Missions Gone Awry

Chapter 8

Terry was sitting at the game table in the downstairs common room, waiting for Actor and Casino to get Chief down the stairs. The youngest of the team did not want any help from the Sgt/Major. The girl was dressed in a flowered shirtwaist afternoon dress with cap sleeves. Her feet were in slippers, her low-heeled shoes on the floor beside her. Actor has insisted she wear the slippers when they were in the car and switch to the shoes when they went into the same dress shop he had taken her to before. She could walk now, but it was still a little uncomfortable when she wore shoes.

Slowly the three men made their way downstairs one step at a time. Christine followed with the cane. Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, Chief took the cane and hobbled over to the chair by the window under his own steam. The other two men went back upstairs.

"What?" asked Terry in confusion. If they were going to London, she wanted to go early. It would give them time to eat in a restaurant before returning to the Mansion.

"Goniff wants to come downstairs," explained Chris. "I think he gets lonely up there. Craig and Casino can get him back up if you and Actor aren't back."

Christine moved the ottoman from in front of Actor's chair and helped Chief put his legs up. He was wearing pajamas and one of Actor's robes that was cinched in at the waist with the tie belt and still came a little above his ankles. The con man was a good four inches taller than the Indian.

Garrison came out of his office and approached his scout. "You okay there?' he asked.

"Yeah," replied Chief. "Better than up there."

Casino and Actor returned helping Goniff down the stairs and over to Actor's chair. Chris moved to make him cozy with an afghan over his knees because between his normal disposition and blood loss, he was still cold.

Chief looked at Garrison and glanced down at his injured leg. "Warden, this ain't a good omen. I just got that leg healed up and I'm hit again."

"Could be worse, Chief," said Garrison with a smile.

"Almost was if it wasn't for Terry."

Craig frowned. He hadn't asked about the particulars, though he knew his sister had been with the scout. "How so?"

"I went down and she went on top of me and shot the guy pointblank."

"Don't make such a big thing out of it," said Terry quietly. "You would have done the same."

Craig looked at his sister questioningly.

She shrugged. "You told me from the start when I first went out with these guys that I'm supposed to cover their backs and they cover mine. So I missed his back. I had to make up for that."

Garrison smiled. "This from the girl who still has to get him to wring a chicken's neck."

"Chickens don't carry guns."

The men laughed.

"She's got a point there, Warden," said Casino. "Oh, and don't piss her off. Yuh shoulda seen her in the back of that truck with a schmeisser. Saved my bacon too."

"Oh would you guys stop already," objected Terry embarrassed. "You make it sound like I'm some super Frau."

"Naw," teased Casino. "Yuh just shoot good. Love tuh set up a match between you and Geronimo."

"No!" Terry answered firmly. She shifted her attention to the blond Englishman. "You okay, Goniff?"

"Fine, Love," he smiled. "Now all I need is a cuppa."

"I'll get you one," offered Chris.

As she headed for the kitchen, Actor approached Teresa. "Are you ready?"

"Just waiting for you," she said with a smile.

She picked up her shoes and stood, allowing him to escort her to the door. There, she stopped and turned back to her brother.

"Don't wait up," she said with a wicked smile. "He gets me all dolled up and I might get a better offer."

That elicited a 'humph' from the con man. She tilted her head back and smiled up at him with twinkling eyes.

"More likely I will get the better offer."

"Gee, I didn't think there were any women left in London who hadn't already offered."

"Teresa . . . "

The men laughed after the door shut behind the two.

"He's learnin'," said Casino with a grin. "You been teachin' him, Warden?"

"No," denied Garrison. "I think it's self-preservation."

GGG

It was ten at night before Actor and Terry returned. The Italian was carrying the dress box and shoe box. Terry was smiling.

"It took this long to get her a dress?" asked Casino, still at the game table.

"Of course," replied Terry, as her brother came to the door of the office. "We got there for lunch. Then it takes him," she nodded at Actor, "forever to pick out the perfect dress, which he does so well, and the shoes. Then we went out for dinner."

"You neglected the National Gallery," added the con man.

"I wasn't going to mention that," said Terry with an unrepentant smile.

Garrison stepped into the common room. "I'm glad you had an enjoyable day," he said. His eyes turned to Actor. "We have a mission tomorrow."

"All of us?" asked Terry, immediately sober.

"Actor, Casino, and I," replied Garrison.

"Where this time?" asked the con man with resignation.

"Italy."

"And you don't need me?" persisted Terry hopefully.

"No, we don't need a woman."

"I'm not sure I would put it quite that way, Lieutenant," said Actor wistfully.

"Don't worry, Warden," popped up Casino. "Yuh know he'll find one." The safecracker looked at Actor. "And she better have a friend."

Garrison crossed his arms in front of him. "We're not going there on vacation."

"What are we going there for?" asked the con man turning serious.

"Get an agent out. He thinks the Jerries are on to him."

"So why us?" asked Casino, not having been fully briefed.

Garrison looked at his two men. "Actor speaks the language and I hope knows the area."

"Roma?"

"North of Firenze," replied the officer, using the Italian name for Florence.

Actor shrugged. "I am familiar with some of it."

Garrison glanced between the two men. "We'll brief tomorrow."

Actor followed Teresa upstairs, carrying the boxes. The girl opened the door to her room, startling her sister who was lying atop the bed. Christine jumped up, seemingly a bit confused to have Actor walk in. He set the boxes on the bed.

"Is there something wrong with your room?" Actor asked seriously.

"No," replied the younger girl brightly. "I didn't want to wait until tomorrow to see the dress."

"In that case, I will leave now," said the con man, amused at the young one's enthusiasm.

"Actor."

He turned back as Teresa walked up to him. "Thank you for the shopping, the meals, and the concert."

He smiled. "You are very welcome, cara."

Terry kept a hand on his arm and peeked out into the hall. It was empty and the other two men had not started up the stairs yet. Turning back, she moved in close and tilted her head back, rising up on her toes. Actor bent his head to meet her kiss, with amusement accepting a very brief bit of 'dirty kissing.'

"Good night, Ladies," he said, chuckling.

"Buona notte, caro." said Terry with an affectionate smile.

The Italian closed the door behind him as he left. Terry turned to see her sister's speculative look.

Christine smiled, "You two really get into this con thing, don't you."

"Have to keep in practice." Terry brushed it off.

She untied and removed the top of the dress box, brushing the almost transparent paper aside. Chris made a sharp inhalation of appreciation.

"Oh, let's see!"

Terry carefully removed the garment and held it up. The dress was black, silky, and form fitting with slightly wider than spaghetti straps. She did not mention that had been Actor's idea to cover a scar on her shoulder.

"Can I try it on sometime?" begged Chris.

"Not tonight, but sure you can."

"The shoes match?"

"It's Actor. Of course they match. And there are two pair of silk stockings. I ruined the last pair running through the woods."

Terry hung the dress on a hanger in the armoire and placed the box of shoes in the bottom drawer. She removed the rest of the paper from the bigger box to retrieve the hosiery and put it in the dresser.

"If you ever decide you don't like that dress, I'll be happy to take it off your hands."

Terry wanted to tell her kid sister she was too young for a sexy black dress, but both of them were beyond that point. So she joked, "I'll leave it in my will for you."

"Well, let's hope I don't get to collect it anytime soon," said Chris with a shudder.

"Ditto, Sister."

GGGGG

The three men sat on the hard metal bench in the belly of the plane that was to drop them into Italy. None of the three was looking forward to this. They were dressed as civilians in pants, shoes and work shirts, each with a ragged jacket. A duffle bag lay on the floor next to Garrison's feet. It held Actor's make-up kit, a set of SS uniforms for each man, and three hand guns. The map of the area was tucked inside the lieutenant's shirt.

The closer they got to the jump zone, the more restless Casino became. He looked out the open door they would be jumping from. The sky was black and cloudless. An almost full moon illuminated the hills and forests below them.

"Man, they had to send us when the moon is that bright? We're gonna be sitting ducks."

Actor straightened his head from its resting place against the bulkhead. Past experience with the cracksman told him the little sleep he had gotten was over.

"Casino, you don't like it when it is storming, and you don't like it when it isn't." the con man observed.

"I just don't like jumpin' outta airplanes."

"We know that," said Garrison dismissively.

Their leader was just as unhappy with the weather as Casino, but remained silent about it. Even flying as low as safely possible for the jump, the plane would be clearly visible to anyone on the ground, partisan and enemy. So would their three chutes. Sitting ducks was exactly what they would be. The other thing Garrison was unhappy about was going in with only half a team. Lt. Johnson's team had been working non-stop since Garrison's last ill-fated mission. They couldn't keep on much more without getting serious injuries from lack of concentration due to fatigue. Craig and his men knew that from experience. So the three of them were going in to do what five of them should have been sent to do. Oh, he supposed he could have brought Terry along. She was showing her mettle quite well, but any distance walking would slow her and them down. He was just as glad he had told her she wasn't needed.

They sat in relative silence for another fifteen minutes. The curtain between the area the men were in and the cockpit was pushed aside and a man's head appeared.

"Five minutes to the jump zone," said the co-pilot.

"Thank you," Garrison called back.

The head disappeared and the curtain fell back down. Garrison took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Okay, hook up your static lines."

The men rose and got in their usual order by the opening, with Casino first and then Actor. Garrison faced them, with the duffle bag. Casino looked out the hole at the almost white-looking tops of the trees and shook his head. Craig spotted the signal fire and gestured with his arm and forefinger for Casino to jump. Actor did a five count in his head and followed. Garrison did his own five count and dove out behind them.

The two chutes opened like brilliant white mushroom caps below him. Not hooked to the static line, Craig hugged the duffle with one arm and pulled the rip cord with his other hand, quickly wrapping that arm around the duffle a nanosecond before the jerk up as his chute opened. Eyes scanned the area below them and kept watch on the other men's chutes. Something caught his eye and he turned his head just in time to spot what had to be headlights weaving through the trees about two miles from where they were to land. They had been spotted all right.

The three landed in an open field. Actor and Casino were already pulling in their chutes when Garrison landed.

"Leave them!" shouted the officer. "We've been spotted. Head for the woods!"

A man in rough clothing emerged from the trees ahead of them. The three men ran full out toward him. As they caught up with the man, he joined them as they disappeared into the trees.

"Jerries are coming," said Garrison.

"This way," said the man.

He led them on an angle through the trees and brush. It was dark in the woods, but they did not dare slow down. Casino caught his foot on a root and fell heavily. Actor grabbed him by the arm and hauled him up. A few skips on one foot and the safecracker was back running.

The terrain became inclined and the running was more difficult. Garrison held back and listened. There were faint noises in the distance. He turned and caught up with the others.

"How much farther, Giulio?" he asked puffing.

"Another hour, uphill," said the partisan.

Another hundred yards and he turned to the left, starting an even sharper climb through rocks and bushes up an escarpment. At the top, they veered right across rock. The way was impossible to see, but Giulio did not hesitate. They plunged down more rocks and then up more hills. Trees were scattered between the rocks and boulders now. The Italian man leapt through like a mountain goat. Garrison and the other two were becoming winded as they made a steep ascent. Finally, Giulio stopped and waited for the three to catch up.

"This way."

The men looked at one another. It did not look like there was any place to go except over a cliff. The partisan dropped down and his head disappeared from sight. Garrison led the way, barely making out a tiny track that disappeared between two boulders. They inched through the tight space and came out into a flat area with a rock overhang. Giulio motioned with his arm for them to go under the overhang. It opened into a dry cave with a low ceiling. Garrison had to stand with bent head. Actor had to crunch down. Casino scraped his head on a low protrusion of rock and, with a soft curse, ducked down like the other two. Giulio moved around them and bent even lower to move between two walls. Twenty feet further and they entered a room of the cave where they could stand easily.

There was dim light coming from somewhere. The partisan moved with familiar ease around the walls of the room, adjusting something here and there. Finally, the men heard a match strike and watched an oil lamp being lit. It threw light around the room. The lamp was placed in the center of a table along one wall. The men looked around at boxes of supplies and guns. There were blankets stacked on one box.

"You are safe here," said the partisan. "The Germans have yet to find this place."

Casino and Actor sat on some boxes and tried to catch their breath. Garrison stayed with the Italian man.

"Where are the rest of your men?" asked Garrison.

"Scattered, captured, dead," replied the man with a gesture of defeat. "One of the men was well paid to turn us in."

"What about the agent?'

Giulio shook his head. "They executed him three days ago."

"What!" Casino burst out. "So what are we doin' here?"

"We couldn't contact you," said Giulio. "Our radioman destroyed the radio just before the Germans killed him."

"So now what is the plan?" asked Actor.

The partisan shrugged. "The only thing you can do is head for La Spezia. I will show you on a map. There is a contact there who can help you get to Marseilles. From there you will have to find your own way back to England."

"Are you coming with us?" asked Garrison quietly.

"No," the man shook his head. "I have family who has scattered up into the hills behind our village. I must find them and help them."

"So how do we get to this La Spezia?" asked Casino.

"There is no safe way with the Germans in all the towns. They are shooting any man they find. Even the old ones and the children. You will have to cross the mountains."

"They as bad as this?" asked the safecracker.

"No, Casino," said Actor. "They are worse. Much worse. We are in the foothills."

"At least it is not winter," said the partisan philosophically. "The Apennines are treacherous in winter."

The eastern slopes were not too hospitable in summer either, thought Actor. He declined to mention that.