Chapter 3
Casino, Chief and Gina returned to the van as quickly as they could. Reaching behind the front seats, Gina lifted a section of the floor, to reveal a metal case. Inside were two MP40s, with ammunition.
Casino whistled his surprise. ''Where'd yuh get those?''
''Just picked them up,'' Gina shrugged. They both gave her a questioning look but she ignored them, climbing into the driver's seat to start the engine. ''You two coming?'' Grabbing a Schmeisser each, Chief and Casino joined her in the cab. As she negotiated the narrow lane, the two men beside her, checked and loaded their newly acquired weapons.
It wasn't long before they reached the end of the lane and turned onto a wider road, which connected the village to the next town. After driving for about a mile or so, they came across a place where the road narrowed. It was bordered on one side by trees and a high bank while, on the other side of the road, there were plenty of shrubs and bushes covering a gentle slope leading down to a shallow stream. Gina stopped the van in the middle of the road, where it would be impossible for another vehicle to pass. Chief walked round to the front of the vehicle, lifted the cover over the engine and loosened one of the wires. Then he and Casino went off to find suitable places to lie in wait. Neither had liked the idea of leaving Gina exposed by the van, but she had argued that they were more capable of using the sub-machine guns than she was. They didn't have time to disagree, as it wasn't long before they heard the familiar sound of a military truck rumbling along the road.
Rounding the corner, the truck was forced to a halt by the van blocking the road. The driver and the other soldiers on the truck, surveyed the area, wondering if this was an ambush. However, when Gina stepped into view from the front of her van, all the soldiers were aware of was a lone, young woman. With no immediate threat to themselves, the driver and his passenger exchanged glances, then climbed down from the cab to see what the problem might be. A couple of coarse comments in German from the other soldiers, put Gina immediately on her guard.
''Kaputt,'' she called, waving at the engine, to distract the two soldiers attention from herself. For a moment the driver's eyes flickered towards the engine, but his thoughts were much more interested in the pretty young woman in front of him. As the driver continued to approach her, she was aware his passenger had walked down the other side of the van. Had she been alone, he would have rounded the van and come up behind her. Trusting her brother to deal with the threat, she concentrated on the driver.
From his position near the stream, Chief watched the passenger make his way steadily down the side of the van. Gun ready to take him out, Chief waited.
The guards in the back of the truck were all standing now, leaning forward over the cab or perched on the seats, egging the two men on. Casino, within the trees on the opposite side of the road, did not understand the actual words spoken but he was well aware of their meaning, and the men's intentions. He kept a careful eye on the driver, as he advanced on Gina, just hoping they had set this up right, for everyone's sake.
Well aware of the danger, Gina stepped away from the van to give herself more room and increase the distance from both soldiers. Her knife was already hidden in her hand, as she saw the driver move in her direction. Watching him lick his lips and tense, she was ready when he made a grab for her. Stepping back out of reach, the knife snapped open and was thrown, in one smooth movement. The driver looked at her in astonishment, as the knife embedded itself deep in his throat and he crumpled to the ground.
As if time had stood still, the passenger hesitated when he saw the fate of the driver, giving Chief the ideal shot he had been waiting for. At the same moment, Casino opened fire on the men standing in the back of the truck, who were taken totally unawares and had no time to retaliate. Drawing her hand gun, Gina crouched beside her van but Chief and Casino had easily dispatched the rest of the soldiers and the fight was over.
Cautiously, they moved from soldier to soldiers, looking for signs of life, then made their way to the back of the truck. Lying on a stretcher, positioned on the floor between the seats, was Goniff. His face was pale and shiny with sweat. And his eyes were closed.
''Hey Goniff, you alright?'' asked Casino, tapping him on the cheek.
Goniff opened one eye. ''Is it all over?'' When he saw Chief and Gina there too, he opened both eyes and smiled. ''Yeah, I'm fine, I think. Anyone got any grub, don't seem to 'ave eaten in ages.''
''You lousy crumb, we haven't eaten at all, running round the countryside looking for you,'' snapped Casino, more relieved than angry.
Carefully they helped Goniff down from the back of the truck. He was still quite unsteady, either from the medication or his ankle injury, but they were eventually able to make him comfortable in the back of the van. Chief and Casino retrieved anything of use from the site, hiding what they could in Gina's secret tin trunk. Together they piled the dead soldiers into the back of the truck. Seeing the wound in the driver's neck, Casino made a mental note never to get on the wrong side of Gina! Chief then drove the truck some distance from the road, hoping it wouldn't be found for some time. They didn't need any patrols on their tail.
The town was less than an hour's drive away, so they agreed to make their way there first. They would be able to stock up on food and medical supplies, while Gina made inquiries about the American prisoner. If there was no sign of Garrison and Actor, they would return to the safe house.
GG
He had been waiting around for well over two hours now and Actor was becoming increasingly concerned about Garrison. The officer had not come back out of the building, since he arrived this morning. Was he intending to interrogate Garrison himself or was he waiting for someone of higher rank to arrive? As he considered his options, Actor noticed a familiar figure walk down the road and enter the building, accompanied by an older man. At the same time, the chair beside him was pulled out and Chief sat down.
''You took your time,'' commented Actor in a quiet voice.
''Had more important things to do. Where's the Warden?''
''In the jail, across the street. Where are the others?'' Actor asked. Chief briefly explained what had happened. ''So what is Gina doing in there?''
''Not rightly sure. Seems to know a lot of people, though,'' answered Chief.
When Gina and the man came out of the building and walked back the way they had come, Chief led Actor along the back streets to a safe house. It was just a small storage facility with an office area at the back. But it was quiet and away from the main part of the town. Goniff was lying on a mattress, while Casino lounged on a chair nearby.
''Found him then. So where's the Warden?'' asked Casino, getting to his feet. Actor ignored him and went to attend to Goniff.
''In jail, Pappy. Just waiting for yuh t' break 'im out.'' Chief answered.
Hearing a noise outside, he clicked his fingers and made for the door. There was a coded knock, before Gina and her companion entered. She laid out food, drinks and medical supplies on the table.
''This is Pierre, Etienne's father.'' Gina introduced the man who had followed her in. ''How is Goniff?'' she asked Actor.
''He'll live. He has a sprained ankle and some infection in the cuts on his arms and legs. The doctor treated them well and he should feel much better soon.'' Actor answered. ''What were you doing at the jail?''
''We had to go there to report an abandoned military truck that we saw about twenty miles from here! The clerk was most helpful and went to inform the officer, who was not in the best of moods at being disturbed. We could just see another man in the room, it might have been Garrison and he looked as if he had been beaten quite badly. From what we could hear, the officer told the guard and the clerk, that he was expecting an SS Major to come for the prisoner this afternoon. I think he was hoping to break the Lieutenant before then. Looking for a promotion, maybe.''
''How long do we have?'' asked Actor.
''Two, maybe three hours at most.''
''So, we gonna spring him from the jail, or what?'' asked Casino, expectantly.
''Patience Casino, patience. We need to come up with a believable con that will convince the Germans, not rush over there mob handed,'' replied Actor.
''So, you gotta plan?''
''Yes, I have a plan that might work.''
GG
Actor, Casino and Chief, now wearing the German soldier uniforms they salvaged from their previous skirmish, climbed into the military car that Actor had stolen earlier. They followed the road out of town, taking the most likely route they expected the SS Major would have to travel. Finding a suitable spot, Chief turned the car around, just as Pierre arrived in Gina's van. Two armed men stepped out of the cab, alongside Pierre, who introduced them as local Resistance but didn't give their names. He explained they were here to help with added fire power.
Positioning the two vehicles, as if there had been a collision, they now just had to wait. Chief found a spot on a high bank for himself, where he had a clear view of the road and any oncoming vehicles. The two Resistance fighters hid themselves in the undergrowth, where they anticipated the German vehicle would have to stop. Meanwhile, Casino, Actor and Pierre stayed by the van.
It wasn't long before Chief whistled and scrambled down the bank. ''Four in a car an' motorcycle escort,'' he reported. Then he disappeared back into the trees.
The German staff car pulled to a halt behind the military car. In front of them, two German soldiers appeared to be arguing loudly with a very irate Frenchman. The Major impatiently directed the motorcycle forward to discover the cause of the hold up and get the road unblocked. Following orders, the motorcycle drove off around the car and approached the three men, who were still arguing and apparently unaware of the arrival of another vehicle. Chief watched from the trees for Actor to make the first move.
The motorcyclist stopped beside the men, indicating the Major behind and demanding they cleared the road. Actor replied, pointing to the van and Pierre. More heated words and gestures were exchanged with the Frenchman, who folded his arms and refused to budge. Then, looking at Casino, Actor shrugged his shoulders, as both he and Casino turned, shooting the rider and his passenger. Immediately, Chief fired, killing the Major with a clean shot, while the two Resistance fighters opened fire on the other personnel in the car. Actor, Casino and Pierre ducked down to give covering fire but, taken by surprise, the other German soldiers stood no chance.
The dead soldiers were quickly dragged from the vehicles, the required uniforms and weapons removed, before the bodies were hidden well away from the road. No longer needing the military car, Chief showed the two men from the Resistance, how to start the ignition without using a key, a skill they were keen to learn. Then they left, driving the car and motorcycle away to a safe hiding place, where the vehicles would be stripped of anything useful to the Resistance or locals. Actor thanked Pierre for his assistance and left him to return the van to Gina, who had remained at the safe house with Goniff.
Donning the uniform of the SS Major, Actor dusted himself down and repositioned his cap. ''My compliments Chief. An almost accurate shot. Hardly a mark to be seen on the jacket and cap. So, how do I look?''
''Beautiful, as always,'' replied Casino, as he and Chief shook their heads in disbelief.
Actor climbed into the back of the staff car alongside Casino, who was now dressed as his aide, while Chief turned over the engine, put the car into gear and drove away down the road, back towards the town.