Chapter 3

Chief was unpleasantly surprised when he came abreast of two trucks and a staff car filled with Krauts. They blocked his way, forcing him to stop. The Indian swallowed hard and tried to figure out what Actor would do in this situation. He didn't speak Kraut.

A corporal came up to his window. The German asked him where he was going. Chief just looked at him and made a gesture that he didn't understand. Taking a chance, Chief said something in the little Mexican he knew. The corporal looked at him puzzled. The fear on the Indian's face wasn't a con. He pointed to himself and then down the road. The corporal tried to speak to him again. Chief shook his head. He looked back in the direction he had come from and mimicked a gun being fired and an explosion.

The officer in the back of the staff car was impatient to get to the estate. He told his corporal to get back in the car. The German motioned Chief to go on. Chief smiled and in a voice sounding like he was thanking the man, he called him something impolite in border Mexican. He pulled out, hoping to get away before they changed their minds.

Garrison, Casino and Goniff were tearing through the woods. There were patches of snow in the dips and no place to hide three of them. They headed for the far crossroads, confident that Chief would be there somewhere with a vehicle. Casino had shot their two pursuers just after they had gained the cover of the woods. The men paused and looked to their left as they heard gunshots in the distance.

"That better be Actor's gun," said Casino. He didn't want to think what would happen if the con man and the girl got caught.

Craig would not show his concern, but inside he was scared for his sister. Garrison placed a lot of trust in the older con man to take care of her. He motioned the two men on.

Terry peeked around the opposite side of the tree. Actor was still standing in front of her. The two guards were down. The Italian shot a look at Teresa. She nodded and they took off again. Both wondered what had become of the other members of their team, but did not have time to dwell on it. Actor led them on a diagonal path toward the road. He kept an eye on the girl. Even hindered by the dress, she was pushing through the undergrowth alongside him, leaping dips and fallen branches. The young woman had palle he had to admit to himself.

They had almost reached the road, when Actor threw himself to the ground, grabbing Terry's arm and yanking her down beside him. She skidded on her knees before falling flat. They watched silently and without moving as a German staff car and two trucks with troops passed in front of them. Terry watched the con man as the vehicles disappeared down the road. He got up, held a hand down and pulled her up, and led them back into the woods. They began paralleling the road, moving slower and quieter now. There was no sign of the car. They hoped the Indian was all right and not dead in the ditch somewhere.

Chief came up on the back of a covered supply truck, stopped by the side of the road. He slowly pulled past it and went around a curve in the road. Pulling the big car off into the ditch, he got out and hurriedly made his way silently back toward the truck. There were two men. One was smoking a cigarette with his back to the Indian. The other man went into the woods with the seeming purpose to relieving himself. Chief intercepted him and got him with his switchblade. He retrieved the blade and wiped it on the man's shirt. Making his way back to the truck just as silently, he threw the knife and took out the other man. Chief waited for a minute to see if there were anymore. Satisfied, he retrieved his blade a second time and helped himself to the pistol stuck in the man's waistband. He dragged the body off into the woods and left it beside his partner. A quick look in the back of the truck showed some boxes and nothing more. With a scan of the road, Chief got into the truck and started forward. He pulled over behind the car and stopped. The car was moved into the ditch behind some tall bushes. Chief got their bags out of the trunk and put them in the back of the truck. Getting behind the wheel, he drove slowly on to the crossroads and turned right.

The two trucks of Wehrmacht soldiers unloaded and the men scattered going through the woods in search of the people who had destroyed the rocket plans and killed the man behind them. They did not move slowly or quietly.

Garrison, Goniff and Casino made it to the road. They were a little north of the crossroads so they eased down through the woods, just inside the tree line. A short hike brought them to the supply truck. They hid behind trees to watch. Chief had spotted them coming and now motioned them to come on. Goniff climbed in the back. Garrison and Casino climbed into the front.

"You seen Terry and Actor?" asked Garrison.

Chief shook his head. "They'll be along," he said.

"Yeah, if that wasn't them getting shot back there," said Casino cynically.

"Knock it off," said Craig sharply. The thought was in his mind, but he didn't need the safecracker putting it into words.

Chief started the truck up. They waited.

Terry was running along several yards behind Actor as they headed through the woods toward the road. Being behind him caused her to see the soldier step out from behind a tree with a machine gun, where Actor couldn't see. The soldier was bringing the gun up to fire.

"Actor!"