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Chapter Five"So there I . . . "
"Benjamin? Benjamin, standing on the bench is probably not a good . . . Here now, that tickles! Had my hair all combed to its Sunday best, too. Hold on. I'm surrounded. What's this all about, eh? Katie . . . watch where you're putting your-! No, no. I'm fine, sweet. Just thinking I should have let you leave your shoes off. My voice? Ahem. There's nothing wrong at all with me voice."
"Now, then. Why is it that you lot are after my hair? Oh, you want to see where I hit my head? Well, it was right here. Here, Teddy. Put your finger . . . There. Feel it? Okay, let Benjamin and Katie have a go. Let's not have a repeat with your foot, okay, Katie? Ta, VERY much."
"See? Not so bad. Just a wee bit of a lump, still. But back then, it was a lot bigger. Rocks are harder than heads, let me tell you. Too right, Teddy. It was quite a headache that I had when I woke up. Worse than that time I had one too many at . . . Well, that's another story for another time. When you're older."
"All right, you three. Sit back down. I'll be having none of you ending up with your own bumps. Not another word until I see three ar- settees sitting. That's good."
"What's that, Katie? Speak right up. Ah, yes. We were in a real fix, and it was looking pretty bad for the both of us."
"You're spot on, Benjamin. The goons were still searching high and low for us. But they ran into a bit of trouble, themselves."
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"Watch it!"
Benson let go of Broughton's arm, dampened his grin at seeing the other man almost step into a splash of vomit. Broughton squinched his eyes closed, shuddered.
"I'm gonna smell that crap forever!"
"Least it's easy to see where he's been." Jones shoved past, almost sending Broughton back into LeBeau's 'marker'. Broughton made a rude gesture at Jones' back, then sullenly followed in his steps. Benson released a drawn-out sigh. He was not certain these men could work as a team at anything.
"Come on, big guy," Olsen softly urged, coming up behind Benson and clapping a hand to his shoulder. "We're almost to the Saale." Benson let him pass, then followed. So far, Olsen had kept up with the rest of the squad without much trouble. But Benson sensed his friend's energy was giving out. He kept close to Olsen's heels, ready to help if needed.
Not far ahead, Tivoli went down theembankment and stopped, bracing his hands on his hips. The rest of the squad lined up along the top. The river lay only yards from Tivoli's feet, and not far to his right, lay more evidence of LeBeau's illness. Tivoli briefly pondered the vomit, then let his gaze travel further to the right, upstream.
"So," he said, nearly inaudible to the others. "This must be where he decided he needed help." He suddenly glanced over his shoulder at Benson, hooked a thumb at the water. "Is it always this high?"
"No." Benson beckoned to him. "Come back up here. The current might have undercut the bank." To his surprise, Tivoli immediately followed the advice. It seemed the Italian would take orders after all.
Broughton snapped his fingers. "Just like the place we found."
"You think that's where they fell in?" Maddux asked, eyeing the swift current below them.
Tivoli threw a thoughtful glance upstream again. "Maybe. Or maybe they fell in while they were crossing."
Maddux snorted. "They're dead by now. No use wasting any more ti -"
Tivoli spun, clamped a hand in the front of Maddux's coat and jerked him forward. Stunned by the unexpected attack, Maddux could only stare into the furious black eyes poised just inches from his own. The others edged closer, ready to separate the two combatants.
"Nobody's giving up!" Tivoli snarled into Maddux's face. "Not until we know for sure." He shoved Maddux at arms' length, then faced the rest of the group. "Anybody else got a problem with that?" When the group signaled a collective 'no', Tivoli released Maddux as quickly as he had grabbed him and turned away.
Benson and Olsen exchanged looks of pure bewilderment. The sentiment behind Tivoli's reaction was totally uncharacteristic of the Tivoli they knew – and avoided.
"Hey," Jones said under his breath, moving downstream from their position. He squinted, bobbed his head, then craned it high. "Hey, look!" He pointed toward a drift of tree limbs, sticks, brush and other debris caught against the bank even farther downsteam. The others rushed toward him, drawn by his excitement. He glanced their way, pointed again. "I think I see one of them!"
"Where?" Tivoli and Benson chorused, staring hard at the deadfall. The others did the same, everyone looking for either Hogan or Newkirk. Jones grimaced, frustrated.
"Are you guys blind or something?"
"We're going to be dead if we don't keep our voices down!" Olsen hissed, making a sharp, palms-down gesture. His eyes swept the area, checking for potential threats.
Jones took off at a run for the deadfall, ignoring everything except what he had seen. Tivoli's breath left him in a sharp curse. He sprinted after Jones, with Benson and the others right behind him.
"It's down here!" Jones scrambled over the tangled pile of wood, sending branches shifting and sliding under his feet. Wedged against the deadfall's base, just above the waterline, was some dark clothing. The other men raced after him, more concerned with Jones' actions. His mad scramble and the rough current threatened to collapse the already dangerously unstable pile.
"Jonesie!" Broughton called, as he and Maddux pulled even with Olsen. "Get off there!"
Olsen stopped at the top of the bank, feet sliding on the wet grass. He wrapped one arm around a tree, reached out with the other. "Chain! Make a chain!" Broughton spun, grabbed Olsen's free hand and thrust his own toward Maddux, who clamped onto it. His own hand shot out, tightly gripped the back of Benson's belt just as the bigger man followed Tivoli to the water's edge. Jones glanced up at them, then down at the shifting mass under his feet - and finally realized where his foolish rush had taken him. He managed a single step in Tivoli's direction.
Branches and limbs fell apart, started tumbling into the water with increasing speed. Jones' gaze jerked down to his feet, then up to meet Tivoli's wide eyes. The limb carrying most of Jones' weight slid, throwing him off balance. He tipped backward, arms flailing, eyes white-rimmed with pure horror. Benson and Tivoli lunged forward, Benson catching a fistful of Tivoli's jacket. Tivoli stretched toward Jones, extending his arms as far as possible. His hands locked onto Jones' arm and he let out a yell. The chain of men immediately reversed, muscles straining to pull Jones to safety. Seconds later, his feet hit solid ground and he literally fell into Tivoli's arms. Tivoli staggered, but somehow managed to keep his feet under him. Nostrils flaring with each heaving breath, he took a double handful of Jones' jacket and set the white-faced man on his feet.
"You ever do something so IDIOTIC again," Tivoli rasped, voice shaking with suppressed rage. "And I swear I'll toss you into the river myself!"
Jones stood, slack-mouthed, as Tivoli spun on his heel and stalked up the bank past the other men and into the trees. One by one, Benson, Broughton, Maddux and Olsen picked themselves off the ground and brushed themselves off. Once he had finished, Olsen casually ambled over to Jones, flung an arm about the other man's shoulders.
"Wow," Olsen remarked, grinning. "Guess you really scared him, huh?"
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"We found out that night that the goons could work together, after all. Surprised everyone, even themselves, I think. They were a gruff bunch, like a pack of half-wild dogs at times. But when it counted, they always did the right thing. Only needed a bit of reminding now and then to do it."
"Yes, Teddy. That was the first time they'd all been sent out together like that. But it wasn't to be the last. What? Not today, Benjamin. I can't be starting another tale before finishing this one."
"Well, now. I'm just getting to Louis, Katie. Lyons took my little mate back to camp, just like he'd been told. And when he got there . . ."
To be continued . . .