Read The Rat Patrol 4 - Two-Faced Enemy for Free Online Page B

upsetting the enemy's morale. He was concerned with a report of small arms fire on the plateau west of the town during the afternoon. Desperately he wanted to know what it meant, but he had imposed radio silence on the tanks until the enemy attacked and could not risk breaking it.
    Returning to his desk, he switched on a lamp and picked up a fistful of routine reports, ready to stuff them in a drawer until morning when his eyes caught the name of Sergeant Sam Troy on a sheet from the Military Police. He scanned the report and sat back, shaking with rage. The Rat Patrol had frittered away most of the afternoon drinking beer in a native bistro while Sergeant Troy had dallied upstairs with one of the cheap women who frequented such places.
    His fist crashed on the desk and he felt his blood boiling until it enflamed his already hot and flushed face. It was unthinkable, it was inexcusable, it was mutinous, it was treasonable, that at such a time of peril the Rat Patrol should fail in its duty. Troy, Moffitt, Hitchcock, Pettigrew —each of them was aware of the urgency of the situation. Troy's actions had been suspect since his display of irresponsibility during the morning, but Wilson had ordered Moffitt to take over if Troy seemed to falter. He'd break both of them right now, he snarled to hims elf and reached for the phone to call in his first sergeant.
    First Sergeant Dewey Peilowski broke into the office before Wilson had lifted the receiver. His fair but sunburned face was sweaty and his big lips were moving without saying any words.
    "What is it, Peilowski?" Wilson said in quick apprehension, half rising from his chair. "What's wrong?"
    "The Rat Patrol," Peilowski gasped.
    "I've just seen the MP report," Wilson said angrily, yet relieved that nothing new had gone amiss. He sat back in his chair and jabbed at the paper with a pencil. "I was just going to call you. I want Troy and Moffitt reduced in rank to private."
    "Yes, sir," Peilowski said, mopping his face. "But it's not just that MP report. The Rat Patrol just busted out of Latsus Pass and come tearing into town. I thought they was supposed to stay out on this mission."
    "What!" Wilson roared. His fury was terrible and he shook uncontrollably as the impact of this action hammered at his temples. "They had a direct order from me not to return until the enemy had been defeated," he yelled in mounting rage. "Why did they come back? How did they get through that pass? Where are they? Why haven't they reported?" He fell back in his chair, weak with his wrath. "Tell me what happened."
    "A patrol just brought in the report," Peilowski said breathlessly. "It was just at sunset. Everything had been quiet at the pass when there was this outbreak of fire from the Jerries. Machine guns and mortars. Then the two jeeps come racing out of the pass hell-bent for town. They didn't stop for nothing, just tore through the two lines of halftracks and kept straight on the road to town."
    "How do you know it was the Rat Patrol?" Wilson said quickly. "There are other jeeps. It could be a Jerry trick." 
    "No, sir," Peilowski said positively. "It was the Rat Patrol, all right. Everybody knows those jeeps. And they recognized Troy and Moffitt in their crazy hats in the backs at the machine guns and Hitchcock in his steel-rimmed glasses and French Legion cap and Tully chewing a match-stick. It was them, all right."
    "Well, where are they?" Wilson demanded, angry blood surging in his veins again. He slammed from his chair and walked quickly to the window. No jeeps were parked in the gloom outside HQ. He wheeled to Peilowski and shouted, "Where are they?"
    "They—they disappeared," Peilowski stammered. 
    "Disappeared!" Wilson bellowed. "That's impossible. Bring them to me."
    "The way it was," Peilowski said miserably, "the way they was speeding and stopping for nothing, everybody figured they was onto something hot and headed for HQ. Nobody stops the Rat Patrol anyway. Those jeeps shot into