Chapter 2
A Desperate Search
One scream and two gasps later and three men ran toward the smoking ruins. They were all devastated but for different reasons.
"Mia casa. Che ha fatto questo? Chi ha fatto questo a cassa mia?
Actor and Garrison scanned the wreckage for signs of life. There was plenty of time for the others to get inside but they doubted they had time to find, open and check the contents. They were most likely buried somewhere in the debris. They had to find their bodies and take them home somehow. After all they had gone through they could not leave them. To make matters worse Pellitteri started wading through the debris, lifting boards, pushing stones aside. He was searching, as they wanted to search.
Garrison saw something brown that looked like a sleeve. Casino was wearing brown. He carefully stepped closer but the Italian traitor was too close. He would see him if it was Casino.
Actor had waded into the debris ten feet over so Garrison called to him. "There's nothing here but rubble. Can the Signore help you over there?"
Actor understood. "Yes, please. Give me a hand. I think there might be some items over here that you might want. Help me lift this." The owner obliged. Garrison positioned himself so his body was between the Italians and the arm.
"Casino?" he whispered. There was no response so he began to uncover the arm. It twitched then began pulling the rest of his body out. Casino was alive. With Garrison's help he sat up swaying slightly from a blow to the head if the blood flowing down the side of his head was any indication. Garrison took off his jacket, wadded it and pressed it to the site of the injury.
The home owner saw the commotion and came stumbling over welding a board. Before he had a chance to swing it Garrison intercepted him.
"No."
"He did this. He destroyed my home. I'll kill him."
"Look at him. If he wanted to destroy your home he would have made sure he out of the blast. This man, look how he is dressed. He's a peasant looking for a job or some food. He just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Look at him. He doesn't know what the hell happened." It was true. Casino sat there stunned, just staring out at the wreckage.
The irate owner relaxed. He accepted that he was looking at an innocent man.
"Tell him to go away, there's nothing for him here." He turned and began searching again.
Moments later Goniff was found. He was not as lucky. When Garrison moved the board from his leg, the injured man cried out. His knee was bloody and twisted in way that made Garrison's stomach clench. His leg was badly broken and needed to be tended immediately.
"I found another beggar. Must be his friend, only he's hurt worse." The fear in his voice drew Actor to his side. Between them they extracted the second injured man.
"Why don't you take those two to a Doctor and I'll help our friend to salvage what we can," suggested Actor. They both scanned the immediate area hoping Chief was there too and alive but there was no sign of another body, living or not. They loaded the two patients in their car and Garrison drove to town after asking directions to the nearest medic. The compassionate home owner's suggestion that he drop them off down the road was ignored.
For the rest of the day Actor helped find and retrieve what he could for Pellitteri. There was not a lot left intact in that part of the building so when his neighbor arrived to inquire about the blast he asked him if he could borrow his truck. Between the three of them they began loading everything they could from the rest of the house and took it to another place he owned. It was dirty heavy work but at least Actor could keep an eye out for Chief. His body had to be here somewhere. They had crawled over all the debris and found no sign. He had to be buried deeper and dead. No one could have that much fall on them and survive.
Garrison found the Hospital and led Casino inside. Fortunately with the war over and the Allies victorious there were many Americans in Italy so he did not have to worry about a cover if he spoke English. He led a second Doctor out to the car where they had managed to put Goniff and he ordered a stretcher and two orderlies to bring him inside. Both men were hustled away.
Garrison sat in the waiting room with an elderly man who was worried about his wife. She had had a heart attack. Sitting idle was not something Captain Garrison was good at. With nothing to do he worried. Would Goniff lose his leg? It looked bad and the look on the Doctor's face when he saw it was not encouraging. What about Casino? Was he just dazed by the explosion or was there more to it? A blow like what ever had cut his head could cause brain damage. Would he recover or was he going to be simple for the rest of his life? Here you go. Here's your son. No, That's all he does, sit and stare. Sorry about your son. At least he's alive.
That brought another heart ache. Chief. He was most likely dead. And who would care. There was no next of kin in his file. He never received any mail or wrote any. He had mentioned someone named Gouyen but said she was dead now. How sad to end up dying on the last mission and there was no one who cared other than his team mates and if Casino remained addled and Goniff ended up dying… Chief was around thirty years old and the only people who cared about him were four strangers he met during the war. How sad.
A doctor appeared and informed the elderly man that his wife was going to be all right. He was all smiles as he hurried after the Doctor. Would luck smile on him too?
That was when Goniff's statement about prisoners dying just before they were released struck home. Was that what was going to happen? Was one of them to die or had he already? Was Chief already dead? Damn, he hated this waiting. He hated being here, sitting in a hospital waiting room, being in Italy, being in the Army, being in charge of men he cared about and watching them die. He stood and strode to the door then stopped and returned. Casino and Goniff needed him. Instead of sitting he headed in the direction he had seen Casino go and almost ran into the Doctor. He motioned for Garrison to follow him.
Casino was sitting on an examination table. His shirt had been removed and he was wearing a hospital gown. His pants were still on. The Doctor started explaining about the head wound and the need for X-rays to determine if there was a skull fracture. Casino did look somewhat more with it now but he was watching them intently. That was when the Doctor dropped the other shoe.
The effects of the blast and possible the damage to the skull had caused total deafness. No wonder he looked confused, he was deaf. If it was from the shock of the blast he would probably recover with time but there was more. Casino was suffering from a perforated eardrum on the one side. This might heal on its own or it might require surgery.
"What's he saying?" shouted Casino.
Garrison held up his hands in a 'just relax, it will be all right' motion as the Doctor grabbed a pen and paper. He wrote something and handed it to the patient. Casino took the paper and squinted at it.
"I can't read this. What is it? What's it say?"
Garrison mimed an explosion and something hitting him in the head.
"What? What's this?" and he repeated the mimed explosion.
Garrison realized he did not remember the explosion. Taking the paper he drew a house with a stick figure beside it. He pointed to Casino and then the figure. Casino indicated he understood. The Garrison added a bomb.
"They bombed the building?" Garrison nodded. "And that's why I can't hear?" Again a nod.
"Will it get better?" he asked the Doctor who could do nothing but shrug. It might or it might not.
"Damn." That expressed what they were all thinking. "What about the others?"
Garrison told the Doctor that he had brought another man in and could he find out his condition. He was a blonde man with an injured leg. As soon as the medic had left Garrison put his finger to his lips. There was no telling whether the Doctor was friends with the traitor. Best to play it safe. He did let him know that Chief was missing and presumed dead.
The news was not good in regards to Goniff. They had taken him into surgery and from the looks of it he was going to be there for a while. His leg was badly mangled. Garrison relayed the information to Casino who indicated he wanted to go help find Chief but he did not want to leave the Englishman. Garrison decided for him. Stay and rest. He would return with news later today or tomorrow.
Garrison returned to the ruined house as the sun was setting. Actor was still surreptitiously looking for a body as he helped with the salvage operation but he was tiring.
"I think you have everything. The rest is ruined. Besides it is getting cold and dark."
"There are still things that I haven't found. Papers that …"
"We can come back tomorrow after it is light."
"Maybe you are right. Come we go to my other house for the night."
"You go ahead. We have taken rooms in town. Shall we pick you up in the morning?" asked Garrison.
"No. We will meet you here at eight." With that the neighbor headed home and the traitor got into the vehicle and drove off.
They had about twenty minutes to call and look before darkness was complete. Even the moon and stars were obscured. They finally surrendered but Garrison would not leave.
Day two dawned cold and dreary with a threat of rain. The owner of the house arrived with two young men and they continued the search. The two Allies made out like they had just arrived rather than admit that other than a trip into the Hospital by Actor to check on the others, they had spent the night there.
The only place not thoroughly search was the basement though why Chief would be there they did not know. The only possible reason was that the explosion ruptured the floor and he dropped through and then the building fell on top of him. It meant he was dead since even if he survived the drop the rest of the building falling on him would have killed him for sure. Still they did not want anyone else to find the body so when anyone started looking too deep one of the Allies would steer them off.
"Signore," called out one of the young men. "Che cosa è questo?"
There was something in his tone that brought both Garrison and Actor over to see.
"Don't touch it. It's a bomb," said Garrison.
"Che?"
"Una bomba," translated Actor.
"Una bomba," squeeled the almost victim as he crab walked backwards away from the incendiary devise. He got to his feet and headed for the vehicle. He was finished searching. The other was made of sterner stuff but he stood waiting to see what was going to happen first.
"Can you disarm it?" asked the host.
'No," was Garrison's reply. He might be able to but he hoped its presence might scare off he searchers so they would leave.
"Those men did this. They left this here didn't they. I'll kill them myself." The owner was still looking for someone to blame.
"Signore Pellitteri," started Garrison. "This is a German booby trap. I have seen them before. You said the Nazi lived here until the Americans came and then they left."
Pellitteri nodded.
"They may have taken their troops with them but they left this and probably the one that blew up your house. The Nazi's did this, not those two drifters."
"But why would they do this? Herr Klein said I was a good German friend. He would not do this."
"There it is," he said as he gestured to the bomb. "There's your proof that they lied to you. They booby-trapped the place and they left. They wanted you to die."
"No. They said all this was for me, that I had earned it. They took the money and papers. They said they needed them to get them home but the land and the furniture and the wine, it was all mine. Why would they do that and them bomb it. That's not right." He looked around at the devastation like a child looks at his broken toys. "It's not fair. How am I to lead the people? They won't respect me if I live," and his voice became hard, "in that hovel that is fit only for servants."
Actor was tired and dirty. He had not wanted to go on this mission to begin with and then the horror of almost losing his friends and the knowledge that one of their own was buried here with no one to mourn him and this man was worried about his prestige. He felt his anger building.
"Signore." Garrison stepped forward. As angry as he was at the man's self-centered tirade he could see Actor slipping. The con man was a bastion of control, a rock but he knew if he ever did let go that the fall out would be extensive and right now Actor was about to commit murder.
"You mean you can be stopped by this? Signore Pellitteri, the great statesman, was stopped by blowing up his house. He was uninjured but he gave up, never to lead the people because of a little bomb. Sad, isn't it."
"But where will I entertain?" he asked pitifully.
"Who will you entertain?" asked Actor coldly. "Your German friends are all gone. You said the people here consider you a traitor. Best you move somewhere else." Actor's tone said 'slink away you rat'.
"Yes," he said brightening. "I will go where they do not know me. That is what I will do." He looked to the truck with the rest of his belongings and the two Allies dared to hope he was leaving.
He did not. Instead he pulled a bottle of wine and some glasses from the truck and he began to pour, handing the glasses out. Actor and Garrison wanted to refuse so he would leave. They did not want to drink with this man, this spoiled traitor. They wanted to get on with the gruesome task of digging down in the debris until they found their friend and then take his body home. They also realized that he would not leave until the bottle was empty so the sooner it was empty the faster they got what they wanted. They each accepted a glass.
"I had a lot of good times in this house." He held up his glass in salute then took a drink. "The parties, the women…" He smiled at the memories. "I think I had a woman in each of the bedrooms, except the Master bedroom. That was reserved for the General."
"I thought this was your house?" ask Garrison not really interested.
"It is now."
"How did you get it?" Now Actor was interested. Information was always valuable.
"I work for the government. When the owner died in 1937 I made it look like he own money, a lot of money. The children had to sell the property and I bought it cheap." He looked very pleased with himself. "Then I fixed the records." He was positively glowing and it was not from the cold breeze or from the wine.
The two men's eyes met. They were thinking the same thing. 'Bastard.'
It was getting dark by the time he climbed into the truck, said, 'Arrivederci', 'Good bye' and left.
The last two men turned to their task, heading to the area where the entrance to the cellar had been.
Day three smiled on them with weak sunshine and milder temperatures. As soon as it was light enough to see the two were up and searching. The top area had been searched so they started digging deeper, moving boards and small beams.
"Craig? It's time."
"No, it's not. I'm not giving up. He deserves better than this," and he gestured to the rubble. "For all he has done and gone through, he deserves to have a decent funeral and I'll be damned if I'm…"
"I meant, to go to the Hospital. Casino will be waiting."
"Oh." He deflated. "Yeah." He stood holding the board he had grabbed and looked out over the devastation, shoulders slumped. It was a daunting task to find a body in all this rubble and thankless. Chief was dead and no one waited back in the US for his remains. As sad as that was he would not give up. He would continue to look until he found him.
Actor drove into the city and to the Hospital. First stop was the Doctor's Office where he hoped to find some good news about Goniff. Foolish as it was, having seen the man's leg, he still had to hope.
Next stop was Goniff's ward. He spotted Casino at the entrance to the ward, leaning on the wall. He looked miserable. He almost called to him but caught himself in time. Instead he approached, swinging wide so he did not startle him by suddenly appearing at his side.
The haggard look on the safecracker's face was almost expected after hearing the Doctor's report. He had saved the leg but there was a lot of damage to the joint. Goniff, the agile second story man, was now crippled.
"He's in pain. They keep…" Seeing Actor put his finger to his lips he lowered his voice. He shook his head in frustration. "They keep giving him stuff but it's not working. It's pure hell to stand in there and watch him begging." His voice, filled with agony, was rising again.
Actor put his hand on Casino's shoulder in sympathy as he looked him in the eye. He released his grasp and walked into the ward. Maybe Casino's deafness was a blessing. This was a surgical ward and several of the patients, most likely soldiers, were awake and in pain. He found Goniff's bed and moved up beside him. Mercifully he was asleep. He checked his chart and saw that he had a shot of morphine ten minutes ago and would not have one for four hours. Casino had time to get away if he wanted.
Actor left the room and took Casino with him. He found a quiet spot, wrote out his options and handed the note to Casino. He read it and reached out to take the pencil before laughing bitterly. He was about to write his reply on the paper.
"I don't know. I want to help find Chief but Goniff needs me. When he came out of surgery he kept asking me something, begging. The poor guys gotta be terrified, and in pain. I wanna be here when he wakes up." Actor nodded his acceptance but Casino wasn't through. "But I gotta help look for Chief.
"Damn Garrison for taking this. He shoulda said No." His voice was rising with his anger. "He could a lost his leg or his life." Seeing Actor's gesture he lowered his voice a bit but continued. "I don't care who hears me. He almost killed the guy." It suddenly dawned on him. "HE KILLED CHIEF! Damn him. The kid worshipped him and he killed him! If he were here right now I'd f…," he saw the nurse, "I'd," he dropped his voice, "I'd kill'm." He was too angry to care that she turned in fear and looked at him. He had not dropped his voice enough and she had heard him.
Actor said nothing. He understood. A part of him wanted to agree. Goniff was badly injured and might still lose his leg. Chief had looked up to the Officer, was it worship? and he was presumed dead.
Actor also understood Command structure. A Captain did not tell his superiors no. He did not refuse an order if he wished to remain in the Army or leave on good terms. A charge of insubordination or a Dishonorable Discharge would follow him for the rest of his life. There was also the fact that Garrison could not possibly know that the retreating Germans had booby trapped the building. It was not his fault.
Would he ever be able to convince Garrison of that? If he did not then the guilt would be just as bad as the Dishonorable Discharge, just not visible on paper. He needed Casino on his side to make that happen. Right now he was not sure how he was going to do that. Writing everything down was going to be long and tedious.
"So where is he anyway?" He was calming down.
Actor gestured over his shoulder, mimed pulling things up and looking underneath.
Casino snorted. "He's still there looking." He saw Actor's nod. "And it's not because he didn't want to face me or see Goniff?" Actor smiled at that and Casino could not help his own. "Guess he feels bad enough about the kid without me taking his head off?" He did not need to see the conman's reaction to know he was right. It was true. Garrison cared about all his men. He was just angry, but it was like he had told Actor. He looked toward the ward where his friend slept and then saw the look on Actor's face, saw the dirt, the exhaustion. He had to help. "If I come can I come back here for when he wakes up? He should be out for an hour or two?"
The conman smiled and nodded. Casino had spouting off as usual. He was a passionate man, scared for his friend and for himself. Being deaf had to be frightening. He also cared for Chief. The relationship he had with each was different but he cared for both. He gestured to Casino and himself then in Goniff's direction. They would both be here for when he awoke. With that settled, the two men returned to the scene of the devastation.
The scene was like the one he had left except there was the top half of a man planted near the back. He turned to watch them approach after tossing a rock clear of the foundation. Actor made his way as close as he could then lifted the bottle of wine.
"Come, wash some of the dust down. We will take over." Seeing the wrong response, he leaned down to grab another board. "Warden! You will do him no good if you collapse. Now, stop and take a break." His command tone got through because he stood and threw the piece of stone he had in his hand then climbed up and made his way to them. He was exhausted. In spite of the cool temperatures his face was streaked with sweat and his hands were raw where he had been tearing at the rocks and plaster debris.
Casino picked his way to where the officer had been digging. As good a place as any, he thought. He crouched down to see better, noting the space that led deeper. Taking off his jacket he started to force his way in. If he could see down there he could tell if they were on the right track or should try somewhere else. As he maneuvered his body through the spaces he felt his pant leg catch on something and rip as he pulled himself farther into the concrete and rubble jungle. Nothing. There was no sign of life. He had to go back but in his eagerness to look he had not thought about how to get back. He simply reversed direction but his feet came to a dead end. He could not see behind him to see which way he was to go. Without thinking he hollered then remembered. You're deaf, stupid. You can't hear them. He swore in frustration. The Doctor said it might get better and it might not. He said the damage to the one side was worse, maybe permanent. Here he was stuck in the rubble and deaf. He wanted to hit something but he was stuck. He felt as close to crying as he had since he was a little boy.
He felt a tug on his foot and almost kicked in anger. Don't bother… He felt it again a little stronger. They were guiding him out. Relief. He could do this. The guys would help him. He moved in the suggested direction and was soon clear.
"I went as far as I could but nothing." He shook his head in frustration. He tried again in another direction. Being smaller than the other two he was able to wriggle in smaller places. The two bigger men worked to open an area and he climbed down to check. After a while he began to feel like a rat crawling through the underworld.
Finally Garrison said it was time to go back to the hospital.
"There's just down there to look. Doesn't look like it goes far. I'll just have a look then we'll go." This time he lowered himself feet first then ducked under the beam. It was a short crawl until he came to the end. He looked around and thought he saw something; a rat, a real one. Those things would chew your fingers off. He backed up fast and bumped into a beam causing it to shift pinning him.
"Hey. I'm stuck. You gotta help me move this." All he could do was hope they heard him. He tried again. "Hey. I'm gonna try to shift this thing. Give me a hand." He took a deep breath and pushed up on the beam with his shoulders. It was heavy but he could move it a bit. The problem was that he could lift it but then he could not move out from under while he was holding it. He lowered the beam then lifted it again. As he lowered it he felt it move. They had it. He pulled himself free and turned to look at the gap that had been opened. There was a boot. Could it be?
He reached in hoping whoever was holding the beam did not let go. Up the boot he felt. Yes, there was a leg in that boot. He tried nudging the leg hoping for a response. It was silly but he couldn't help it. At least he had found Chief's body.
"I got'm. He's here." He began retracing his path. As he finally found the entrance he stood and said, "I found Chief's body. We're going to have to do some digging. All I could reach was his boot."
"Show us where."
Casino mentally followed the path he had taken. "Where was the beam you moved?"
Actor led them to the place and Casino eyed the board. "There. He has to be about where that piece of picture frame is."
They moved in and looked but it was completely blocked by a section of wall. They would have to dig beside and tunnel to him.
Between the three of them they heaved and pulled and lifted and tossed until they had a space cleared next to where they thought the body was. Casino went down in the hole and started pulling debris out in an attempt to tunnel. When he came to the large chunk of wall he was stopped. He backed out of the tunnel to allow Garrison to try. He dragged a chunk of two by four which he hoped to use as a lever or a brace. Garrison made his way as far as he could. Placing the lever in as far as he could he pushed. The blockage moved.
"I see it. Just give me a minute." Actor saw the beam that moved. If he could lift it from this end it would help. This was going to work. Squatting down in place he put both hands under the beam.
"When I lift, put something under to hold it." He heard the acknowledgement so he heaved and held as long as he could before lowering it. It did not go back down as far as he had lifted. It was working.
"I see'm. Do it again." The voice was muffled but encouraged.
He shifted his footing, took a deep breath and heaved again. Again it did not go as far down.
"That's getting it. Once more."
Actor shifted his position again placing both arms under the beam. He took another deep breath and heaved.
Down in the hole Garrison had a piece of wood positioned to push into place. He was lying on his back looking intently at the place where the gap was opening when suddenly the plaster sheet that they were tunneling under cracked under the strain showering everything below with dust, dirt and crumbling plaster. Garrison tried to close his eyes to the debris and turn his head but he was not fast enough and the pain as his lids closed on the grit was blinding. Shocked by the pain he lay still as Actor heaved some more.
Casino saw the shower from his position farther back but was helpless to do anything. He waited and when he did not see his leader move he panicked.
"Warden!" He probably did not have to yell that loud but with no feedback and rising panic he was loud enough for Actor to hear.
Straining at his limits he was startled by the panic in the yell and he shifted. This moved his foot that was braced and he slid. The beam twisted and fell trapping his one arm against a rock. The pain seared down his arm from his upper arm to his wrist stunning him. With his free arm he tried to free himself but could not.
Casino, oblivious to the scene above crawled to his leader. In spite of wanting to kill him earlier he was now desperate to see if he was all right. As he got closer he saw Garrison's arms move up to his face. From the amount of dirt on his face and the closed eyes he knew what had happened. He started pulled the injured man back out of the hole.
Once he was clear Casino knew he needed water. Where was the well? There had to be a well near here. As he pulled Garrison from the hole he yelled to Actor to get water, that Garrison had dirt I his eyes.
Angry that Actor had not appeared with water he spun around ready to blast him. That was when he saw the sight that drained the anger and most of the blood from him. Actor was crouched over awkwardly pushing at the beam. There were muted Italian curses between pushes.
He did not want to upset Garrison who now had enough to worry about so he said, "Just sit right here. I'll see about something to flush your eyes." He then hurried over to the tall Italian.
"It caught my arm," was all he had time for before Casino grabbed the beam and heaved with all he was worth. Actor pulled his arm clear and sat back cradling it to his chest.
"Is it broken?" he asked watching intently for any indication.
Garrison heard the inquiry and stood intending to make his way over to the voices. With eyes tightly closed he could not see the rough terrain he was to traverse. He did well for a few steps but then his foot failed to find the ground and he tumbled into one of the excavations they had dug. He had the sensation of falling then it was over. There was nothing.