Helmets were all the same size, and the runner’s seemed far too big for his head to the point that only his nose, the whites of his eyes, and his bright white teeth were visible from the hidden depths under the helmet brim. “Maybe I did, and maybe I didn’t, but dead men tell no tales,” the messenger said with a grin, brandishing his carbine. Then he slipped out the door and was gone.
Philly watched him go. “Do me a favor, Corn Pone. Next time I complain about anything, remind me that I could be a carrier pigeon instead.”
“Aw, you’d complain even if you got hanged with a new rope.”
“Sounds about right.”
Deke stepped outside the house where Patrol Easy had sheltered for the night and took a deep breath. The damp morning air smelled of dust, rotting vegetation, and the faint hint of bodies decomposing in the ruins. He longed for the clean smell of mountain air, redolent of green leaves and high-country meadows, or at the very least, the earthy aroma of freshly plowed fields. The mountains were what he yearned for, but battle-torn Manila was what he had.
He turned to the wall and relieved himself. The smell of warm urine mixed with the other pungent smells of the ruined city. The boy, Roddy, sat on a chunk of stone in the morning sun and gnawed at one of the chalky tropical chocolate bars, using both hands in a way that reminded Deke of a chipmunk attacking an acorn. Danilo came out, leaned against the wall just beyond spattering distance, and lit a cigarette, oblivious as the contents of Deke’s bladder streamed down the wall and puddled in the dust. Rodeo was relieving himself nearby, all of them so used to living in proximity that they didn’t give bodily functions a second thought. Besides that, wandering off to relieve yourself might put you in enemy crosshairs.
Deke realized that was something else he missed — privacy. The only real private space a soldier had was between his ears.
He buttoned up his khaki trousers and turned to find Juana offering him a hot cup of coffee, something of a miracle in these circumstances, but Juana and the other guerrillas were always resourceful. They had built a tiny, smokeless fire under the portico of the grand house.
He gave her a grateful nod, and she gave him a shy smile in return, which Deke answered just as bashfully. He found it funny — neither one of them had been all that shy last night. This morning, returning to the reality of a war zone, last night seemed like a dream. Had it actually happened? He realized that Juana’s smile was all the proof he needed.
For the others, it probably hadn’t been any secret what he and Juana had been up to off by themselves. Nobody said a word about it, except for Philly, who gave him a smirk and said, “I guess you didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Something in Deke’s eyes wiped the smirk off Philly’s face. “Uh, nothing,” Philly said. “Forget I said anything.”
“That’s what I thought.” Deke sipped his coffee and added, “You know I ain’t one to kiss and tell.”
Philly grinned. “Unlike me, you mean?”
“If the shoe fits.”
Deke sipped more coffee, watching as Juana delivered another cup of java to Lieutenant Steele and then to Captain Oatmire. Honcho looked more tired than any of them, every last one of his years showing. Maybe it was Deke’s imagination, but he could have sworn that when Honcho took off his helmet, there was yet more gray hair.
Although he found it hard to take his eyes off Juana, this wasn’t the time to dwell on what had happened last night, wonderful as it had been. Today, Deke knew that they had to get the hostages out. They were out of time because the artillery barrage was set to begin again. It was now or never.
And Deke finally had a plan.
But he was going to need a little help. This wasn’t something that he’d be able to do alone. He approached the lieutenant and told him as much. Still looking tired, Honcho nodded. “All right, let’s hear it.”
Deke made his way to the center of the group as all eyes turned to him.
“Gather round, y’all,” he said. “I think I’ve got an idea to outfox these Japs.”
“This I’ve got to hear,” Philly said. “Although I’d much rather hear about last night.”
“Watch it, city boy.”
“Who, me? What did I say?” he asked innocently.
Honcho interrupted before things could get ugly. “All right, Deke. That’s enough suspense. Let’s hear about this plan of yours.”
Lieutenant Steele was more than willing to hear him out. What Deke proposed was simple enough. He wanted the patrol to make a frontal attack, but more as a diversion. Meanwhile, he and Philly would slip away and come at the legislative building from the side, hopefully taking out the machine gunners again. Once that machine gun was knocked out, it would clear the way for Patrol Easy and the Filipinos to advance. Deke and Philly would continue to pick off any Japanese they could get in their sights.
