by Arnie
The soldier behind the desk, a Wehrmacht major, leapt to his feet. The SS outranked everyone. Saluting smartly, he listened to his SS counterpart and his face paled. Being suspected of treason was no laughing matter, and he only hoped that Feldmarschal Kieler could clear himself.
"You will open the office immediately," the SS major told him.
"Feldmarschal Kieler is not here at the moment. He is due back at half past the hour." The Wehrmacht officer was rather taken aback. Surely they'd want the feldmarschal there while they searched? It appeared not. A barked order and he was fumbling with the key. Since Feldmarschal Kieler was a very important man, his office door was kept locked when he was not present and all those going in had to have a very good reason. Fortunately for them, the SS always had good reasons.
Once inside the office, the soldiers began to search. Or, they appeared to. Drawers were opened and closed with no inspection of the contents; papers were scattered from the desk onto the floor and the inkwell on the desk was knocked over.
Actor gazed at the spreading pool of ink. "It seems the SS do not search tidily," he murmured to Garrison.
The American lieutenant gave that half smile of his. "So it seems." He frowned slightly. "Goniff, put that back."
Goniff, caught with one hand inside a carved cabinet filled with knick knacks from different countries, jumped slightly, almost dropping the ornament his hand had settled upon. "Blimey, Warden, I was just lookin'!"
"Well, don't. The SS aren't known for petty thieving."
With a shrug, Goniff left the ornament where it was. He could do without it; Dresden shepherdesses weren't that unusual.
Suddenly Chief snapped his fingers. He could hear someone approaching. Garrison and Actor remained by the apparently ransacked desk, their faces assuming the arrogant look of SS officers.
The door opened, and Feldmarschal Kieler got the shock of his life when he saw the SS officers waiting for him. He had barely stammered out two words before Actor interrupted him, informing him he was under arrest.
The feldmarschal, totally unaware that this was the Allied intelligence team he had been hoping would help him defect, proceeded to argue the point. In a loud, blustering voice, he demanded to see their orders.
Garrison stepped forward and shut the door quietly. "Feldmarschal Kieler," he waited until the man was looking at him before adding in English, "we've come to take you out of Germany."
Hope flickered in Kieler's eyes, but he was too wary to take accept the man's word at face value. "And you are...?"
"Lieutenant Craig Garrison, American Intelligence."
The feldmarschal's knees gave way and he sank down onto a chair. "Danke G�tt," he murmured.
"We don't have much time, Feldmarschal," Garrison told him. "Do you think you can mange to look defeated enough for us to get out of here?"
"Ya, ya! I will do what you say," he assured them.
"Okay, let's go. And remember, you've been arrested by the SS."
"Try to look anxious," Actor suggested, the smile on his face showing that he realised the feldmarschal would not find that difficult.
With a backward glance of goodbye to the Dresden shepherdess, Goniff turned towards the door and stopped. On the shelf above the shepherdess was a small gold coach standing in front of a large yellow egg. Ignoring the egg, for he had no idea what it was or what it was worth, Goniff's eyes focussed on the gold coach. He looked towards the door and noticed that the others were about to leave. He had to go!
He tried to resist, but it was too much. It was too shiny and too pretty for him to leave behind, although he wouldn't have used those words. He licked his lips, almost drooling at the thought of getting his hand on the exquisite little ornament. The opening of the office door decided him, with a flash his hand was inside the cabinet then out and into his jacket.
Garrison's scheme, unusually enough, worked like a dream, and they were back in England before noon of the next day.
~~~
The Gorillas spent the rest of the day catching up on their sleep, while ignoring the Sergeant-Major's demands for more shooting practice. Personally, Actor thought that the Sergeant-Major just liked to harry them a little, and shooting practice was a convenient excuse.
Garrison, however, did not have as easy a day of it. He had to write up a report on the mission, then take it to London, and probably pick up their next mission while he was there. Knowing that the next night would more than likely see them flying out on another dangerous trip, and also knowing that it was Goniff's birthday, Garrison gave permission for the Gorillas to spend the evening down at the Doves. He knew they'd go anyway, he just liked it if he could give them permission first; he felt it kept up the illusion that he was in charge.
Accordingly, the team made their way to the Doves with a glow of virtue lighting the way. That is, until Goniff produced his birthday present to himself.
"Where did you get that?" Actor exclaimed, almost snatching the gold coach from Goniff's hand.
"It was in that Field Marshall's office," Goniff said, the grin on his face obvious as he looked at his new toy.
Casino and Chief exchanged a glance, then Casino shook his head. He might have known the Limey would pinch something.
Actor frowned as he gazed at the beautiful replica of an Imperial coach. "Was this alone? Was there anything by it?"
"A shepherdess me Mum would 'ave loved," Goniff enthused. "But the Warden made me put it back."
"Nothing else?" Actor questioned, his face and voice intent. "Something egg shaped, perhaps."
"Oh yeah!" Goniff took another gulp of beer before he satisfied Actor's curiosity. "There was this yellow well...egg be'ind it. Not as nice as that, o' course!"
Actor sighed and shook his head. "That 'yellow well...egg' was a Faberg� Egg, you clod!"
Goniff frowned. "What's a Fabergey egg?"
"Carl Faberg� was a famous goldsmith. He made jewelled eggs for the Tsar and Tsarina of Russia."
Casino leaned forward and looked with more interest at the ornament in Actor's hand. "So what's it to do with that?"
"This coach is from the Coronation Egg. It was made in 1897, one year after the Coronation of Nicholas and Alexandra. The coach is the exact replica of the Imperial coach they used. All of Faberg�'s Eggs contained surprises of some kind - and the Eggs themselves, along with their contents, are worth a great deal of money."
Goniff's eyes popped open. "They are? 'Ow much?"
"Thousands of pounds. They're very hard to get hold of."
"Blimey!" Goniff gazed at his purloined present. Then a thought struck him, "I left the egg be'ind!" He started to his feet and looked around, wildly. "Where's the Warden? We gotta go back!"
Casino sat back, grinning at the Limey's sudden enthusiasm for his job. "First time he's ever been happy about a mission. Happy birthday, Goniff!"
THE END
