Turin - January 2nd, 1944
Maria turned up at eight as promised. She was dressed as a man, in work trousers and jacket with her hair tucked up under a cap. She looked with interest at the remnants of the men's breakfast still scattered on the table. They had clearly gone out and raided some of the local shops last night, not that she could blame them. "Are you ready?" She didn't wait for an answer, but was already on her way out of the door before she finished speaking. Garrison hurried to catch her up, leaving his men to follow as best they could.
"The factory isn't heavily guarded at the moment. The Germans don't have enough troops in Italy to guard all the factories, so the men that are employed are not soldiers, but they have guns and will use them."
The walk to the factory took thirty minutes and Garrison was uncomfortably aware that their group of six stood out on the mainly empty Sunday streets, even though they had split into pairs.
Monaco and Diesel were walking together on the other side of the road from Garrison and Maria and about 50 meters behind.
"So you gonna tell the truth?"
Monaco looked at his team mate with his normal conman's disdain, but then let the mask slip. The words were the same, but the meaning was gentler. "What do you mean?"
"Monaco, we spent months together, I know when you're holding stuff back. I won't go as far as Casino and say you're selling us out to the Germans, but you're up to something. If you want me to have your back I need to know what I'm protecting.
"I can't tell you."
"You gotta give me something."
"You, me and Garrison. I'll tell you what I can, but you have to trust me for the rest. I've never let anyone in the team down yet, and whatever you think, I won't be doing it now."
Diesel considered what the Italian had said so far, then nodded. "OK, but you owe us something more than we have now."
Casino and Chief were the final pairing, 100 meters or so behind Garrison and Maria.
"You know, Geronimo, I still don't trust that Italian."
Chief ignored the nickname. He was used to it now and knew the safecracker didn't mean anything by it. "Me neither. I think Diesel's straight but Monaco's holdin' out on sumthin'."
"You think the Warden knows?"/p
"He can play his cards pretty close to his chest. I reckon he knows we're bein' conned, but he's just biding his time."
"So whadder we do?"
"Watch and wait, like we always do," drawled Chief, giving his unique enigmatic smile.
"Yeah, well let me tell you sumthin'... one of these days we'll wait too long and one of us won't make it."
The FIAT factory loomed ahead of them. They were approaching it from the north and from this angle it wasn't obvious just how long the five story, concrete structure was. Damaged by the August bombings it was no longer the iconic architectural statement it had been in 1939, but it was still impressive nonetheless.
"That's the main entrance," Maria said quietly as they headed south down the Via Nizza. A tall wall rimmed the perimeter, pierced by a guarded gateway. Small groups of men were making their way through them onto the site. Garrison motioned the other four to close up so they could hear the girl's final instructions. "Just flash your passes, we won't be challenged. Our permits allow us to work on a machine on the fourth floor that has been giving problems."
"That was too easy, babe," muttered Casino as the six were let through, along with a number of other men, with barely a glance. Maria was already purposefully heading for a tunnel that gave access to the centre of the 500m long oval that formed the main factory building. Chief watched her with interest. She was the first woman he'd seen that could walk like a man when dressed as one. They followed the agent as she disappeared into a doorway that led up a flight of wrought iron steps.
Reaching the fourth floor, she pointed to one of the machines. "That's the one with the problem. It's just a loose wire."
"Chief, Diesel, fix that then watch the stairs," Garrison advised as he dropped off his first two men.
The other four made their way to the top floor. It was empty of machinery and was just being used as a store for a number of vehicles, a mix of saloons, sports cars and commercial vehicles. Standing out amongst the rank of black saloons were three FIAT Spider open-topped sport cars, one red, one white and one blue. Ignoring the cars, Maria walked up to a group of three identical Fiat 508 vans that were parked slightly separated from the cars and threw open the the door of the nearest one. On the floor inside were four wooden crates. "These are what all the fuss is about."
"So whaddya expect us to do, lady?" snapped Casino belligerently. "This stuff's not exactly hidden. Every Kraut in Turin must know where it is. If you can't get it out how d'yer expect us to do it?"
The fact that Garrison didn't tell Casino to 'Knock it off' said a lot. He evidently felt they were being set up too.
Maria just shrugged her shoulders and pointed out the spiral road way that led from the ground floor to the roof top. "When they built cars here they started constructing them at the bottom and moved them up one floor at a time before they tested them on the race track on the roof. Would you like to look at the track? If not, I have shown you all there is to see."
"What about the guards?"
"They don't come up here at all, nor do they really patrol the factory itself. There are searches when people leave the factory in case they have smuggled parts, but an aircraft engine isn't easy to conceal."
"And do any of these cars ever move?"
"I've not seen it. The last time was when the three vans arrived."
"Who brought them in?"
"We can't be sure. It was done overnight, so no-one saw, but three identical vehicles were seen in the railway siding alongside the train from Milan that we think brought the gold. Come, we must leave - we've been here too long already."
GG GG GG GG
Maria parted company with the other five some way before they arrived back at the safe-house, slipping quickly away into a side alley.
"So, what do you think?" asked Garrison once they were once more seated around the dining room table. "Apart from Casino's opinion that we're the patsies in this game." Casino had opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again.
"You said the Allies will be bombing the factory tomorrow, is that right?" asked Diesel.
Garrison nodded. "That's right, at 12:00. That gives us about five hours to get the gold out."
"Why don't we go in tonight and get it? It'd be easier in the dark."
Garrison shook his head. "Too much of a chance getting stopped by patrols if we're out on foot during curfew. If we go in with the first shift we won't draw any attention."
"That's only three of us," commented Chief. "What about the others?"
"I think it might be time the SS decided to take a little interest in their factory," suggested Garrison. "I'm sure the owner would be happy to co-operate if the alternative was losing his lucrative contract with the Luftwaffe. Perhaps we might persuade him that it was in his interests to let us borrow one of those nice spare cars he has hidden away... Casino, Chief, see what you can find in the way of uniforms."
Chief unwound himself from the armchair he'd been slouched in. "Come on Pops, we've a job to do."
As the door closed behind the scout and the safecracker, Garrison turned on Monaco. "Right, I want to know what's going on here. I'm tired of being played games with. And that includes you too Diesel if you're hiding anything."
Monaco held his hands up. "I have not confided in Diesel at all. I had no idea he would be part of your team when I agreed to take part in this mission."
"OK, I'll believe that for now. Who're you working for Monaco? It sure as hell isn't our Special Services unit."
"British Intelligence, SIS to be precise. A lady called Pamela."
Surprise showed on the Lieutenant's face. "Tall woman, built like an Amazon?"
"I'm afraid I do not know, Lieutenant. I have not had the pleasure of meeting her in person. I take it you are acquainted however?"
Garrison snorted. "Briefly. She ran a debriefing I was involved in back in November with Captain Hayter."
"Was that when I was packed off to the kitchen the night we got back from France?"
"That's the night, Diesel, but I doubt you saw her either. You were asleep."
He might not have seen her, but he knew who she was by reputation. Nicole had spoken of her often during those last weeks in France. They'd been good friends before Nicole joined SOE, even shared a flat for a while. It sounded like the woman was doing well for herself now, getting a few promotions.
Monaco pulled the conversation back on track. "What I said that night at Francesca's villa was the truth. She wanted your team on this mission and knew that you'd lost Actor. She also knew exactly where I was and that I had no option but to do as she asked and join your team. If you are wondering, I used my own funds for the train and the food, but I am confident I will be reimbursed. You are not obliged to me in any way, Lieutenant."
"I wasn't," responded Garrison, sarcastically, "but thank you for the thought."
Monaco tipped his head in acknowledgement. "My briefing was simply to make sure you reached Turin in time to steal the gold."
"Who are we stealing it for?"
"Ah, that is the difficult one. Ultimately it is for the Italian people but perhaps it would be easier if I said who you are to stop from getting it. The Mafia are very interested as are the Communist Party. While it was stored where it is, it was safe - until it was decided that the factory was to be bombed again. So the gold needs to be hidden somewhere else, somewhere that it can be protected. If anyone can make it disappear it is your team."
"So who's Maria?"
"That I cannot tell you, but she's not Mafia and she's not a Communist. Pamela says we can trust her and I must believe that."
"I know who she is," commented Diesel. He'd been slouched in Chief's chair with his eyes closed, listening to the exchange and trying to spot any holes in Monaco's story.
The Italian conman shot him a look. "How?"
Diesel didn't answer the question. "She's SOE and her codename is Lynx. Nicole spoke about her, said how when she was in training Lynx was portrayed as the perfect operative, the one they all had to aspire to. She wasn't working out of Turin that I know of, but I know it's her."
"You can't be sure."
"I'm sure. It was something Nicole said about her being able to walk like a man."
"OK. I agree with Diesel, she's probably SOE," said Garrison, thinking hard. "So the other girl's probably one of the communists?"
"It seems likely. It would be in their interests to have infiltrated the local Resistance cell."
"So we can't just hand over the gold to the Resistance. It really does have to disappear."
"I believe you are right, Lieutenant."
Outside, the clang of a gate, American voices and booted feet presaged the return of the foraging party. Both men were carrying sacks containing uniforms and pilfered food. They seemed cheerful enough, but froze when they saw the expression on the Warden's face.
"Hey, we ain't done nuthin' wrong," protested Casino, not bothering to check if the look was directed at him or not.
"Don't worry, Casino. It's what Monaco's told us about the mission that's giving him a headache. Not you for once," replied Diesel.
"A Lieutenant and a Major. Was that what you wanted?" Chief dumped the jackets on a spare chair for Garrison to inspect.
"I'm sure they'll be fine, Chief. Gather round, we have some replanning to do."
GG GG GG GG
Two hours later and everyone had run out of steam. They had plans, backup plans and backup plans for backup plans.
Garrison started to summarise. "Chief, Diesel, Casino. You three will be going into the factory on first shift. Maria will have someone collect you as you come through the gates and take you to your work station where you'll be shown what to do. There's a thirty minute lunch break at 10 am. A lot of the guys take their food up on the roof where they can smoke. Go with them but only as far as the fifth floor. When the hooter goes for the end of lunch, Casino you take the van with the boxes, Chief and Diesel you take two of the Spiders and take them down the ramp.
Monaco and I will arrive in the offices just before 10 and insist they release the other sports car to us. I expect the manager will insist on coming with us, so make sure you're well hidden. We'll make sure he's gone before you need to leave, even if we have to tie him up somewhere."
"The guards won't be expecting any vehicles to leave, so you should get the drop on them. Knock them down if you have to, but try not to shoot anyone. Put the van at the back, it'll shield Chief and Diesel from any gunfire.
"And get me killed," remonstrated Casino.
"Nah, too thick skulled for that," replied Chief.
"Knock it off," responded Garrison automatically, barely aware of the interchange.
"Once you're clear of the factory head north through the city. I expect you'll pick up a tail pretty soon, but they're not likely to stop you until you're somewhere more remote. Both the Mafia and the Communists want to get their hands on that gold and they'll be happy for us to do the dirty work."
"Monaco and I will leave quietly via the other entrance whilst you're crashing out." Garrison replaced the detailed map of Turin with a smaller scale one showing the surrounding area. He pointed at a country road about 10 miles to the north. "I think you'll be intercepted somewhere along here. There are a couple of potential ambush sites, so keep your wits about you. Each of you knows what you have to do." He pointed to another spot. "This is where we'll rendezvous. There should be fuel there for us, enough to get to the coast. The MTB will be waiting for us from about 19:00, here." Garrison pointed at another spot near Savona. "It's about a three hour drive. Any questions?"
Four men shook their heads.
"OK, let's get some chow then get some rest. We've a long day tomorrow."
GG GG GG GG
The first part of 'Plan A' went as expected. With so many workers piling into the factory at 6am, entry was easy for Casino, Chief and Diesel. They were carrying tool bags with the few travel necessities hidden under the tools. A young man attached himself to Casino. "Sono Umberto, sei Casino?"
The safecracker nodded.
"Per favore, vieni con me, ti mostrerò dove devi lavorare e cosa fare."
"Wha'd he say?" whispered Chief.
"He's taking us to our work station and gonna show us what to do," whispered back Casino, pleased that he'd understood what Umberto had said. "Hey Chief, relax. You're puttin' me on edge."
The Navajo was both feeling and looking uncomfortable. He didn't like crowds and felt vulnerable trapped in the massive factory.
"Leave your knife where it is." Diesel had spotted the slight movement as Chief prepared to release the mechanism, and placed his hand on the other man's arm.
Chief shook it off angrily, but left the knife where it was.
"Ci sarà una pausa alle otto così potrai fumare e prendere un caffè ei I bagni sono laggiù."
"Coffee break at eight and the john's over there," translated Casino, pointing. "Come on, let's see what's inside an aircraft engine."
Garrison and Monaco strolled into FIAT reception a little before ten. They'd been driven there, by a young man they hadn't met before, in the black saloon from the safe-house courtyard. As was usually the case, the receptionist panicked at the presence of two senior SS officers who appeared unannounced. The shift manager was called to deal with the matter, but even having seen 'Major Schmidt's' letter requisitioning a 'vehicle of his choice', was reluctant to agree and insisted on telephoning the CEO. Minutes ticked by, but Valletta couldn't be contacted. Garrison forced himself to stay calm, but he knew they were running out of time. Eventually the manager returned.
"Seguimi, ti porto alle macchine. Follow me, I will take you to the cars." Having decided to let the car go, the man now just wanted to get the uninvited guests out of his factory, so set off apace.
"We're out of time," whispered Monaco to Garrison, in German as they set off in pursuit of the irritated manager. "The break will be over before we get to the cars. He'll see Casino and the others."
The Lieutenant agreed. "I'll knock him out. Hopefully he'll come to before the bombing starts. At least he'll have a chance."
With the shift manager asleep in a toilet cubicle, the two men hurried to their rendezvous. They were met by an agitated Chief. "Thought you weren't comin' man."
"Everything's fine Chief. Just took a little longer than expected. Which is our car?"
"This one." Chief pointed to the dark blue vehicle.
Monaco slipped behind the wheel, leaving Garrison to ride shotgun. It started at the first attempt. "Yeah, we got them all runnin' while we were waiting'," commented Chief.
At that moment, the hooter sounded for the end of the break. Chief vaulted over the closed door into the red car, Diesel into the rather dirty white one leaving the van, as agreed, to Casino. Moments later, the first three vehicles were on their way down one of the tight spiral ramps to the ground floor. Once on the level the three drivers floored their accelerators and headed for the exit nearest the rail marshalling yard.
The fourth vehicle, travelling more slowly, headed for one of the other ramps and a different exit on the other side of the building. Anyone watching wouldn't have known the two groups were connected.
As predicted, the two sports cars racing towards the gates took the guards by surprise. They were facing the road, not the factory, expecting any trouble to come from outside. Rather than raise their guns, both men leaped to safety, their rifles clattering to the ground. By the time they'd picked themselves up and started making attempts to retrieve their weapons, the brown van was bearing down on them, forcing the men to take evasive action for a second time. It too made it safely onto the road, with squealing tyres as it tipped onto two wheels. Casino, his foot flat to the floor, heard a couple of bullets strike the rear, but none hit him and the vehicle seemed undamaged.
Meanwhile, in a much more sedate fashion, the two SS officers had driven sedately down the other ramp and made their way across a car park towards the other set of gates. A long black saloon car pulled out of a slot in the car park and followed them.
Garrison saw the movement. "Mafia?"
"Possibly," replied Monaco. "We'll see."
Monaco pulled up at the gate to politely show the paperwork for their 'requisition' to the guard. They were waved through. The guard's attention had transferred to the black car behind. The Lieutenant watched over his shoulder as it was waved through without being checked.
The two cars drove in convoy until out of sight of the factory. "Pull over," instructed Garrison, reaching for his pistol.
Monaco did as he was asked and watched as the black car rolled to a halt behind them. Garrison jumped out and went over to speak briefly to the other driver. When he returned, he was smiling and the gun was back into its holster. "It's fine. Head for the rendezvous."
The conman did as he was asked. All the pieces were slotting into place.
GG GG GG GG
"Pull over here."
Garrison and Monaco were well north of the city now, but still some way from the rendezvous. The point the Lieutenant had indicated looked like it might have been a driveway into an abandoned property. There were rusty wrought-iron gates half-hanging off dilapidated hinges attached to tall stone pillars on each side of the entrance. It certainly hadn't been used for some time judging by the state of the surface. Monaco turned the Spider up the road. "There's a house up ahead, keep going 'til you get there."
Monaco tipped his head to one side, in acknowledgement but also in curiosity. He didn't remember seeing a house marked on the map they'd been using earlier. The Lieutenant was right though as shortly afterwards the driveway opened out into a gravelled courtyard which fronted a small villa.
"I take it you've been here before?" queried Monaco. It seemed the more likely possibility over it having been somewhere Lynx had told the Lieutenant about.
"Once, before the war," was the curt reply. "Come on. We can talk whilst I get changed." Garrison grabbed his kit bag from the boot, pleased that Casino hadn't forgotten to leave it there whilst he was loading the 'gold'.
"I assume that those don't contain what they should contain?" enquired Monaco, looking at the crates that were on show.
"Got it in one. We might as well leave them here, they've done what they were meant to." He put down his bag and grabbed one of the boxes. It didn't move. "Lead, I expect." The Lieutenant put a bit more muscle into the lift, but in the end it took both men's efforts to extract the boxes and carry them to the shade of the house.
The villa was locked and Garrison felt no need to break in just to change from his SS uniform. Instead he sat on the steps to pull off the tight boots.
"The puppet-master pulled a lot of strings, didn't she?"
Garrison looked quizzically at the Italian. "Puppet-master?"
"Pamela," Monaco clarified. "She sat in London and set this entire thing up. A little tweak here, a little pull there and we all danced to her tune."
Garrison finished donning his working man's clothes and boots and gave a final tug to his belt. "What will you do now, Monaco?"
"If you have no objections, Warden, I will take the car and head south. I should be safe enough dressed as SS. I think I will avoid Milan for the moment, it might not be good for my health... but if I take the car, how will you get to the rendezvous?"
"It's closer than you think, as the crow flies a couple of miles. I'll be fine. Get a move on Monaco - and good luck."
The conman climbed back into the blue sports car. "Thank you, Craig. Please apologise to the others, especially Lupo... Diesel that is... for my not saying goodbye."
GG GG GG GG
As predicted at the previous night's briefing, Casino, Chief and Diesel soon picked up a tail. Shadowing the van were two motor cycles, their riders dressed in long, waterproof coats. They stayed a safe distance behind, blocking any way out to the rear. Each time the sports cars came to a turning, they could see the side road was being blocked by black saloon cars. They were being escorted out of the city, with no opportunity to deviate. Possibly the faster sports cars could have escaped, by taking to some of the arcades of shops, but the van would never have made it.
Once clear of the houses, Diesel dropped his car back to sit behind the van. Chief, on point, knew where they were being shepherded. It was to the road Garrison had predicted, a winding switchback up into the foothills of the Alps. They would be sitting ducks for the Mafia they knew would be waiting for them up ahead. The Navajo pulled over and let the van take the lead then took up position wheel to wheel with Diesel, preventing any other vehicle from passing. Both cars hung back, increasing the space between themselves and the vehicle in front. Both drivers felt vulnerable in their open-topped vehicles, not knowing if or when bullets might start heading their way. The convoy was now approaching the place that Garrison had predicted would be the most likely point for an ambush, a small tunnel where the road cut through a rocky bluff.
It was up to Casino now. At the next bend, he gunned the engine and spun the truck. It slewed to a halt with its bonnet in the rock wall, the rear wheels mostly in fresh air. Carefully, the safecracker climbed to safety and ran back down the road, a machine gun in his hands. The two Spiders screeched to a halt, both drivers grabbing their own guns and turning in their seats, opened fire on the two motorcyclists approaching from the rear. The riders didn't stand a chance.
"Let's get outa here," yelled Casino, jumping into Chief's car. Both Indians reversed back down the road as fast as they could, avoiding the capsized bikes and bodies. The face of one of the riders could be seen clearly - it was the Resistance woman, Camilla.
"Hate killin' dames," muttered Casino as he took in the victim. "Doesn't seem right."
"She'd have shot you soon enough," replied Chief. He'd spotted the two machine guns that were strapped to the bikes. "They just didn't get the chance."
Up ahead, the Mafia reception party heard the sound of gunshots and realised that something had gone wrong. Jumping into their black saloon cars they shot back down the road as fast as they could. Travelling downhill, at speed, the first car didn't spot the van until it was too late and ploughed straight into it. The impact was the last straw and with a screech of protesting metal the brown van toppled down into the gully below, taking the first Mafia car and its occupants with it. The second car managed to stop, although it too nearly followed its mate off the road. A large explosion from below, accompanied by a ball of flame and thick black smoke, told of the final moments of both vehicles. The men in the second car climbed out, watched for a moment, then made their way more slowly back down the hill.
They ignored the dead motor-cyclists. The Communist women had always been the weak link, but the two organisations had agreed to work together on this plan to force the gold out into the open. Without the Resistance the Americans would never have been brought in to make the heist.
Meanwhile, the two Spiders had made it to a junction and been able to turn and face forward. They took the other road and drove as quietly as possible to the meeting point. There was a single car parked amongst the trees, the small saloon from the safe-house. Of Garrison and Monaco there was no sign. Pulling up alongside the saloon, Chief and Diesel made a quick check of the perimeter.
"Clear," reported Chief. He put his hand on the bonnet of the saloon car. "Cold. It's bin here a while."
The three melted into the undergrowth and prepared to wait.
"This'd make a great movie some day y'know," muttered Casino to himself, thinking back over their escape.
"Someone's comin'," Chief's hissed warning put everyone on high alert. "It's the Warden, and he's on his own," he clarified as he finally got a clear view of the man approaching. He stepped out into the clear. He was too cold to want to play games. Now he just wanted to get moving.
"Where's Monaco and the other car?" asked Diesel. He wasn't surprised that the Italian was missing. His part in this was done, and if he was going to stay in Italy he needed to keep a low profile. The attack in Milan hadn't been chance - he had enemies out there.
"Heading south," confirmed Garrison.
"You let him keep the gold!" Casino was affronted.
"No Casino," replied the Lieutenant, wearily.
"Well who has it then? It sure as hell didn't go over the cliff in the van back there and it was in your car when you left Turin. I moved the crates myself."
"No it wasn't Casino. None of us had it. We were just the decoys."
"So where is it?"
"In another car, heading for somewhere very safe."
"What did we put in your Spider then?" drawled Chief. Curious, despite himself.
"Lead bars."
Diesel laughed. "When did you find out the real story?"
"For definite, when I walked onto the car deck this morning and saw that the vans had been switched. The one with the gold in it had a dent on the fender. The one that went over the cliff didn't."
"So how and when did the gold get out of the factory?" asked Casino, not able to think this one through.
"It followed Monaco and me out of the back gates whilst you were creating the diversion at the front, in the CEO's private limousine. Looks like Lynx kidnapped him and borrowed his car last night. That was why the Duty Manager couldn't find the man this morning. She transferred the gold, left the car in the car park then waited for us to leave. The guard knew the car, so just waved her through.
"Beautiful," acknowledged Casino, nodding in appreciation of how the con had panned out.
Garrison glanced at his watch. "Come on, we've a boat to catch."
"We leavin' the cars here?" Chief was quite sad about that. He knew the sports cars were outdated but they'd been fun to drive and he'd hoped they'd need them for at least part of the trip. Now it looked like they were all going to have to cram in the black saloon.
"Sorry Chief, they're just too..." Garrison stopped in mid sentence as he heard the distinctive drone of heavy bombers followed by the whumph whumph of exploding munitions. The USAAF were right on schedule... "distinctive," he finished.