superior officer, approached as they tried to settle into their back row seats. They had hoped to be allowed to remain inconspicuous in their chosen place which gave them the advantage of observing the other guests, and, the aristocratic Italian thought, allowed them to be as far removed from the source of the evenings 'entertainment' as possible, but it appeared their host had other plans.
"Now, General…. Ah… General…."
"Konig." Garrison supplied.
"Ah, yes, General Konig. Come, I have been remiss in my duties as your host, General. You must move up to the front of the gathering and sit with me…." He placed a solicitous hand under Actor's elbow and did his best to guide him to the front of the room.
"Thank you, general, you are most gracious, but Major Fuchs and I are quite comfortable where we are." Actor graced their host with an insincere smile as he turned, freeing himself from the man's hand. "The acoustics are far more pleasing here in the back of the room. Franz, see to the chair!" The con man adopted his most officious manner hoping to dissuade their host from further attention.
His tactic seemed to work. The other officer gave a curt nod and a stiff little bow and started back towards the front of the room. His pace faltered after a few steps though and he turned back. "Fuchs?" he said tentatively. "Franz Gunter Fuchs?"
Garrison's brows arched up slightly as he caught Actor's eye before bowing to their host. "Yes, Herr General, how may I be of service?"
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you!" The general reached out and took Garrison's hand in an enthusiastic grasp. "You were at university with my son Karl."
There was a very brief, uncomfortable moment of silence. "Karl? Ah,… yes…"
"Oh come now, Major," the general laughed. "Although I love my son very much he did absolutely nothing at university that would result in you remembering him. You on the other hand," the beaming officer landed a friendly blow on Garrison's left shoulder. "You impressed him a great deal. As a result I am quite familiar with all of your accomplishments."
"I am afraid your son may have embellished my 'accomplishments', somewhat." Garrison offered.
"That is the impression I had, at first. But, you see," their host leaned in and confided. "He backed his stories up with clippings from the school and local newspapers."
Garrison took a sip of his wine and gave the man a noncommittal smile. "Really…?"