Chapter 7
The two men wearily, but rapidly, exited the military headquarters. Garrison was in no mood and did not have the energy for the over two hour drive back to the mansion in the blackout. He glanced at Actor. Once away from the scrutiny in the building, the man allowed himself the luxury of looking drained. Craig wondered how fully recovered the con man really was.
"Mind staying in London?" asked Craig.
"Not at all," replied Actor hiding his relief. He was not up for a two hour drive either, but would never have uttered that fact. His head was pounding and the stress from playing the cat and mouse game with Johns had worn him down when his reserves were already low.
"I asked before we left. The only place they have to put us up is the base on cots."
Actor eyed him with a look telling him how little he thought of that idea. "If I may suggest, I would be delighted to pay for a room for us at the Savoy," offered the con man.
Craig would have enjoyed that, but pride and military protocol prevented him from accepting. "Actor, I thank you for the offer, but I can't accept."
Actor sighed, knowing he was going to be turned down. "I understand. I was not meaning any insult, Lieutenant."
"Didn't take it you were," said Craig. "I do have another idea though. I just need to make a phone call." He stepped over to a red kiosk and closed himself inside. Putting what he knew by heart was the correct amount in coins into the slot, he dialed the operator and asked for the call to be put through. Then, he waited while it rang and rang on the other end.
Chris hung over the banister and grabbed the phone. "Mansion Bed and Breakfast," she said with half awake sarcasm.
"Chris, is you flat available?"
"Yeah," she came awake. "You all right?"
"Fine, tired. Uh, do you mind if I take Actor there?"
"Of course not, you idiot. What were you going to do? Leave him on the curb?"
The three beeps sounded, cutting off the call.
"What's wrong?" asked Terry appearing at the top of the stairs.
Chris dropped the receiver back onto the cradle. "Nothing. Craig is being an imbecile. He wanted to know if it was okay to take Actor to my flat."
"Why? What was he going to do, leave him on the curb." Terry had not heard the conversation.
Chris looked at her sister and laughed.
Craig emerged from the kiosk with a smile. The con man was standing at the curb, watching him inscrutably. Well, Christine's flat wasn't the Savoy, but it was comfortable, quiet, usually stocked with food, and free. Garrison cocked his head at Actor and the Italian followed him to the car.
"I trust you have procured accommodations," said Actor after they and both settled in the car.
"Nice, quiet, empty flat," said Craig as he pulled away from the curb.
The two men sat in the dark silence as Craig navigated the empty streets. He got the impression Actor was exhausted, though the man never said anything to that effect.
"Johns had you longer than Hammond had me," broached Garrison.
"Yes," replied Actor. "I believe I have had less intense grilling from the Gestapo. Of course this session was without the physical persuasion."
"He really does not like our group," chuckled Craig.
"No, he does not," agreed the Italian. "I believe he feels he is superior to us."
"I've seen you treat him like a servant," Garrison observed with humor.
Craig could not see the small self-satisfied smile that came to Actor's face, but he could hear it in the voice. "One must obtain one's little pleasures in life as one is able."
Garrison let out a guffaw of laughter. He might be restrained in his response to his superiors, but his men refused to be, so he had to live vicariously through them. Sometimes he found it hard to reprimand them as they were usually right in their assessment of the officers. Craig wound his way through the darkened streets until he reached the fairly middleclass neighborhood. He found a parking space a couple houses down from Christine's flat and led the way to the empty apartment.
After closing the door behind Actor, Craig flipped on a light in the living room. He watched Actor take a quick look around. The living space was roomy with comfortable furniture and low wooden tables. Built in bookcases around the fireplace held scattered assortments of books and knick-knacks, one shelf devoted to glass unicorns. The dull and scratched wooden floor had seen better days, but there were bright rag rugs in front of the chairs and colorful floral pillows on the couch and the bigger chairs.
"Bathroom's at the end of the hall," said Craig. "Take your pick of either bedroom on the left. I'll stay in Chris's room."
The con man nodded and carried his kit down the hall. Craig let himself into the bedroom on the right. Both men were out as soon as their heads hit the pillows.
The mingled smell of coffee and bacon pleasantly brought Craig to wakefulness. He yawned and stretched, turning his head to look at the clock on the nightstand. It was almost ten o'clock. He threw the covers back and sat up, reaching for his clothes. A few minutes later, he made his way to the kitchen.
Actor was standing at the stove tending the bacon. He wore his pants from the last evening and the white shirt, sleeves rolled up to the elbows. Incongruous to the fastidious man was Crystal's ruffled apron hanging from his neck and ending well above his knees. Craig had to stifle a laugh that he knew would not be appreciated. Garrison retrieved a mug from the cupboard and held it out as the con man turned with a pot of coffee and filled the cup.
"I assumed both of us could stand a decent breakfast this morning," remarked Actor, returning his attention to his cooking.
Garrison peered around him. On the counter were two plates with circles of toast, a metal mixing bowl with egg yolks, four more whole eggs, and a measuring cup with what looked like lemon juice. Besides the frying pan with bacon, there were two pots of gently boiling water on the back burners and a small pan of melted butter.
"Okay, what are you concocting?" asked Craig.
"A bastardized version of Eggs Benedict," replied the Italian haughtily.
"You cook?" questioned Garrison in surprise.
"At times," replied Actor. "If I feel like it, or it is a special occasion. And I would appreciate it if you did not inform Teresa of my abilities. She will want me to cook all the time."
Eggs friggin' Benedict? Heck, Craig wouldn't care if the confidence man cooked all the time. "May I watch?"
"Be my guest," was the reply.
The crisp bacon was removed and the frying pan set aside on a trivet to cool. The bacon was broken up and arranged artistically on the toast. One of the pots of water was transferred to the hot burner where the bacon had been. The mixing bowl of egg yolks was set atop it and the lemon juice added to the bowl. Actor whipped it with a wire whisk expertly and when it was creamy, added the melted butter in a stream while continuing to whip. A thick and perfect sauce developed. This was set aside. A bit of vinegar was added to the other pot of boiling water. One at a time, the remaining eggs were broken into a dish and slipped carefully into the vinegar water. When set to the cook's satisfaction, they were removed with a slotted spoon and gently laid atop the bacon. The hollandaise sauce was spooned over the top. Slices of orange were then arrayed around the edge of the plates.
Craig followed his second as Actor took the plates out to the dining area and set them on the table, before returning to the kitchen to remove the apron and retrieve his cup of coffee. The two men sat facing each other and started eating in silence. Garrison was suitably impressed with the meal, but uncomfortable with lavishly complimenting the con man so all he said was 'good'.
Actor nodded in acceptance. He frowned. "Lieutenant, I wish to ask an indelicate question if I may."
"Go ahead," said Craig around a bite of food.
"This is a three bedroom apartment. How can Christine afford the rent on it? And how does she get around the billeting board?"
"Chris is sharing the apartment with Kelly, Dirk and Tinker. Apparently all four are in and out when they aren't over on the Continent doing whatever it is they do. They split the rent and Chris reports she has boarders."
Actor was confused by the man's seeming acceptance of his baby sister's living arrangements. "Are you not concerned with Christine's reputation, living with three other men?"
Craig pulled a face, "Well, Actor, it's a little like shutting the barn door after the horse has gotten out. She had this set up long before we found her in France. It's a little late to do anything about it now."
Actor wondered why there was a seeming double standard for the sisters. Garrison had not brought up the subject lately, but he was sure the lieutenant still thought he had slept with Teresa. He was also pretty sure Garrison was still worrying Teresa about it even though they had both assured the older brother they had not indulged in the said activity.
Now Teresa had been assaulted and Actor was to blame. He found the delicious egg dish had suddenly lost its appeal. "It was my fault," said Actor softly. His hand suddenly flew up in an Italian gesture and his voice became loud with self-condemnation, "Dio, it was my fault!"
Garrison looked up at him, knowing instantly what the con man was referring to. "How?"
"I should have paid more attention to where she was, what she was doing," said Actor with self recrimination. "I assumed she was doing fine on her own. She stayed with me most of the evening."
"You didn't see her with this Jaeger guy?" questioned Craig.
Actor shook his head.
"So you didn't see her egging the man on?" said Craig sounding slightly accusatory toward his sister.
The response was immediate and defensive. "Lieutenant! Teresa is not the type of woman to flaunt herself to a man! And I hope you realize rape is not about sex. It is about power." Actor could tell by the expression on Garrison's face the man did not understand the difference. "A rapist has an underlying insecurity. He uses the sexual act to force his power over another individual. Sexual desire has no bearing on it. Teresa was presenting herself as a young women being 'kept' by an older, powerful officer. If anything she was clinging to me half the night. To a rapist she would be an easy mark."
"But wouldn't he be afraid of the retaliation when he was discovered?" asked Garrison.
"No," replied Actor. "Most women are afraid to identify their attackers for fear of their retaliation. Also, he had her far enough away from anyone that he could have killed her and escaped with no one the wiser."
That knowledge hit Craig hard. Terry, the mouthy one, the one who took care of them; to be used savagely and then killed, and through no fault of her own. Where had he been remiss? He had to have been remiss. There had to be something he had not taught her. What had happened? Terry could fight better than some men. He knew that first hand because he had taught her from the time they were old enough to swing at each other. The things he had learned in Europe when they were teens he had brought home and taught to her. He didn't let Terry train with the men for a number of reasons. One of the minor ones was Terry knew some things he was sure none of his men knew. Well, Actor might be the exception to that. Garrison was still learning just what that man was capable of.
It was a surprise to Garrison to discover the arrogant, haughty confidence man was capable of remorse. Maybe it was the remnants of the concussion or maybe they were just starting to see bits of the man behind the mask of indifference. Was there any blame to attach to Actor? He was Terry's partner and they were supposed to watch out for each other. He seemed to know most of her nuances, meaning he would have been able to pick up on anything out of the ordinary. Did that mean Terry herself had been unaware of the danger? They would never know until the woman told them what had happened.
Craig looked at the Italian who had resumed eating his breakfast in an automated way that did not do justice to the fancy meal. "If she tells you the details, tell me," said Craig without the tone of an order.
Actor laid his fork down. "She will not tell me. She is afraid of me."
"I got news for you," said Craig cynically. "She's afraid of me too."
Actor looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Warden, if she tells me anything I will tell you."
Craig looked steadily back at the con man, "If she tells me, I will tell you and then maybe the two of us can figure out how to prevent this from happening ever again." Craig picked at his egg with his fork. "Maybe it's partly my fault, maybe it's partly your fault, maybe it's partly Terry's fault."
Actor was picking at his egg also. His voice was subdued. "Maybe no one was at fault. Possibly it was something none of us could foresee."
"If that's the case," said Craig, "then we need to come up with a way to foresee this in the future."
Actor did not miss the blatantly implied partnership the lieutenant was suggesting in watching out for Terry's wellbeing. The acceptance gave him a little ease.
Craig took another bite of egg. "This is really very good, Actor."
"Thank you, Warden," Actor replied.
Craig set about finishing up his breakfast. "I think we need to get back."
"Yes," said Actor in full agreement, digging into his breakfast.
Craig got a half grin on his face. "If we both wash the dishes, we'll get out of here faster."
Actor paused and looked at the man. "That does sound like good strategy."
The two men eyed each other and both grinned.
