Vendetta Di Sangue
Chapter 4
Garrison was carried into one of the bedrooms. At Actor's direction, the stretcher was laid atop the bed. Goniff scurried to get a basin of warm water. Chief got towels. The man on the bed turned his head to survey the people with him. Terry and Actor were standing at his left. Casino was by his feet. The surprise was when Christine sat gingerly on the bed to his right.
"You're here too, Chris?" he asked.
"Me and Kelly," replied the girl.
She motioned Casino to move a chair beside her so Goniff could put the water within reach. Chief returned and handed her some towels.
Garrison looked up at his second in confusion. "There's seven of you?"
An insincere smile spread across the Italian's face. "Not by my choice," he said.
Garrison was having a hard time grasping anything except what was uppermost in his mind. He turned to his middle sister.
"They killed her," he said.
"I know," said the girl softly and gently.
"I don't know what they did with her," he was becoming agitated. "We have to find her. We have to bring her back to England."
Goniff set the basin of water on the chair and stepped back beside Casino.
"Warden, how are we gonna do that?" said the safecracker. "We don't have a clue where she is."
Christine began washing the blood from her brother's face.
Terry knew there was going to be a big problem with Actor, but it couldn't be helped.
"We can't bring her back," she said gently. "She was buried last night. I know where she is. Until this war is over, let her rest in peace. We can't dig her up, Craig."
As expected, Actor turned angry eyes on the woman beside him. "And how do you know all of this?"
"I met with some contacts I have while you were gone." Terry looked up and did not back down from the hazel eyes that could have thrown sparks.
"Buried?" questioned Garrison in disbelief.
"I'm afraid so, Brother," said Terry.
Garrison seemed to withdraw into himself.
Actor was livid. "After I told you to stay here, you left anyway?" he demanded answers from the girl.
Terry wasn't cowed by the bulging eyes this time. "You told me I couldn't follow you. I didn't follow you."
Garrison was trying to understand this argument. Christine was trying to clean him up and see what damage had been done. She did not like the tone of voice of either her sister or the con man.
"And just who are these contacts?" demanded Actor.
Terry looked up at him defiantly. "There are two cells that work this area. Before we left England I was able to get word to the one we weren't using. And who they are is not something I can discuss with you."
"Of course not," scoffed the tall man. "I don't know why you even bothered to allow us to come along."
"Stop it! Both of you!" said Chris sharply. "If you two are going to fight, take it out of this room."
Terry turned away from Actor, effectively dismissing him. He, in turn, was fighting to control his temper. It was not lost on him that this woman was the only one who could make him lose control.
Goniff scurried out of the room and went outside. Taking the watch was safer than staying in the house with those two. He found Kelly and took the rifle from him.
"Thanks," said the boy. He had wondered if anyone was going to remember that Craig was his brother too. The pickpocket looked anxious. Maybe that was his normal look, but this seemed more intense. "What's going on?"
"Your sister and Actor got into a row," said Goniff.
Kelly shook his head. "Has to be Terry."
"Chris 'as 'er knickers in a wad too."
Great, thought the boy. He had been afraid of that when Terry had taken off on her own. And he was afraid it would get worse before they got Craig back to England. He walked into the house and stood by the door to the bedroom. The tension in the room came in waves.
Terry concentrated on her older brother, watching as Actor examined him around Christine's ministrations. Garrison's face and torso were battered. He seemed to have some difficulty moving his arms. They had probably strung him up by his wrists. There were abrasions around both of them. This could not be ignored. Terry's anger took on the deadly quiet that few besides family had seen.
"Who sold her out?" asked Terry.
Craig turned his slightly less bloody face toward his middle sister, preventing the younger one from cleaning him up. He knew instinctively what she was after and trusted her to get it done.
"Name's Alex. Alexander Holt," he managed to get out. "British double agent."
Terry nodded. "What's he look like?"
"Teresa," objected Actor, knowing where she was going with this.
He was ignored by the woman. Garrison shot a look at his second, but it was hard to tell what he was trying to express through the mess of his face.
Garrison swallowed. "Six foot. Brown hair, brown eyes, nondescript. Would have made a good con man. Doesn't look like an agent. Kelly might know him." Craig fought for control again. He reached a hand out toward his second. "Actor."
"Yes, Warden?" said the con man soothingly.
"We have to get him," said Craig. "We can't let him get away with this. We can't let him get away with killing her."
"Easy," said Actor, trying to calm the man. "Our priority right now is getting you back to England. Let SOE take care of him."
"No!" Garrison became more agitated. "If you let him get away, they'll never find him! You can't let him get away with it!
"He won't," said Terry calmly.
Craig turned his head to look at his sister. Kelly came to stand beside her.
"We'll get him," said Kelly steadily. "I know him."
"And we'll take care of that filthy place while we're at it," added Terry. "You let Actor and the guys take you back to England. Kelly and I will take care of this Alex person."
She lightly squeezed her brother's hand, turned and walked into the main room. Kelly followed her and she knew Actor was on their heels.
"Actor?"
Craig's voice made the confidence man stop. He was torn between staying with the officer and confronting Teresa. Garrison won out. Actor returned to stand beside the man, head cocked, waiting. Chris had gone back to cleaning the blood away.
"Don't fight them on this," said Garrison.
Actor shook his head. The younger man must have a worse head injury than he thought. This was not how an army officer would think.
"Warden," he said quietly. "We were able to get you out and we are still not in the clear. You wish to take the risk of losing you sister and brother now?"
"It's family, Actor, and more than that," said Craig. "Alex is selling the Allies out. He has to be stopped."
Actor sighed in frustration. "What do you wish for? A hit to be taken out on him? Can either of your siblings do that? Seriously, Warden?"
Christine was the one who answered and her voice was firm. "It's family, Actor. We can do anything we have to for family."
They were all nuts! Actor turned and stormed out of the bedroom, leaving Chief and Casino to help the girl clean the Warden up. Like Goniff, neither wanted to be in close proximity to Actor and Terry.
The con man was barely controlling his anger again. "Teresa, I object to you going through with this insane plan of yours. You will only get yourself killed. I know you are angry, but this is not worth it. We have the Warden. He will heal. Why, Teresa?"
"Of all people, you should know that. You're Italian, damn it! It's vendetta di sangue!"
"Teresa, that is for the dead. The Lieutenant is not dead. And as much as I sympathize about the young woman, she is not family."
Kelly sucked in his cheeks. In a quiet voice, he said, "Yes, she is."
The two stared at him.
"What do you mean?" asked Terry in confusion.
"Craig couldn't let anyone know except me. The Brass would have nailed both of them. He married her in Oslo a little over a month ago."
"What?" said Actor in disbelief.
"Madre di Dio." Terry was counting back. "That was about the time we were getting Actor back."
Pushing that aside, the Italian said. "I still do not want you going in there, Teresa."
"I'm going. If it were your family, what would you do?"
"That is entirely different."
"Why? You know more about setting explosives than I do? You think there's nobody to care what happens to you if things go wrong?"
The problem was he did understand. And he would have done the same thing. With that, he backed down. "Take Casino. At least he knows how to blow up a building."
Terry nodded. She took the con man by the arm and led him away from the others. He frowned.
"Take Craig home. Get my brother out of here. I trust you to take care of him." Terry looked up at him. "And know something else, caro mio, you are family too. Maybe not legally, but you are. And we would have done the same for you if we could have."
"Merda," he said softly.
Actor knew his arguments were lost now. He shook his head and left her standing there to go back into the bedroom. Pausing just inside the room, he caught Casino's eye. The safecracker looked warily back at him. Actor motioned with his head for the explosives expert to go talk to Terry. Casino gave the confidence man a worried look as he passed.
Chief came up and said quietly, "Want me to go with them?"
"No," said Actor. "We may need you to help get the Warden out."
Chief went back to his corner and watched Actor approach the bed on the opposite side as the youngest girl.
Garrison looked up at his second, the man he trusted not only with his life, but those of his family. "What?"
"I am leaving Casino behind with Teresa and Kelly. Someone must help them and we need to get you to England. Norway is not safe for you anymore."
"Never was," muttered Craig. He stiffly reached a hand out to Actor. The con man took it and Garrison squeezed it. "Thank you."
Actor sincerely hoped that the officer would be of the same frame of mind when this was over.
Casino stopped in front of Terry and looked between her and Kelly. "What did you blackmail him with?" asked the safecracker. "You had tuh have blackmailed him for him to go along with this."
Terry only shook her head. Casino didn't figure he'd ever get an answer to that one. But he would have never figured the girl would be able to change Actor's mind and let them stay.
"So what's the plan?" he asked.
Kelly deferred to his older sister. Terry's demeanor changed from family to military.
"First we have to find a new safe house in Oslo. Then we stake out the 'club' and watch for this Alex person."
"You want me to off him?" asked Casino.
"No, not unless we have to."
"So whadda you going to do with him?"
"We'll see," said Terry. "We have to catch him first." She eyed their explosives man. "How are you at blowing up a two story building?"
A grin spread across Casino's face. Now they were talking his language.
GGG
Garrison slept fitfully throughout the afternoon with Actor and Christine in attendance. From what the con man could ascertain, the lieutenant had a concussion, strained shoulders that miraculously had not dislocated, broken ribs, and multiple abrasions and contusions. And his mental status was not up to his normal calm and unemotional way of dealing with things. Granted the man had reason to be upset, but it was still unlike the Warden to react in this manner. Actor would get him checked out on the sub, but placing him in a hospital was out of the question. His behavior might result in the medical staff reporting him as unfit for duty from a psychological standpoint.
Actor glanced across the bed at the youngest Garrison girl. Chris would not leave her brother's side, but she also refrained from trying to converse with the con man. He doubted she was afraid of him anymore, but the interaction with Teresa may have caused her distrust of him to flare up again. Despite not having her sister's medical background, she seemed competent enough to take care of the lieutenant. And Actor knew his own medical background was enough to get them through.
Milo showed up again after dark. He was apprised of the change in plans. Kelly talked to the resistance man in Norwegian and then told Actor, in English, what the plan was for getting Garrison and the others out. Actor was fine with the plan as it was much the same as he had expected. They would go out the same way they had come in and rendezvous with the sub at midnight. The only worrisome part was Garrison would have to sit up in the raft and until they could get him into the sub.
The delivery truck was backed up to the house. The lights were put out inside and Garrison was taken to the truck on the stretcher. He was awake and fairly alert when Actor and Chief carried him from the bedroom.
"Be careful," was the only admonishment Craig gave to the three who were remaining behind.
"We'll see you in a couple days," assured Terry.
When the truck was well away, the three in the house secured the windows and lit a lamp. Casino took the watch and Kelly stretched out on one of the beds to get some sleep before the truck returned to take them to a new safe house in the city.
GGG
In the back of the truck, there was silence. Goniff had Crystal tucked up against him. Chief and Actor stayed close to the lieutenant and listened for any signs of trouble from the cab or outside. They were behind the boxes of fish, and some of the boxes had been stacked to disguise the path to the front of the truck. There were reports of roving bands of Wehrmacht stopping vehicles in the hopes of finding resistance bands.
The trip started out fine, if only a little cold in the back of the vehicle from the iced boxes of fish. Garrison, lying on the stretcher on the floor, had fallen into a state of heavy sleep or unconsciousness. Actor kept a hand on the man's arm. He could not see the Warden well in the dim light and wanted to catch him if he awakened with a groan.
The vehicle rounded a curve and the brakes slammed on, shifting everything and everybody forward. Garrison woke with a start but kept silent. Actor, Chief and Goniff drew their guns and waited anxiously. German voices were heard moving alongside the truck. There was the sound of the slide being drawn back on the doors. Everyone held their breaths as the doors were pulled open.
"Move those boxes," the Leutnant said in German.
Milo attempted in halting German to explain they were just boxes of fish. A gun pointed at his head, stopped that in mid-sentence. He climbed up and began to restack boxes, trying to avoid uncovering the path to the hidden people. The Leutnant would have none of that. He indicated with his gun which boxes to move.
Actor motioned Christine to lie down beside her brother. A shootout in the truck seemed to be inevitable. He should have expected what would happen next. Instead of stretching out on the floor, Chris touched Actor's shoulder and stood up, hands held high, shaking in fear.
"Please! Don't shoot me!" she cried out in German.
A torch was shown on her face.
"Please," she said again. "This man was trying to help me. My husband was killed by the resistance. His family hates me because I am German. They are going to kill me. They blame me for Georg getting killed. I am trying to get to Denmark. I have a brother in Copenhagen. Please, don't hurt us."
The four men in the back waited with guns ready. Actor was sure this would end in shooting. The girl was playing the role perfectly. Astonishing that she could come up with a con on her own. Maybe, just maybe, this would work. The next problem would be Chief. The Indian had a gun in one hand and his blade in the other. He was tense, sitting on his heels, balanced on the balls of his feet, ready to spring up. Actor knew, if not the others, that Christine was important to him. More important than they let on.
The German lieutenant motioned her to come to him. Instead of moving the boxes, Chris climbed over the tops of them. She jumped down without assistance. The torch was played up and down her.
"Why are you dressed like that?" asked the officer cagily.
"I am going on a fishing boat. They thought it better if I could look like a fisherman." For emphasis, she reached up and pulled the cap from Milo's head, hastily tucking her long hair into it and placing it on her head.
Even dressed as she was, in pants and pullover shirt, there was no mistaking she was a young woman; a young woman with no family here. The Leutnant smiled a crocodile smile of anticipation.
"You will come with us, fräulein," he said.
Actor gave a wave of his hand and the three stood, firing their guns. Milo had anticipated such an action from the men and grabbed the girl by the arm, yanking her out of the way. Goniff almost went down, but remained standing and shooting. The Leutnant fell and Chris grabbed his gun, firing at the soldiers who were still standing. It was over in a matter of seconds and the ensuing silence was loud.
"Christine, get back in here!" ordered Actor.
Milo gave her a leg up before running around to get in the cab. The truck took off with a jerk as Chris was climbing back over the boxes, knocking her off balance. Actor pulled her down beside him.
"Are you all right?" asked Actor.
"Fine."
"I would tell you to not ever do that again," said Actor in frustrated anger, "but I would get just as far talking to one of these fish."
Now that Garrison knew his sister was unhurt, he watched his second. Actor would never be the same after this mission was over.
Goniff slid down to sit on the floor, clutching his right upper arm. The movement drew Chief's attention from the girl.
"Goniff's hit," he said.
Actor's head snapped toward the Cockney. "Bad?"
With the girl there, Goniff was not his usual complaining self. "Think it just took a chunk out o' me arm."
Chris stepped over her brother and crouched beside the Englishman. She reached a hand back and wiggled her fingers. Actor's white handkerchief was slapped into her palm. She wrapped it around his arm and tied it firmly to slow the bleeding.
"I'm sorry, Goniff," Chris apologized to him.
"Not your fault, Love," said the Cockney. "It was a good try."
The truck was bouncing along at a fast speed now, making standing difficult. Actor sat back on his heels beside Garrison.
"Are you all right, Warden?" Actor asked. "And do not tell me you are fine."
"I'll make it," said Garrison.
"Good." Actor muttered to himself in Italian, "Because I might not."
Craig did not know what his second was saying, but the mood of the man was unmistakable. It brought a brief tiny smile to the officer's face, before he sank back into the sadness that had enveloped him.