Chapter 2

The knife embedded in the chest of the corporal, but not before the gun fired. Chief felt a tug to the left sleeve of his uniform and a burning pain in his upper arm. Ignoring it for now, he leapt forward and retrieved his knife, wiping the blade on the dead man's uniform.

Garrison shot a quick look at Chief's arm and motioned him to follow. They ran from the building. "Get in the front," Craig yelled as he ran around to get in the driver's seat. He thanked the powers that be for the car still being there and the engine still running. The big car fishtailed, tires skidding on ice, as it tore off down the street. Looking in the rear view mirror, Garrison saw two soldiers run out to the middle of the street. As they began firing, he powered the heavy vehicle around the corner.

Casino and Goniff had heard the shooting. They saw the car barrel down toward them and skid to a stop just long enough for them to fling themselves in the back. Garrison roared off, taking another corner almost on two wheels.

"Jeez, Warden, you drive like your sister," complained Casino as he was flung around in the backseat along with Goniff. "What happened?"

Craig ignored him and glanced at Chief. "How bad?"

Chief peered at the bloody sleeve and flexed his hand. "Don't think it's too bad, Warden."

"Did you get the papers?" Garrison called to the two in back.

"Yeah," replied Casino. "What happened to you two?"

"Guard got overzealous," replied Craig.

Craig scooted the big car through alleys and around side streets until he was out of the area and then slowed to an agonizing normal speed so as not to attract attention. Once out of town, Garrison drove to the safe house in a manner reminiscent of Terry's driving. As they slid to a stop, Goniff hung over the back of the front seat to attend to Chief.

"Casino, come on! We have to get Actor and the stuff out of here before they set up road blocks." Craig jumped out of the car and headed for the house.

Casino tore after the lieutenant. They entered the house to find the bags neatly piled by the door and Actor standing beside the pile watching them.

Enraged, Casino took a step toward the con man. "You asshole, I oughta bust your head again for yuh! You got Chief shot!"

Garrison was grabbing bags. "Casino, move it! Actor, get in the car!" He was just as angry at his second as the safecracker was.

Actor picked up a bag and followed Casino out, stung by the deliverance of the order, but figuring he deserved it. The bags were put in the trunk of the car. Actor and Casino got in the back. Craig got back behind the wheel. The con man leaned over the back of the front seat, touching Chief's shoulder.

"You are hit?" he asked.

"Later!" barked Garrison. "We don't have time now."

Chief ignored the confidence man. Actor slipped back into the seat. He cast a glance beside him at Goniff. The blond was studiously looking straight ahead, unsmiling. Actor did not wish to see Casino's expression. Actor assumed the Warden's anger was the only thing keeping the safecracker from coming over the top of Goniff to get at him.

Craig drove until they were on the dirt road to the field where the plane was supposed to land. He pulled to a stop and they got out, retrieved the bags and changed out of the German uniforms. Chief left the white shirt on with the rag tied around his upper arm, donning a jacket with the bad arm remaining out of the sleeve. Leaving the car, they shouldered their bags and walked the rest of the way in.

A small group of resistance met them. As the plane approached, beacon fires were lit and quickly extinguished. Garrison and the men ran to the plane and got in as it barely stopped moving. It became airborne without problems.

Once the plane leveled out, Actor left his seat and moved over to Chief. He was concerned the young man had been shot. The Indian looked at him warily.

"I am sorry you were injured," said Actor quietly. "Let me see how bad it is."

"Leave it," spat Chief just as quietly, but such vehemence Actor froze. "It ain't bad. Terry can take care of it when we get back to England. Don't need your help. You left us hangin', Man. Don't need nothin' more from you."

Hazel eyes locked with dark brown ones. Actor could see the pain and betrayal in the younger man's face. It stabbed into the Italian's already guilty frame of mind. "As you wish," Actor said, turning away. He pretended indifference as he sought a place to sit away from the others. Hostility radiated though the belly of the plane in palpable waves.

Actor pulled inside himself again. He hadn't realized how painful it would be to lose the young Indian's respect and friendship. He tried to systematically work through the conflict that warred within him. He was a convict and a con man. There was no denying that. Now that he had experienced a tiny bit of time without that knowledge, he did not wish to go back to that way of life. By his refusal to do his part with the group, Chief had been injured. It was his fault. They all knew it. As long as he was with the group, he was a liability if he continued this way. Would they even allow him to stay with the group? Would the group accept him anymore if he did stay? All of them, including the lieutenant, were angry with him, and rightly so. Where could he go? If he scarpered, as Goniff termed it, where could he go? Switzerland? He would have to cross war-torn Europe and the only way to do that was to con his way through. Once he made it to Switzerland, then what? All he knew how to do was the con. The alternative was returning to prison, which was probably where Garrison would send him. The thought of being confined in that cell on the Rock again was unbearable. His mind, still slowed by the concussion, could not work out a plan. He curled up in a corner and feigned sleep. His mind played the alternatives in an endless cycle which granted him neither rest nor peace. To give up the confidence game would cost him his friends, his freedom and possibly his life. He had already lost his family so there could be no reconciliation with them. To continue with the criminal lifestyle he had been leading up to this point continued to be unacceptable. There was no acceptable answer he could see.

GGGGG

Garrison pulled the Packard up the drive to the mansion. He gave the signal on the horn, one long, three short to alert Terry. She met them at the door. Craig shook his head at her.

"Who's hurt?" she asked,

"Chief," said Craig.

Terry stepped back as her brother pushed past her. The other men entered the house, their moods no better than Garrison's. Actor moved past her, expression stiff, and went directly upstairs, not looking at her. Casino and Goniff dumped their gear in a pile on the floor. They stepped back to help Chief shrug out of his jacket. At the younger man's nod of thanks, they strode up the stairs. Garrison shot her a look she couldn't interpret and shut himself in his office. Nobody had even looked at the plate of sandwiches. For Goniff to pass up food meant something had gone very wrong. Terry looked at the rag tied around the Indian's bloody upper arm.

"Didn't you guys have an aid kit?" asked Terry, leading the way to the game table in the common room. The rough bandage was not Actor's work.

"Wanted you to take care of it," said Chief sullenly before she could ask questions.

Terry opened her aid kit and got the sulfa and dressings out. She picked the knot loose, removing the bandage. Chief pulled his arm out of the sleeve. The wound wasn't bad. It was a shallow crease just below Chief's deltoid. Terry started cleaning up around it with gauze and peroxide.

"What happened?" she asked as she worked.

"Got shot," said Chief, wincing as peroxide hit the wound.

"I can see that," said Terry. "How?"

"Can't play no damned SS major," said Chief with disgust. "Can't even speak the language."

"What were you doing playing an SS major?" asked Terry is surprise.

"Had to. Actor cut out on us."

Terry stared at him. "What? What do you mean he cut out on you?"

"Ask the Warden," said Chief sullenly. "He's the one talked to Actor." That was last the man would say.

Terry cleansed the wound and closed it with tape before dressing it. Chief muttered a thanks and went upstairs. After quickly cleaning up her mess, Terry let herself into Garrison's office.

Craig was sitting behind his desk. The whiskey bottle was uncorked in front of him. He shifted his eyes to his sister while tossing a shot down his throat. Terry approached cautiously.

"What happened?" she asked.

Craig shook his head. "Not now. Not tonight. I need to calm down. I'm this close," he held thumb and forefinger a hair's breadth apart, "to throwing Actor in the stockade right now. Just leave it till morning. And stay away from him."

Normally Terry would have thrown a retort back at that, but not knowing what the situation was, she bit her tongue instead. Stepping back, she turned and silently left the office. The untouched plate of sandwiches was covered with a towel and placed in the refrigerator. Maybe they would eat them later.

Terry left Craig in his office and went to her room. She changed into her nightgown and slipped under the covers. It was a long time before she fell asleep and that didn't last long. She was worried. Something bad had happened on that mission. It obviously revolved around Actor. Craig normally tried to cut his second some slack because of the good job the con man did. For him to even contemplate putting Actor in the stockade meant whatever the man had done it had been worse than usual.

Tired and restless, she finally made herself get up around nine o'clock. The house was quiet except for an occasional snore. Terry got dressed and paused, undecided, outside her door. She had been told to stay away from Actor. She was worried about him. She had not thought it was a good idea for him to go on that mission, but couldn't object without Craig having a fit, and Actor too for that matter. Terry walked down the hall to the con man's room. Silently she turned the knob and peered around the door. Actor was curled up in his bed, asleep. Having just spent a couple weeks with the man sleeping most of the time, she knew he didn't usually sleep curled in a ball. It was worrisome. Terry shut the door just as silently and stepped next door to Craig's room.

Peeking inside, she saw the bed had not been slept in. Now she went downstairs to his office. Garrison had never left the office. He was asleep on the couch. The whiskey bottle and glass remained on the desk, the lamp still on. Terry judged there might be two or three shots missing from the bottle. Walking on the balls of her feet to keep her boot heels from clicking on the wooden floor, Terry went to the desk, corked the whiskey bottle, turned off the lamp and took the glass away to be washed.

Needing to find something to do to occupy her time and hopefully her mind, Terry went into the kitchen. She threw more wood on the fire in the stove and set the coffee pot on to heat. There were a few dishes left over from her supper the previous night, so she filled a sink with soapy water and slowly washed them up. Her mind was distracted by the events of the last couple weeks. Her brain was filled with Actor's concussion, his odd behavior and now the mystery of what had gone wrong on this mission. She stopped and gazed out the window. The day was gray and dreary. A quiet, heavy snow was falling. Maybe it would keep them from going out again for a couple days and they could get whatever was wrong sorted through.

Heavy steps drew her attention. Casino walked into the kitchen, unsmiling. Terry rinsed her hands and dried them on a towel. She retrieved a mug and went to fill it with coffee. As she turned back, two stacks of French currency plopped on the table in front of her. She frowned at it. Judging by the denomination, it was a goodly sum of money.

"What's that?" she asked, handing the cup to the safecracker.

"Your share of the take," said Casino, taking a sip.

"My share?" asked Terry in confusion. "I wasn't even there. How do you get off with me getting a share?"

"It's Actor's, but he didn't do a damned thing except get Chief shot, so we figured he didn't deserve any. You haven't been goin' out with us much lately, so we figured you could use it."

Terry shoved it toward him. "Thanks for the thought, but if I don't do anything, then I'm not taking the money. Give it back to Actor or divide it amongst yourselves."

Casino looked at her, shrugged and took the money back. "Suit yourself."

Terry eyed him worriedly. "What happened out there?"

"Warden, didn't tell you?"

"No."

"Actor quit on us. He wouldn't go in. Chief had to try to be an officer. Guess it didn't work."

"Why wouldn't Actor go in? Was he sick?"

Casino shook his head. "Don't know. Whatever it was pissed the Warden off good. Only him and maybe Chief know what was goin' on in that damn Italian's head. They were the only two in with him. You'll have to get it outta the Warden."

Terry let it go for now. "You want breakfast or lunch?"

"Don't matter," replied Casino. He stuck the money back in his shirt. "Whatcha got?"

"Sandwiches, or I can cook up some eggs."

Casino sat down at the table and waited for Terry to get the plate of sandwiches. As she pulled out the plate and a jar of pickles, Goniff bounced in.

"Morning, Love," said the Cockney.

"Morning, Mate," she replied. "Want sandwiches or breakfast?"

"Those look good," said the Englishman, snatching a sandwich out from under Casino's hand.

The safecracker made a backhanded gesture toward the grinning pickpocket. At least it was getting a little bit back to normal, thought Terry. Chief was the next to arrive. Terry repeated her menu options and he took a sandwich. She put cups of coffee in front of the two latest arrivals and topped Casino's cup.

"How's the arm?" asked Terry.

Chief looked at it and shrugged. "It's good. Wasn't much anyway."

"Coulda been worse," remarked Casino grumpily.

Just then Garrison entered. His clothes were a little rumpled and he moved carefully. His hand reached out and picked up a sandwich on his way to his seat. Craig took a bite and watched Terry pour a cup of coffee and reach into a cupboard for a bottle of aspirin she had stashed there. Both were set in front of him. He eyed her maybe a bit defensively.

"I am not hungover," he protested.

"No," replied his sister casually. "You don't drink enough to get hungover. But your back is out."

"I hate it when you can tell before I even say anything," he groused, taking two aspirin and washing them down with coffee.

"I'm your sister. What do you expect?"

"A little respect?" he suggested.

He got a snort of laughter in reply.

Goniff was chewing on a mouthful of sandwich. "So Warden, wot's so bloody important about those papers?"

"They are lists of double agents," the lieutenant replied. "Some pretty heavy intel has been leaking over to the other side. This hopefully will stop that."

Casino reached for the pickle jar, only to have it snatched away by Goniff, who proceeded to take three spears out of it. "Do you have to eat it all, you dumb Limey?"

"Oh, Casino, for heaven's sake. I have another jar," said Terry in mock irritability.

"Yeah, well that don't mean he gets to eat the whole thing," the safecracker flung back at her.

"I don't know how you don't get an ulcer from being so negative all the time," complained Terry.

"Can't get an ulcer," said Chief. "Just gives 'em away to the rest of us by complainin' so much."

"Yeah? You wanna do something about it, Geronimo?" shot back Casino hotly.

Terry walked past him and walloped him along side of the head. "Knock it off. It's too early in the morning."

Casino looked at her in startled surprise. She ignored him and kept her head turned away to keep him from seeing the little grin on her face. Casino looked at Garrison for help.

"You heard her, Casino. Knock it off," said Craig absently.

Terry took the opportunity, while the men were all occupied, to go upstairs. She eased around the door into Actor's bedroom and watched him for a few moments. He was still curled on his side. She moved closer and watched his breathing. A knowing smile came to her face. She walked up close to his head and squatted down so she was eye level with him.

"Never try to play possum with a nurse," she said conversationally. "I can tell when you're faking it."

One hazel eye opened and looked at her.

"Are you dizzy?" Terry asked, trying to find out what was wrong with the man.

There was a small shake of the head.

"Headache?"

A tiny shrug of the shoulder.

"You want something to eat?"

Another shake of the head.

"Coffee?"

Same shake of the head. Nothing verbal. Terry watched the one eye. It just looked back at her. She sighed.

"If you get hungry let me know and I'll get you something. Okay?"

After a moment's hesitation, there was a single nod of the head. This was worse than pulling hen's teeth. Terry sure wished she knew what had happened in France. She got up and started to turn away. Stopping, she turned back. The eye was closed. She bent down and placed a kiss on the purplish pink scar on Actor's temple. With that, she walked out of the room. In doing so, she missed the head lifting to watch her departure.

She had kissed him. It was an affectionate kiss . . . obviously she did not know the events of the past twenty-four hours. He wondered how affectionate she would feel when she did find out. First there had been the anger and betrayal shown by Chief. Soon, he would have to deal with it again from Teresa. That would be even more painful. He felt as though he were backed into a corner with no way out.

Terry went back downstairs. Heavens, this was not Actor. Where was the strong, straight, arrogant man? Had the concussion left that much damage? For the umpteenth time she wondered what had happened in France. She wasn't going to have to wait much longer to find out.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Garrison came around the corner from the kitchen, followed by the other three men.

"Debrief," said Craig shortly. "You sit in on this."

"Okay," said Terry. "I'll go get Actor."

"No," said Craig firmly. "He doesn't need to be here."

That gave Terry pause. She quietly followed the men into Garrison's office and closed the door. They all took seats around the conference table. Terry took Italian's usual chair.

"Okay," Casino started right in. "What the hell are we gonna do about Actor?"

"Casino," said Craig firmly. "You are not leading this. We will follow the order we always do. Transport in?"

"Too bleedin' cold!" complained Goniff. "Thought me teeth would never stop chattering."

Casino grinned, "Yeah, just like the rest of you."

"I don't know that we can change that," said Garrison. "I didn't see any problem with the resistance, going in or coming out. Anybody else?"

There were noes and shakes of heads.

"Safe house?"

"Easy defense and it had something more'n bread and cheese," offered Chief.

"Bread was stale," complained Casino.

Terry bit back a laugh, "Want me to pack a loaf to take with you next time?"

"Funny, Babe," Casino gave her a dirty look.

Garrison gave his sister a knock it off look. She smiled benignly back at him. "Transport?" he asked moving on.

"Had enough gas in it this time," replied Chief.

Casino fixed Garrison with a sour look. "You musta taken driving lessons from Terry."

Terry couldn't resist. "No, he taught me."

"Could tell on this one," wisecracked the safe cracker.

"Any problems with the safe?" Craig ignored the comments on his driving.

"Naw," replied Casino.

"Did we give you enough time?"

"Sure, Warden," grinned Goniff cheekily. "Plenty of time, even with Casino taking so long to open the ruddy thing."

Casino's head snapped around. "Hey, you wanna open it next time?"

"No, Mate," answered Goniff airily. "I was just pointing out 'ow you were takin' your sweet time this time."

"I oughta . . ." Casino started.

Craig interrupted his growing tirade. "Enough."

Casino turned to him. "So when are we gonna talk about Actor? Or are we, Warden?"

Garrison had been dreading this part. He had calmed down since they had returned to the Mansion. Now he was back to being concerned about his second-in-command. "Chief?" He tried to circumvent Casino for the time being.

"I was mad at him at first," admitted the Indian. "Thought he was just being a jerk and leavin' us hangin'."

"He was and he did!" interjected the safecracker adamantly.

"Don't think so," objected Chief slowly.

"What do you think?" Garrison asked, curious for another perspective on the problem.

Chief shook his head and frowned. "Somethin's wrong with him."

"Oh, there's somethin' wrong with him all right," Casino interrupted. "He just plain quit on us."

"Go on, Chief," encouraged Craig.

"Don't know, Warden. He's too quiet and he ain't his normal self. Don't look right and don't act right. Somethin's wrong with his head."

"Yeah, well maybe a good swift kick to the other side of his head will straighten him out," Casino said with disgust.

"That's enough, Casino. Just knock it off." Craig had enough of the grousing.

Goniff, usually quick to get over a fit of temper, was true to form. "Warden, Actor ain't been right since 'e got shot in the 'ead. 'E's too quiet. 'E don't even look right."

"All right, Guys," Terry spoke up, "I still don't understand. Just what exactly did Actor do that had you all so angry?"

"It's what he wouldn't do," said Garrison. "He refused to put on the SS uniform or go in with us. That's why I had to change plans quickly and try to pass Chief off as an officer."

"That didn't work too well," said the safecracker sarcastically.

"No it didn't. It wasn't good judgment on my part, but I didn't have any alternative given the timeframe." The knowledge that he had made a bad call resulting in injury to one of his men upset Craig more than Actor's refusal to participate.

"Okay, what did he do afterwards? How did he act when he found out Chief got hit?" asked Terry trying to get the whole picture.

Chief shook his head. "He tried to help me, but I was so mad, I wouldn't let him."

"So it did bother him you got shot because of his actions?"

"Hard to say with Actor," shrugged the Indian. "He just closes himself off and you don't know what he's thinkin'."

"Did he say anything?" pursued Terry.

Craig was watching her, wondering if she had any good idea what was going on with the con man. "He said he didn't want to do this anymore. Said he couldn't."

Casino sent a frustrated look at Terry. "I suppose you're going to defend him."

"Well somebody has to," she replied. "I don't see him being invited down here to defend himself." She pinned him with a hard look. "Tell me Casino, when you were a little boy did you want to grow up to spend a lot of time in prison?"

"We ain't talkin' about me," grumbled the safecracker defensively.

"Yes we are," said Terry.

Craig sat back to watch this with interest.

She continued. "You mean you don't ever wish you could do it over again and do it right. Legitimate?"

Her gaze moved over the three cons. Chief and Goniff gave reluctant nods. Casino took a little longer, but he nodded too. She saw she had them thinking, her brother included. "Okay, Casino, go back to being that little boy. You want to do big things in your life when you grow up. You want your family to be proud of you. Right?" Again a reluctant nod. "All right. What if suddenly someone comes up to you and tells you you're going to rob banks and go to jail and maybe your family won't be so proud of you. How would you feel?"

"He ain't no little boy." Casino tossed back at her.

She could still see the cogs turning in the safecracker's mind. "No that's for sure. But is it so hard to imagine?"

"'E tell you that?" asked Goniff, remembering he had been the one to tell Actor what his past was.

Terry made a face and shook his head. "Not in so many words. You know he doesn't talk much about himself or any family before he became a con man."

Casino wasn't buying it completely yet. "So maybe that's what's goin' through his head. Still don't give him the right to cut out on us like that."

"True," agreed Terry. "But I'll put a twenty on the table right now betting he's covering up that the concussion has still got his brain messed up."

Garrison looked hard at his sister. "From a medical standpoint you think that's what's going on?"

Terry nodded. "It's possible. I know I was a surgical nurse, but I did some of everything else too."

"So what do you want us to do?" asked Chief.

Terry gave a hands up gesture. "Cut him some slack? Give him support? Didn't you guys just come back from Greece saying how much you missed him there to help?"

"Yeah well we missed him there to help on this one too and he was there." Casino wasn't quite ready to let it go. What makes you think he's gonna get his head screwed back on straight?"

"I don't know," admitted Terry. "But I think he needs more time to recover than what the army's giving him."

"Hopefully this weather will give him the time he needs," said Craig.

"You're gonna keep him?" demanded Casino.

"That is between him and me," said Garrison firmly. "Anybody else have anything to say?"

"So 'ow do we 'give him support'?" asked Goniff , addressing Terry.

Terry made a face, "I don't know that either. For one, don't attack him." This remark was aimed directly at Casino, who made a face of acquiescence back at her. "Little things," she suggested. "I mean, when you guys are injured, doesn't he sometimes do things for you like bring you a cup of coffee or get something so you don't have to get up?"

"Yeah," agreed Chief.

"'E don't make 'n 'alf bad cuppa either," added Goniff.

There was a pause in the conversation.

"That all?" asked Garrison. Nothing more was said. "All right, get out of here. Terry, you stay."

Somehow that little order did not surprise her. The two stayed where they were until the others had filed out of the room and closed the door. Garrison started pacing, running a hand through his blond hair in frustration. Terry sat back and watched him, waiting for him to start in his own sweet time. Craig paused and looked at his sister, the only person he could be open and honest with right now.

"What the hell do I do?" he asked.

"What the hell do you want to do?" she countered.

He shook his head and gestured with one hand. "I don't know. By the book I should throw him in the stockade and send him back to stir for dereliction of duty."

"He's not regular army, Craig," said Terry wryly. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to get my second back," admitted Garrison. "He's damn good at what he does. Up until now, I could count on him for backup. He was accepting more responsibility. It was taking some of the burden off of me." He hesitated and his voice quieted as he confessed, "I can talk to him."

"There is that about him," agreed Terry. "So what do you want me to do?"

"You two are close," broached her brother.

Terry looked up sharply at that. She suddenly realized she did have a closer relationship with Actor than she did with the others. "It's because of what we do. We have to be close to pull off those kinds of cons." She tried to brush it off.

"See if he'll talk to you. See if you can straighten his head out."

Terry slowly nodded. She pushed the chair back and got up, heading for the door. She wondered just what she could say to the con man to get him to open up. Her mind was preoccupied as she mounted the stairs, not seeing the three pair of eyes watching her.