86. Fatherhood
Chapter 3
The men watched her face as she waited for a new Lieutenant to get Major Richards on the line. His voice came through the phone and her head came up.
"Terry," said Richards with resignation. "What kind of problem this time?"
"Someone leaked Actor's dossier to a civilian and it went from there to who knows where," said Terry. "Let me tell you the whole story as we know it."
"Please do that," said the Major, resignation replaced with concern.
The woman outlined what had happened with Julie and the time frame that they were aware of. "These girls saw it, read it, told their friends, who probably told their friends and their parents. We don't know for sure."
"Do you have any idea where this Mrs. Landers got the dossier?" asked Richards.
"Not yet," said Terry. "We haven't been up there yet. One thing that concerns me is how close to Bletchley Park this school is. They must have some kind of files on us. We work with some of Bletchley's raw data. And they decode some of our transmissions."
"Another concern," said Actor from across the room, "is what is Mrs. Lander's doing with the dossier information? Is she passing it on to someone else? Someone working for the German's?"
Terry grinned wickedly. "Kevin, would that be treason here?"
"Since 1940, yes." He paused while thinking.
"So what is the punishment by the British for treason?" asked Terry.
"Death by hanging or firing squad," answered Richards. "However, I will have to find out if that holds true for women."
The woman's wicked grin widened. "But it could be used as a threat, couldn't it?"
Garrison stared at his sister. A movement by the con man drew his attention. Actor's own wicked grin widened.
"She is learning quite well, isn't she," the con man whispered just loud enough for the officer to hear.
"Too well," Craig mouthed back.
They did not hear the answer from Major Richards, but Terry went on a different track.
"I have a friend in Bletchley," said the woman. "Would it be all right to ask her to keep her ears and eyes open?"
"Does she know about you and Garrison's men?" asked Richards dubiously.
"She handles the transmissions going into Madge and she has handled some of the transmissions from Craig before."
Garrison and Actor both stared at her.
"I think she knows enough, and not too much," added Terry.
"What is this person's name?" the Major wanted to know.
"Angela Parker. I roomed with her, and she taught me when I was learning code at Bletchley during training."
"Yes, you can ask her. We need to know if the dossier came from Bletchley or is going out to the Germans." Richards gave a hmm. "Why can't anything be easy with you people?" he asked.
"If it was easy, Kevin, we wouldn't be doing our job, would we?" smiled Terry ruefully.
"All right. Keep me informed. I will see what I can find out from this end. I thought I knew who had access to Garrison's and his men's dossiers. I need to find out if there are more, and if not, who is doing the leaking."
"Kevin, keep us informed too please," said Terry.
"Umm, yes," replied the Commando officer. "And tell your brother for now, they will be standing down until we find out it is safe for them to go in."
"Okay," said Terry with a subdued tone and a frown.
They hung up and Terry looked at her brother. "Major Richards said until we find out if it is safe for you guys to go in, you are standing down."
"Great," said Craig in a tone that said just the opposite.
Actor looked at Teresa. "I suggest you, Julie and I go pay Mrs. Landers a little visit tomorrow," he said.
"You are going to take Julie back to that school?" asked Craig in confusion.
"Why not?" shrugged Actor. "Better the devil you know, than the devil you don't know." He grinned. "Trust me, Teresa and I will be working a con on the woman."
"I'd also like to get that dossier away from her," said Terry.
"That would probably be a good idea," agreed Garrison. He looked back and forth between his sister and his second. "Who owns that school? Landers is the headmistress. She doesn't necessarily own the school."
"Good thought, Warden," said Actor with appreciation. He looked at Teresa. "Perhaps your friend, Angela, can get us that information?" he suggested.
Terry nodded and looked back at her brother now. "Seeing as she knows about this group, do you suppose it would be all right to use your phone?"
Garrison frowned. "I would have Major Richards' office put the call through and for now run it back and forth through him."
Terry nodded and started to pick up the receiver to place the call. She stopped midway and looked questioningly at Actor. "Tomorrow?"
The Italian nodded, "Best to do it quickly so the Landers woman doesn't have time to think and perhaps get rid of the dossier."
Terry nodded, but she wasn't done yet. With a smile, she asked, "Tea in the afternoon at the same place?"
"Do you think Angela will have enough time to find out anything?" he asked.
Terry grinned. "She may be Chris's age, but she has that steel trap mind and if she lets you get close enough to her, you find out how intelligent she is."
"If she is working at Bletchley," said Craig, "she has to be intelligent."
Actor was thinking the same thing. He smiled. "Tea in the afternoon would be fine."
Terry went on to make the call. She made sure to inform Lt. Barkley to tell Angela to meet them for tea at the same time and same place.
Actor had concerns about his daughter. He looked at Garrison and Teresa, as she came back to sit beside him.
"I want Julie to be present for this, but there are two things I am worried about," he said. "If she doesn't want to stay there, I don't want her to feel she is obliged to stay."
"So, you tell her if she doesn't want to stay she doesn't have to," said Garrison. "There are other schools. You discussed that in the beginning with her. Just remind her of that."
"What's the other thing?" prompted Teresa.
"I will keep Julie with me," said Actor. "But I am concerned about her learning things from us, such as coercion, possibly blackmail . . . and theft."
The con man knew the wavelength he had with Teresa was as strong as the one with Garrison. Teresa smiled rather wickedly.
"You keep Mrs. Landers out of her office, and maybe to lunch. I will get into her office and grab the dossier," said the woman. "It shouldn't be too difficult to find. If she's careless enough to leave that out on her desk when she is out of her office, she probably has it in Julie's file in her file cabinet."
"What if the file cabinet should be locked?" asked Actor.
Terry chuckled. "Casino taught me file cabinet right at the beginning of 'locks and safes.' As he would say, 'No problem, Babe'."
Actor's eyes squinted over a tight mouth. "I am not your 'Babe'."
"Yes, dear," said the woman back to him.
"I am not your dear either," grumbled the con man with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Sure, you are," bantered Garrison back. "She calls you that all the time in Italian."
Actor turned his head to stare at the man. "That is different."
Craig shook his head. "Still the same word."
Terry got up from the desk chair. "We won't say what he calls me in the bedroom."
"TERESA!" exploded Actor.
Terry grinned and chuckled at her brother. "He is just too much fun to tease."
Actor watched the woman go to the door and call his daughter to come in.
The girl looked at Terry worriedly. "Is it safe?"
"Yes, it's perfectly safe," reassured Terry.
Casino grinned. "Givin' Beautiful a hard time?"
"Of course," replied Terry, beckoning with her fingers for the girl to come.
Julie allowed Terry to escort her into the office. Actor had smoothed his features into a calm, inviting expression and held an arm out. The girl moved in for a hug.
"Sit down, My Julie," said Actor. "It's all right. Teresa is just being a marmocchia again."
"You call her that a lot, Papa," said the girl, sitting down in the chair beside her father.
"That's because she is one," said the Italian absently, mind on what he was going to say to his daughter.
"What does it mean?" asked Julie.
"Brat," said all three adults in unison.
Julie looked at them each in turn. Actor bowed his head and rubbed his fingers between his eyes to hide his grin. His face was pleasant again when he looked up.
"The three of us are going to visit the school tomorrow," said Actor. "We have a plan."
"Like a mission?" asked the girl.
Actor's eyes went to Garrison's allowing concern to show through. Craig gave a half smile.
"Yes, honey, like a mission," said the Lieutenant. He shifted his eyes to Actor. "There's a war on. She's been in it. She was bound to pick up some of it."
Actor was not sure he liked that, but there was nothing to be done about it. He gathered himself and moved on.
"We are going to the school. We will take your belongings, but that does not mean you have to stay if you do not wish to. As we said in the beginning, there are other schools." When the girl sat still, without speaking, he continued. "You will stay with me. I will have a discussion with Mrs. Landers. The papers the other girls saw on her desk are most likely a copy of my dossier. She does not have clearance to see those, and she should not have access to them. I will try to find out where she got them. We will get there close to the lunch hour, and I will take us to get lunch, so we are all outside of her office. Teresa will go back and get the dossier. Whether I allow you to stay at that school hinges on what I can get Mrs. Landers to agree to, and what you wish to do. I just want you to sit quietly and listen. I don't want you to speak unless you are asked a question. Do you have any questions now?"
Julie nodded. "Are you going to do the 'SS thing', like you did with Major Schaeffer?" Julie asked.
"Probably," said Actor. "You do not need to be afraid of me. It is a – 'theatrical' - thing I do . . ."
"To scare the crap out of German guards to let us through road blocks and into places we don't belong," broke in Terry.
"He's very effective," added Garrison. "Just remember he's your father, and not an SS officer."
This conversation was getting a little bizarre for a child, thought Actor, but he trusted the other two to perhaps know what was best to say to the girl. Tomorrow would prove him right or wrong and he would deal with that too. He looked at the Lieutenant.
"Would it be all right if Julie stays here tonight?" Actor asked. "That way we can get an early start in the morning."
"I don't see why not," replied Garrison. "She's done it before."
There was a 'hrumph' from the Italian. Terry was looking at Actor.
"Is it all right if I stay here too?" she asked with her usual cockiness.
Garrison answered for the con man. "Of course. As long as you cook dinner. No Spam."
"Oh, I suppose I can," said the girl dramatically. She looked at the girl. "Do you have clean clothes with you?"
"There is a school uniform in my bag," answered the girl.
Terry looked at Actor. "I didn't see you with a bag. Is it in the car?"
Taking care of children's belongings was a woman's job, thought Actor. "I wasn't aware I was supposed to bring a bag too."
"No problem," said Terry. "I'll go get it."
Actor had another thought and looked at Garrison. "Would there by chance be any Mushroom Chicken left?"
Craig chuckled. "No. Goniff ate his portion and yours last night."
"Someone could have left some for me," lamented the con man in disgust.
"Wouldn't have mattered," said Garrison. "Goniff would have just gone down during the night and eaten the rest of it."
That he would have done, thought Actor to himself. He looked at Teresa. "Do you think . . .?"
"No," Terry cut him off. "I don't have any chicken thawed and I don't want to eat dinner at midnight." She smiled indulgently at him. "I'll make it for you when we get back," she promised.
And she would, Actor knew, if the timing was right and he waited long enough. Perhaps next year's birthday? No, he was being unfair to her. She did the best she could for him and the others with what she could get.
Teresa rose and headed for the door. "Be back in a bit."
Actor shook his head. She was entirely too perky for what little sleep she had professed to having last night.
"I take it we're done," said Garrison shaking his head.
"It would appear so," agreed the con man.
Julie touched her father's sleeve. "May I go out and play cards?" she asked.
"I suppose," answered Actor.
He followed her to the door and got the cracksman's attention. "Julie, would like to play cards," he said. "Could you . . .?"
"Sure," replied the safecracker with a grin. "All right if I teach her how to play poker?"
"Casino . . .!" objected Actor.
"I know how to play poker," said Julie. "Some of the airmen who came through the convent taught me."
Of course they did. "Probably not in the manner Casino plays," Actor said wryly.
"I know he cheats," said Julie nonchalantly. She took a seat across the game table from him. Looking at him with her head tilted, she asked, "Why do you do that with solitaire, Uncle Casino? You don't win anyway."
Laughter sputtered from Actor, Goniff and even Chief at that.
"Thanks, Kid," said Casino dryly. He looked at the girl's father. "You sure she doesn't have Garrison in her?"
Actor smiled without humor. "I am positive I did not know Teresa that many years ago. And if I had, she would have been too young."
He turned away, reentered the office and shut the door firmly behind him.
Garrison was trying a bit unsuccessfully to smother a chuckle. Actor shook his head and sat down at the table again. He pulled his pipe and tobacco bag from his inner jacket pocket. Seemingly concentrating on building a pipe, he shot a glance at the Lieutenant.
"Tell me, Warden," Actor began. "What exactly is a godmother supposed to do? Was I supposed to go into Teresa's bedroom and look for a bag?"
"Why not? You've been in there enough times," said Garrison.
The con man shot him a frown with eyebrows that almost met in the middle.
Craig chuckled. "You took care of her there when she had pneumonia. I assume you have a key to the place."
And why do you assume that?" asked Actor, unsure if he wanted to know the answer, but needed to.
"Sometimes, when Terry's on the Continent and 'people' here get on your nerves, you disappear. That's the closest place to go. You're not gone long enough to make it to London and back. Well, once in a while." Garrison continued. "She has silk sheets on her bed and the spare. She wouldn't buy those." Garrison popped another question in quickly. "She lets you bring women in there?"
Actor wished he had not brought up the subject, but the Lieutenant's demeanor was more of humor than anger.
"I did twice," he admitted. Shaking his head, he said, "It did not feel right. So I just go there sometimes, as you say, to get away from certain people who get on my nerves." Actor wanted to reassure Teresa's brother. "We have only crossed paths once, and I immediately left. Otherwise we have been chaperoned by Julie." He decided it would be prudent to change the subject. "We digress. What is a godmother supposed to do? What am I supposed to do?"
Garrison shook his head. "I don't know what a godmother is supposed to do. I am not a father and as far as we kids are concerned we really didn't have one. I don't know. Terry doesn't know. You don't know. I guess you two will just have to learn as you go." He grinned. "I don't think they make guide books."
Actor remained silent, smoking his pipe. He fervently wished there was a guide book.
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