The sun was setting again as Captain Gringo slid down the tree trunk and told Gaston, “We’re not being followed.”
Gaston said, “That seems reasonable. The Japanese may not know where we’re headed, but I’m sure the Russians do, by now.” Captain Gringo whistled and said, “Okay, guys. Let’s move it out!”
He walked away from the trail break without looking back. He knew after an all-day shakedown march that the men were following. Gaston fell in beside him and trudged in silence for a time before he said, “Forgive me if this sounds stupid, my old and rare, but didn’t they tell us the Germans might be setting up their secret base on the east coast?”
“Sure. So what?”
“We are marching west. May one assume you have some destination in mind?”
Captain Gringo saw they were out of earshot of the others, but he lowered his voice anyway as he said, “Marshall Islands.”
“I beg your pardon?” Frowned Gaston.
“Marshall Islands, in the Pacific, they belong to the German Empire.”
“Merde, I know that. What have the Marshall Islands to do with a secret base in Central America?”
“Did you really think the German Navy could sneak a whole convoy of supplies and engineering equipment through the Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean? Leaving out the U.S. and British Navies, Spain, France, Denmark, and Holland have ships patrolling off the east coast of Central America. The west coast is twice as long and twice as indented. Nobody but the British and Americans have Pacific fleets big enough to worry about, and they’re covering a lot more open water. Where would you make a clandestine landing if you were a smart German admiral with Pacific bases?”
“But to menace the Panama Canal. My God, I see it! One could as easily torpedo a ship off the west end of the canal as the east.”
“Easier. No British naval base in Honduras or Jamaica to worry about as you were running home to refill your torpedo tubes.”
Gaston smacked a palm against his forehead and said, “Zut! No wonder the Germans were so willing to have us search along the east coast! If they have a base at all, it will be on the equally deserted west coast! But how could the British have failed to take that into consideration?”
Captain Gringo frowned and said, “I don’t know. That’s why I never mentioned it to Greystoke. He might just be stupid. Delgado may have reported that stuff along the east coast as a diversion. I didn’t think of it, myself, until Helena said something about the way they use guys like you and me. I kept thinking about the sheer stupidity of out, Greystoke will be able to use it against the Germans. He’ll say they killed us when we found their base.”
“What if he does? What do we owe the Germans?”
“Not a fucking thing. They’ve tried to use us, too! Both sides are playing us for chumps and I’m getting pretty pissed off about it.”
“Oh, I was afraid you’d say that. You tend to make a lot of noise when you get pissed off. But just what is your plan?”
“Simple. We’re going to hold Greystoke and British Intelligence to the contract. We’re going to find the German base, destroy it, and go back for our full fee!”
Gaston chuckled and said, “That probably will surprise M’sieu Greystoke. But if he’s using us as a distraction for the Germans while other agents search discreetly for the base, is it not possible that we could run into them?”
Captain Gringo smiled wolfishly and said, “That’s their problem. I was hired to do a job. Anybody that gets in my way could wind up dead, no matter who he’s working for.”