Twenty minutes later they were back where they'd started. He'd nearly had to carry Goniff the last leg and the little man was sitting red faced and sweating on the bottom step with an incredulous look on his face as he gazed up at him. "Blimey, Warden! Why'd you and Chiefy want ta do that t'yerselves everyday?!"

Garrison dropped onto the steps next to his cockney burglar. "It's good for you… It clears your head, helps you think straight."

"Bloody Hell…" Wiping at the sweat on his face with his sleeve he turned to stare at his commander. "The only thing I could think about was not dyin' young."

The Warden laughed, he'd kept the pace slow and used the path around the perimeter of the formal gardens behind the house. Goniff started to stagger halfway though the third lap, but waved off his offer to cut it short and head back, gamely trying to keep going, keep up. Goniff was good for a quick sprint but Garrison had watched him when the men were on a longer conditioning run on the estate. His version of long distance running usually included baiting Casino, or springing onto his back, anything to start a wrestling match and cut the run short, so he lacked staying power. Today was actually a big improvement but he still wondered why the guy put out the effort.

"You did pretty good for your first time out, but you better not just sit here, you'll stiffen up." Pushing back onto his feet he reached back and hauled Goniff up beside him. "Keep walking til you cool off, then go in and hit the showers."

The cockney rubbed at the stitch in his side and watched the Warden start away from him, back towards the gardens and took a step to follow. "Where'r you off to, then?"

Garrison turned and called over his shoulder. "That was just the warm up. I'm going to finish my run." He caught a look of indecision flash in Goniff's eyes. If he tried to follow him now he would end up carrying him back slung over his shoulders…"Move Goniff… and tell Casino you had my permission to use all the hot water."

g

"What is it now, Goniff?" Every time he turned around he seemed to be tripping over the pick pocket. For the last few days he'd been 'keeping him company' on his morning runs, at least the first part, and trailing him all over the mansion. He'd have to have a talk with Actor, there must be something going on with the others to keep the little guy sticking close to him for protection. Garrison laughed to himself, probably had something to do with that pair of loaded dice Casino was always going on about.

"Oh, uh…" Wishing he was quick with his tongue like Actor, Goniff stammered around while he searched for a good reason to be in the Warden's office. "I, uh… I just like it in here…. Kind a cozy, isn't it?"

Garrison turned to survey the room filled with metal filing cabinets and serviceable painted gray desk, bookcase and chair. The only thing 'cozy' might be the old sofa. Shaking his head he fixed his gaze back on the man who was currently trying to look comfortable and 'cozy' as he sat on the hard backed chair on the other side of the desk. "Right."

"You got anything you need me ta do for ya, Warden?"

He could think of a hundred things… they all involved the Englishman's being sent on some errand at least five miles away. But the question had been posed with such hopeful eagerness he found himself racking his brain for some useful thing the guy could do for him….that he wouldn't mess up too badly, but he'd already sharpened all the pencils in the building. "Why don't you take a stab at reorganizing the map room?" That should take up and hour or two, and it was just next door.

"Sure! Be glad to, mate." Jumping off the chair Goniff headed for the door to the next room, turning back he asked with innocent enthusiasm. "You want all them maps ordered up by size, or color?"

Garrison rested his jaw on his fist and stared at the guy and thought, By country would be good, but said. "Either way Goniff, you decide." He'd have to get the Sergeant Major to straighten it out again after Goniff finished…. That was certainly going to please him.

g

"What are you doing here? I thought you'd be in town with the others." He'd given them leave to go in to eat in town and there was a new movie playing at the theater. They jumped at the chance, two trips off the grounds in less than two weeks... Actually he was hoping for a little break from the clinging cat burglar.

Goniff leaned in the office door and shrugged. "I, uh, well, I sorta figgered it wouldn't do no good to get, you know, all conditioned an everything and then go and ruin it with beer.

"Beer? They are going to the moives..., aren't they?" If they were headed to the pub then it made even less sense for Goniff to be standing right in front of him.

"Well, sure they are." Grinning at the Lieutenant's frown he pushed off the door frame and wandered over to the chair, settling in, he tried to look comfortable and relaxed. "Eventually."

Garrison tossed his pen on the table and rocked back in his chair and eyed the little man. The paperwork for this outfit was never ending, but it could wait. He watched the group's second story man try and sit still. Goniff was a self proclaimed 'lay about' and enjoyed being idle, but he was never completely still, and the more nervous he was the more he fidgeted around. He was almost dancing in the chair now, shifting from one hip to the other, crossing and uncrossing his legs, staring all around the room searching for something to concentrate on that would keep him from meeting his gaze. That was another thing with Goniff, all you had to do with him was stare at him long enough and he usually broke out in a sweat and started stammering excuses, even on the rare occasion that he hadn't done anything wrong.

"Alright Goniff, spill it, what's wrong? Why didn't you want to go with the others, you guys have some kind of fight?" The Warden crossed his arms on his chest and waited. When he talked to Actor the con man hadn't been able to shed any light on what was going on, just confirmed that Goniff seemed jumpier than usual and commiserated with him over the fact that the he'd suddenly acquired a second shadow. They agreed something must have spooked the pick pocket but couldn't figure out what.

Goniff looked up and caught the Lieutenant's eye briefly before looking away. Giving a nervous laugh he got up out of the chair and headed for the window. "Aw, Warden, ain't nothin' like that." After a moment or two studying the grounds outside the window he turned and slouched against the wall, shrugging he looked up, letting his eyes skip across the Warden's as he searched for something else to fix on. "It's just like I said... I, uh, I been workin' real hard to, uh, to get in better shape, see and I, uh..."

"You're right. You have been working hard, and you've made good progress with the running." While they were still going at a slower pace for the last two days Goniff had made it through the whole length of the warm up laps before heading off to the showers. His new interest in exercise had drawn quiet praise from Chief, out right amazement from Rawlins and sarcastic needling from Casino. Garrison had heard a 'teacher's pet' thrown at him a time or two. "But, Goniff, you've never turned down a chance to get to a mug of beer since I've known you. So, come on, what's up?"

He watched as his cat burglar laid against the wall and seemed to have a debate with himself. He'd gone a little paler than normal and sweat was beaded across his forehead. Shoving his fists down in his pockets he studied the carpet at his feet for a while before pulling his hands free and crossing them across his belly. When he brought his hand up and started worrying a thumbnail with his teeth Garrison thought they might be getting somewhere. A moment later the little cockney rolled his eyes and shoved off the wall and headed back towards the chair. After another few moments of carpet studying he finally heaved a sigh, looked up and opened his mouth... The intercom going off on the desk caused them both to jump.

"Lieutenant Garrison?"

"Yes, Sergeant. What is it?"

"Colonel Reynolds on the phone for you, sir."

Garrison leaned forward and shot a look across at Goniff as he reached for the phone. "I guess you better go into town after all. Round them up Goniff, I think we're about to take a trip."

g

"Gather round gentlemen and I'll explain what we have to do." As soon as he had them grouped around the table he started the briefing. "This should be a short one..."

"Simple too, right Warden?" Chief offered, causing a round of laughter from the men.

"Yeah, and easy." Casino cut in, "Just like all the others."

Garrison glared around at them. "Do you want to hear this, or not?" and was mollified somewhat by their silence. "That's better. Now, all we have to do is go in and pick up some information and bring it out."

"You mean some bloke's already done the hard part?" Goniff grinned up at their leader. He'd be happy to act as a mule for a change. Not having to sneak into some Jerry stronghold sounded pretty good to him.

"That's right."

"And just why are they sending us, if all they really need is a courier to make the run?" There had to be more to it than that and the con man knew it.

Garrison shrugged as the others turned to stare at him and Goniff's grin melted off his face. "Because the guy with the information is being watched."

"I knew it!" Casino threw his hands up in disgust and turned from the table. "It's never as simple as it seems, is it?"

"So instead a takin it away from the Krauts, we gotta take it away from our own guy?"

Garrison nodded. "And make it look like he's being set up as a double agent by the underground…"

"Why'd we want ta do that, then?" Goniff asked from his position glued to the Warden's right elbow.

"Because it will secure the agent's position with the Germans, take the pressure off him." Actor turned from the pick pocket to their commander. "Just how have you planned to accomplish this?"

The Warden laughed across at him. "I thought you might have a suggestion."

"Jeeze! This is gonna be a good one."

"Alright," Garrison checked his watch. "We have four hours before we have to be at the field. Get your gear together and then I suggest you get a little sleep if you can." Watching the men turn to leave he called out. "Goniff, stay a minute."

Casino turned and gave him a smirk as he passed. "In trouble again, eh Goniff." and then continued out the door pushing it closed in the English burglar's face.

Goniff turned and leaned on the door, his hands behind him, gripping the knob. "What can I do for you Lieutenant?"

"We have some time, Goniff... What we were talking about before...?"

Goniff cut him off with a laugh and a grin. "Wasn't nothin' Warden, nothin' at all." And he cracked the door open and slipped through into the hall, closing it before the Warden could say another word.

g

They'd gotten on the ground and into their target in almost record time. Garrison passed Manheim in the street and let the crowd jostle him into a collision with the young man so he could deliver the coded phrase that let the agent know he had confederates in the area. They kept watch on him for two days and spotted the tail he'd picked up… there were only two, each man spending twelve hours on the job before being relieved by his partner. Manheim kept to his routine during the observation period so they knew where he lived and worked, his favorite places to eat and relax. The young man was good, Garrison thought, never appearing to check around him for their presence, just calmly going about his daily business. They decided to have dinner at his favorite café and see if they could make contact.

He stayed clear of them at the café, but made his approach when they followed him into a bar after the meal. It was crowed enough to give them a plausible reason for literally running into each other. Manheim spilled his drink down the front of Garrison's uniform and was profuse in his apologies and meticulous in his drunken efforts to sop the ale out of the wool tunic. By the time Garrison managed to get away from him he smelled like a brewery and had a detailed coded note in his pocket. All the information was there… what the man had, and where he'd hidden it.

g

"Lemme get this straight." Casino thought somebody might need to cut orders for these two to go on a nice quiet vacation in the country, 'cause this was one of their crazier ideas. "You guys are gonna let the Krauts know you pulled a switch?"

Actor answered, defending their plan. "It's the only way we have of convincing them Manheim's still on their side."

"I hate to bring this up Warden but a guy could get dead real fast doin' somethin' like that."

"That's why you, Goniff and Chief will be on the outside watching out for us." Garrison stared back at the skeptical east coast thief until Casino cocked an eyebrow, shook his head, and turned away. "If things get too hot for us, you guys get to come to the rescue. That ought to cause a big enough diversion to let us get out, and then we all take off."

"So who's gonna be around to speak up for Manheim if we shoot up all the bad guys, Warden?"

"Simple, Chief. You don't shoot up all the bad guys if you have to start shooting …" he shrugged. "Or if you do, you don't shoot them bad enough to kill them."

Casino turned back on them "Swell! You do realize that all that 'shoot to wound' crap only happens in the movies, right?"

Garrison's mouth quirked up in a smile. "I have confidence in your marksmanship Casino. I get the reports from the Sergeant Major, remember?"

"Oh really? Well I guess he forgot to mention that the targets he's so proud a getting us ta shoot at are standin still, not runnin around like Kraut soldiers do…And ya know, it's amazing but the damn things never shoot back!"

g

They'd work out the timing, made the call to the local Gestapo themselves so they'd be sure someone would be in attendance, and then made their move on Manheim's apartment. Garrison got word to the young man that they'd come up with a plan that would take the heat off him and allow him to stay in position, but he left out all the details. He and Actor decided that since the agent was being observed his reactions would be better if what they were going to do came as a surprise to him. He was surprised alright, surprised into unconsciousness by Garrison's fist when he came upon them rifling through the desk in his apartment.

They needed to work fast now. Garrison took the documents Manheim had copied for the Allies from their hiding place in his desk and shoved a poorly forged replacement in it's place, leaving it plainly visible in the drawer. Then he dropped down next to the young man on the floor and stuffed a wad of bills in his pocket along with a coded note on a crumpled piece of paper.

The Germans would have to be pretty desperate for a scapegoat to believe that a skilled agent capable of infiltrating their command at Manheim's level could also be foolish enough to get caught this way. The documents were an obvious forgery, a good enough rendering of Manheim's handwriting to pass a quick check, but bad enough to be revealed for what they were on further inspection. And then there was the money….Why would a double agent have the money and still have the documents? Actor was right, it should play right into the Gestapo's arrogant need to feel superior to the local resistance group active in the area.

Steps in the hall and shots outside the building let them know they should have taken just a little less time. Apparently the Gestapo wasn't going to content themselves with watching them set this guy up, they were determined to catch them in the act.

"Damn it! Let's get out of here!" he didn't have to issue the order twice, Actor was already headed towards the window. Garrison followed him, turning just as the soldiers broke down Manheim's door. He insured someone would be left 'to speak up for' the agent by shooting over their heads, close enough to drop them on their bellies on the floor. He let his aim follow them down, convincing them it would be best if they didn't raise their heads to take a shot in his direction. He bought enough time for he and Actor to get away into the alley, then signaled the fire-at-will free-for-all by giving the three outside men the thumbs up and taking the next two guards that crossed his path down.

g

They were in a running battle now, maybe it hadn't been such a great idea to invite the Gestapo to the party, they'd turned around and invited their own guests in the form of three carloads of soldiers. It was only Chief's driving skills that got them out of town with only one car on their tail. The young man lost the others in his winding flight through the back alleys. Garrison ordered him off the road where he thought they stood their best chance of ambushing their pursuers. Would have worked out fine too, if one of those lost cars hadn't come around the corner on the other side of them…