Chapter 3
Sidi Abd, Libya: 1400
German North Afrika Korps Headquarters
After spending an hour at attention in front of Generalmajor Lutz, Hauptmann Hans Dietrich was relieved to know that he would not be sent to the Russian Front for the loss of his convoy, failing to prevent the Rat Patrol from blowing a key ammunition dump, and finally . . . coming extremely close to capturing them and failing. Lutz had him stand at ease, then went on to inform Dietrich that he would be sent to Al Aqubar to finish setting up an outpost.
Two hours later, the Generalmajor had worn out his anger and ordered supper for the two men. During the meal, Lutz shared with Dietrich his thoughts on Major Schmidt, the former kommandant of Al Aqubar, and wondered aloud why the man's wife would want him back in Germany. Maybe to keep a close eye on him? Schmidt was a known womanizer despite his appearance as overweight, with double chins to match. Dietrich raised an eyebrow at the unflattering description and wisely chose to keep his thoughts to himself. The meal finished, Dietrich was excused.
The trip to Al Aqubar was blessedly, for once, uneventful. Inside the gates of Al Aqubar, the driver pulled up in front of a building which, the driver informed him, had been used for the past month as the kommandant's office and quarters. Dietrich took an instinctive look around the town as he was getting out of the car. In the lateness of the afternoon, people were still walking around, stopping at one stall or another. A goat herder moved his small flock of goats along the street and children darted in and out of the stalls, laughing and playing games just like Ilse and he had done back home when they were younger.
A scuff of a jackboot against the wooden floor of the portico interrupted his idle thoughts. Dietrich turned to confront a tall, slender solider, who appeared to be nervous and yet covering it up with the Wehrmacht discipline instilled into him at the trainingslager.
"Herr Hauptmann, I am Korporal Dieter Bauer. I have been assigned to be your aide." The korporal saluted and Dietrich saluted back. "May I help with your bag, sir?" The korporal picked up his new kommandant's bag and showed Dietrich the way inside the building. There was a large foyer, with the most prominent piece of furniture being a desk piled with papers and charts which was placed off to the left of the entrance. Bauer walked to the end of the foyer, opened another door, then gestured toward the staircase behind the desk. "This is your office and up those stairs are your quarters."
"Danke, Korporal. I see the orders I was informed of are waiting for me on the desk," Dietrich noted as he walked into his appointed office.
"Would you like some refreshment while you read them, sir?" Bauer asked considerately as he set Dietrich's bag down.
"Yes, Korporal I would." Dietrich walked around the desk, sat down and opened the brown folder. A glance at the front page told him what he already knew from his previous meeting with Generalmajor Lutz. He would be overseeing the outpost here in Al Aqubar. The next page, however, was not what he was expecting at all. 'You are to locate Michaela Mercer and convince her that it is her duty to work for the Reich. Her knowledge of Ancient Egypt is required at this time. She may have information that will lead to an artifact, the Isis Knot. It is said to provide protection to all who wear it.' The next page was a black and white photo of a woman. Turning it over, he saw 'Michaela Mercer' written across the back. "Mercer," Dietrich said the name aloud. It sounded surprisingly familiar to him.
The korporal brought in a tray of food and coffee and set it down. "Pretty, isn't she?"
"Whom are you talking about, Korporal?" Dietrich looked up at Bauer.
"Why the Fraulein, Missy Mike," Bauer answered as he pointed to the photo.
"Missy Mike?" Dietrich stood up, "Do you know her?"
"Yes sir, she lives across the street above the café, Le Morrell. All the children and old ones call her Missy Mike. But she is gone now."
"Where did she go?" Dietrich questioned the korporal.
"I don't know, sir. Last night two of our men were found unconscious in an alley, stripped of their uniforms, a third was found dead and a truck missing. The alarm was sounded. The guard at the gate attempted to stop them, but he was killed when the shack was blown up.''
Dietrich sat down, "Is there a report on this incident?" He began to look for the report under his new orders on the desk.
"No sir, Unterleutnant Gruber has yet to fill it out sir."
"Why has he failed to do this?" Dietrich asked the korporal.
"He is out looking for the truck and the Fraulein, sir."
"I want to see him the minute he returns," Dietrich ordered as he reached for his coffee.
"Yes sir," Bauer snapped to attention, saluted and left the room.
Dietrich took a drink of the coffee: it was cold. Abandoning the coffee, he returned his attention to the photograph. It being black and white, he was unable to tell the color of her eyes or hair. Dietrich put the photo down and walked to the outer office. "I want to speak to the men who were found unconscious."
Ten minutes later, two men were ushered into his office by Bauer.
Dietrich introduced himself to the men and asked for their names and rank before beginning his questioning on the incident. "Did either of you see anything before you were knocked out?"
"Yes, sir. I saw a solider in a British cover, sir." With just the one sentence spoken, the captain knew at once who was behind it.
"You are dismissed for now." Both saluted him and left the office.
Dietrich snapped the pencil in half. The Rat Patrol, here in Al Aqubar. Why would they want the woman?
An hour later, Bauer knocked on the door and opened it, "Unterleutnant Gruber is here, sir."
"Send him in," Dietrich stood and tugged at his tunic.
Gruber entered the room and saluted the Captain.
"Sit down, Unterleutnant. I want a detailed report as to what happened here last night."
"Yes, sir. An alarm went out after two men were found unconscious and one dead. The guard attempted to stop a truck at the gate, was killed, and the guard shack blown up." Gruber shifted in the chair.
"I know all that, Gruber. Who was in the truck?" Dietrich kept his voice low, getting the unterleutenant's attention.
"Three men, German soldiers." Gruber began to fidget with the collar of his uniform.
"No one else?" Dietrich looked straight into Gruber's eyes.
"No, sir." From the look on Gruber's face and his ceaseless fidgeting, Dietrich could guess that the unterleutnant was beginning to realize that his new commander was not going to be as easily led or fooled as Schmidt was.
"Bauer informed me that Fraulein Mercer is missing," Dietrich tapped the photo of the woman.
"DeVoe, the owner of the café across the street, said that after the shooting stopped, he went upstairs to check on her and she was gone."
"Come with me. I want to talk to this DeVoe," Dietrich stood up and walked out with Gruber right behind him.
As Dietrich entered the café, he was greeted with a wave from a large man behind the bar. Dietrich noted the man seemed to be friendly, but would he tell him what he wanted to know about Fraulein Mercer?
"Good afternoon, gentlemen, what I can get for you?"
"I want to know where Fraulein Mercer is," Gruber reached across the bar to grab hold of the man.
"Gruber, halt," Dietrich ordered as he shoved the unterleutnant aside. "Good afternoon, Monsieur, I would like to ask you some questions."
"Oui, I am Maurice DeVoe," Maurice held out a hand out to shake with Dietrich.
Dietrich was careful to shake firmly, but not harder than the man across from him, "I'm Captain Dietrich, I have been assigned as the new kommandant. What I need to know is where Miss Mercer is."
"I don't know. Last evening some German soldiers were in here drinking. One by one they got up and went through the curtain when someone called to them. I thought they must have had to do something in the alley. When I heard the gunshots and then an explosion, I ran upstairs to see if Michaela was okay and she was gone." DeVoe wiped the bar with a rag and shrugged a shoulder. "I thought she must have left to go on one of her trips."
"Trips? What kind of trips?" Dietrich was getting irritated at not getting any straight answers.
"Michaela is doing research. She has been talking with the old men about Ancient Egypt."
"I would like to see her room." Dietrich straightened and clasped his hands behind his back.
"Oui, right this way." DeVoe led the way through the curtain and up the stairs to Michaela's room.
Dietrich looked around the room: he could tell that she must have left in a hurry as there were papers scattered on the floor. Checking drawers and papers on her table, he found nothing of importance that would give him information as to her whereabouts or what the Isis Knot was. He turned to DeVoe, "I want to know the minute she returns."
"Oui, may I ask Captain why you are looking for Michaela?" Monsieur DeVoe asked with a fatherly worry.
"I would just like to ask her some questions about Ancient Egypt."
Back at his office, Dietrich dismissed Unterleutnant Gruber with orders to place on his desk, in one hour, a report of last night's events.
Bauer entered as Gruber was leaving. "Can I get anything for you, sir?"
"No, Korporal, I would like to retire to my quarters now." Dietrich straightened the papers on his desk then stood to leave.
"Yes sir, I took the liberty of placing your bag on the bed," the korporal replied.
Dietrich went out to the foyer and up the narrow stairs to his quarters. The room had a sitting area to one side and the bed on the other. Dietrich looked out of his window. Yes, a good view of the street and the café. Nothing was moving except a stray cat.
Troy was pulling on his boots when Moffitt stormed into their quarters. "What's eating you?" he asked.
"Michaela is gone. Her room was empty." Moffitt walked around the room.
"Gone? Did you check around the base?" Troy placed a hand on Moffitt's arm. "We'd better go to Andrews office and let him know." Troy grabbed his hat and headed for the door. This was one problem he did not need to have today.
Lieutenant Locke glanced up as they entered, two MPs were standing in the outer office, "Right this way, you've been expected." The lieutenant opened the Major's door after knocking on it.
Troy and Moffitt looked at each other as they followed the lieutenant into the room. Sitting in a chair, next to the desk handcuffed, was Michaela.
"Sergeants, you'll need to keep a closer eye on the target if you plan to keep her alive," Andrews said as he stood and nodded for Locke to close the door. "She was attempting to leave the base, alone. Gentlemen, I can't tell you how important it is that you keep a close eye on Miss Mercer." Andrews picked up a key, holding it out for one of the sergeants to take.
As Moffitt took the key, unlocked the cuff attached to the chair and attached it to his own wrist, Troy turned to the Major, "Sir, we're all set to head out as you ordered. Do we still continue?"
Troy got a nod of approval from Andrews, so he saluted and opened the door for Moffitt and Michaela to go through first. He didn't miss the look between Michaela and the Major.
Troy watched as Moffitt put Michaela in the third jeep and handcuff her to the seat support. He could see in her face that she wanted to say something but kept her mouth closed and turned to look away from him.
"Let's go," he ordered the group as he climbed into his jeep.
Back in the office, Major Andrews watched from the window and smiled to himself as the patrol pulled away.
The three jeeps headed back out into the desert. A few hours out of El Berin, Troy had the jeeps stop at a wadi and climbed up a sand dune to look around. He glanced back at the jeeps; Moffitt had chosen to drive Michaela in the extra jeep. Tully was in his own jeep and Hitch was still in their usual jeep, cleaning his glasses. Hearing the rumble of heavy trucks he turned in that direction, not liking what he saw. Troy ran down the sand dune and yelled, "Let's shake it, German patrol heading this way. Moffitt you take Michaela and head for the cave, Tully- follow them in your jeep. Come on, Hitch, let's throw them off track."
Moffitt headed out of the wadi and across the dunes. Michaela could only stare in wonder at the chaos but wasn't given long to view the scene as Jack pushed her forward.
"Keep your head down!"
Ducking forward, she willingly covered her head with her one free hand as the sounds of gunfire rang out.
She breathed a sigh of relief when they finally drove into the cave. Tully pulled in next to them, and it wasn't long before Troy and Hitch entered the cave with their jeep.
Jack walked around the front of the jeep to unlock the cuffs. After placing them in the glove box he looked at her with suspicion. "Michaela, we all have to work together to keep each other alive. Now are you going to tell me what was going on back in El Berin?"
Michaela made no answer, so Jack grabbed her arm and pulled her into the main area of the cave, "Come on, you can be of use and help set up camp."
Michaela worked at setting up the cots and laying out the bedrolls. Finished with that, she assisted Hitch setting up the kitchen area. As she stepped back to see what else needed to be done, she backed into Troy.
"Come with me, we need to talk." Troy took her elbow and led her away from the others, "What Moffitt told you earlier is true. To stay alive, we all work together. You're part of this too. We can't keep you alive if you decide to go off on your own." He was calm while talking to her.
"Okay, I get the picture. How many big brothers do I have to have anyway?" she couldn't help but sound cocky.
"As of today you have four: Moffitt, Hitch, Tully, and me." Troy placed one hand on her face and the other on her shoulder. "I have orders to protect you at all costs; don't make it harder on me."
Michaela thought Sam was going to kiss her. She stepped back to avoid it.
With a surprised look on his face, Troy went back over to the rest of the men. Michaela stood there a moment, watching him walk away. She walked to where Jack was standing and placed a hand on his arm, "I'm sorry, just trust me." She moved her arm to around his waist, "Jack, never stop being my big brother."
Jack put his hand over hers, "Michaela, if anything ever happens to you, I would never be able to forgive myself. Let's have some tea."
Korporal Bauer knocked before entering the captain's office. "Sorry to disturb you sir, but we just received a radio message from one of our patrols. They ran into three American jeeps. Two took off in one direction and the other came after our patrol. There are no further transmissions from them."
Dietrich stood up behind his desk and turned to look out the window. The Rat Patrol was in the area. Three jeeps? Why would they have three jeeps? Going over to his map on the wall, Dietrich questioned his korporal, "Where was the transmission from?"
Bauer walked over to the map. "I believe the radio operator said they were near this area."
"Send a larger patrol out in this direction. I want them to report back every half hour- whether they find anything or not." Putting his hands behind his back, Dietrich walked back over to the window.
"Yes, sir.'' Bauer left the office.
Bauer wasn't gone long when there was another knock on his door. Without turning around, Dietrich called out, "Come in." Hearing footsteps and a click of heels, he turned around to face Gruber.
"Sir, I understand you are sending out a patrol. I would like to take out that patrol and search for Fraulein Mercer at the same time."
Something about the man did not sit right at all. "All right, Unterleutnant, if you find her, bring her back here, you understand?"
"Yes, sir." Gruber clicked his heels and gave the captain a salute. Leaving the office, Gruber smiled. Yes, I will find her. Bring her back? No, I do not think so Captain.
Captain Dietrich watched as the patrol left town. The name 'Mercer' kept coming to his mind. He had heard the name before, but where? "Now I remember, back in Kiel." The family next to his grandparents farm- his sister Ilse played with the girl that lived there for a while. He looked again at the photo. Why would the Third Reich want this woman? What does she know? "Of course," he said out loud. The café owner said the girl was talking to the old men about Ancient Egypt. She must be looking for the Isis Knot herself.
Michaela woke early the next morning. Still, just because she had left sleep early, didn't mean sleep had left her. She visited the stream with several canteens in hand and made it back to the fire pit to begin a pot of coffee. As the smell of the freshly brewed coffee filled the cave, she could hear the men begin to stir. Sam was the first to arrive.
"You're up early, did we keep you awake?" he asked as he sat down on a jerry can.
"No, I want to get an early start into town. I remembered before falling asleep about my mother's research
papers." She kept her back to him. She couldn't look into his face without revealing how hurt she felt.
Jack arrived, saving them from further awkwardness, "You have them? The papers she wrote about Isis and Osiris?"
"Yes, I usually never go anywhere without them. There is something else in the box, an Isis Knot."
"The Isis knot is in Al Aqubar? Why didn't you say so?"
"It is not the real one, Jack. It's one that was left to me by mom. This one is made of brass. The real one was supposed to be made from stone," she continued to explain. "If the old man is right and the cave is near here, I'll have one to compare it to. Also, if there is no real Isis Knot and the Germans find us, the copy could throw them off."
Michaela looked at the map that she had laid out next to her on the ground. "This wadi," as she pointed to the map. "Sardie lives not to far from there. I can walk to his house, then into town to get the box."
"I don't know, going on your own. It's just not safe." Moffitt fixed himself a cup of tea.
"Sardie will not talk to strangers," she said impatiently, trying to keep the irritation from filtering into her voice. Jack still was not taking her seriously.
"One of us will go with you and wait outside while you talk to the old man."
Michaela had a different opinion. I go in one door and out the other. Go to town and get my box.
Troy broke into her thoughts, "He's right, one of us will be with you but in the shadows. How much time do you need to get ready?"
"I'm ready to go now," she put her tin cup down and walked over to one of the jeeps.
The four men stood looking at one another. Tully shook his head and turned to get a cup of coffee. "Moffitt, you go. Dressed as an Arab." Troy pointed to Jack.
Michaela sat waiting in the jeep. Great, he'll not let me get two feet out of his sight.
The cousins were quiet as they drove toward Al Aqubar. Before too long they were at the wadi. Moffitt took her hand. "Michaela, don't get any ideas of going off on your own."
Knowing she was beat, Michaela shook her head with reluctant chagrin. "Okay, let's go into town first. I want to get my box and see Marie. Then, when I talk to Sardie, I can compare mother's notes with Sardie."
"Lead on," Moffitt smiled at her and held his hand out.
Passing Sardie's shack, she stopped to look at it, shrugged her shoulders then continued on.
"Something wrong?" Moffitt took her elbow.
"I don't think so, something just feels strange." Then continued on toward the town.
Before they got near the gate, Michaela turned and went along parallel the wall, then moved toward a hole. Poking her head through first, she motioned Jack to follow. Staying in the shadows and alleys, they were soon at the back door of the café. Michaela opened the door a crack to check if it was safe for them to enter. Michaela slipped in, pulling Jack in with her.
Maurice was at the stove when the two cousins walked in. He placed a finger to his lips and jerked a thumb toward the front of the café, alerting them that it was not safe. Jack looked around the kitchen, saw a crate of liquor bottles and picked it up. He went behind the bar in the café. While placing the crate down, he took a chance to glance around to see how many Germans were there.
Back in the kitchen he held up three fingers to indicate how many Germans. Maurice ladled three bowls of soup onto a tray. Michaela mouthed that she was going to the alley door and up the stairs. Maurice threw his hands up in the air and shook his head.
Jack took the tray to serve the Germans their soup and wine, distracting them while Michaela hurried up the stairs. She made it up the stairs without a sound. In her room she went over to the bed and pulled a box out from underneath. Michaela stuffed her mother's stories, the fake knot, and a change of clothes into a small bag. Quietly slipping back down the stairs, she stopped to listen at the curtain. Hearing no noise, she peeked through and saw the café was empty except for Jack standing behind the bar.
"I got them, let's get out of here."
Going through the kitchen, Maurice held out a basket to them, "Fresh food, for you and your friends. Marie also baked you some of her treats, plenty for all."
She gave a kiss to Maurice on the cheek. "Thank you. I'll be back as soon as I can."
Maurice put a hand on her shoulder, "Be careful, ma petite, the Boche are looking for you."
"Don't worry. I have four big brothers now to look out after me. Kiss Marie for me."
Jack placed a hand on Maurice's shoulder. "We'll look after her."
"Michaela, your truck is at Sardie's, he came into town yesterday. I had him drive it to his place for you."
"Thanks, Maurice."
The two cousins went out of the city the same way they came in. Hurrying onto Sardie's, Michaela stopped short of the house and went to her truck.
"What are you doing? Leave it here." Jack grabbed her arm to pull her away.
"Wait, Jack, it will be easier for me to find the cave in my truck. I won't stand out as much as I would in a jeep."
Michaela put her knapsack on the seat of the truck and Jack placed the food there. "I'll go in and talk to Sardie, wait here," she said hurriedly and ran into the house. Inside she let her eyes adjust to the darkness. Calling out for the old man, she received no answer. At the table she lit a lamp. She turned around and screamed. Jack came running in.
"Oh, Jack, he's dead." She grabbed hold of Jack and buried her face into his chest.
Jack gently pushed her away to examine the body. "He's been shot, not too long ago." Jack was checking his wrist, when a button fell out of the old man's hand. "Hold on, what's this." Picking it up and going closer to the light, he said. "It's a button off a German officer's tunic." Blowing out the lamp, Jack took hold of his cousin and led her outside.
"Let's get out of here." Getting into Michaela's truck and starting it, Jack drove to the wadi. "Follow me back to the cave," he yelled to her as he ran to the jeep.
Michaela nodded her head and slid over into the driver's seat. Before long, they were pulling into the cave entrance. Running back out, Jack erased their tracks and climbed up the rocks to look around. Hitch was first at the truck to check on the noise. Troy and Tully were right behind him.
"What happened? Where's Moffitt?" Sam was firing questions so fast at her, she didn't get a chance to answer. He stopped when Jack walked through the cave's entrance.
"We found the old man dead. It might have been us too, if she had not decided to go into town first."
Troy turned to her, "Did you get what you needed?"
"Yes, part of it, with Sardie dead, I will have to work hard to find that cave." Michaela took the replica out of her knapsack. She held it up, turned it one way than another. "Yes, it just might work." To an untrained eye, it would look like the real thing.
Michaela had been up most of the night reading and re-reading her mother's articles and research notes. A cave near El Guettan. Everything pointed to it. Digging out a map, she looked it over, not finding what she was searching for. El Guettan was not on this map. She needed an older chart to compare it to. She laid on her cot, turned out the lantern, and closed her eyes.
Michaela woke the next morning to the men talking. Getting up, she went over to find out what was going on.
"Morning, you hungry?" Hitch asked as she walked up.
"Coffee, please." She looked around and saw that all the men's eyes were on her, "What's the matter?"
Moffitt smiled at her, "Find out anything?"
"These charts are too new; I need an old chart. One that has El Guettan on it." She drank the lukewarm coffee down and held her cup out for a refill.
Going over to her, Jack touched her forehead, "Michaela, are you feeling all right?"
"I have a headache. I stayed up too late reading." She tiredly swatted Jack's hand away, "Maybe the light wasn't bright enough."
"Troy wants to check out German traffic. You stay here in the cave."
Michaela nodded her head and went back to her cot. The last Michaela heard were the jeeps as they pulled out of the cave.
Troy grabbed the binoculars as the jeeps came to a stop at the bottom of a sand dune. "Moffitt, where can we get the chart Michaela needs?"
"You're not going to like this, Al Aqubar."
"You're right. I don't." Troy replied. He turned his head at the sound of engines. At the top of the dune, he dropped down onto his stomach to look over it. A German patrol was passing below. Looking back at his men, he gave a low whistle and pointed down. As he was running down the sand dune, his men were getting ready to fight. Troy hopped on the back of his jeep and opened the chamber of his Fifty to check it. "Let's shake it."
The two jeeps came roaring over the dune, the Fifties sounding. The German patrol came to life, returning fire. Troy tapped Hitch on the shoulder, to get the Germans to follow them away from the cave. Moffitt and Tully were right behind. They did a lot of damage to the German scout column, then headed away with a cloud of black smoke to cover their getaway. Leaving the enemy behind, Troy had Hitch come to a stop.
''We better forget that chart for today and get back to the cave," he yelled over the jeeps' engines to the men. I need to be sure Michaela stayed put in the cave.