TTK Chapter 2

Terry entered the mansion and looked at the faces of the three men in the common room. She gave a wry smile.

"Thought you had to work tonight, Babe?" said Casino, going back to move cards on his ever present solitaire game.

"Craig called me from London," she replied, while hanging her jacket on the coat tree by the door. "We're on for tonight."

"Blimey, again?" grumbled Goniff.

"Where to this time?" asked Chief.

"Don't know," she replied. "Craig just told me to be here by four." She pointed to the empty chair in the corner. "Is he here or out chasing skirts."

"Really, Teresa," the con man's voice objected from the library.

That evoked chuckles from the rest of the group. Actor appeared at the door to the library, pipe between his teeth, open book in his hand. Never one to hold a grudge, Terry grinned at him. She received a raised eyebrow in return.

"Okay, what do you guys want for dinner before we go?" Terry asked.

"Pork chops!" three voices replied in unison.

"Whatever is easiest for you, Teresa," added Actor magnanimously.

Terry shook her head and headed for the kitchen. "I do cook other things besides pork chops."

Goniff answered, "Right Love, but yer pork chops are bloody 'eaven."

Terry grinned widely. "Okay, pork chops. Thank you, Goniff."

She had the pork chops ready for the fry pan and the potatoes and green beans keeping warm, by the time Garrison returned. Terry emerged from the kitchen and eyed the stony expression on her brother's face. Oh this one must be a doozy, she thought.

"Do I have time to cook after we brief or you want to brief me on the way over?" she asked.

"No," said Garrison. "You'll have time after."

The resignation in the officer's voice had the cons exchanging looks. They all moved reluctantly into Garrison's office. Craig placed the briefcase on the conference table and unlocked the handcuff. Opening it up, he removed some papers, photos and a map, spreading them out on the tabletop.

Chief stepped up to Garrison's left. Casino and Goniff went around to the opposite side of the table. Actor went up to Craig's right, Terry beside him. The Italian calmly smoked his pipe with his left hand and rested his right wrist on Terry's shoulder.

Craig straightened and looked around at them. "We are going into France tonight by sub. There's a front over the area and they don't want to send a plane in."

"That's a switch," said Casino sarcastically. "They always want us to jump in the worst weather they can find."

"Yeah, well this isn't going to be a pleasant ride either," said Garrison. "This is Georg Krantz." He passed around a photo of a dark haired, thin man in his forties.

"German physicist, wunderkind," inserted Actor. "He has been passing information on their new bomb to the Allies."

"Right," said Garrison. "Well things are getting hot and he wants out. We want him to bring his knowledge to our side. He's willing, but only if we remove him and his family together."

"Family?" asked Chief dubiously.

"Krantz, his wife and their five year-old son," replied the lieutenant. He laid two more pictures on the table.

"Great, a kid," said Casino in disgust. "Kids are nothin' but trouble."

"You ought to know, Casino," teased Terry. "You were one."

"Terry . . ." warned Craig.

"Sorry, Brother," she said. "Please do continue."

Actor flicked her ear with his fingers. She threw a mock dirty look at the con man. Craig spread the map of France out on the table. He pointed to a small town about 100 miles inland from the coast.

"This is where we're going. The Germans have a research facility hidden inside an old textile factory."

"We're goin' to break in there?" asked Goniff.

"No," replied Garrison. "There is going to be a party tomorrow night in honor of a visiting Field Marshall Huber. Krantz and his wife, Helga, will be attending this party. Actor, you and Terry will be attending as a general, just returning from North Africa, and your girlfriend from Berlin. Actor, you received a leg injury and will be walking with a cane." Craig looked at his second questioningly, "you ever been to North Africa?"

Actor smiled smugly with obviously lecherous memories, "Ah, yes, Cairo . . . Casablanca . . ."

There were groans around the table.

"Uh, Craig? What do I have to know about North Africa? The only thing I know is you got yourself blown up there . . . twice."

"And decorated twice for bravery," added Actor casually.

Terry looked up at him with a frown.

"I have read his dossier," explained Actor.

"You don't have to know anything," Craig replied to his sister while ignoring the Italian. "You wouldn't have accompanied him there." He returned to the business at hand. "Actor and Terry will make contact with Krantz and his wife, and get them out of the party and to the safe house. Casino will be their driver. Chief, Goniff and I will pay a visit to the flat where the nanny will be watching the boy, Eric. Goniff will get us into the flat through a window into the boy's bedroom and we will get him out the same way."

"We're splittin' up?" demanded Chief.

Craig nodded.

"Since when?" asked Terry, fully aware of her brother's aversion to splitting the group up.

"Since a new colonel came on board. These are his orders. We'll meet back at the safe house and then rendezvous with the sub again at 4am."

"When are we leaving here?" asked Terry.

"Eight."

"I'm going to go cook," she said. She peered around Actor at her brother. "When we're on the sub I want you two to talk to me about Berlin." She pointed at Craig. "I know you were there when we were kids." She then cocked a thumb at Actor, "And he's been everywhere. The only place in Germany Zia took me was Dusseldorf for some festival with one of her – uh – boyfriends."

Craig gave her a puzzled look. "How old were you?"

"Twelve," she replied. She knew what he was thinking. "It was before she got involved with that fusto who ran out on her."

Craig chuckled at her reference to the handsome man their aunt had been madly in love with, and so had Terry at age 13.

Actor shook his head. "You really should speak proper Italian," he admonished Terry over her use of slang.

Terry gave him a wicked grin. "I don't remember much about him now, but trust me, Sweetheart, he could have given you a run for your money."

"Terry, go cook!" Craig tried to avert a flare-up between his sister and his second.