Chapter Twenty-One
February 4 Afternoon in Sfax
The first hint that Drew and Angelique had that things were going wrong was when, after they passed the mouth of the alley that ran behind the café, two men in civilian clothes emerged from the alley and rapidly closed the distance between them. “Halt!” called one, and then in laborious French, “Come with us.” Both Germans pulled pistols from their pockets. Drew turned and faced them, “Monsieurs?” he asked questioningly. The Germans waved their pistols for the two of them to proceed back the way they had come. The street was suddenly empty of passersby.
Drew took a couple of steps so that one German was standing in front of the other, and then burst into action, slapping the nearest German’s gun hand out of the way and landing a haymaker on his chin. He fell backward and knocked the second German’s head into the wall, who slumped down, unconscious. The first German started to get up and Drew kicked him in the jaw, and he also lost interest in the proceedings. Drew snatched up a pistol and looked around. Just down the street was a corner where another winding street intersected this one. Because of the angle it offered hope for an escape. He could hear feet running towards them, but they were on the same street as the café.
Acting on a sudden urge, he grabbed Angelique’s hand and sprinted towards the running feet. They ducked into the narrow, winding alley and slowed to a walk, so as not to make noise. A twist in the alley took them out of sight of the street they had just left. Drew pulled Angelique to a stop, and they plastered themselves against the wall and listened to the running feet pass by, and the voices when Abu and the German with him reached the two Germans that Drew had knocked out. By then they were struggling to their feet. Looking wildly around at the vacant street, one of them pointed further on down the street saying, “They must have gone that way!” Drew and Angelique heard the voices and feet recede as their pursuers continued on down the street. Drew pulled Angelique by the hand and continued on down the alley. When they reached the back door to the café, it was open and they could hear confused voices from within as the three Germans were rounding up everyone inside and questioning them, looking for the mysterious ‘Monsieur Gascoigne.’ Fortunately for them, no one was looking as they hurried on past. When they reached the other end of the alley, they turned and hurried on down that street.
Behind them, Abu and the Germans had run down to the intersection. Two Germans ran on down the street, while Abu and the other German turned onto the side street. However, the side street became a dead end and they retreated back to the intersection, where they met the other two. Bewildered by the disappearance of the fugitives, they hurried back to the surveillance room to report in.
The Germans raiding the café had no better luck. They could not find hide or hair of any ‘Monsieur Gascoigne’ and also reported in.
Major Lindisl was furious, “What do you mean you lost them, dumkopff?”
The lieutenant in charge at the surveillance was apologetic, “Herr Major, he knocked out the two men trying to arrest him, and then they just disappeared.”
“What about the spy? Was he apprehended?” Lindisl asked.
“Nein, Herr Major. There was no one in the café named Monsieur Gascoigne,” replied the lieutenant even more apologetically.
Lindisl drummed his fingers on the table, “You have questioned everyone, I assume?”
“Jawohl, Herr Major. I have all the suspects. Do you want to see them?”
“Ja, bring all of them here, I will personally interrogate them. Meanwhile, and more importantly, catch that American!” Lindisl slammed down the phone. Within minutes, the well-oiled German machine started sealing off that section of the city. Trucks roared out, dropping soldiers at key points to form a blockade. Teams of soldiers started working up and down the streets, looking for the pair. Abu Mehouf was a part of one of the teams.
After Drew and Angelique had made their escape, they started working their way west, going by the sun. But the streets were crooked and winding and they were on streets unfamiliar to Angelique, and they were soon lost. The street they were on turned and wound more or less northward.
Up ahead of them they saw some kind of disturbance. Peering ahead, Drew made out the shape of a German truck blocking the street. He cast a quick look around, “Here,” indicating an intersecting street, “this way, this street goes west.” Angelique looked at it in distaste, the street was narrower and trashier than the ones that they had so far traversed, but she obediently turned into it. The street remained narrow and winding, and the only intersections were with very narrow alleys. The looks they were getting from the few Arab passersby were definitely unfriendly. Drew got more and more worried as the street seemed to be bending back the way they had come.
Suddenly they were accosted by three Arab men, who pulled knives out of their belts. “Your money, quickly, French dog,” one of them said in guttural French, waving his knife threateningly. Drew pushed Angelique behind him with one arm while he pulled out his pistol with the other hand. This gave the Arabs pause. Now they were in a stand-off, Drew not wanting to fire his gun to draw attention to themselves, and the Arabs not wanting to rush him.
Angelique looked wildly around, her heart in her mouth. There was a narrow alley next to her, and she could hear crowd noises coming from it. She grabbed Drew’s free arm, “This way.” Angelique hurried down the alley which was barely wide enough for one person to walk through. The smell was atrocious, and Angelique tried to hold her breath as much as possible while shuddering at what she must be walking through. Drew followed behind keeping watch on the Arabs, who seemed disinclined to follow.
Suddenly they turned a corner and were in a square. Drew hurriedly pocketed the pistol and they started to walk across it, trying to mingle with the other pedestrians, when they saw to their horror German soldiers guarding the exits. Drew turned around and bumped into an Arab’s back. The Arab turned around, and Drew looked into the face of Abu Mehouf.
Abu was so surprised to see Captain Matthews right in front of him, that he opened his mouth and shouted, “Here they are!” in French, instead of trying to inveigle his way into their confidence. Drew threw a punch and knocked Abu down. The nearby Arabs, seeing a Frenchman hit one of their own for no apparent reason, started shouting imprecations and milling about him. The German guarding the nearest exit waded into the melee and used the butt of his rifle to clear a path for himself. The volatile Arabs suddenly turned on him and a shoving, yelling, wild melee ensued. As more German soldiers entered the square, a group of Arabs and French rushed away down the unguarded street, sweeping Drew and Angelique with them. As they raced down the street, they could see a squad of Germans coming towards them. A group split off and turned down a narrow and smelly alley and Drew and Angelique followed them. After a short distance they spilled out into a broader and cleaner street and everyone scattered.
Drew and Angelique dropped down into a saunter and made their way along the street. “Whew,” Drew mopped his face. “That was close! Well, at least we know which side Abu is on.”
“Why, did you see him?” Angelique panted in the heat and from the exertion of running.
“That is who I punched back there.”
Angelique’s eyes grew big, “Mon Dieu!” she gasped. As she gazed around the street, an arrested look came over her. “Monsieur Dupleix, Monsieur Dupleix!” she called out. A balding middle-aged man walking down the street looked over to see her waving at him. She dashed over to his side with Drew following, wondering what was going on. Monsieur Dupleix peered nearsightedly at her and then said wonderingly, “Mademoiselle DuBois?”
“Oui, it is I,” she answered him rather breathlessly.
“Why my dear, what are you doing in Sfax? I thought you were in Gafsa.” He beamed at her.
“I was, but when fighting broke out there I went to Faid and now I am here.”
“I am on my way home now, please come with me. Mathilde would be pleased to see you,” he invited them.
He peered at Drew. “And who is this?”
“This is…,” Angelique started to say and then stopped. She couldn’t remember the name on Drew’s id.
“Etienne Pinochet, at your service.” Drew bowed to the older man, who with a smile acknowledged the greeting.
Theo Dupleix started to lead them towards his home while Drew explained how they happened to meet him, “We got caught up with a mob that was running away from the Germans and lost our way, and then Mademoiselle DuBois saw you.”
Theo threw his hands up in the air, “Oh, those Boche!” He looked around guiltily and then continued his tirade all the way home. Drew hid a smile; to hear him talk one would think the Germans were the cause of all the sins of the earth.
They arrived at the small abode of the Dupleix family and went in. “Mathilde, you will never guess who I ran into just now,” Theo announced as he entered the house.
“Who was it?” a feminine voice answered followed by the appearance of its owner, a rather large woman who blinked at the unexpected guests. “Why, Mademoiselle DuBois, Angelique, whatever are you doing here?” she asked in surprise. So Angelique explained again why she was in Sfax, leaving huge gaps in her story, such as exactly how she got to Sfax. In response to Mathilde’s unasked but obvious question she introduced Drew. After a few minutes chatter the Dupleix’s went to get some refreshments. While they were absent Angelique whispered to Drew, “Do you think we should leave now? I can find my way out of the city from here.”
Drew considered and then shook his head, “Let’s wait a bit for things to die down a bit.” Just then their hosts rejoined them with a dish of dates and a bottle of wine. Mathilde wasted no time in starting what she thought was a subtle examination. “Where are you from, Monsieur Pinochet? I must say your accent is unfamiliar to me.”
Drew tried not to look worried. “I am from Gefosse-Fontenay in Normandy.”
She still looked puzzled, “Gefosse-Fontenay? I don’t believe I have ever heard of that town. Where is it?”
“It is near to Isigny.”
“Oh, Isigny, yes, I know where that is.” Still not satisfied about his accent, she decided to ask a more pressing question, “How long have you and Angelique known each other?”
Rather nonplussed, Drew replied, “We met while traveling from Faid to Sfax.”
“What were you doing in Faid?” as she passed him a glass of wine and offered the dates.
Drew took a sip of wine and a date while he tried to organize his thoughts. “I was looking for a source of fruit for exporting. I am a fruit exporter.”
Theo took a date and a glass after Angelique had been served. “What company do you work for?”
Drew choked on the date. He had never thought about a name of a company and forgot that he was supposed to be a freelancer. When he stopped coughing he muttered, “The Marseille Fruit Company.”
Theo looked puzzled, “The Marseille Fruit Company? I don’t believe I have heard of them.”
“Oh, it’s a new company, just starting, I am trying to line up some contacts,” Drew stammered a little.
“Well, if you like I can point you to some local growers. I am sure some of them may be interested if the price is right.”
“Oh, thank you very much, I will certainly be in touch with you in a day or two.” Drew didn’t quite know what to say and cast an anguished eye at Angelique.
She came to his rescue, “Oh, look at the time, we had best be going before the curfew.”
“The curfew?” Theo exclaimed and went off on another tirade about that. When he ran out of breath Mathilde interjected, “Where are you off to?”
“We are staying with some other people we met on the journey, and we really must be on our way,” she set down the empty glass and gracefully rose to her feet, followed by Drew.
“Who are they? Perhaps we know them,” Mathilde pressed, suspicion starting to grow in her.
“I don’t think so, they are new to the area, refugees also,” Drew was starting to stumble at the look he was getting from his hostess.
“Thank you so much for your hospitality, it is so nice to see you again,” Angelique gushed as she led Drew to the door. Before the astonished couple could say any more Angelique and Drew were gone.
“Whew,” Drew sighed in relief. “I sure am glad to get out of there. I’m not sure what Madame Dupleix was thinking but I am sure it was trouble.” He looked at Angelique’s flushed cheeks. “Why, what is it?”
Angelique flushed more, “She probably thought I am…entertaining…” embarrassed, she couldn’t go on.
Drew’s mouth dropped open, “What! Well I never, oh.” He shut his mouth, also embarrassed.
She indicated the direction. “This way leads us out of the city in the direction we want to go.”
Drew fell into step alongside of her and said with amazement as he thought of the recent events, “You know, we are having an incredible run of luck!”
Angelique looked at him with an unfathomable look in her dark eyes, “Would you call this just plain ‘luck’? We successfully enter and leave a café the Germans have under surveillance, at least once and maybe twice. When they try to arrest us, you knock two armed men out, when we are discovered again, a mob of Arabs interfere, and when we follow a group running away, they lead us to one of the few people I know in this city, and therefore, I can find the way out of the city.”
Drew gave an arrested look to her, “It doesn’t seem likely, does it? Either someone is leading us on, or…”
Angelique nodded, “Or someone is praying for us again.” Deep in thought they quietly walked on down the street which ran more or less to the west, the direction they wanted to go.
They followed the street until it reached a large square with shops on the east side. The west side was an old wall, punctured now in several places where streets went through to a built up area beyond. Through the gateway in front of them, they could see the street continuing on through the houses and on out of the city. Partially blocking the gateway was a German truck with a German sitting behind the wheel. When they looked around the square they could see German sentries posted at each entrance. They melted back into the crowd.
“Now what do we do?” Drew breathed. He looked around for inspiration. He noticed the nearby shops: a coffee house, a bakery, what looked like a junk store, a grocery store, a store selling women’s hats. Suddenly something seemed to click in his head. “Angelique, get some white flour or something that will turn my hair white for a few minutes from that grocery store.” He handed her a fistful of money and pushed her in that direction. Not waiting to see if she was doing what he told her, he went over to the junk shop and picked out a short walking stick about two feet long that he had noticed. The proprietor wanted to haggle about the price, but Drew handed him a franc and left the man speechless.
He returned and saw Angelique leaving the grocery store with a small bag. He led her back down the street to the nearest ubiquitous alley. He rapidly explained his plan and Angelique wiped his hair down with white flour. It wouldn’t withstand anything like an inspection, but it wasn’t meant to. Leaning over on the short walking stick and dragging one foot, the prematurely-going-white-haired, half-crippled Frenchman made his painful way back up the street and across the square. The German driver gave him a once over and then returned to watching the crowd for a nearly six foot tall, brown haired man trying to leave the city.
Drew slowly walked around the truck, and when he was hidden from the view of the other German sentries, straightened up, pulled out the pistol, stood on the running board, and with one hand pointed the gun at the driver and with the other held up a forefinger across his lips in the universal sign of silence. The driver, completely taken by surprise, had a quick decision to make; either sound the alarm and receive a posthumous award for bravery, or surrender quietly. He started to raise his hands. Drew motioned for him to keep his hands down and to slide over and get out on the passenger side. As he was getting out, Drew hit hi
m over the head with his pistol and knocked him out, the driver having a hat on and not a helmet.
Angelique, while waiting for the driver to disappear, noticed three children playing nearby. She walked over to them and knelt down, “Enfants Bonjour.” They looked shyly back and returned her greeting. “Would each of you like to earn a franc?”
“A whole franc? For each of us?” Their eyes grew big as the oldest asked the questions.
“Oui, a whole franc for each of you. Just walk with me across the square to the truck and wait until the truck drives away. Then you can come back.”
“Oui, oui, oui,” they echoed. Angelique stood up and noticed the driver was gone. She took the hands of the two smallest children and walked across the square. The sentries noticed her, of course, but as she was obviously not the one they were looking out for, she got only the normal male appreciation. When she reached the truck, the white haired driver wearing the cap and shirt of a German soldier was sitting behind the wheel. Angelique paid off her guardians and slipped into the cab. It was a tight fit, trying to lie down on top of the unconscious, shirtless German, but Angelique was able to keep out of sight as Drew started the truck and drove away, the sentries gaping and wondering why Hans was leaving.
When they had driven out of sight of town, they stopped and dumped the driver out and took off towards the camp. As they drove along suddenly Drew whistled, “I never thought of it until now, but you could have stayed with the Dupleix’s.”
Angelique looked blankly at him, “I never thought of it either.” She felt an awful lump in her throat at the thought of never seeing Dane or Drew again. As she bounced along in the truck, the refrain kept going around and around in her mind: Dane and Drew, Drew and Dane. She looked fearfully over at Drew. What was going to happen to her? Now that they had the information, would they just leave her? “Drew, what will you do with me?” she finally asked.
“Do with you?” he repeated with surprise. “Why, take you with us back to our lines, unless you want to remain here?” he asked anxiously with a worried look on his face.
“Oh no,” she replied happily, “I would like to go with you.” She settled back in her seat. Dane and Drew, Drew and Dane went around and around again.
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