A Night Off
By: AliasCWN
The jeep only paused at the gate long enough for the driver to tell the guard that they had a wounded man. Once through the gate the two drivers wheeled their vehicles directly to the base hospital. Orderlies rushed out to meet them, warned by a call from the gate. The jeeps slid to a stop near the door and a stretcher was brought out to carry the injured man inside. The orderlies carried the patient inside, leaving the other three members of his team standing outside looking lost.
"Take the jeeps to the motor pool, I'll go report in and get us a room assignment."
"Right." Hitch agreed as Tully acknowledged the order with a nod.
"We'll meet back here and see what the doctors have to say."
Both privates nodded wordlessly.
"He's strong, he'll make it."
"He didn't look so good." Hitch answered, looking toward the door where their wounded man had disappeared.
"He's strong and he's tough, and he's too stubborn to die on us." The sergeant assured them.
"I hope you're right." Hitch answered.
"We'll drop the jeeps off and come right back." Tully told the sergeant. "We can resupply tomorrow, I doubt if we will be going right back out anyway."
"Not likely." Their sergeant agreed, giving both privates what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "I'll let the base commander know what we discovered, get our room assignments, and hurry right back."
"Okay Sarge." Hitchcock replied, spitting out the gum he was chewing. He kicked sand over the discarded gum and shuffled his feet nervously. "Do you think he'll be in surgery long?"
"Don't call me sarge." Moffitt responded automatically. "I would have taken the bullet out myself if we hadn't been so close to this base. I don't think they'll have any trouble getting it out."
"We'd better get moving then." Hitch decided. "I want to be here when the doctor comes out to tell us how he is doing."
"I'm sure Troy would appreciate your concern."
"Sarge would tell me to quit worrying and do my job." The blond huffed. "I can't not worry, but I can do my job. We'll be here when you get back; it won't take that long to drop the jeeps off and get back here."
"See you then." Moffitt agreed. "I'll be back as quickly as possible."
Tully and Hitch left the jeeps parked outside of the motor pool where the mechanics promised to change the oil and check the belts and hoses. The fact that neither private objected to someone else working on their jeeps was a testament to how worried they were about Troy. They headed directly back to the hospital to wait on news from the doctors. They were still waiting when Moffitt returned.
"What took you so long Doc?" Tully asked as he turned to meet the sergeant.
"I had to give my report to Captain Zelenak and then repeat it for Captain Boggs."
"Captain Boggs? They called Captain Boggs?"
"Yes." Moffitt replied shortly. "Any news about Troy?"
Nothing yet." Tully answered with a shake of his head.
"We should have heard something by now." Hitch groaned.
"Hitch, you aren't blaming yourself for Troy's injuries, are you?" Moffitt watched the blond with concern.
"No Doc, I wasn't even close when he got hit. There was nothing I could have done, I know that. I just wish they would tell us something."
"No news is good news." The British sergeant answered. "If they're still working on him that means he is still alive."
"I suppose." Hitch answered, pacing back and forth. "I just keep thinking how quiet he was all the way back."
"I gave him a shot of morphine, sleep was the best thing for him."
"I know Doc; I'm not saying you weren't right. You do a good job keeping us alive." Hitch reached for a new piece of gum. "Sometimes I say stupid things Doc; I don't mean anything by it."
"That's all right Hitch, we're all worried."
Hitch popped the new gum into his mouth and began to soften it up. He rubbed a hand across his face and forced himself to relax. They were all tired and needed some sleep but it would have to wait until they heard about Troy. "He's going to be all right, he has to be." He said more to himself than to anyone else.
"After we eat why don't we go get a beer and unwind?" Tully asked, watching Hitch continue to pace.
"I don't think so." Hitch answered. "It wouldn't feel right."
"Tully's right." Moffitt agreed unexpectantly. "A beer might be just what you need."
"It wouldn't feel right Doc." Hitch repeated with a shake of his head.
"We'll talk about it after we get to our rooms. We'll get cleaned up and eat before we decide."
"All right." The blond agreed. "We can talk about it later."
The three fell silent as they waited for news. They were still standing around waiting when the door opened and a doctor stepped out.
"Are you the men who brought the wounded sergeant in?"
"Yes we are." Moffitt stepped forward with the privates crowding close behind him. "How is he?"
` The doctor sighed as he faced the three men. "I got the bullet out but he lost a lot of blood. We replaced some of it. He'll need a few days to recover. Right now he's sleeping, recovering from the surgery. If you want to see him I suggest you wait until tomorrow morning."
"But he's going to be all right, isn't he doc?"
The doctor looked at Hitchcock and smiled. The tired lines around his eyes crinkled with the gesture. "Yes private, he'll make a full recovery. The initial care you gave him and the speed with which you got him to us played a crucial role in his survival. He is lucky to have friends like you. Now why don't you run along and let him rest until tomorrow? He won't be awake before then anyway."
The blond nodded his thanks, the frown on his face relaxing.
"Why don't we go get something to eat and let Troy get his rest?" Moffitt suggested. "I'm sure he'll feel more like visitors after he's rested bit."
"Okay Doc." Hitch agreed.
"How about a shower before we eat?" Tully asked. "I'm so covered in sand I'm afraid I'll crack if I move too much."
"A shower it is." Moffitt agreed. "I'm sure we all feel the same way."
"I'll take good care of your sergeant." The doctor promised as he walked away. He gave a heart-felt sigh and turned away to return to his duties.
The remaining three 'rats' showered and ate in the mess hall. As they were leaving Moffitt brought up the subject of having a beer again. "The two of you have earned a break. Why don't you go have a few beers and try to relax?"
"It's getting late Doc." Hitch answered.
"Not that late." The sergeant replied. "We should go back to our room and get all of the money we've been saving and go celebrate Troy's recovery. There is enough there to give us a really wild night on the town." Both privates looked at their sergeant in surprise. Moffitt held up a hand and stopped them from speaking. "We can discuss this in our room."
Less than an hour later found them headed for one of the local bars. Since most Arabs didn't believe in drinking they found themselves in a bar full of mostly American soldiers. Local girls worked their way among the crowd offering companionship and sometimes something more.
Once inside the door Moffitt handed Hitch a wad of cash. "Here, enjoy yourselves tonight. It's been a long, hard week and you deserve a night off."
Hitch slowly reached out and took the cash. "This much Doc? Are you sure?"
Moffitt smiled and nodded. "Buy drinks, have fun. I'll see you back at the barracks."
The blond nodded and stuffed the money into his pocket, glancing around to see if anyone had noticed the sergeant give him the money. Several women were watching them with interest.
Moffitt patted both privates on the back and made his way to the bar where he ordered a drink for himself. The two privates found an empty table near the back wall and ordered their first drinks of the night. They were soon joined by four women who gladly drank the sweet tea offered by the bartender while the soldiers drank beer and tied to forget the week they had had.
"I never saw that patrol car coming around that dune. The first I even knew it was there was when Sarge got hit trying to stop it." Hitch repeated for the third time. "I would have warned Sarge if I had seen it."
"I know." Tully answered, watching his buddy sway drunkenly.
"I need another beer." Hitch suddenly decided.
"Maybe you've had enough." Tully suggested. "Doc left over an hour ago. Maybe we should go back and get some sleep."
"I need to go to the latrine."
"Hitch, let me take you home."
"I'll be right back. I'm just going to go out back and I'll come right back in." Hitch slurred his words as he got unsteadily to his feet.
The girls giggled and pulled on his arms, trying to get him to sit back down. Hitch pulled his arm free and leaned down to kiss the nearest girl.
"I'll be right back sweetheart, wait for me."
They giggled again as he lost his balance and had to lean on the table to keep from falling.
"I'm heading back to the barracks Hitch. If you stay you are going to be on your own."
"Party pooper." Hitch grinned at his best friend. "Go ahead, I'll be along later. I'm having too much fun to leave just yet. Besides, I have all this money left." He patted the pocket where he had stashed the money that Moffitt had given him.
Tully grabbed his hand, pushing it away from his pocket. "Don't go flashing that around!" He hissed.
"I'm going to stay a while Tully; you go back to the barracks and get some sleep." Hitch stated loudly.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm going out back and then I'm going to buy my new friends another drink." Hitch put an arm around one of the girls and hugged her close to his side. "We'll be fine. I'll see you tomorrow."
Tully shook his head and climbed to his feet. "You be careful." He warned.
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about me."
Tully shook his head again and pulled free of the girl clinging to his arm. With one last look at his friend, Tully walked out of the bar.
Hitch gave the girl another squeeze as he watched Tully walk out the door. "I'll be right back sweetheart." He pushed away from the table and walked unsteadily toward the back door. He didn't notice the Arab man who watched him leave. He didn't see the man jerk his head at a girl standing next to the door. She nodded and slipped out the door behind Hitch.
Hitch stumbled to the latrine behind the bar and closed the door behind him. He leaned against the door, trying not to breathe too deeply of the foul air. His head spun from the beers he had already consumed and he didn't really feel like drinking any more. After a few minutes he opened the door and grasp the doorframe, preparing to stagger back into the bar.
He had only gone a few steps when a shadow moved ahead of him. The dim light of the moon revealed a beautiful face smiling at him. He had to admit, she was the prettiest girl he had seen since arriving at the base earlier in the day. The girl blocked his path so he stopped, squinting to see her better.
"Who are you?"
"I am a friend." The girl answered in a husky voice. "Those other girls, they are only after your money. They don't care about you. Once your money is gone they will leave you for another of your kind."
"And you won't?"
"No, I am your friend." The girl repeated with a heavy accent. "Come, I will take you somewhere where we can be alone. You would like that, would you not?" She reached for his hand, glancing around as she pulled him off the path.
"Sure, I guess." Hitch gave her a drunken smile. "Do I know you?"
"Of course not." The girl answered coyly. "You are new to the base; we have never met before tonight. That is why I am helping you. You are all alone."
"I have my friends." Hitch argued.
"They left you alone. I would not do that to you. I like your people." She continued as she pulled him along the back street. "I do not like to see those other girls take all of your money. Hurry, I will take you to my house. We can be alone there. I can show you a very good time."
"What about your family?"
"I am alone in this world; I have no one."
"That's too bad." Hitch commiserated with the girl. "We can be friends."
"Yes, yes, come with me. I will show you the way." The girl pulled Hitch along the dark alley, her eyes darting around nervously as she tugged on his hand.
Hitch moved slowly, putting a hand on the wall often to catch his balance. The girl only pulled harder when he paused.
When they got to the Arab sector the girl led him to a small house on the edge of the warehouse district. She paused to look around before she crossed the street to the house. Seeing no one, she pushed Hitch toward the door. She opened the door and tried to pull him inside.
Hitch paused in the doorway to look inside. The main room of the house was bare of any excess furniture. A small table with two chairs sat in one corner. Next to the wall on the other side was a cot covered in blankets. A second cot sat against another wall.
"Who else lives here?" Hitch asked, suddenly wary.
The girl followed his gaze to the second cot. "Sometimes I allow another girl to sleep here." She explained with a smile." The money she pays me helps me to buy food."
"Where is she now?"
"At the bar trying to take money from your friends. I do not do that, that is why I must sometimes allow her to sleep here. I have to make a living somehow and the baskets I make do not bring in enough." She tugged at his hand again, trying to pull him through the door into the room.
"Are you sure she won't walk in on us?"
"I am sure." The girl answered with a coy little smile.
Hitch glanced behind him, checking the alley they had used to walk to the house. Satisfied, he allowed the girl to pull him into the room.
"Come, come sit." She pushed him across the room to the nearest cot. "I heard you talking to your friend. You have had a very bad week; you should relax and rest now. I will bring you some fresh fruit juice."
"I don't want any juice."
"Just a little." The girl coaxed. "You can drink it while I slip into something more comfortable."
Hitch smiled. "Okay, if you insist, but only one."
"Yes, only one." The girl agreed. She turned her back on Hitch as she poured him a drink from the jug on the table. "Just lie back and relax, I will only be a minute." She hurried behind a curtain and pulled it closed behind her. Looking over the top of the curtain she encouraged him to drink the juice.
Hitch watched with anticipation as she slipped her dress over her head.
"You are not drinking the juice. Don't you like it? It is the best I can afford."
Hitch looked at the cup in his hand and looked embarrassed. "I didn't mean to insult you. See, I am drinking it, all of it." He drained the cup and placed it on the floor, trying not to make a face at the bitter taste. "All gone, see?"
The girl smiled at him and nodded. "Good, now lie back and relax while I finish changing."
"No need to get dressed on my account." The blond smiled.
The girl laughed, shaking her head at his meaning. "You are sweet."
"Tired too." Hitch answered. "I guess drank a little too much at the bar. Is it me or is this room spinning?" Hitch reached up to hold his head.
"It is you silly." The girl giggled. "You did drink a lot at the bar. Why don't you lie back and let the room stop spinning?"
"Yeah, I guess I will." Hitch flopped back on the cot and closed his eyes. "I don't feel so good."
The girl smiled as his words slurred and his breathing slowed. Walking over to him she shook his shoulder but didn't get any response. She moved to the door and opened it. She looked outside and motioned for someone to come in. Moving back to stand by Hitch she smiled at his still form. "You are all the same, so easy to fool." Going to the window, she lowered the curtain.
"He is asleep?"
"Yes, it was easy. He never suspected a thing. These fools are so easy to trick."
The man who had entered the house at her signal stood over the sleeping soldier and looked down at him with distain. "Don't be so quick to let your hate show cousin; if one of them should ever wake up."
"Bah. I gave him enough to keep him asleep until tomorrow. By then it won't matter as long as you do your part."
"I will do my part." The man answered, leaning over Hitch's still body. He quickly searched Hitch's pockets, pulling out the wad of money that Moffitt had given him. "A good night's work cousin."
"Part of that money is mine!" The girl grabbed for the wad of cash.
Her male cousin pulled his hand away. Peeling off a few bills from the back of the wad, he tossed them at her. "Here."
"I want more! There is plenty there for both of us!"
"No. All you did was coax some drunken infidel to follow you home. I am the one who must risk carrying him out of our house to leave his body in an alley where it can be found. I do all the hard work; all the dirty work. You drug them, I kill them."
"If I didn't bring them here you could never rob them. Do you think I like letting them put their hands all over me?"
"It does not matter." Her cousin shrugged. "You cannot make a living any other way. This one did not seem so bad."
"No, he was one of the more polite ones, but he wanted the same thing."
"Isn't that what you offer them? Isn't that how you get them to come with you?"
"Yes, but I hate it. I hate them."
"Then you won't mind if I take this one out and kill him." Her cousin grabbed the front of Hitch's shirt and began to pull him from the cot. "I could always do what I used to do. Catch them in an alley and bash their heads in. If you want more, take the ring." He indicated the silver ring on Hitch's finger.
"Wait!" The girl reached across the body and grabbed the hand. Pulling the ring from the finger, she clasped it to her chest. "You get most of the money; I must make money in some way. The ring is mine."
Her cousin smiled at her and began to drag Hitch away.
"You are a pig!"
Her cousin smiled. "I must get rid of him before he is missed. I will be back later, have something ready for me to eat."
"He will not be missed until morning. His friends all left him at the bar and returned to their barracks."
"Good, he will be dead by then." The man answered.
"Why not kill him now?"
"I don't want to be caught with a dead body. If I am caught with a live one I can say I saw him stumbling down the street and I was trying to help him. They may not believe me but they won't be able to prove anything." He lifted Hitch's limp body and carried him out the back door of the house. The door opened into an enclosed courtyard where he had a cart waiting. He dumped the unconscious man into the cart and covered him with straw. Opening the garden gate, he pulled the cart out into the street.
The girl slammed the door behind him.
Calieph laughed at her temper tantrum. Palema wouldn't give up their lucrative venture anytime soon. She thrived on the attention she got from the American infidels. This wasn't the first time they had fought over the money they took from their victim. Calieph knew that Palema had taken personal items from other victims too, but he didn't care. He got the lion's share of the cash.
He picked a dark alley, one far enough away from the main street that the body wouldn't be found right away. He removed the straw and dropped his intended victim onto the ground. Calieph pulled the cart out of the way, reloading the straw for a quick getaway. Once he killed the soldier he did not want to stay anywhere near the body.
Kneeling next to the unconscious man, Calieph pulled his dagger. Raising his arm, he prepared to plunge the blade into his helpless victim.
"I wouldn't do that if I was you."
The words were in English but the tone of the voice sent a chill up Calieph's spine. He looked up in surprise to see an American soldier pointing a machine gun at him. The man looked familiar but Calieph couldn't place him in the dark.
"Drop that knife or I drop you." The soldier ordered in a no nonsense tone. The fury in his posture made Calieph lean back. Calieph looked into his eyes and saw certain death if he did not comply. The Arab lowered his arm and let the dagger fall from his fingers.
"Move away from him." The soldier moved his head to indicate what he meant but the muzzle of the gun never wavered an inch from pointing directly at Calieph.
The Arab rose slowly to his feet and stepped away from his intended victim. He turned his head at the sound of feet running toward them. His hopes that they might be Arab were dashed when several more Americans rushed into the alley. The soldier in front of him did not even glance toward the others.
"We've got this private." One of the newcomers called. He moved forward and covered Calieph with his weapon. An MP searched Calieph for any more weapons before cuffing his hands behind his back. A second MP picked up the dropped dagger, holding it carefully to avoid smudging any fingerprints.
The soldier who had confronted Calieph nodded wordlessly and knelt next to the unconscious soldier.
"Is your friend going to be all right?" One of the MP's asked.
"He'd better be." The soldier answered coldly.
"Take him away." The first man jerked his head at Calieph. The two MP's nodded and pulled Calieph out of the alley by the arms.
"Is he all right?" The man asked the kneeling soldier.
"He's breathing." The soldier answered. "He looks like he's been drugged."
The man nodded. "That fits with the MO of our killers. They drug their victims and then take them out and kill them. Stay with him." The man ordered. "I'll go get a jeep and we'll take him to the hospital."
The soldier nodded, his attention on his unresponsive friend.
Hitch woke up in the hospital in the cot next to Troy. Tully and Moffitt were standing at the foot of Troy's bed talking with another man.
"The Arab, Calieph, confessed to everything." The third man was saying. "After Palema took your private back to her house and drugged him, she called Calieph. Together they robbed him. Calieph took their victims out and killed them so that they couldn't identify him or his cousin."
"You're lucky they didn't kill him at the house." Troy growled.
"We knew they didn't kill them at the house." The man explained. "Every one of the victims was killed in the alley where they were found." He glanced at Tully and gave Troy a half-hearted grin. "I saw your private in that alley. He sure put a scare into Calieph. I have to admit, at that moment, I was praying that his friend was okay. I wasn't sure any of us would make it out alive if he wasn't."
Troy glanced at Tully but he didn't comment.
"Anyway, Sergeant Moffitt was outside of the house and heard everything they said. He helped my men capture the girl and find some of the marked money Sergeant Moffitt gave Private Hitchcock. They also found personal items taken from almost a dozen of their previous victims. That's enough to prove that the girl was involved. Calieph was caught in the act carrying more of the marked money. Thanks to your unit we will be able to close more than a dozen unsolved murder cases on five different bases.
"You put my men at risk." Troy growled.
"Yes Sergeant, I did, but Captain Boggs assured me that they were more than capable of handling the assignment. We needed someone new to the base because Calieph and Palema always picked men new to the base. The arrival of your unit was a real break for us." The officer smiled. "Your man's reputation with the ladies didn't hurt either."
"It could have gotten him killed."
"Sergeant Moffitt and Private Pettigrew insisted on going along to protect him. I don't think Calieph would have survived if your man had been harmed. As a matter of fact, Captain Boggs did warn me about that possibility."
"You know it." Troy growled again. He looked over at Hitch and noticed that he was awake. "How are you feeling?"
Hitch smiled wanly. "I have a headache."
"You're lucky that's all you have to complain about. What were you thinking going along with this idea?"
Hitch shrugged. "I knew Doc and Tully wouldn't let anything happen to me. Captain Laidacker here said I would have to be convincing to pull it off. Letting them drug me seemed like the best way to convince them that they were getting away with it."
"It could have just as easily been poison." Troy growled.
"The doctors did autopsies on the other victims; they didn't find any trace of poison." Captain Laidacker pointed out.
"You still took a big chance Hitch." Troy insisted.
"I trusted Doc and Tully Sarge; they had my back. They were close to me all the time."
Troy leaned back on the pillow. "Don't take a chance like that again."
"Okay Sarge, if you say so."
"Get some sleep Hitch, I'll tell you what I really think of this hare-brained scheme when we're both feeling better."
"Okay Sarge." The blond agreed, throwing Tully and Moffitt a wink when Troy looked away.
Both men tried to hide their smiles when Troy looked at them suspiciously.
"We'll let you both rest." Moffitt agreed. "Captain, will you be needing us to fill out any more forms?"
Taking the hint Captain Laidacker nodded. "We're going to need you to sign your sworn statements about the events that you witnessed. I'll walk over to the office with you and we can get that done."
"Get some rest Troy." Moffitt suggested.
"How can a body get any rest when they have to keep an eye on you guys all the time?" Troy growled in mock anger. "Get out of here. Keeping an eye on Hitch is going to be enough to keep me busy."
"I'm going to be busy checking my eyelids for holes." Hitch smiled at his sergeant.
"Doing what?"
"Sleeping Sarge, I'm going to be sleeping."
"You bet you are." Troy ordered. "Cause I'm going to make sure you do."