He looked back at the group trailing in his footsteps. He was glad to see that Vaccaro also had his eyes open, scanning the woods. Then came Bauer. Lieutenant Rupert brought up the rear. Although the road was covered in snow, an icy layer somewhere under the white blanket caused their feet to slip at random.
With a satisfied grunt, Cole noted that the German struggled to keep his balance with his hands tied. Cole found it gratifying that the German wasn’t having an easy time of it. He figured it was the next best thing to shooting him.
But Cole’s satisfaction didn’t last long. Having dodged several bullets, both those fired from the road and the one waiting in the chamber of Cole’s rifle, an amused smirk returned to Bauer’s face, as if this excursion was nothing more than a joke. Cole felt infuriated all over again.
Another snow flurry passed through, the cold flakes sending chilly shivers down their necks and exposed faces.
These winter days were short. Already, the dreary afternoon was turning darker as the light faded. The sun wasn’t out, leaving the depths of the forest in shadow. The shadows were disconcerting, as they sometimes took on a life of their own in the imagination, turning into crouching Germans. Cole’s eyes detected movement, and he swung the rifle that way but saw it was only a fox moving between the pools of gloom in the woods.
“What is it?” Vaccaro asked anxiously.
“Nothin’,” Cole replied. “Just a fox is all, out looking for his supper.”
“I hope he finds something better than C rations,” Vaccaro grumped. He walked a few more steps quietly, casting nervous glances at the forest. “They say these woods used to be full of wolves, but it’s been a while.”
“It’s Krauts I’m worried about, not wolves,” Cole remarked. “Gonna be dark soon. I reckon we’d best find a place to spend the night.”
“Shouldn’t we keep going?” Lieutenant Rupert wondered. “If we push on, perhaps we can reach headquarters before nightfall.”
Cole hacked up something and spat into the snow, then shook his head. “If we’d been able to use the jeep longer, maybe we would’ve been all right. But in case you ain’t noticed, Lieutenant, we’re not on the main road anymore. We don’t really know where this is gonna take us.”
Rupert pulled up short. “Do you mean to say that we’re lost?”
“No, we ain’t lost. Sir.”
Cole never felt lost in the woods, but it helped to have the sun or even the stars to show the way rather than rely on dead reckoning and instinct. As it turned out, he had other tools as well.
Cole patted his pocket and took out a compass to show the British officer. A quick compass reading verified that they were still moving in the right direction. Normally Cole might have used the sun to navigate, but the heavy cloud cover hid it from view.
“As long as this lane is going the same way we are, it won’t hurt to follow it,” Cole explained. “Leastways, we don’t have any panzers or Krauts to worry about.”
Rupert didn’t look happy, but he agreed with Cole’s assessment. “I suppose you’re right. But it sounds as if we may have to camp in the woods tonight.”
Cole and Vaccaro had taken their rucksacks from the jeep, but neither Rupert nor the German had so much as a blanket. In hindsight, it hadn’t been good planning.
Vaccaro seemed to read his mind. With a grin, he said quietly to Cole, “I’ll snuggle up to the Brit if we need to share blankets. You can have the German.”
“Like hell I will. He can freeze to death first, for all I care,” Cole muttered. To the others, he said, “Let’s go a little farther while we still have daylight and see what we come across.”
They continued up the lane, their footsteps written in the virgin snow. The shadows deepened in the surrounding woods. If they didn’t come across shelter soon, they really would have to make a rough camp for the night. Without a moon or stars, they wouldn’t be able to find their way in the dark.
Their efforts to continue up the lane were soon rewarded. The lane led to two stone pillars, beyond which they could see a large manor house in the distance. Set in a clearing in the forest, the two-story stone structure featured thick walls and a heavy front door, giving it aspects of a fortress. Shutters covered the windows on the lower floor, but several of the upper windows were uncovered, as if someone in the house was keeping watch.
Cole studied the landscape carefully, but there was no sign of movement other than ravens flapping through the dismal sky. No smoke rose from the massive, rectangular chimneys at either end of the house. The fresh snow surrounding the old château stretched smooth as a white tablecloth.
“What do you think?” Vaccaro asked, sliding in next to Cole. Both men kept their weapons ready.
“Looks empty.”
“Beats sleeping in the woods.”
He would have been glad to find a barn or a woodcutter’s shack, something that offered simple shelter, but this old château was something else altogether. “I reckon it does. There might even be feather beds.”
“Should we just go up and knock on the front door?” Vaccaro wondered.
Bauer spoke up. “Use the side door,” he said. “It will likely open into the kitchen. Besides, the front door will be locked and barred from the inside.”
Cole made a point of ignoring the German, but he seemed to speak with knowledge of the subject. Cole looked over the massive house one more time for any sign that it was occupied. The empty, dark windows stared back at him. He had been planning to approach the front door, but he reluctantly admitted that Bauer had a good point. The front door looked thick as a fortress gate. Their best option might be the smaller side door.
“The rest of you stay here while I check it out,” Cole ordered. He turned to Vaccaro. “Cover me.”
Cautiously, Cole left the cover of the trees and approached the house across the open ground. He moved at a trot, keeping low, half expecting to hear the crack of a rifle shot. But there was only the whisper of the wind and the crunch of his feet through the snow. Even the birds had settled down now that night was coming on.
He reached the side door and lifted the latch. To his disappointment, it appeared to be locked tight. Like the front door, this side entrance was built of thick boards, more rustic than the boards used for the grand entrance. There was no way to batter this thing down.
Now what?
He heard feet moving through the snow behind him and turned to find Bauer there.
“Locked,” Cole said.
“There is no keyhole,” Bauer said, studying the door. “That means it must be locked from the inside.”
“You mean someone is home, after all.”
“Perhaps,” Bauer said.
“Maybe if we knock real nice they’ll let us in.”
“I have another idea. Let’s try the window.”
Bauer moved to the window a few feet away, swept some snow off the deep sill, then raised the sash. “If you untie me, I could crawl through the window.”
“Fat chance,” Cole said.
“Shall I hold your rifle?”
“No, but you can hold the window.”
Cole slung his rifle and shimmied through the window while Bauer supported the sash. Bauer had been right that this was the kitchen. He smelled old woodsmoke, along with the lingering aroma of bread and stew and roasting meat that permeated the brick walls. The ashes in the cooking hearth were stone cold.