Missions Gone Awry
Chapter 10
Goniff was the one at the window watching the battered car pull into the car park. He saw the youngest Garrison girl get out of the backseat and wearily walk toward the steps without even a wave at the departing vehicle. She looked almost as battered as the car.
"Chris, an' she's a mess," said the pickpocket quietly.
Chief tried to turn around enough to see the Cockney. When he couldn't, he turned back to watch the door. It opened and the girl walked in. Her eyes moved straight to Chief.
"Blimey," said Goniff. "Are you all right?"
Chris nodded. "Just some scratches and bruises." She looked around. "Where's Terry?" She wasn't looking forward to telling her older sister she had ruined a set of her clothes.
"We don't know," said Chief. "She left after you did. Got a call from the Fox, left and never came back."
Christine frowned.
"What happened to you, Miss?"
Usually calm and cheerful, the girl was not in the mood for the Sgt/Major. "I tangled with some bushes."
"I'll get the aid kit," said the non-com brusquely.
"I don't need the aid kit," said Chris. "I've been treated."
"Well it doesn't look like somebody did a good job," he sniffed.
Chris looked at the two men in the common room with a silent desperation.
"We're good," said Chief, "aren't we Goniff?"
"Just fine, Love," assured the pickpocket.
"Go on home," urged the Indian. He would have liked her to stay, but Rawlins would probably have made her more miserable than she already seemed to be.
She looked between the two men uncertainly.
"Go on," said Goniff seriously. "Come back for a visit when you're feelin' better."
She headed for the stairs.
"Where are you going, Miss?" asked Rawlins.
"To get the keys to the motorcycle," replied the girl. Was this what Terry had to go through; being questioned about every move she made?
"Take the Packard," said Chief, getting to his feet. "We'll call you when the Warden gets back. You can bring the car back then."
"Here now," objected the Sgt/Major "You can't take the car. Wot if we need it?"
"She can't ride the motorcycle in the shape she's in," said Chief, starting to limp forward with his cane.
"You got a problem with that too . . . Mate?" asked Goniff, face with a frown and an expression of challenge. He stood up and moved level with the Indian.
"You gotta problem, you take it up with both of us," snarled Chief, switchblade dropping into his hand. "Get outta here, Chris."
The girl darted forward and gave first Goniff and then Chief a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back later."
She hurried past the British non-com, noting the look of sheer frustration on the man's face. The two cons continued to glare at Rawlins.
"I don't know wot you're really 'ere for, Mate," said Goniff seriously. "But if it's to improve British and American relations, yer doin' a pretty poor job o' it."
Chief kept his cold dark eyes on the man facing them. "We put up with your lousy cookin' and your 'it's not rations'," he said. "We aren't putting up with you givin' the girls a hard time. They're nuthin' but good to us and we don't take kindly to anybody messin' with them."
"They don't belong living in this house with you men," said Rawlins, beak of a nose in the air.
"Warden decides who belongs in this house," said Chief. "He decided Terry and Chris can stay. He got outranked with you."
Rawlins sniffed in disgust and turned toward the dining room. "I'm going to start dinner."
"Don't bother," said Chief. Rawlins turned his head to look at the Indian. Chief looked at Goniff. "Right about now, I'd be happy with your 'potato surprise.' Feel up tuh cookin'? I mean as long as the 'surprise' ain't Spam."
The pickpocket grinned. "I'd be 'appy to, Mate."
With a grin, Chief twirled his blade and closed it one-handed. Goniff sauntered past the Sgt/Major and disappeared into the kitchen. Rawlins ignored the man with the knife and went into Garrison's office, closing the door. A few minutes later, the sounds of the typewriter came from behind the closed door.
Rawlins thought as he typed. Try to get along with them. That's what he had been told to do. Follow what Leftenant Garrison says, not what the British army taught. Well, he wasn't getting along with them. Garrison had told him how they lived and worked. It just went against all his years of training in the military. So they ate Black Market food. They went to the pub pretty much as they felt like it. And Garrison didn't seem to mind. The Yanks come over here and their soldiers made two to three times the money the British soldiers did. And they flaunted it. But he had to admit, when it came to the food and that, these blokes shared with him. He had been given a cot, which was all he had expected. Then, they gave him a bed; a real bed. The girls had tried help him and he had refused to follow their teaching. Maybe, just maybe, he was the one at fault.
GGGGG
Christine opened the door to the flat in Brandonshire and walked in, slumping back against the closed door and sighing in relief. It had been bad. What they had gone in after had been destroyed before they got there. The Jerries had been waiting for them. It was the boys' quick thinking that got them away with only minor injuries and back to the pick-up point.
A slight noise had her looking up sharply. Her sister limped into the living room and stopped to look at her. Terry did not look any better than Christine felt.
"What happened?" asked Chris. "You're hurt."
Terry shook her head and dropped onto the couch, putting a swollen left ankle up on the seat. "Went down an incline the fast way," she replied.
"What happened to you?"
"Had to outrun the Jerries."
"We're all doing good, aren't we?" said Terry with a touch of sarcasm.
"Why are you here?" asked Chris. She threw herself down on the other end of the couch. "Chief and Goniff said you had left, but not that you were back."
Terry looked at her sister guiltily. "I'm nursemaiding Shiv. He's in Kit's flat. I had to bring him out. He caught a bullet in the shoulder." She paused before adding, "And I'm not up right now for dealing with Rawlins." She frowned. "Why are you here?"
"Same reason. Not Shiv though."
"The others aren't back yet?"
Chris shook her head. "If Craig had been there, I might have stayed."
Terry counted days in her mind. "I guess it is a little soon for them to be back."
GGGGG
They reached the top of the solid craggy rock peak and sat down to catch their breaths. Casino saw it first and stared to make sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him.
"That the Mediterranean?"
The other two men followed his gaze and studied the brilliant blue water in the distance, visible between two lower peaks.
"Technically, it is the Ligurian Sea," said Actor.
"Screw technically, is that where we're going?"
"Yes," replied Garrison, to ward off yet another argument between the two men.
He looked at them both. Three days growth of beard covered their faces and hid part of the dirt. Last night had been spent under a rock overhang that did nothing to keep them dry or warm during the intense storm that had hit them. Their clothing was wrinkled and torn in spots. Craig knew he didn't look any better than they did.
"It won't be quite as steep from now on," added Actor.
"How much more snow?" asked the cracksman. "It's too darn cold up here."
"We should be clear of it on the other side of that ridge," Actor pointed.
"An' how many more days of this?"
"Two, probably three," answered Garrison. He had pulled the map from his shirt and was studying it.
"All this for nuthin'," grumbled Casino.
Garrison folded the map up and tucked in back inside his shirt. "Look at all the exercise you're getting, Casino. You'll be in much better shape when we get back to England. Maggie should appreciate that."
Actor chuckled as the safecracker pivoted around to give their leader a narrow-eyed look.
"Whadda you know about Maggie?" he demanded.
"Just what I hear in the pub," said Garrison non-chalantly.
Now Casino gave a snort of laughter. "You don't go to the Doves with us," he said dismissively.
"You're right. I don't go there with you." Craig smiled
That brought renewed chuckling from Actor.
"Come on," said Garrison. "Let's get going. It's downhill for awhile."
GGG
They managed to top the ridge Actor had pointed out and followed an animal track down the other side. The shadows were getting longer when they heard the tinkling of bells. Actor silently motioned for Garrison and Casino to stay where they were. The big man continued on, following the sound. Going over a rise, he came upon a small herd of sheep, complete with an old shepherd, only this shepherd was holding an ax menacingly.
"Buona sera," said Actor pleasantly.
"Chi sei?" asked the grizzled man suspiciously.
"Travelers," said Actor in Italian. "We are on our way to the sea."
"Partigiani?"
Actor shook his head.
The man glanced at his flock to make sure they were not straying. "But you do not wish to be found. Eh?"
The con man gave a half grin. "No, we do not wish to be found."
"How many are you?"
"Three."
The man nodded. "Bring your friends," he said. "You may stay with me tonight. I have little to offer except bread and cheese, but you will have a roof over your heads."
"Thank you," said Actor.
The man gave a sharp whistle that put Actor on alert. A large dirty white dog trotted up from the other side of the sheep herd. The con man relaxed though there was no change in his countenance. Now, he gave a whistle and the other two men emerged from behind some boulders.
"We have a shelter for the night," said Actor.
"You trust him?" asked Garrison with faith in the con man's assessment of people.
"I trust no one, Warden," said Actor. "You know that."
"Says a lot for us," Casino said sarcastically.
Actor pasted a smile on his face. "Present company excluded, naturally."
"Naturally," shot back the safecracker.
As the three approached the shepherd, the white dog bared its teeth and growled menacingly, ears back. The men stopped and stood still. A word from the old man made the growling cease. The dog slowly approached Actor and sniffed the con man. Cautiously, he reached down and stroked the thick furred back. The animal turned its head toward the other two men and curled its lips.
"Must be female," remarked Casino, eyeing the animal.
"Italian," said Actor with a grin.
"So what am I?" shot back the safecracker.
"American."
They followed the shepherd down the hill to a rundown shack tucked between some boulders. It did not appear too stable. The old man, who told Actor his name was Beppe, led them inside. The interior was dark, smoky and looked like it had not been cleaned any more recently than its owner had. There was a smell of smoke, stale food, and body odor; rather like the old man.
"At least it's got a roof," murmured Garrison.
Actor pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and shook one out, offering it to the old man. A wide smile, showing several missing and crooked teeth, greeted that as he took one from the pack.
"Grazie," said Beppe.
Actor gave a short tilted nod in return, placed a cigarette between his lips and pulled out a match, striking it on the sole of his shoe and holding it out so the shepherd could light his first. They both took a deep inhalation. Actor went over to one of the walls and sat down on his heels as though comfortable. Like the other two men, this left him ready to spring up if anything untoward happened.
Beppe brought out a board with a partially eaten loaf of crusty, hard bread and removed a cloth covered cheese from the cupboard. They were placed in the center of a dirty table and a wicked looking knife was laid beside them. The cheese was unwrapped from the sheep greased cloth that kept it sealed from air. The whiteness of the semi-soft cheese brought a smile to the confidence man's face.
The shepherd motioned them to come to the table. They got up and helped Beppe bring some crates closer for seating. Bread was broken off by each man and Actor sliced cheese for each, carefully taking only a small portion, as it was obvious the old man had little food.
Casino tentatively took a bite of the cheese. They were all used to the hard yellow cheese. This was soft and white . . . and delicious. "Hey, Actor, what is this? It's good!"
Actor laughed. "Pecorino."
"Naw, we had Pecorino at home. It was hard and dry. Yuh slivered it or grated it."
"You had aged pecorino," said the con man. "You can't get this in the States. It's fresh cheese. It isn't aged."
"It's great," said Casino with an enthusiasm that Garrison had not seen in a long time. The safecracker reached for the knife to cut another piece.
"Casino," said Actor quietly. "This is probably all he has to eat. He is very kind to share it with us."
"Oh, yeah, right," said the safecracker, slowly bringing his arm back.
"Si può avere di più," said Beppe, understanding why they were taking so little when they obviously liked it. "Posso fare di più." He motioned for Actor to cut more.
"Grazie mille."
The con man carefully sliced more of the semisoft cheese and gave it to Casino and Garrison.
"I didn't get that," said Garrison.
"He is very generous. He is saying we can take more because he can make more."
Casino looked at the shepherd and grinned. "Grazie."
"Grazie," echoed Garrison.
The old man smiled.
Later that evening, by the light of candles, Actor had Garrison bring out the map. With the con man translating, they were shown a quicker way to get to down the mountain to La Spezia.
GGG
It still took them a day and a half to get there. Garrison waited until dark and they made their way through alleys to the back door of a bakery that was a safe house. They were welcomed in and given a place to sleep. The next night, they were on a fishing boat to Marseilles. The German U-boats were making it impossible for a sub to come get them. It meant another day in an attic over a tailor's shop. The following day they boarded a train, in their German uniforms with papers, passes and tickets from the resistance. This took them to Limoges, where they changed trains and went on to Brest.
It looked like they were home free, almost. The three, now dressed as fishermen, were on their way to the wharf to get on yet another fishing boat that would take them to Southampton when sirens blared. Casino and Actor looked to Garrison for instructions.
"Keep going!" urged Garrison.
Actor was in the lead, followed by Casino and then Garrison. Bombs seemed to be falling all around them. The noise was deafening and the ground shook. Smoke and dust made visibility poor. The wharf came into sight and they started to sprint for it. They reached the end of the block when the building next to them exploded, knocking them down and raining mortar and stone over them.