Chapter 2
Gathering up his parachute, Actor carefully hid it in the undergrowth, that grew along the bank of the stream. He contemplated wading across but, although the stream didn't appear very wide, it was difficult to judge how deep it was in the dark. Moreover, Actor had no wish to get wet unless it was absolutely necessary. Walking the length of the meadow in both directions, he eventually found a ford, probably used by cattle, and managed to cross to the other bank. Scrapping the mud from his boots on the long grass, he now set off towards the area where he thought he had last spotted Garrison.
Keeping to the trees and shadows whenever possible, Actor had made good progress. He had just reached the edge of a road and was debating which direction to take, when he heard vehicles approaching. Stepping back into the shadows, he watched as two German military cars drove past and reversed off the road into a small glade, not far from his position. A few seconds later, a German patrol emerged from the trees. Even at this distance he recognised the prisoner being jostled forward at gunpoint. Garrison was prodded towards the officer in charge, who barked question at him. Refusing to answer, he was forced into the rear of the car, flanked by two guards. The officer then ordered all the soldiers, from the second vehicle, to join the patrol and continue searching the area. Climbing back into the front of the first car, the officer waved his hand and the vehicle drove back up the road.
As the patrol dispersed into the trees, Actor took out his gun and crept down the road, keeping in the shadows, the wind in the trees helping to mask his footsteps. Approaching the abandoned car, he wasn't surprised to find the keys were missing. Sending a silent 'thank-you' to Chief, he hotwired the vehicle, as he had been shown, and sped off up the road before any of the German patrol were able to react.
Staying well back, Actor followed the other car to a nearby town and watched as Garrison was transferred to the local jail. The officer emerged from the building about twenty minutes later and stationed two guards outside the main entrance. He climbed back into his car and was driven away. Once he was satisfied that the Germans would hold Garrison there for the night, Actor parked in a suitable place to watch and wait. He debated whether to go and find the others but the rendezvous must be nearly 30 miles away from here and he needed to be on hand in case they moved the Lieutenant in the meantime.
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Chief was already awake when he heard the engine stop on the road. He kicked Casino's leg to wake him. ''Vehicle coming.''
Casino jerked awake, grabbing at his gun, but put it away as he recognised the van reversing into the clearing. He straightened up, rubbing at his back where he had leant against the rough bark. ''Mornin' babe'' he smiled as Gina stepped out of the van.
Gina returned the smile, ''Good morning, Casino.'' She turned to Chief ''Saw the sign then?'' He nodded and smiled, putting out his hand to yank Casino to his feet.
''What sign?'' asked Casino, puzzled.
''Just something we used to do as kids, when we needed to meet up in secret. So where are the others?'' she asked, looking round the area and realising that three of the group were missing.
''Got separated in the drop,'' replied Chief.
''Yeah, we went looking for Goniff but there was no sign of him last night. Probably crawled into a hole somewhere. No sign of Garrison and Actor, either.'' shrugged Casino.
''Got any idea of where Goniff might be?'' she asked Chief. When he nodded, she waved them both to the van saying, ''I'll drive, just point me in the right direction.''
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Goniff woke to find the early morning sun shining on his bed of straw. He lay still for a moment, wondering what had woken him. His ankle still throbbed but didn't appear to be any worse. The scratches from the barbed wire felt tender and swollen. But it was his growling stomach and dry mouth, that made him eventually try to open his eyes and sit up. As he did so he heard a noise and shuffling of feet. He froze immediately. There was someone else there. Then he heard a stifled giggle and, what he guessed was a reprimand, whispered in French. Shading his eyes, he looked up to find two children standing barely a yard away. A boy, about seven or eight, and a little girl of about five. Smiling at them, he slowly sat up and moved back against the wall, hoping not to frighten them. They both continued to stare but didn't run away. Goniff rubbed his stomach and then mimed eating and drinking. At first the little girl just giggled again but the boy nodded and whispered something. Then they both turned away, clambered through the nearby hedge and disappeared.
Goniff was at a loss. Had they gone for food, for help or to give him up to the Germans? Trying to get to his feet, he found he was quite dizzy and had to sit down again. Looking at the scratches on his hands and legs, he realised they were becoming red and swollen. The barbed wire he had discarded the previous night, looked rusty and dirty. What he wouldn't do for Actor and his healing hands, just at that moment.
As he lay back wondered what he should do next, he heard the sound of something scrabbling through the hedgerow. First the boy appeared, carrying a jug, followed by the girl, who held half a loaf of bread in her hand. They placed these by his feet and retreated several paces. The bread was quite stale but the jug contained milk, so he broke off pieces and softened them in the milk. The children just stood and watched him, so he offered them some of the bread but they shook their heads. When he had finished, he placed the jug by his feet and gave the children a huge grin. Patting his pockets he pulled out a couple of coins. First he rolled them over his knuckles. Then flipped the coins, making them disappear and reappear. The children were enthralled. He entertained them for about ten minutes until he heard someone calling. Goniff dropped the two coins into the jug, as the boy went to pick it up. They smiled at each other and then the children ran off in the direction of the call. The little girl giving him a wave just before she climbed through the hedge. Goniff smiled to himself. He had almost forgotten he was in war-torn France.
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Chief directed Gina back to the field where he had found Casino earlier. He got out of the van, gazing around him. Goniff must have come down at least two fields beyond this point. By standing on the gate, he could see that the next two fields glowed yellow in the early morning sunlight, probably containing some sort of cereal crop. If Goniff had come down in one of these, there would be an area of broken and flattened plants but he needed to be higher up to see that. Spotting some trees along the boundary, between the two fields, he guided Gina towards them. Climbing as high as he could, he scanned both fields but saw nothing amiss. The next field along held a different crop. It was mainly brown in colour, with rows of mounds speckled with green plants, possibly potatoes, like he'd seen growing everywhere in England. As he sprinted back to the van, he heard another vehicle coming along the road. Gina had heard it too and pulled the van into the cover of the trees. An open German truck with half a dozen soldiers on board, sped straight past, turning right just after the brown field.
''They're in a hurry. Hope it ain't nothing to do with the others,'' said Casino. He was worried about the little pick-pocket, knowing how Goniff would hate being on his own in a foreign country, with no idea where he was or where to go.
Following Chief's directions, they made their way further down the road. By the gate into the potato field, they found two children, sitting on a milk churn stand, by the side of the road, the youngest crying and being comforted by her brother. Gina stopped and went to see if they were alright. Talking to them soothingly in French, she soon discovered what had happened and reassured the children everything would be fine. Returning to the van, she drove off down the road, before stopping, out of view of the children.
''What was all that about?'' asked Casino.
''It seems that Goniff has made two friends. They found him asleep in the hay this morning and brought him something to eat and drink,'' explained Gina.
''Huh, more than we've had, running round looking for him,'' grumbled Casino. ''So where's he got to now.''
''He was showing the children some tricks with a couple of coins and, when they had to go home, he gave them the coins,'' Gina continued. ''The boy was playing with the coins later, when one of the farm workers noticed they were English coins. Those German troops we saw, have just taken Goniff to the next village.''
''Stupid Limey, what he wanna go an' bring English coins with him for?'' muttered Casino. ''So? What we waiting for? Let's go get him.''
''Can't just go in all guns blazing. Don't even know where he is,'' countered Chief.
''The boy said Goniff had problems standing up, maybe he has been injured. There is a doctor in the next village. We can at least go and see what we can find out first. I know one or two people there who may be able to help,'' suggested Gina.
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As the town started to stir and workers began to leave their homes, Actor hid the car in an abandoned garage. He wandered down the street to a café, opposite the building he had watched for most of the night, and ordered coffee. Picking up an abandoned newspaper, he continued to survey the jail.
At nine o'clock that morning, the officer returned. In daylight, Actor was able to ascertain the man wasn't of very high rank, probably a Captain or Lieutenant. Knowing Garrison would give nothing more than his name, rank and serial number, Actor wondered what the officer would do next.
If the rest of the team had been with him, they could have removed Garrison easily . But on his own, even if he had a suitable uniform, Actor knew he needed a driver and an aide to back up his con. No high ranking officer would be on foot or driving his own car! Nor could he think of any local links with the resistance in this area. Hopefully, when he and Garrison didn't turn up as planned, Gina would use her contacts to track them down.
Knowing he couldn't sit and drink coffee all day, Actor looked around the immediate area, assessing potential places where he could sit, or hide, and watch the building across the street. Although his clothes were unassuming and wouldn't draw unwanted attention, he knew his tall stature meant he could often stand out in a crowd, which was a disadvantage at the moment, so he decided to stay where he was for the time being and order breakfast.
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Leaving the van hidden from the road, they entered the village on foot. Knowing the two men had no papers, Gina would have preferred to go in alone, but they were having none of it. So to avoid being seen, Gina led them along a footpath, which took them almost to the rear of the churchyard. From here it was a short walk to the back yard of the bakery. Giving a coded knock , the two men followed Gina into a storeroom full of sacks of flour and smelling of yeast. Nodding to the baker, who was mixing his dough, Gina led them up a wide wooden ladder to a room above the bakery itself.
Small windows overlooked the village, which was little more than a main street, market place and the church. The German truck was parked up in the market place, with five of the soldiers, brandishing their guns and keeping a wary eye on the locals. There was no sign of the other two soldiers but Gina pointed out the doctors house nearby, where they had probably taken Goniff.
The room was small, containing a table and chairs, a couple of mattresses leaning against the wall and a pile of blankets. Before either man had chance to ask the obvious question, movement was heard below. Chief's knife slipped into his hand and Casino pulled out his gun. The ladder was tapped twice and then a head cautiously appeared.
''This is Etienne,'' said Gina as man climbed into the room. They spoke in French for a while, then Etienne climbed back downstairs.
''So what was all that about?'' asked Casino in his usual abrupt manner.
''As you can see, we use this room occasionally when passing servicemen need an overnight stay. Etienne thought that was why you were here and he was worried because of the Germans in the market place,'' she explained. ''Most of the villagers dislike the soldiers but, this is such a small place, it is hard to be openly defiant. However, they do whatever they can to help the resistance.''
''So where's he off to now?'' asked Chief in concern as, moments later, Etienne left the building and hurried across the road.
''He is going to find out about Goniff. If the doctor can treat him, he will probably be taken to the main town about twenty miles from here. There is only a small jail in the town but the Germans have plans to build a military transit camp close by, where prisoners will be kept until they are either taken elsewhere or executed.''
''This just gets better and better,'' groaned Casino.
While they waited Gina, Casino and Chief put together some ideas on how to free Goniff.
It wasn't long before Etienne reappeared. He and Gina spoke at length before she was able to translate. ''The doctor has treated Goniff and given him an injection but told the Germans he cannot be moved for at least another thirty minutes. That will give us time to get ahead of them. He also discovered another piece of information. An American was captured last night and is being held in the same town, where they will shortly be taking Goniff. I have asked him to contact anyone he knows there to find out more information and look out for Actor.''