Pranksters, Inc.
By: AliasCWN
Chapter 5
Supper was a repeat of the night before. Both privates seemed to draw and undue amount of interest. Most of the looks seemed curious but some were downright angry looking. The four of them ate a hurried meal while carrying on a limited conversation in low voices. After they finished Troy and Moffitt waited uneasily while Tully and Hitch disappeared into the kitchen to talk to the cook.
The MPs arrived while the two privates were still in the kitchen. "Sergeant Troy."
Troy recognized the head MP and nodded a greeting. "Hello Collins, what can I do for you?"
"Where are your privates?"
"They're in the kitchen talking to the cook," Troy replied uneasily. "They'll be back in a minute. Why?"
"The captain wants to see all four of you right away. I have orders to escort you to his office."
"Is something wrong?"
"You'll have to ask the captain," Collins answered. "All I know is what I told you."
"We know the way."
"I have my orders Troy," Collins responded.
Troy shifted so that he was facing the kitchen so he would see Hitch and Tully the minute they walked out of the door.
"Don't try to warn them Troy."
"Warn them about what?" Troy asked. "The captain wants to see us right away, that's not that unusual."
"It is when he sends MPs to escort us," Moffitt answered before Sergeant Collins could say anything. He looked at the MP to see his reaction.
"Look, as far as I know, it just means that he wants you there yesterday. Maybe he wants to make sure you don't take the long way over there. I know he sometimes has assignments for you that are time sensitive and he needs you to leave in a hurry. This may be one of those times, I don't know."
"Anyone could have delivered that message," Moffitt argued. "We would have come right away if that's what this was."
"This doesn't have anything to do with everyone staring at us does it?" Troy asked.
The MP shook his head as he looked around. "They could be staring at you because of me."
"No, they've been doing it for the last two days," Troy answered.
"Then I don't know Troy. I guess you'll just have to ask the captain."
Troy nodded and jerked his head toward the kitchen. "Here they come."
Tully and Hitch noticed the MPs blocking all of the exits and slowed. They saw Troy and Moffitt standing with Sergeant Collins and headed that way. All eyes were on them as they approached the MPs.
"Is something wrong Sarge?"
"You tell me," Troy answered.
Tully and Hitch looked at each other and shrugged.
"Captain Boggs wants to see us right away."
"Sure Sarge. What about us? Does he want us there?" Hitch asked.
"By 'us' he means all four of us,' Troy answered.
"Oh." Hitch looked at Tully as he nodded.
"Last chance Hitch, is there anything we need to know?" Troy watched his drivers closely.
"No Sarge, not that I know of." He looked at Tully who shook his head.
"Okay. Let's go see what the captain wants." Troy nodded to Sergeant Collins to lead the way. The rest of the MPs fell in line behind the rest of Troy's men.
When they arrived Sergeant Collins stuck his head in the captain's door to announce their arrival. "Troy and his men are here Captain."
"Send them in Sergeant, have your men wait in the hall until I call you."
"Yes sir," Collins agreed. He ducked back into the hall and told his men to stand down. "You and your men can go in Troy."
Troy nodded and started to step past him.
"Good luck."
Troy paused. "Why do we need luck?"
"I don't know," Collins answered quietly, "but he's in a bad mood about something."
Troy nodded his thanks and stepped into the captain's office, followed by his men.
"Sit down," the captain ordered without looking up from the papers on his desk.
Instead of the usual two the captain had had four chairs placed in front of his desk. Troy took the first chair and nodded at the others to sit down.
"The toilet seats on the latrine were loosened and three men twisted their backs when they almost fell in. The rungs of the ladder leading up to the tanks at the showers was greased and one of my men fell while trying to fill the tanks. The hinges on the shower doors were rigged to fall off while the showers were in use. A bucket of sand was suspended above the door in the barracks, instead of dumping as I assume it was meant to, it fell, nearly hitting a soldier on the head. Someone added sand to the powdered eggs in the mess hall." The captain looked up. "We don't have enough supplies as it is, we can't afford to waste food." He looked directly at Hitch before looking back down at his papers.
"Door handles in the supply building were all covered in axle grease. Your men were seen there when the building was closed, and an open can of the same grease was found in one of your jeeps."
"Captain.." Troy began.
"I'm not done yet Sergeant," the captain growled.
"A truck was being loaded with supplies for one of our outposts when it was discovered that someone had painted the interior with tar. The boxes of supplies stuck to the floor and delayed the departure of the convoy. Private Hitchcock was seen carrying a bucket of tar this afternoon. Someone drained the oil in three trucks while they sat in the motor pool and it wasn't noticed until the motors were damaged. Need I go on Sergeant?" The captain looked up at the four men sitting in front of his desk. "You made me a promise Sergeant, and I gave you a warning."
"Sir, Hitch and Tully didn't have anything to do with any of those pranks. Tully carries axle grease for our jeeps. We always have some handy to keep the jeeps in good running condition. Hitch signed out some tar, but it was for a project I gave them for today. We can show you the project and you can see for yourself where he used the tar. As for them being seen at the supply building, they were there. They were collecting broken pallets and crates for the project I mentioned. They tried to get permission to use the wood but the building was closed so they went back this morning and got it. A lot of people have access to all of those locations sir. Did anyone actually see them doing anything suspicious?"
The captain slammed his fist down on the desk. "Are you telling me that they didn't do any of those things?"
"Yes sir," Troy nodded.
"What about the chickens and the potatoes?"
Troy looked at his men and nodded. "They did those two sir; they admitted it when we asked. But they deny doing anything else, and I believe them. I've had them making amends for those pranks for the last two days. If you check sir, I think you'll find that they have alibis for almost all of their time for the last forty-eight hours. The only time they weren't with other people was when they were sleeping."
"Sir," Moffitt began, "the pranks they pulled were not designed to hurt anyone. No one was hurt and no damage was done. Whoever is pulling these new pranks doesn't seem to care if someone gets hurt. Tully and Hitch would never do anything like that."
"Are you certain of your facts Troy?"
"I told them to make sure that they stayed around people so they couldn't be blamed if anything else happened," Troy admitted. "I was concerned that someone might try to out-do the pranks that they pulled."
The captain sighed. "All right, tell me where they were yesterday and today. I'll have the MPs check their alibis. Your men like their little pranks, but, as Sergeant Moffitt pointed out, they've never hurt anyone with their hijinks before this."
"They didn't hurt anyone this time either," Troy defended his men. "I'm telling you sir, someone else is responsible for these latest pranks."
"Give me the details so I can get it checked out."
Troy told the captain everywhere Hitch and Tully had been and when. He suggested that they take an interpreter along to talk to the old Arab about the chicken coop.
"All right Sergeant," the captain sighed. "I'll have the MPs confirm what you've told me. You and your men can wait in the hall until I hear back from the MPs."
"Thank you, sir."
"Send Sergeant Collins in and wait in the hall."
Troy rose to leave the room.
"Sergeant."
"Yes sir?"
"About witnesses, two men came forward to say they saw your men acting suspicious at the sites of several of the pranks. Do you have an explanation for that?"
"No sir," Troy shook his head. "Maybe mistaken identity?"
"I have my doubts about that Sergeant. These men said they know your men by sight."
"Without talking to them I can only make a guess Sir."
"That's not going to happen Troy, I can't tell you their names. But I can make a few guesses of my own. The thing is, unless their alibis are airtight, your men aren't off the hook."
"I understand Sir."
"We didn't do those things Captain," Hitch spoke up before Troy could stop him. "I admit, I colored the potatoes and I turned the chickens loose in the barracks, but I didn't have anything to do with those other things."
"Me neither," Tully added.
"Without a solid alibi I have to go with the witnesses," the captain answered. "For your sakes, I hope your alibis hold up."
"Let's go," Troy ordered. He stepped out into the hall and nodded at Collins. "The captain wants to see you again." Walking over to some chairs along the wall Troy prepared to wait for the MPs to verify the alibis.
Collins entered the captain's office after telling his men to watch the four men. He was only in there a few minutes before he came back out and took a few of his men and left.
"We didn't do any of those things!" Hitch protested in a whisper to Troy.
"I believe you," Troy answered.
"Thanks Sarge," Hitch answered with a worried frown. "Do you think the captain believes us?"
"I guess we'll find out," Troy answered.
Over an hour passed before Sergeant Collins returned and disappeared into the captain's office. Troy tried not to show how nervous he felt. He believed Hitch and Tully but the witnesses against them had him concerned. When Colins stepped out of the office the captain was with him.
"Sergeant Troy."
"Yes Sir?"
"I'm going to release Hitchcock and Pettigrew into your custody. No more pranks! Sergeant Colins tells me that they have been busy making it up to the people affected by their pranks. Apparently everyone involved has been satisfied with their efforts. For now I am going to take them at their word and assume that someone else is responsible for the latest incidents. Don't make me regret my decision."
"Thank you, sir, they won't."
Sergeant Collins nodded at Troy as they turned to leave. "That was a nice chicken pen they built. I can see why it took them all day to build it."
"We figured if Sarge wasn't satisfied with it we might end up sleeping in it so we made sure it was solid," Tully explained.
"You did a good job," Collins agreed.
"The owner seemed to think so," Hitch added.
"That's what he told us," Collins agreed. "He said there were no hard feelings. He plans to get more chickens, but he's going to keep the door locked from now on."
Troy chuckled as he looked at Moffitt. "Live and learn."
"It's a good thing you had good alibis for your time the last two days," Moffitt stated.
"Yeah, thanks to you and Doc," Tully answered.
"You know," Hitch began, "it felt good helping out, even if it was a punishment."
"You could always volunteer your services when you have free time," Troy grinned. "I doubt the cooks would turn down free help."
"No thanks Sarge," Hitch hurried to reply. "My hands are still wrinkled from all of that dish water." He grinned at his sergeants. "But it did feel good."
"And it paid dividends," Moffitt added.
"Yeah, those alibis were worth it."
"I was referring to the fresh cookies and real eggs."
"Yeah, those too." Hitch nodded.
"They weren't meant as punishments," Troy admitted. "I was hoping to show you that every action affects someone whether you realize it or not. I wanted you to think before you act. And I wanted you to have an alibi if something like this happened."
"That last part didn't work out quite as well as we thought," Moffitt admitted. "We didn't count on witnesses putting you at the scenes."
"We were at the supply building," Hitch admitted, "but we weren't doing anything wrong. And I guess we were at the showers and latrines too."
"And the motor pool," Tully added. "We go there all the time to work on the jeeps."
"And the barracks," Hitch continued.
"All places you go and were seen," Troy nodded. "Places you couldn't deny being. If the MPs ask around, they would probably find more people who saw you at all of those places."
"I guess," Hitch nodded. "So how are we supposed to prove we didn't do those things?"
"You stay close to people and stay out of trouble," Troy answered. "Make sure someone sees you everywhere you go."
"But won't that just make us look guilty?"
"Not if the people who see you see you doing normal stuff and not doing anything suspicious."
"That hasn't worked out so far," Tully answered.
"You're not in the stockade," Moffitt answered.
"We may as well be," Hitch grumbled. "House arrest isn't much better."
"Go back to you room and leave the door open," Troy ordered. "Moffitt and I will join you later."