part 2
Garrison moved to the front of the car and checked the path it would take before he stepped back to the open driver's door, leaned in and released the brake. Putting his shoulder against the door where it met the body of the vehicle he gave a shove to start the car rolling down the slight incline, scrambling under the wheel as it picked up speed. As he brought it to rest in the shade under the trees, out of sight of the road, he turned in the seat and considered his 'superior', "Why don't you take a little nap here in the shade, sir, and I'll check around to see if there's another way out of here."
Actor smiled back at him as he got out of the car. "An excellent idea Lieutenant." and called over his shoulder as the Warden made his way past him towards the back of the car. "You wouldn't have brought a few of those berries and the last of that cheese along, would you?" He heard the creak of the trunk lid going up and laughed as a small sack landed with a plop on the seat next to him.
Garrison's survey of the surrounding area had taken less than an hour and revealed a path that paralleled the road for some distance before striking off to the north. When he returned to the car he found the confidence man drowsing in the shade. Reaching into the trunk he brought the canteen of water around with him as he climbed up onto the back seat. Offering it first to Actor he took it back when the con man finished drinking his fill, took a drink and wiped his lips on the back of his hand. "Well, we can change back into civilian clothes and keep going along the road, or there's a trail that leads in the general direction we want. We can wait here another hour and see if we can pick up another car," he shrugged, "but if there's no traffic, there's no point in hanging around."
The older man nodded and leaned back to admire the blue sky overhead. He knew the Lieutenant had already made his decision. If they'd been able to stay in the car traveling the roads would make some sense, but pushing along them in the cart, even in civilian clothes carried too much risk of being stopped. To even a soldier's untrained eye his wound would reveal them as something other than simple beggars traveling to the next town. They couldn't take the chance. And there was Garrison's uneasy feeling of being spotted in town. Actor had worked with the Army officer long enough to trust his instincts.
"In an area this quiet it's hard to believe we are in the middle of a war." The con man sighed, straightened in the seat and turned to face his leader. "And there was no movement up on that road while you were gone. I haven't even heard planes overhead."
"Alright. We might as well take off and make the best use we can of the day. There's a stream not far from here. I'll take everything that'll hold water down and fill it up. Then I'll move as much as I can over onto the trail before I take you over in the cart."
"It's a good thing you thought to bring the cart along. Should we change out of these uniforms?"
Garrison considered it. "No. We'll be working our way up the mountain, and it's getting late. I think they'll keep us warmer than the civilian things. Might as well keep them on for now."
With his help and the aid of the cane Actor managed to limp up onto to the road. Garrison folded the heavy coats they had into padding for the bottom of the small cart and helped his second settle in as comfortably as he could. Slipping his jacket off he rolled it under the knee of the man's injured leg before pushing him across the road. When they reached the other side he turned the cart and backed it down the incline.
Actor called over his shoulder as the handcart jostled down towards the ditch. "It certainly isn't a very elegant way to travel."
"Just close your eyes and try and imagine you're in a sedan chair being hauled along on some safari in India."
The man chuckled. "I believe there's always someone along to hold a sunshade, and a servant or two to fan the occupant."
They'd made it across the drainage channel that ran along the road and up onto the pathway, Garrison stooped to the pile of supplies and 'barter' goods he'd left there and tossed a battered umbrella onto the cart next to Actor. "There, try that!"
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"You should stop and rest for a while." Actor could hear the Warden laboring to keep the cart moving up hill.
"And lose my momentum? Not on your life!"
They'd been gaining altitude steadily since they left the road. The trail climbed gradually for the first two miles but as it started to swing north it became steeper and rockier. Garrison had given up on using the handles in favor of wrapping his hands over the back of the cart on either side of Actor where he could use a straight armed shove. He was leaning into his work now and beginning to struggle. If they stopped on this slope he'd never get going again, and he'd be lucky not to be run over as the cart took off back down hill.
"It appears we are almost at the top of this section. I believe I see a spot where it starts to level out up under those small trees."
"Great. I can use some shade and a break. Get the water out, will you? If I have to wait for it up there I'll probably shrivel up and turn to dust. You'd better get some down too. We're still paralleling that stream so it'll be easy to fill everything up again." The temperature had dropped as they made their way further up into the hills, he'd even stopped to shake a blanket over Actor when he saw him start to shake with cold. The day was cloudless though and the sun pounding down, combined with the effort of pushing the loaded cart over the rough trail was sapping Garrison's strength. Perspiration soaked his shirt and trailed down his back and off his forehead. It was too steep to risk taking his hands off the cart to wipe it away and his eyes blurred and burned as rivulets of sweat found their way into them.
Actor leaned forward and lifted the last full container of water off the floor of the cart and twisted the cap off. He brought the mouth of the jug to his lips just as they entered this first deep shade. Movement of the brush on either side of the trail and a flash of sunlight on metal was the only warning he had of the ambush. The cart tipped back with a jolt that knocked the water from his hands and he gripped the sides as it started to slide backwards down the trail. In a matter of feet it came to a stop against something that could only be Garrison as he lay in the path. The con man twisted around to see, but was convinced to remain as he was by the barrel of an ancient rifle.
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"Warden, if you can hear me just lie still. Don't move."
Garrison was pulled roughly onto his back as his rifle was taken and he felt someone pat him down and go through his pockets. There must be other people around them, Actor was talking but he couldn't make any sense of it. The responses the con man was getting were heavily laced with suspicion but the heat of anger didn't seem to be there. Partisans he hoped. They were taking their weapons, he had to make sure they'd ignore the uniforms and take them too. When he opened his eyes the light caused the pain in the back of his skull to flare, and as he raised his head the ground under him tilted. He barely had time to register Actor's shouted warning, and no time to protect himself from the blow that came.
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"Don't you ever listen...I thought I told you to lie still?"
"Where are we?" Garrison's attempt to roll onto his feet caused him a wave of dizziness and nausea.
"About twenty yards from where we were...." The con man laid an elegant hand on his commander's shoulder to keep him still. "Take it easy. If you move too quickly I don't think you'll be pleased with the results."
Garrison carefully raised his head and looked around them. "You didn't answer me. Where are we?"
Actor shrugged and answered. "A small cave a little way off the trail."
"How'd you manage to get us in here?" Garrison lay back against the ground and took a deep breath to try and settle his uneasy stomach.
"I didn't. The group that assaulted us on the trail brought us up before they left." the con man told him quietly.
Garrison frowned, that wouldn't have made any sense even if someone hadn't just tried to take the back of his head off. "Why?"
Actor shrugged, "I suppose they didn't want the Germans to find us."
"Who were they?"
"Just a group of travelers hiding in the hills."
"You couldn't talk them into taking us along?" The Warden turned on his side and shoved up to rest on his elbow. Reaching his hand to the back of his head he gingerly probed the tender lump he found there with his fingers.
"There weren't enough of them to help both of us. And they have no reason to want to involve themselves with our problems, they seem to have enough of their own." Actor remembered the small band of desperate people, elders and children being helped to what little safety the mountains afforded by a few young men and women. It had taken all of his persuasive power to convince them they were being hunted by the Germans as well and only using the uniforms as a guise to get away from the towns down below.
"How long have we been up here?" Pulling his legs around he got himself in a sitting position and leaned back against the rocks that made up the wall and waited for the world to stop spinning.
Actor watched as Garrison leaned back and closed his eyes. He hadn't been unconscious long, but his movement had caused his face to go pale and he'd broken out in a sweat. "We've only been in here a few minutes... In fact the sound of that little group has just faded away up the trail."
The Warden pushed up into a crouch and moved on unsteady legs towards the entrance to their small cave. Actor called out a warning as he straightened up outside to study the path that stretched away below them. "I wouldn't try to follow them if I were you." and when the younger man turned back, crouching down in the opening to face him he continued. "They've taken our weapons and if you go after them I don't think they will waste much time debating whether to shoot you or not."
Garrison stooped back into the shade of the cave. He was still dizzy and his vision wasn't all that sharp yet, he wasn't in any shape to take off after a band of thieves by himself. As his eyes grew accustom to the light he moved towards Actor, blood was beginning to stain the cloth over the wound in his leg again... "What happened? How'd you re-injure it?"
The other man smiled. "Well, you were starting to come around again and you seem to have a rather compulsive need to see what's going on around you... I didn't think you would appreciate the use one of the men was going to make of that fine cane so I stepped in his way."
Garrison reached his hand up to the side of his head and brought it away with fingers sticky with blood. A third shot to the head and he'd probably have been down for good. "Thanks..." Checking around them he found exactly what he expected, dirt and rocks. "I don't suppose they left us any of our stuff?"
"I believe they tossed your uniform jacket on the ground down there, but, no, they took the rest. They seemed quite pleased to get such a sturdy handcart. Unless they sorted through the things as they moved off I think they took all of it." He'd watched as an elderly man and a pregnant woman had been loaded on the small cart as people stepped out of hiding along the trail and transferred the supplies to their own packs, then he'd turned his attention to convincing the leader to leave them in this small shelter rather than stranded on the trail.
Garrison slid out of his shirt and tore the sleeves out of it, folding them into bandages. Actor took the belt he was wearing off and pressed one of the offered pads down over the wound while the Warden snugged the belt down over it to hold it firm. It seemed they were back to square one. They were in worse shape with their weapons and supplies gone, Garrison thought, unless there was some sort of town along the trail ahead there would be no way to replace them. And they had the added threat of the group that assaulted them ranging somewhere along their path.
"Alright. I'll go down and see if they tossed away anything we might be able to use. Then I'd better see if I can find some water and gather wood for a fire. It's getting late, we might as well stay in here for the night." As he reached the entrance to the cave and stood upright he patted down his pockets. He'd been thoroughly stripped of everything he'd carried. Turning back he ducked down and made eye contact with Actor. "I don't suppose they left you that fancy lighter?"
"I'm afraid they took everything. That will make a very nice trade for them somewhere down the line." The con artist's mouth turned up in a smile and his voice held a hint of a challenge. "Surely you learned how to get a fire started using two sticks?"
"Of course I did." Garrison called over his shoulder as he started back down towards the path. "It's just takes a lot longer."
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The only thing that he found along the trail, other than his tunic, was the battered umbrella, which had been tossed aside almost a quarter mile away. The ribs and catch were broken but it had provided amusement and a little patch of shade when they'd first started out. Now Craig hoped it would be long and sturdy enough to serve as a cane for the injured Italian, and he could use the fabric to haul a little water back up to the shelter.
The fire had taken twenty minutes to get started and would require one of them to remain awake to feed it through the night. A quick search along the stream had only netted a few roots that were edible if not very appetizing. The small pouch he managed to create from the umbrella's fabric, even sealed with pitch off the trees, couldn't hold more than a mouthful or two of water. Garrison drank his fill down at the stream before heading back up to their refuge for the last time. He'd spent some time gathering brush to screen the opening to the cave and protect them from the cold breeze that was beginning to blow down along the trail. At least the cave's small, he thought, it wouldn't take much to keep it warm through the night.
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"How's the leg?" Actor had fallen into an uneasy sleep as soon as the warmth of the fire reached him. Garrison let him sleep the night through, it didn't take long for the small braches and sticks he was able to forage to burn to ash in the fire, it was easier to stay awake and get what they needed as the supplies dwindled, and the con man needed the rest.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes Actor frowned at the gray light dappling the brush at the entrance. "You should have awakened me."
"It's alright. I got enough rest and I had a good nights sleep before we left."
"I hardly think three hours can be considered a night's sleep." Garrison had created a warning system from cans rummaged from the dump and cord stolen from one of the farms and it protected the route to the cave they had used allowing him a measure of rest but Actor knew he sat awake by the fire late into the night and into the early morning. When the pain in his leg woke him the Warden had been staring into the fire...until three in the morning when Actor had finally caught him asleep. "Should I remind you what kind of trouble we will be in if you collapse?"
"Should I tell you I'm on to the way you try and change the subject? How's the leg?"
"It's a bit more painful this morning. I'm not sure how far I will be able to travel and I'm wondering if it wouldn't be better for you to go ahead on your own." The suggestion wouldn't be accepted and the Italian knew it, but it was the most logical solution.
Garrison shook his head, Actor wouldn't leave him under these conditions, even if he ordered him to, so the proposal didn't require a comment from him. "I'll go down to the stream and bring up some water. Then I'll take a look around and see if I can find something to eat."
"I'd give up food for a good cup of coffee." The Italian said wistfully.
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With the loss of the blankets from the cart they were unable to rig any kind of stretcher or travois and their progress on foot was painfully slow. Even with Garrison's help Actor could only manage several yards at a time before he needed to rest. At least once an hour they made a longer stop as the Warden made his way down to the stream to bring up what little water he could carry.
The fever that started when the wound broke got worse through the day and by early afternoon the confidence man was dazed and rambling. Garrison was getting a feel for what the others went through. Never inhibited about his conquests Actor was even more free talking since the infection had taken hold. Rambling from one relationship to another, drifting through several languages, some unknown to the Warden, he went on, and on, and on... No wonder Casino gets short tempered when he starts in, Craig thought. Still he was getting quite an education. The con man's current monologue concerning a Spanish beauty from Madrid faded away as he stumbled to a stop and peered around him. The infection in his leg was causing his fever to rise and fall. He had periods of confusion, times when he needed to be reminded where they were and what had happened, but he didn't seem to have that half panicked look on his face now.
"What is it?" Garrison watched him closely, "Do you know where we are?"
"I'm not sure...It seems I should know," Wiping the sweat from his face with the sleeve of his jacket the con man continued. "But I can't be certain I'm not dreaming."
Garrison maneuvered him into the shade at the side of the trail and lowered him down to the ground. The wound had broken open again and was draining. Actor's strength was failing with the rising fever, he needed time to rest, and as much water as Garrison could get into him.
"Let's take a break while you decide." He could hear the stream below and as soon as he settled the older man comfortably against his tree he took off down the steep slope to the waters edge. Several trips later Actor's thirst was quenched and Garrison sat sponging his second's face and the back of his neck with what was left of his shirt. He was more lucid, more sure of himself.
"I should have realized we were close to this area. We might have come straight here in the car... I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it, that car made it as far as it was going to." The Warden draped the moist cloth across the back of the Italian's neck. "Have you been here before?"
"Yes, I'm certain now. We used to hike up from the house, along this path when we came here in the summer."
"House? Did your family live in this area?" Garrison knew Actor gave Italy as his home country, but he'd never found out where he'd been born.
"No," The con man smiled to himself, they were still far from those hallowed grounds. "It belonged to a lady friend. A summer home. Unless someone has spent a great deal of money on it, it should be deserted. It's not suitable for this time of year, this weather."
Garrison cocked an eyebrow. "Another one of your conquests?"
"Absolutely not! An older woman, a patroness. She helped me a great deal, introduced me to society."
That was something the Lieutenant never had to worry about. They'd done their formal social events at the academy, part of turning them all into gentlemen, but he knew the social order in Europe was different, closed and regimented. If you didn't know the right people, attend the right parties and 'affairs' you couldn't make your way. "She a friend of the family?"
Actor laughed. "Hardly... she was my first successful con."
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He'd been turned out of the school when they investigated his background and saw the death of that dream as every other academy in the city turned him away. It would be the same in other places unless he could come up with a suitable personal history... And money he thought bitterly. That's what it took, not knowledge, not ability or desire...only money and the right contacts seemed to get you what you wanted in this world and he didn't have those. Not yet.
He went back to the room he rented and counted out his small fund of money. He'd gotten it by the few hours of work at the academy and by appealing to others, but it wasn't enough, there had to be a way to get larger sums, or engage the interest of a wealthy patron... or patroness. He wasn't a fool, he knew the effect he had on women and had already enjoyed the results. This would be different, he wasn't looking for a companion for the night, or the season. What he needed was someone who would be willing to finance him, see to it he was introduced to the right people, seen in the right places. He needed an introduction to society and there were wealthy women who delighted in sponsoring young people, he just needed to find the right one.
The printed word had been a passion from the time he was a small boy. One of his earliest memories was curling up on the floor of his father's library, watching as his mother chose a book from the shelves and waiting with anticipation for her to spin out the tale contained in its pages. As soon as he mastered the ability he was always to be found with a book in his hands or later in the book stalls and libraries where the family lived or traveled. Even as the family's fortune changed and he found himself clothed in cast offs that his mother made new with her skills as a seamstress he could find solace and release from their troubles in the musty smelling stacks of a library. Moving in that setting was not new to him, and he knew what he wanted to research and how to go about it.
Two days later he had the information he wanted and enough background on his subject from the morgue of the local paper that he thought he could make his idea work. But he couldn't present himself in his current threadbare suit He watched the tailor's shop for another two days and slipped in the back when the master left for home, leaving the assistant to work into the evening to finish their orders as was his habit. He sorted quickly through the clothes and then moved into the shadows off the alley to don the garment he'd taken. Taking a deep breath and gathering his courage he stormed the shop, startling the assistant as he labored over a jacket that needed repairing.
"I demand to see the owner at once! I have paid you good money and look at this suit of clothes. I look as if I am wearing something that was made for another. The fit is horrible and just look at the length of the sleeve!" Thrusting his arm out he exposed a good two inches of wrist and arm for the assistant's inspection.
The man, looking up from his work, had the confused appearance of one trying to put a face and name together. He recognized the suit, but he didn't recognize the man wearing it... he was sure the garment had been fitted to an older man, a little shorter and going a bit gray. But the master had done that fitting himself and he could be mistaken, they were so busy in the shop now. Unfortunately the master took on the work, but he rarely finish it, that was left to him. It was also left to him to deal with the customers who were angered by the delays and the mistakes....
"I want to know what you are going to do about this? I explained that I need this finished for a very important interview I have scheduled for tomorrow." Turning on his heel he displayed the ill fitting garment. "You must agree this will not do!" He had to make this work, he hadn't eaten for twenty four hours, the last of his money given in payment for the room would only hold it until the end of the week.
The man sighed and set his work aside. Stepping around the counter he viewed the young man standing there. The master must have been in a hurry when he measured for the jacket. It was a little short in the sleeve, a little loose-fitting across the back. It wouldn't take much to put it right. He frowned and stepped closer, reaching out he pulled at the fabric of the trouser leg to check the length. That seemed all right, but the young man was probably spending the last of his money on his new attire, doubtless he had an order at the cobblers as well. This was probably another one chasing a new life in the city.
He followed the tailor's gaze down to his shoes and caught his breath. They were scuffed and run down at the heel. He should have taken a pair from the cobblers first before coming here. This small mistake would give him away and the man would be calling the authorities on him for stealing the clothes he stood up in, but he couldn't stop now, he had to see it through. "Well, what do you propose to do about this!?"
The old ways were better, the tailor thought. He might be apprenticed to a man who took advantage of his time and his skill, but he had a place to stay, food to eat and he had learned a skill that would keep him for the rest of his life. And the master had no family, the business would come to him eventually so it wouldn't do him any harm to start building a following of loyal customers. Smiling he reached to help the young man out of the jacket. "Be assured, sir, I will be happy to put right whatever is wrong with your suit of clothes. We want all of our customers to be satisfied with whatever we make for them. The alterations to the garment are minor and will take no time at all. You may wait if you wish." He folded the jacket over his arm and turned back to his work table. "I have some coffee and cake in the back if you would care to have some while I work...."
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"How much farther is it to this place, do you have any idea?" But Garrison didn't get any answer, Actor'd drifted off into the past somewhere, mumbling vague threats to someone in Italian. He shook the con man until he turned his out of focus gaze back on him. "Actor! Actor, tell me about the house, tell me about this lady of yours." If he could keep him talking maybe he could find out enough about the area to help them.
"Ah, Katia... she was a beauty." Actor smiled. "Of all the women I've known I believe she was one of the loveliest...
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It hadn't been that hard to get in to see her. He'd collected all the accoutrements of a conservative young gentleman, classic all of it, nothing too stylish. Everything was as fine as he could manage to steal or con out of the shopkeepers. The same ruse had worked on the cobbler and the barber, but he had to take the silk tie from a shop,,, and the cufflinks. The ring on the little finger of his left hand had been his mother's and had been obtained during the last confrontation he had had with his father after her death. It was one of the few things of value the old man hadn't sold. The money resting in his pocket was remnant of winnings from a card game he managed to bluff his way into, all that was left after he'd purchased the hat and cane and hired the car that brought him to her door. There wasn't much, not even enough to get the car back...
After taking his name and inquiring his business with her mistress the servant escorted him to a small parlor off the main hall and left him there to wait. It was an intimate room, unusual, he thought, for this public part of the house. There was a small desk set so the light from the window fell on it's surface, a case of finely bound books, two comfortable chairs near the fireplace accompanied by a delicate antique table, a chaise in the corner completed the setting. A profusion of flowers spilled from vases on the mantle and desk, a crystal decanter and two glasses rested on the table between the chairs and a large mirror hung over the fireplace. He examined himself in the mirror as he waited, searching out any flaw and was please to see none. He turned and faced the door to the room when he heard steps and voices outside, smiling a confident greeting as she opened the door.
She examined him a moment from the doorway before she entered the room But when she came to him it was with a smile and with her hand extended in greeting. "Agnieska's told me that Guiliano Dellosso sent you to me." She studied his face as he took her hand and kissed it. "How is your father?"
"I'm sorry to say that he died eight months ago... But surely you knew that. He arranged to send some special items after his death, didn't you receive them?" It all turned on her acknowledging the bequest, if she denied it, or if the newspaper article was wrong he was finished....
She regarded him serenely for a few moments before she answered. "Yes. I received them. It was very kind of him to remember me." It had been a very lucrative inheritance she recalled, arriving at a very opportune time. Well worth the pleasant interlude spent with the man this youngster claimed for a father.
"He remembered you very fondly."
"And he recommended you to me? How strange." she motioned him to be seated on one of the chairs and took the other as the servant poured the wine and offered it first to him, and then to her mistress. "I wouldn't think he would have told you anything about me."
"He was very discrete, I assure you. He never mentioned your... friendship... until after my mother died. But as he grew older and as his health failed you were often in his thoughts." He smiled at her over the rim of his glass as he sipped the wine. " I believe he derived great pleasure in his memories and the stories he told me of your time together."
She considered the young man over her glass and wondered what his angle really was. She smiled coyly "As well he might." and appreciated the look of shock the youngster managed to arrange on his face for her benefit. "What is it that your father thought I might do for you, Signori Dellosso?"
"Carlo... please." It was working as he had hoped, but he had to be delicate here, he didn't want to press too hard. "I don't believe he expected you to do anything for me Madame. And for my part I certainly don't... but after all his stories I couldn't pass up the opportunity of meeting you as I came through this area."
She sat back in the chair and relaxed. The young man was obviously trying to threaten her with these stories his 'father' told him. This might prove amusing. "What are your plans Signo...Carlo? Where are you headed?"
"I thought I might enjoy the society of Paris..."
"Yes, I believe you might do very well there.'
"Do you?"
"With the right sponsor.." It was pleasant to watch him. He certainly was a lovely young man and might cause quite a stir amongst her contacts in Paris. "And introductions of course."
"But I couldn't hope to presume upon you for such patronage"
"Why ever not? I imagine it's what your father had in mind when he told you to seek me out."
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Garrison had only gotten a rough description of the woman, Katia, before Actor started rambling again as they slowly made their way along the trail. He hadn't been able to find a way to keep him on the subject long enough to get the information he needed. They'd come to a halt for the evening and the Italian's fever had dropped a bit with rest and the water he'd brought him in his several trips down to the stream. He'd found a few more late berries but he couldn't tempt the man and settled on just getting as much water for him as he wanted. "Actor, I need to know about the house. Tell me about coming out here with her."
"Oh, it was wonderful... We would spend the season at one of her homes in Paris, or Milan, or travel with one of her friends, but when it got too hot we would come up here into these mountains....."
"How'd you get here?" He had to keep him from drifting away into memory again. "How long did you stay?"
"She hired a car to bring us out in the summer and we would make a grand journey of it... stopping two or three nights on the way. She knew many people and very often we would visit with them as we passed through the area." Actor frowned a moment. "But occasionally she would decide on the spur of the moment to come and then we traveled straight through. The drivers didn't mind in any case... she was very generous with them." The con man relaxed back against the large tree that was sheltering them.
"What about the house, what's it look like?"
"It's old, she said it had been built in the middle of the last century. I believe one of her husbands left it to her. It wasn't a very grand place, not like her homes in the cities, but it was pleasant to come to, quiet and relaxing after all the parties and socializing." Actor smiled again... as a young man he hadn't appreciated the need to get away from all the glamour and color of the city, he understood better now.
"We usually stayed a few weeks, through the worst of the heat. As soon as the weather started to cool she would decide which of her other houses she wanted to use and send word ahead so that it could be prepared and we would leave." He took a moment and searched for the information the Warden wanted, it was hard to pin it down. "There were orchards and vineyards around it and a kitchen garden... An older couple stayed there until it got too cold, and kept it for her, so when she decided to come it was always ready. I don't remember where they went during the winter, they didn't come with us when we left....." He hadn't thought of them in years, surely they were dead now....
"What's the house look like, Actor?"
"There was a large tree by the entrance, it shaded the courtyard. The courtyard had a fountain and the music of the water could be heard in all of the rooms on that side of the house. The windows were left open to catch the breeze... We would have our meals outside under the eaves, especially when the summer rains came. The sound of the rain on the roof tiles was wonderful... The house was surrounded with flower beds. She loved flowers... they were everywhere inside, wherever she was. She had them imported for her through the winter." He closed his eyes and frowned. "They'd used the local soil for the finish and it glowed in the morning when the sun hit it...."
"Actor?" Garrison reached out and shook his second's arm but the man was asleep.
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"I tell ya we gotta get over there! We could find 'em!"
"Blimey! You say the Warden's nuts? Casino, you'r as balmy as he is if you b'lieve we could pull that off." Goniff could hardly believe he was taking the part of the voice of reason in this argument. "And don't look at me like that 'cause you know I'm right. Even if you do speak a little Italian that ain't gonna get us through. How'd we get from place to place while we was lookin' for 'em? Bloody Hell! How'd we get over there in the first place, and what kinda con could we pull on the Jerries if they had 'em?"
"We'd come up with somethin' like we always do..." Casino turned to stare out the window. "We could say they stole something from the Italians and demand they come back with us to face the music." Swinging back he faced the other two. "Once we got in there it'd all be in English anyway 'cause they don't speak each other's lingo."
Goniff shook his head but continued on a softer note. "And what if the guy that had 'em was the one fella in the whole German army who did speak Italian?! What'd we do then, eh?"
"Goniff's right Casino. 'Sides, even if we could find 'em the Kraut's wouldn't just hand 'em over to us. They don't think enough of the Italians for that. And we don't even know if they been picked up. They could be on the move and then we'd just be chasin' smoke."
He still couldn't let it go, he couldn't just leave them over there, and waiting was driving him crazy. "Look we worked together long enough we know how the Warden thinks, right? If they are on the move we have a better chance a figurin out which way he'd go... And if he'd see one a us on the street he sure as hell wouldn't go into hiding like he might if a stranger was tailin' him!"
"You got somethin' there. Blimey! He'd prob'ly march right up and kill us!"
Chief smiled at the cockney pick pocket, he was probably right. The Warden wouldn't take to them putting themselves in danger too good. Even if they managed to pull it off and pick them up they'd probably have to stand one of his tongue lashings. "Even if you'r right Reynolds still ain't gonna go for it."
"I say we ask him anyway."
But they had to get through Rawlins first..., and that proved to be surprisingly easy. He was as worried about the other two as they were. When they arrived for their meeting with Reynolds he led the attack.
"If your worried about sending the lads out on their own, sir, I could go with them." Gil didn't have much hope of being accepted, Reynolds knew his record.
Colonel Reynolds studied the Sergeant Major for a moment. He knew his history and if the medical report in the file had been different he wouldn't have though twice about it. But the man had been injured too badly in the Africa campaign and though more than up to the task of keeping this group fit for their assignments he couldn't risk sending him out where he might be wounded again. "I just can't let you do it. And we already have a unit on the ground in the area so there's no sense in sending you as well."
"Because you don't trust us? You don't think we'd be able to pull it off?" Casino scoffed.
"Colonel, Casino's right. We'd have a better chance of trackin' the Warden than that team you have over there. Unless they got some kind a sign they're carryin' around with 'em so he knows they'r on the same side they ain't gonna find 'em."
"Don't waste your breath! The Colonel here isn't gonna trust us, he doesn't think we're good enough!" Casino pushed himself off the wall where he'd been leaning and stalked back towards the Colonel's desk.
Rawlins put his hand up to stop the irritated safecracker's tirade before it got started. "Have you 'ad any word back from the team on the ground, sir?"
Goniff glanced up at Reynolds. "What? You heard something?"
"We got a report back from the unit that is in the field over there. They thought they might have spotted him. It was a just a chance encounter." Colonel Reynolds met their expectant stares. "They were in a caf� and an officer came through and made a scene about some money. Neither one of the men recalled seeing him in the caf� before that. He got the owner to give him money from the register and then he left. And they weren't sure it was Lieutenant Garrison."
"Oh! It was him alright! How 'bout that, then." The little cat burglar grinned at his teammates. "I told you the Warden had criminal leanings."
"So?" Casino took a step closer to the Colonel's desk and crossed his arms, staring at Reynolds. "If they spotted him how come him and Actor aren't standing here in this meeting with us?"
"Because the man disappeared when they tried to follow him."
"And that's exactly why we gotta go after them!"
"I'm sorry, Casino, I can't let you do that. The situation is the same as before. Even if it was Lieutenant Garrison we don't know where they've gone." Reynolds looked around the group, heaved a sigh and settled into the chair at his desk. "I'm afraid you'll just have to do as the rest of us... You'll just have to wait until they are spotted or make contact again. If we hear from them, or get a report about them, and your services would be required to get them out I will consider sending you in with another man. That will have to satisfy you for now." Reynolds turned to the British Non Com "Sergeant return these men to their base and see to it they do not leave it again without my express permission."
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