Chapter 4
Garrison knew his men bent the rules on occasions but could think of nothing to warrant this unwelcome intrusion. ''Can I help you gentlemen?'' he asked, using his height, uniform and military bearing to gain their attention. One of the MPs stepped forward and flashed a salute.
''We have orders to arrest a Miss Gina Monet, believed to be hiding here, Sir,'' he explained.
That certainly wasn't what Garrison had expected to hear and he noticed that his men also appeared shocked at the news. ''We've just got back from a mission,'' he said, preferring not to elaborate on the fact that only three of them had been absent until today. ''There is nobody else here,'' remarked Garrison, casting a quick look at each of his men and then turning to the Sgt. Major. ''Isn't that correct Sgt. Major?''
''Yes, Sir. Quite correct,'' retorted the Sgt. Major. ''That's part of my job, I would certainly know if there was anyone else here besides you and your men, Sir. Especially a woman!''
The man in plain clothes now stepped forward. ''I am Detective Inspector Rees from the local constabulary...''
''A limey cop!'' spat Casino, straightening up from where he had been lounging against the banister. They had all accepted their lives were now governed by the US Army but the only times they had any dealings with the British police force was if things got out of hand at The Doves, the local pub. Casino, still recovering from recent events in France, was in no mood to cooperate with 'cops', especially if it involved Gina. Actor and Goniff also stood up and moved to flank Casino, either to back him up or to stop him doing anything stupid. Chief remained stony-faced, wondering what was going on.
''I am a British policeman, yes,'' Rees replied dismissively, ignoring the threatening stance of the men in front of him, before he turned back to Garrison. ''We have reason to believe a Miss Monet is hiding on these premises.''
''I'm sorry Lieutenant, but we have orders to search the building,'' the MP insisted, almost apologetically.
Garrison knew he was not in a position to prevent the search. ''Go ahead Corporal,'' he said, moving back to join his men at the foot of the stairs, in the hope that he could prevent any smouldering anger from erupting. He watched his men's reactions but nothing seemed out of place. They were all showing varying signs of hostility, as he would have expected, but they appeared just as confused as he was, watching the MPs spread out and move into each of the rooms.
''What's going on, Warden? Has something happened to Gina?'' whispered Goniff.
''You haven't seen her while we were away?'' asked Garrison in a low voice.
''No, she ain't been here, don't think she knows where we are based. Not unless Chiefy has told her,'' Goniff replied quietly.
Garrison turned to his scout, who was scowling at Goniff. ''Chief? Does she know how to find us?''
Chief shook his head, as he took a quick breath to calm himself down. ''Ain't said nothin' 'bout this place. You told me not to. Remember?''
''So, do you know where she is now?'' persisted Garrison.
He was saved from replying by the MPs, who pushed past the men at the base of the stairs, causing Casino to clench his fists, as his anger began to escalate. Garrison, knowing his safecracker could make matters worse for them all, ushered his men away from the stairs, in an attempt to keep them calm. Chief watched the MPs make their way up the stairs. He knew Gina could make herself invisible but was still worried for her. His mind was racing, why were the MPs looking for Gina? She hadn't done anything wrong. Nor was she anything to do with US Military. And why was a British policeman involved. There was something odd going on here.
Five minutes later one of the MPs came downstairs. ''We found this in one of the bathrooms, Sir,'' he said handing over a small bottle of medicine to D.I. Rees. Actor glared indignantly at the man, knowing that his personal belongings had been searched.
''Lieutenant?'' queried the detective, holding the bottle up for him to see.
''That belongs to one of my men who was injured on a recent mission. You can check at the military hospital,'' replied Garrison, wondering why the medication was relevant.
''Oh, don't worry, I will,'' D.I. Rees replied, slipping the bottle into his pocket.
When the other MPs came down the stairs, the Corporal shook his head. ''Couldn't find anyone, Sir. But there is a locked door up there.''
''Where is the key, Lieutenant?'' the detective demanded to know.
''I have no idea. You will have to contact the owners of the building. We only use the front part of the house. The rest is locked up and off limits,'' explained Garrison brusquely, eager to see the back of this irritating man.
''Then I shall make further enquiries to that end and return with the key or a warrant. Or both!'' declared D.I. Rees. Frustrated for now and, with nothing more they could do, Rees and the MPs made their way back to their vehicles.
GG
The unwelcome visitors had hardly left the building when the telephone rang. ''Now what?'' grumbled Garrison, as he went to pick up the receiver. Discretely the cons made their way into the common room.
''What was all that about?'' asked Casino with concern. ''What could the local cops possibly want with Gina?''
Goniff shook his head ''I do 'ope she's ok.''
Actor had been watching Chief, who was surprisingly quieter than usual, taking no part in the conversation. The young man was sitting in his normal spot by the window, where he had a good view of the driveway up to the main door and had been watching the retreating vehicles, to ensure they left the estate. However, knowing the close bond between the siblings, Actor thought it was strange that their scout was not already out, scouring the countryside for his sister. ''Do you know where she is Chief?'' he asked casually.
All eyes looked at Chief, just as Garrison entered the room. ''Yes, if you know where she is you need to tell me now, Chief, before this gets out of hand.''
''Before what gets out of hand, Lieutenant?'' Actor asked, wondering what other information Garrison had about Gina .
''Seems the hospital contacted the police yesterday after they discovered Gina had disappeared, especially when they found out that a number of drugs and equipment had gone missing too,'' explained Garrison.
Chief got down from his perch on the window sill, eyes narrowing, as he stared angrily at Garrison. ''What yuh tryin' t' say?''
''Hey, Gina's not like that. She ain't no thief,'' called out Goniff, shocked that anyone would even think that she might have taken anything.
''No way!'' growled Casino. ''Something's not right about all this.''
''Do they have any other suspects?'' Actor asked. All the cons had come across innocent people who had been convicted on flimsy evidence, once the police had them in their sights. No doubt the same was true over here, in England.
''Not that I'm aware of. So where is she now Chief?'' Garrison repeated.
''I'm here, Lieutenant,'' responded Gina, from the doorway. '' And no, I didn't steal anything,'' she continued, as she moved further into the room.
''Ah, thank goodness you're ok, luv. Come in and take a seat,'' gabbled Goniff, grabbing a chair for Gina to sit down, relieved to see her looking so well after her recent injuries and prolonged stay in hospital. This problem now, concerning the police, was worrying him though , as he had a soft spot for Gina and wanted to know she was going to be ok.
''How did you know where to find us?'' asked Garrison, glancing towards Chief, who hadn't shown any surprise when his sister had appeared in the doorway.
''It was quite easy really. A couple of the girls in our room, who were recuperating after their operations, thought they recognised you, Lieutenant. Wanted to know why you were visiting me the other day. Seems they are stationed at the local RAF base and had seen you guys waiting to board your planes a few times.'' Gina went on to explain about the activity at the hospital and the arrival of officers asking about her.
''How'd you get out of the hospital, have you been discharged?'' Casino asked.
''No. I took your route through the shrubbery. The girls gave me some directions and then I followed the sound of planes to the RAF base. From there I found the local village and The Doves. Apparently women, on their own, aren't particularly welcome in a British pub, so I went to the Post Office instead. I explained I had a few days before I had to fly back to the States and wanted to see some local stately homes. The Postmistress was very helpful and gave me a list of places to visit but told me the nearest had been taken over by the American military, so here I am.''
''How'd you get in, past the guard?'' Casino asked.
''She probably used the servant's entrance onto the estate or the trellis, just like we do,'' suggested Goniff, as if those where the normal means of entry to the building.
''And that telephone call you took just now, I assume that was someone else wondering if Gina might be here?'' commented Actor.
''Yes,'' confirmed Garrison. ''That was Major Richards. He was concerned about your safety, Gina. Seems the hospital were quite worried when they couldn't find you yesterday.''
''What's it got to do with Richards?'' Casino demanded to know. The Major may have mellowed towards the team by the end of their mission, that he had forced them to undertake, but Casino wasn't prepared to trust the man just yet.
''He's one of the officers I've been talking to about getting Gina back to France. He knows the people Jean-Pierre and Gina were in contact with, here in England. Major Richards was also the person who ensured her medical treatment was covered by the British, which is why the hospital contacted him,'' Garrison explained, pointedly. ''He still doesn't think the US military know of her existence.''
''But what about the MPs who were looking for Gina earlier? '' Goniff asked.
Actor had been considering that too and a thought had occurred to him. ''The local police were given her name by the hospital, so they were looking for Gina Monet, the name we gave her, not Gina's true identity. That would mean they are only connecting her with the theft, nothing else.''
''Exactly. We are on a US military base here. The British police have to work with our Military Police if they want to gain access to this site,'' agreed Garrison. ''And those men you mentioned Gina, who were asking after you at the hospital, according to Major Richards, they were British, not American. They wanted to talk to you about your plans for the future. However, the fact that you then disappeared at the same time as a quantity of items from the hospital were found to be missing, caused the local police to connect you with the crime.''
''Someone must have grassed on yuh, for the cops to come looking here,'' suggested Goniff. ''Or is it just 'cos we're cons, they assume Gina is too.''
''Either way it means the local cops are still looking for Gina,'' stated Casino. ''So how do we get her out of this mess?''
GG
Rather than trust the telephone, Garrison had arranged to meet Major Richards the following day to discuss the situation that Gina now found herself in. He wanted to get matters sorted before they were given another mission, knowing that his men, particularly Chief, would find it difficult to leave Gina 'undefended'. And, although he believed Gina was quite capable of taking care of herself, he needed to ensure his men didn't have concerns about her welfare, in the back of their minds, rather than being focused on their job. He didn't want any more injuries or worse.
In the meantime, they had kept Gina out of sight most of the time, even the Sgt. Major didn't seem to be aware of her existence. Goniff had managed to acquire some odd items of uniform, which fitted loosely, hiding any give-away curves. Her hair was still fairly short and could be easily hidden under a cap, enabling Gina to pass as a young soldier should the need arise.
On his return later that day, Garrison came and sat with his men, Gina and Chief soon joining them. Garrison was unsure how legal all this subterfuge was but, with Major Richards' backing and his own feelings about Gina's usefulness to the Resistance in France, he was prepared to do what he could to ensure her safety.
''None of the people I have spoken to believe that Gina had any involvement in the recent thefts at the hospital,'' confirmed Garrison. ''Major Richards has made discrete enquires and discovered that a small number of items have been disappearing for some time now but, with the constant movement of patients and staff, it had been assumed things were just mislaid. However, this week a consignment of medicines, boxes of syringes and several rolls of bandages all vanished about the same time that Gina left the hospital.''
''Now 'ow's she supposed to 'ave carried all that out, unnoticed?'' argued Goniff, determined to defend Gina.
''Possibly they thought she had an accomplice and had passed the goods on to them,'' suggested Actor.
''Maybe, but those WRAF dames who recognised the Warden, they could have grassed on Gina,'' said Casino, pointedly looking at Garrison. ''Besides, the local cops know all about us, bet they just put two and two together and decided to put us in the frame, too.''
''No wonder they was so interested in Actor's bottle of medicine,'' pointed out Goniff.
''But this don't get Gina off the hook. The cops are still looking for her. Right?'' Chief looked at Garrison, who nodded. ''So, Richards, he got a plan, Warden?''
''Until they find the real culprits, Gina needs to stay out of sight,'' started Garrison.
''We can't keep 'er 'idden forever. What if we 'ave a mission?'' persisted Goniff
''And if Rees gets hold of that key, Gina won't be safe here alone. If they had a warrant, they could turn the place over,'' agreed Casino.
''Which is why Major Richards has set up a meeting tomorrow morning with a small group of people who are interested in getting Gina back to France,'' continued Garrison. ''If all goes to plan, they will keep her safe and expect to send her back to the continent in the next few weeks.''
The room went quiet as everyone digested this information.
''And who are these people, Lieutenant?'' Actor voiced the question that they were all thinking.
''I can't tell you that, except to say they are well aware of Gina's work, alongside Jean-Pierre. They also have links with many of the other groups in Europe, opposing the Germans,'' answered Garrison.
''Just how do you intend to get Gina to this meeting tomorrow?'' wondered Actor. ''This place is probably under observation.''
GG
Early the next morning, dressed in the army fatigues that Goniff had found for her, Gina made her way downstairs to where the others were waiting. After carefully arranging the cap on her head, to ensure it covered most of her hair and hid her face, Gina, Chief and Casino slipped out of the kitchen, past the greenhouses and into the pasture beyond. Following their well worn path to the village, they arrived at the back of The Doves just as the dray arrived with the beer delivery.
Meanwhile Goniff, dressed in similar fatigues and cap as Gina, climbed into the jeep with Garrison. They drove down to the gateway, where the drive from the estate met the road. Normally there would be a solitary soldier on duty here, to check people entering or exiting. Today, however, two men were stationed there, one of whom was a British policeman. Their passes were checked and the guard, who regularly saw the men coming and going, was able to confirm their identity to the constable and they were waved on their way.
It was only a short drive to The Doves, where Garrison pulled up at the rear of the pub. Goniff got out and walked around the dray, where the others were waiting, unseen from the road. After a couple of minutes Garrison called out from the jeep, to get Goniff to hurry up. Instead, it was Gina who appeared from behind the dray, and joined Garrison in the jeep. Together they drove off down the road for their meeting.
GG
As the sound of the vehicle disappeared into the distance, Chief, Casino and Goniff slipped away from The Doves, through the churchyard and re-joined the path, back to the Mansion. All three were subdued and walked in silence for some time.
''D'yuh think Gina will be ok, now?'' asked Goniff.
''The Warden seemed to think this was the best way to clear her name and get her back to France. I guess we'll just have to wait and see,'' Casino replied, though he wasn't entirely convinced.
Chief made no reply. He wasn't convinced either but Gina had agreed to go and seemed to understand more about the people she would be meeting than he did, having worked with the Resistance for three years now. He didn't want her to go back to France but knew she couldn't stay here.
Back at the mansion, the Sgt. Major was waiting for them, standing with his hands on his hips, as they entered the kitchen. ''And where 'ave you lot been?'' he barked, trying to sound as if he was in charge.
''I did explain you had all gone for an early morning run but somehow, I don't think the Sgt. Major believed me,'' sighed Actor, putting down his coffee cup. The con man had agreed to remain behind, in case the Sgt. Major asked about their absence or D.I. Rees came back with keys for the locked door. ''I assume you all got there and back as you had planned?'' he asked ambiguously, as the three men grinned and helped themselves to coffee, ignoring the Sgt. Major, much to his annoyance.