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Authors: J. P. Francis
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it to Boston or New York. If he gets that far, heâll stand a good chance of permanent escape. If he tries to stay in the woods, heâll be out soon enough.â
âYou donât seem particularly worried.â
âThis is not a high-security camp. If a man is determined to get away, he probably can. The big thing is, people will panic when they hear about the escape. Once word gets out, the reporters will be calling.â
âHow can I help?â
âWeâre going to bring in his crew for questioning shortly. I will need you on hand to translate.â
He smiled and bent down and kissed her. Yes, she thought as she looked at him more closely, his age had started to show.
She went inside and helped Lieutenant Peters make phone calls for a half hour. They notified all the proper authorities. She glanced out the window now and then and watched as the Germans remained in ranks according to their barracks. The headcount, distant and rhythmic, went on and on. Apparently they were having trouble determining the missing party, or perhaps, she thought, they had decided to keep the men outdoors while other guards searched the barracks. In any case, the Germans seemed somewhat smug at the guardsâ confusion. The vaunted German precision, Collie thought, would never have difficulty tallying a prison count.
When the count finished, her heart stopped to see August Wahrlich and his cutting crew being led across the parade ground to the administration building. It occurred so quickly that she did not have a moment to prepare herself. Guards flanked the Germans, herding them forward, and the Americans spoke gruffly to them. The missing man made more work for everyone.
Collie hoped she did not blush when the men halted on the small porch of the administration building. She leaned a little in her seat to see them. August stood a good head taller than the other men. Seeing him nearby for the first time, she realized she had underestimated his good looks. He was truly handsome, with a firm brow and fine eyes, a head of blond hair that lifted and inspected the breeze as it passed. His body looked trim from lumberjacking, and his stomach fell away from the cliff of his ribs into a valley that collected at his belt. He might have been a movie star, truly, and when he turned at something one of the guards said his profile rested in perfect symmetry. Studying him, she felt her blush deepen and she glanced quickly at Lieutenant Peters to make sure he wasnât watching. But he was still on the phone, repeating himself for the tenth time concerning the details of the escapee, and when she looked back to see August she nearly cried out when she discovered his eyes had again found hers.
She lowered her eyes instantly. A guard pushed through the door and asked if Major Brennan was ready for the crew. Did he want them one by one, or all in a group? Lieutenant Peters covered the phone with his hand and replied that the major would interview them one by one. Keep all the men here after they are debriefed, he added, in case the major decided to speak to them as a unit.
Collie felt grateful for the interruption the guard afforded her. He cut off the line of sight out to the porch, but when he peeled back outside she again found her eyes met by August. He smiled. She couldnât help herself from smiling in return. It could not be coincidence, she decided, that their eyes continued to meet. He deliberately found her gaze. No other explanation suited the facts.
Fortunately he was not the first to be summoned inside. A prisoner named Gerhard came in first. Her father called for her to translate and also brought in a stout, humorless guard who stood beside the prisoner. She entered the office and sat to her fatherâs right. Gerhard remained standing. He was a square, blocky man, with unusually large forearms above heavy hands.
From a translating perspective, the questions were simple: who, what, where, when. The
âYou donât seem particularly worried.â
âThis is not a high-security camp. If a man is determined to get away, he probably can. The big thing is, people will panic when they hear about the escape. Once word gets out, the reporters will be calling.â
âHow can I help?â
âWeâre going to bring in his crew for questioning shortly. I will need you on hand to translate.â
He smiled and bent down and kissed her. Yes, she thought as she looked at him more closely, his age had started to show.
She went inside and helped Lieutenant Peters make phone calls for a half hour. They notified all the proper authorities. She glanced out the window now and then and watched as the Germans remained in ranks according to their barracks. The headcount, distant and rhythmic, went on and on. Apparently they were having trouble determining the missing party, or perhaps, she thought, they had decided to keep the men outdoors while other guards searched the barracks. In any case, the Germans seemed somewhat smug at the guardsâ confusion. The vaunted German precision, Collie thought, would never have difficulty tallying a prison count.
When the count finished, her heart stopped to see August Wahrlich and his cutting crew being led across the parade ground to the administration building. It occurred so quickly that she did not have a moment to prepare herself. Guards flanked the Germans, herding them forward, and the Americans spoke gruffly to them. The missing man made more work for everyone.
Collie hoped she did not blush when the men halted on the small porch of the administration building. She leaned a little in her seat to see them. August stood a good head taller than the other men. Seeing him nearby for the first time, she realized she had underestimated his good looks. He was truly handsome, with a firm brow and fine eyes, a head of blond hair that lifted and inspected the breeze as it passed. His body looked trim from lumberjacking, and his stomach fell away from the cliff of his ribs into a valley that collected at his belt. He might have been a movie star, truly, and when he turned at something one of the guards said his profile rested in perfect symmetry. Studying him, she felt her blush deepen and she glanced quickly at Lieutenant Peters to make sure he wasnât watching. But he was still on the phone, repeating himself for the tenth time concerning the details of the escapee, and when she looked back to see August she nearly cried out when she discovered his eyes had again found hers.
She lowered her eyes instantly. A guard pushed through the door and asked if Major Brennan was ready for the crew. Did he want them one by one, or all in a group? Lieutenant Peters covered the phone with his hand and replied that the major would interview them one by one. Keep all the men here after they are debriefed, he added, in case the major decided to speak to them as a unit.
Collie felt grateful for the interruption the guard afforded her. He cut off the line of sight out to the porch, but when he peeled back outside she again found her eyes met by August. He smiled. She couldnât help herself from smiling in return. It could not be coincidence, she decided, that their eyes continued to meet. He deliberately found her gaze. No other explanation suited the facts.
Fortunately he was not the first to be summoned inside. A prisoner named Gerhard came in first. Her father called for her to translate and also brought in a stout, humorless guard who stood beside the prisoner. She entered the office and sat to her fatherâs right. Gerhard remained standing. He was a square, blocky man, with unusually large forearms above heavy hands.
From a translating perspective, the questions were simple: who, what, where, when. The
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