A Secret Kept

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 4

"Sarge!"

Troy looked forward at the back of Hitch's head. The two younger men had made no more attempts to speak with him after his talk with Moffitt. "What is it?"

"I saw something. It looked like a flash of some kind." The blond pointed toward a narrow valley they would have to use to get to their destination. "It came from over there."

"Catch up to Moffitt," Troy ordered. He leaned forward and picked up the field glasses they kept between the seats. The jeep picked up speed until they were alongside the other jeep.

"What's going on?" Moffitt called as the two jeeps drove side by side.

"Hitch thinks he spotted a flash from the valley ahead. Pull up while I take a look. Maybe it's nothing but I don't want to risk taking the chance."

Moffitt nodded and reached for his own field glasses as Tully searched for a place to conceal the jeeps. Both jeeps had slowed considerably so they wouldn't reveal their presence by raising a dust trail. Troy and Moffitt were using the glasses and the slower pace helped them hold the glasses steady.

"There!" Moffitt called, pointing toward the valley. "It looks like a pair of patrol cars. Hitch must have seen the flash of the sun on their windshields."

Troy focused on the valley and nodded. "I see them." He continued to follow the German patrol as Tully continued to look for cover. "It doesn't look as if they've seen us yet. Tully, Hitch, find us some cover!"

"There isn't any Sarge," Tully called back. "There aren't any hills and no rocks big enough to hide a pair of jeeps. Maybe they won't see us."

"They'll see us if we don't find cover," Troy growled.

"We could park next to the small rocks and use the camo nets," Hitch suggested.

Tully glanced over at Hitch and nodded. "It might work if they don't get too close."

"Do it!" Troy ordered.

Both jeeps wheeled around and headed for the nearest rocks. They were barely big enough to hide half of a jeep but by parking close together the privates hoped to make it look like one big rock behind the smaller ones. They pulled the jeeps behind the rocks at an angle with both jeeps positioned for a quick getaway if necessary. Both privates jumped to the ground and pulled the camo nets free. The sergeants moved out of their way as they tossed the nets over the vehicles. When the nets were draped over the jeeps the five men took cover behind the rocks.

"I don't think they spotted us," Moffitt remarked after watching the patrol for several minutes. "They are looking for something though."

"A patrol is always looking for something," Troy responded. "That's the reason they send them out. It doesn't mean they are looking for us."

"Are you willing to take that chance?"

Troy sighed. "No."

"Then may I suggest an alternate route? This one may be under observation."

"Can't we get around that valley?

"Perhaps, but it will make the trip longer. There is an old caravan route that will take us to our destination without using the valley."

"Where?" Troy lowered the glasses and shot Jerry a warning glance. "I'd rather not risk anyone seeing us but we have a schedule to keep. Show me this caravan route."

The British sergeant ducked under the camo net and pulled out their map case. He sat on the ground and spread the map he wanted out in front of Troy. "We are here. The nearest German base is right here. That's most likely where this patrol came from." He traced a line between the two locations. "They will most likely be watching the area from here to here." He traced another area with his finger. "The caravan route starts here and runs along this ridge. If we can reach it undetected it will take us through an area the Germans won't be able to each with their columns. I doubt very much that their patrol cars will even be able to travel the route. The route will be very narrow in places. Tully and Hitch will have to do their best driving if we are to stay on the trail. And we do want to stay on the trail," Moffitt stressed. "If we fall off of the trail, we will go over a steep drop that will in all likelihood be the last thing we ever do."

"It sounds dangerous," Jerry noted.

"It isn't for the weak of heart," Moffitt agreed.

"But you think Tully and Hitch can make it?" Troy asked for confirmation.

"Yes, I have faith in them. I think they are the only drivers I know who might be able to make it."

"All right," Troy nodded, "we'll give it a try. How much of a delay is this going to cause?"

"That depends," Moffitt answered.

"On what?"

"If we can stay on the trail or if we fall off," Moffitt shrugged. "If we need to stay undetected and arrive on time, this is our best bet." He smiled at Jerry. "If we're lucky, we should arrive at the base by tomorrow, a bit later than expected, but still tomorrow."

"All right," Troy agreed. "As soon as that patrol moves on, we'll give it a try." The sergeant turned back toward the valley. "That's if they don't spot us."

Both sergeants continued to watch the German patrol as it made its way across the entrance to the valley. Neither of the cars paused at any point to indicate that they had seen the two covered jeeps. Even after they passed the entrance to the valley Troy continued to stare at their last location.

"Troy. Troy, we should go."

The sergeant shook himself and turned to the others. "What? Okay. Lead the way Moffitt. Hitch can follow Tully. We'll move slow and stay close to any cover."

"Of course," Moffitt agreed. "The lads know enough to do that."

"Make sure they don't forget," Troy replied. He stood and waited for the privates to pull the nets and pack them away. He climbed into the rear of the jeep without another word.

"Doc?"

"Yes Tully?"

"Does the need to stay out of sight have anything to do with the way Sarge has been acting?"

"Perhaps."

"Then he's just worried about this mission, whatever it is?"

"That's entirely possible," the sergeant answered.

Tully thought it over before he shook his head. "I don't believe it."

"Why not?"

"Because he's worried about missions before and he's never shut us out like this. There has to be more to it than that."

"Perhaps he has orders he isn't at liberty to tell us."

"That's never stopped him before," Tully argued stubbornly. "He knows we won't tell. He always tells us if he thinks we need to know, even if we aren't supposed to know."

"Perhaps he doesn't think you need to know," Moffitt suggested.

"If it worries him this much, we need to know."

The sergeant nodded even though he knew Tully wasn't looking at him. "What do you think is wrong?"

Tully grunted. "Darn if I know."

"Does Hitch have any ideas?"

"Not that he's mentioned to me," Tully answered. "But he's not going to believe that it's orders either. I'm telling you Doc, there's something else going on. I just don't know what to think."

"I talked to Troy, and he assures me he's fine."

"Fine," Tully repeated. "Just what does that mean exactly? How many times has one of us used fine as an answer to stop more questions?"

Moffitt smiled at Tully's reasoning but he couldn't dispute it. "I suppose it means that he doesn't want us to worry. He thinks he can handle it."

"Well, it's not working."

Moffitt laughed. "And I told him as much when we had our little talk."

"So, what do we do?"

The sergeant sighed. "The only thing we can do. We trust Troy to handle it until he decides that he needs help. He says he needs time, so we give it to him. Can you do that?"

Tully thought it over. "I guess I can. Are you going to talk to Hitch? He's worried too."

"I'll talk to Hitch," the Brit promised.

Tully nodded. "You do that Doc, he'll appreciate it. He doesn't like it when something is wrong with Sarge."

At the next stop to cool the engines Moffitt kept his promise. Troy was on guard again, leaving Moffitt alone with the privates and Jerry. Tully and Hitch were servicing the jeeps so he went to stand next to the vehicles.

"Hitch?"

"Yeah Doc?"

"Tully tells me that you are still worried about Troy."

The blond set the water can on the ground and turned to face the sergeant. "Aren't you?"

"Yes, I guess I am."

"What's bothering him Doc? Tully said you talked to him. Did he say what was wrong? It's like he shut down or something. All he can think about is getting to this base and staying out of sight. We've done that before, what makes this time so different?"

"He has a lot on his mind."

"But he won't even talk to us!" Hitch kicked the sand with the toe of his boot. "We all want to get this job done and we've been doing our best to make it happen. Why has he turned on us?"

"He hasn't turned on us Hitch. I think he's trying to protect us."

"Protect us from what?" the blond cried. "We're his team Doc! We're supposed to work together! Right now, it seems as if he's trying to go it alone."

"I talked to him Hitch. He asked for time. Time to figure things out. Tully and I are willing to give him that time; trust him to come to us if he needs help."

"What if he doesn't? What if he keeps trying to handle it on his own? Whatever it is." The blond looked miserable as he considered that possibility. "Why won't he let us help him?"

"Some men prefer to handle their problems on their own," Jerry said. "Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear."

"Sarge isn't one of those guys," Hitch insisted. "We're his team and he has always trusted us to help him when he needed it."

"Maybe he doesn't need help then," Jerry suggested. "Maybe he can handle it on his own. I just met your sergeant, but he strikes me as a pretty capable guy."

"He is."

"Then what are you worried about?"

Hitch paused and looked over at Moffitt. "Sarge isn't just our sergeant, he's our friend too. Friends worry about friends."

"There's a time to worry and a time to show your trust. Your sergeant asked for time. Don't you think a friend would give him that time if he asked for it?"

Hitch looked toward Moffitt again. His head dropped as he nodded. "I guess you're right."

"You know, your sergeant is lucky to have friends who worry about him," Jerry continued. "Captain Boggs told me that Sergeant Troy had a good unit. He said you were close."

"Close enough to know when something isn't right," Moffitt answered. "And something isn't right. Hitch is correct, something is bothering Troy."

"He admitted as much, didn't he?" Jerry asked.

"Yes, he did," the Brit admitted. "But he refuses to say what is wrong."

"I'm sure he will tell you when the time is right."

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about it, would you?" Moffitt asked. "You were the last one to talk to him before his mood changed."

"I talked to him," Jerry confessed, "but we were just talking. There wasn't anything said to make him angry. He seemed fine when I left him to return to camp and help Private Hitchcock with the rations. I'm afraid I can't shed any light on the problem Sergeant."

Moffitt nodded before glancing toward Troy. "He'll tell us what's wrong when he's ready. Finish taking care of the jeep Hitch. You and Tully should drink some water too. The last thing we need is for either of you to be dehydrated. You're going to have to do some of your best driving when we reach that caravan trail."

"Okay Doc." Hitch picked up the water can and finished filling the radiator.

Moffitt motioned for Jerry to follow him. The two of them moved away from the vehicles. The sergeant turned to face Jerry.

"I wanted to thank you."

"For what?" Jerry asked.

"We are a close unit," Moffitt explained. "And it is because of that closeness that we know something is bothering Troy. He's trying to hide it, but we know."

"It could be an over active imagination."

"No, it's not. We've been together so long, and been through so much together that it's hard for any one of us to keep a secret from any of the others."

"So, what are you thinking me for?"

"What you said," the sergeant explained. "I wasn't sure how I was going to convince Hitch to give Troy more time. He's Troy's driver and is especially tuned to Troy's moods. He looks up to Troy, and he worries when Troy worries. You made him think about it in a different light. I'm grateful."

"Glad to help even though I didn't do much."

"You did enough," Moffitt answered. "Sometimes it takes an outsider to bring a new perspective to a problem."

"I suppose it is possible that I am the problem. Maybe Sergeant Troy is worried about getting me safely back to my unit."

"Not unless the return to your unit is some kind of secret," the Brit replied. "There is some reason why we need to reach that base on time and undetected, but we can hardly lay the blame for that on you."

"Still..." Jerry began.

"Still nothing," Moffitt interrupted. "Troy will tell us when the time is right. Until then, we have a mission to finish."

"Hey Doc, here we go again."

Moffitt turned at Tully's call. Tully pointed toward a spiral of dust rising from the desert floor. "Tell Troy!" he hissed at Jerry. "Hitch, Tully, drop the hoods and be ready to move out."

By the time the hoods were strapped down, Troy and Jerry were at the jeeps.

"Where?" Troy asked.

"A few miles ahead of us," Moffitt answered with a finger pointed toward the dust. "It looks like they may be headed this way."

"Can we sneak out of here?" Troy continued to watch the dust.

"The lads have the jeeps ready," the Brit replied, "all you have to do is say the word. We should reach cover before they get here even if we travel slowly. My only concern is the tire tracks."

Troy looked at the tire marks they had made when they arrived. "They blend in pretty well with the other tracks around here. Maybe the krauts will think they were made by one of their patrols."

"Our tire tracks aren't as wide," Tully drawled.

"Maybe they won't notice."

Tully shrugged, "I would."

"Just another reason to be glad that you are one of a kind," Moffitt teased.

"It's a chance we'll have to take," Troy decided. "Let's move."