McCoy ignored him. "Read you five by five, Coffin, go ahead," he said to his microphone. He stood up and shined a flashlight out to sea, two long flashes and then two short ones.
"We have your light," the radio hissed. "What are surf conditions?"
"Your boats can land."
"Give us five, I say again, five, minutes and another light."
"Acknowledge," McCoy said, then let the microphone drop to the length of its cord and looked at his watch.
"Right on schedule," Macklin repeated.
"Right on schedule," McCoy parroted. "Tell the people with the civilians to get them ready to move. Bring them up here in groups of six."
"Aye, aye, Sir," Macklin said.
A moment later, it occurred to him that he did not have to say "Aye, aye, Sir," to McCoy. Despite the peculiar command conditions of this mission, he still outranked him.
But it was not really a cause for concern. This mission was just about over, and it had gone very well. In no time at all, he would be aboard the Sunfish, and that would be the official end of the mission.
He wondered what the OSS would do with him now. At the very least, he reasoned, he would be returned to Washington for a debriefing on Fertig and his guerrillas. Considering all he had gone through, a decoration seemed at least possible, and maybe even probable. The only problem was that no one was around to recommend him for one; McCoy certainly wouldn't do it.
But on the other hand, if they decorated Lieutenant Lewis, which seemed probable, and didn't give him one, questions would be asked.
Even that didn't really matter. A decoration would be nice, but what he knew he would be getting for sure would be a remark on his service record that he had been on Operation Windmill, a top-level, top-secret mission behind enemy lines. And that would effectively put behind him, once and for all, that unfortunate and unfair efficiency report of Banning's.
Even McCoy could not fault his performance of duty on this mission. He had, after all, personally killed eight of the enemy. That was a fact. McCoy couldn't change that fact. Lewis wouldn't stand for that.
The most logical thing to do with him, what he would do himself if he were the officer making the decision, would be to assign him to the Country Club, where he would be of inarguable use in training others for missions of this type. There is nothing like experience. And men are inspired by teachers who have personally done what they are being trained to do.
Eight minutes later, he was back on the beach, accompanied by six of the nine females who would be taken aboard the Sunfish. That was the law of the sea, women and children first. First the women, which would take three boats, and then the other civilians and the wounded. And then they would be paddled out to the Sunfish. And that would be the end of it.
"I've got six women with me, McCoy," Macklin said. "The rest will be coming in ten-minute increments."
McCoy pointed out to sea. It took Macklin a moment to find them, but he saw, just barely, what looked like half a dozen rubber boats making their way to the beach.
"Six at once? I'll go back and tell them to send the evacuees up more quickly."
"What I want you to do is stand here and flash the light, just flash it twice, once every thirty seconds," McCoy ordered. "I'll go back and have the evacu-ees brought up here."
Five minutes later, the first of the boats reached the surf. The others were a short distance behind. Now there was a light flashing, two short flashes, from the Sunfish, obviously to guide the rubber boats on their return.
A man wearing dyed-black utilities came wading through the surf. He walked up to Macklin.
"Welcome to Mindanao," Macklin said.
"Who are you?"
"Captain Robert Macklin, USMC, on detail to the OSS."
The man offered his hand.
"Major Al Fredericks, Macklin. I'm the OSS team chief."
"How do you do, Sir?"
"Where's Captain McCoy?"
"With the evacuees, Sir. I have six on the beach, ready for evacuation."
McCoy appeared.
"I'm McCoy," he said. "Who are you?"
"My name is Fredericks. I'm the OSS team chief."
"I'll see you before I leave," McCoy said, shaking his hand. "Right now the priority is to get the evacuees aboard."
"Sorry, it's not," Major Fredericks said.
"Excuse me?"
"I have my orders, Captain. From General Pickering. The first people to go aboard the Sunfish are you and Lieutenant Lewis, followed by the other people of your party. I didn't like it at first, but after a while, it makes sense. The purpose of this operation was to get your report on General Fertig. Every-thing has to fall in line behind that."
"For Christ's sake!" McCoy protested.
"As I understand it, we're both Marine officers," Major Fredericks said. "That being the case, Captain, the proper response to an order is 'Aye, aye, Sir.' "
"Aye, aye, Sir," McCoy said.
"If you think about it, McCoy, that makes sense," Macklin said reason-ably. "The priority is to get us out of here."
"Wade out and get in the boat, Captain," Major Fredericks said. "I'll see that the others follow."
"Would you like me to go with Captain McCoy, Sir?" Captain Macklin asked.
"Why? From what I hear, Captain McCoy is the Marine Corps rubber-boat expert. He can probably get into a rubber boat without assistance."
"Yes, Sir. Of course. When would the Major like me to go out to the Sunfish, Sir?"
"You're not going anywhere, Captain," Major Fredericks said.
"Sir?"
"I wish you were, frankly, Macklin," Major Fredericks said. "Your repu-tation precedes you. But my orders are to keep you here." He looked at Mack-lin and then at McCoy. "Are you waiting for something, Captain, or will one direct order to get in a boat be sufficient for you?"
"Take care of yourself, Macklin," McCoy said. He handed Major Fred-ericks his carbine. "Round chambered, Sir. Safety on."
And then he waded into the surf.
[TEN]
OPERATIONAL IMMEDIATE
FROM SUNFISH
1105 GREENWICH 6FEBRUARY1943
FOR CINCPAC
ALL STATIONS COPY AND RELAY
OPERATION GROCERY STORE ONE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED 2300 LOCAL TIME THIS DATE
OSS AUGMENTATION TEAM SAFELY ASHORE AND IN CONTACT WITH OSS AGENT ATTACHED TO HQ USFIP
SUNFISH HAS TAKEN ABOARD CAPT K.R.MCCOY, USMCR, LT CHAMBERS LEWIS, USN, GUNNERY SERGEANT ERNEST ZIMMERMAN USMC AND STAFF SERGEANT STEPHEN KOFFLER USMC. ALL HANDS IN EXCELLENT SHAPE.
SUNFISH ALSO HAS ABOARD NINE (9) U.S. FEMALE CIVILIANS; FOUR U.S. MALE CIVILIANS AND ELEVEN (11) WOUNDED AND/OR SERIOUSLY ILL U.S. AND FILIPINO MEMBERS OF US FORCES IN PHILIPPINES. ALT, WILL URGENTLY REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION AT DESTINATION
5 PROCEEDING AS ORDERED.
END
[ELEVEN]
SUPREME HEADQUARTERS SWPOA 2315 6FEB43
VIA SPECIAL CHANNEL
TO NAVY DEPT WASH DC
FOR COLONEL F.L. RICKABEE USMC OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT ANALYSIS
PLEASE RELAY IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING TO MISS ERNESTINE SAGE ADDRESSES KNOWN TO BOTH BANNING AND SESSIONS
DEEPLY REGRET MUST SUGGEST YOU TELEPHONE PICK AND ADVISE HIM YOU CANNOT MARRY HIM INASMUCH AS CAPT KENNETH R MCCOY IS ON HIS WAY HOME. MORE DETAILS WHEN AVAILABLE. LOVE UNCLE FLEMING