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mumbled.
    'What?'
    'In the lorry,' slurred the man. 'They are in the
lorry.'
    Christ , thought Tanner. Hepworth and Bennett were beside him
now and shouts were coming from the road. He stood up and was about to hurry
over to the ticking lorry when there was an explosion and the vehicle was
engulfed in flames.
    'No!' groaned the man. 'No!' Tanner dived back to the
ground. The flames now lit the sky, and as the sergeant raised his head he saw
the shape of two men engulfed in the inferno.
    'Let's get out of here,' he said and, with Hepworth's
help, hoisted the man to his feet. 'Here, Hep, grab my rifle, will you?' he
said. He lifted the man onto his shoulder and carried him across the field to
the road. There, they met Lieutenant Peploe and Corporal Sykes.
    'A petrol bowser, sir,' said Tanner, as he laid the
man carefully on the verge. 'Two dead by the look of it.'
    'Bloody hell!' said Peploe. 'What a stupid waste. Our
fuel thieves?'
    Tanner shrugged. 'Maybe. Here, Hep, shine your torch
on him, will you?' He looked down at the man, and saw a livid gash across his
forehead. Blood was running freely down the side of his face. Quickly, Tanner
delved into his pocket for a field dressing, tore it open and took out the
first bandage. He pressed it against the wound, then wrapped the second around
the man's head. 'Where are you hurt?' he asked.
    'I'm all right,' murmured the man, making an effort to
sit up.
    'Steady there,' said Tanner. 'Just stay where you are
for the moment.' He peered up at Peploe, standing
    beside him. 'At the very least this cut needs
attention, sir. We should get him to the MO.'
    'I'll run down to the hotel,' said Peploe, 'and use
their phone to get an ambulance and a fire-wagon. Hepworth, go back to the
checkpoint and get the truck. I'll meet you back here.'
    'That fire will burn itself out before a fire-wagon
can get here, sir.'
    'You're probably right, but I still need to report
this straight away.'
    Tanner nodded. 'Shall I organize another roadblock
here, sir? We don't want anyone going near the site, do we?'
    'Good idea, Sergeant.'
    When the lieutenant had gone, Tanner turned to Sykes
and said, 'So why the hell wasn't he stopped at the checkpoint?'
    'He just went straight through, Sarge. Nearly knocked
Mr Peploe over.'
    Tanner sighed, then turned back to the man lying on
the ground. 'Can you hear me?'
    The man groaned.
    'What's your name?'
    'Torwinski,' murmured the man. 'I am from Poland.'
    'And the other two?'
    'Yes - also Poles.'
    'That fuel lark you was tellin' me about,' Sykes said,
turning to Tanner. 'Perhaps the CSM was right.'
    'No,' gasped the man. 'We were taken.' He groaned
again and grimaced in pain.
    'Easy, mate,' said Sykes. 'Easy.'
    'What do you mean?' asked Tanner.
    'We were all asleep. Some men came in, woke us up and
ordered us to get dressed. They led us out to the truck. Then they hit us. The
next thing I know the truck has been driven into the tree and I wake up. I knew
I had to get out. Then the explosion.' He put his hand to his eyes. 'I don't
know why this happened. I don't know what they wanted with us.'
    'Did you see these men?'
    'It was dark. Whenever they shone their torches they
did so in our faces so we could not see them. But they were soldiers. British
soldiers.'
    Tanner stood up, walked a few steps away from the
prostrate Torwinski, then pushed back his helmet and wiped his brow. 'Bloody
hell, Stan. This is not good. Not good at all.'
    'What I'd like to know, Sarge, is what the hell a fuel
bowser was doing on this road anyway. If you want to hide nicked fuel, why
drive towards the coast where there's bound to be roadblocks?'
    'God knows. Looks like someone's trying to stitch
these lads up, though.'
    Sykes stepped away onto the road. 'You believe his
yarn, then?'
    'Don't you?'
    'I dunno, Sarge.'
    'He's a bloody good liar if he isn't telling the
truth.'
    'Christ, Sarge, you know what that means?'
    'Yes, Stan. Those Poles were murdered.'
     
     

Chapter 3

     
    Tanner stood over