Top Secret Part 45

Cronley sat down in one of the two upholstered chairs facing Hessinger's desk before asking what he hoped would sound like an innocent question.

"What girlfriend would that be?"

"Mrs. Colonel Schumann, that one."

"What the h.e.l.l are you talking about?"

Cronley hoped that question also sounded innocent.

"She telephoned twice and came in once. I think she wants you to buy her dinner."

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Because she is a colonel's wife and he went to Vienna and left her here and you are a captain and she thinks she's ent.i.tled."

"Screw her."

"I don't know how nice that would be, but I do know it would be very dangerous. Colonel Schumann is not a nice man."

"Speaking of nice men, where is Major Wallace?"

"He is at the bar of the officers' club."

"Here in the hotel?"

"No. At the Signal Battalion."

"Freddy, we have to talk, and Major Wallace can't know we did, or what we talked about. Either him or Colonel Mattingly."

"Why do I think I'm not going to like this? Does this have something to do with the NKGB-er Sergeant Tedworth caught at Kloster Grnau?"

"How'd you hear about that?"

"Tedworth told me."

"He has a big mouth. He should have known better."

"We trust each other. What about the NKGB-er?"

"We think we turned him."

"I doubt that. He's NKGB. They are not known for turning. Being smarter than their captors, yes. Turning, no."

"I think we have, Freddy."

"We? Who is we? You and Dunwiddie?"

"And General Gehlen."

"Gehlen thinks you have turned the NKGB-er?"

"He thinks we have him well on the road to turning, and that when we get him talking to the priest Frade is sending from Argentina, he will turn."

"What priest? From Argentina?"

"He's a Jesuit who's been involved with getting people to Argentina for the Vatican. We're going to take Orlovsky to Argentina."

"What I think you should do is start from the beginning," Hessinger said. "The beginning is when you were in trouble with Mattingly because you stuck your nose into Gehlen's interrogation of the Russian."

"A lot's happened since then."

"That's why you should start from the beginning," Hessinger said reasonably.

"Okay. I guess the most important thing is that Mattingly is no longer in charge of Operation Ost. Frade is . . ."

- ". . . and so," Cronley concluded, "as soon as Frade took off for the States, I came here. After, of course, trying to confuse the FBI about my destination. Further deponent sayeth not."

Hessinger grunted thoughtfully.

"Freddy . . ." Cronley began.

"The one maybe big problem I see," Hessinger interrupted him, "is getting the NKGB-er through the airport in Frankfurt. If we get caught loading him on an Argentine airliner . . ." He stopped, then asked, "Why are you looking at me funny?"

"I was about to ask, 'Now that you know what's going on, will you help?' You sound as if you're already enlisted."

"I think of it more as being drafted one more time. I didn't enlist in the Army, I was drafted. And I have no more choice here than when I got that Your friends and neighbors have selected you postcard from my draft board."

Cronley chuckled.

"You want to explain that?"

"Is necessary?"

"Yeah, I think so, Freddy."

"Okay. When I got my draft notice, I started researching the Army."

"You did what?"

"I wanted to learn what I could expect. So I went to the library-"

"And got a book?" Cronley said, chuckling. "What to Expect When You're Drafted?"

"Not a book. Books plural. About military ethics."

"There ain't no such animal."

"Yes, there is. A good officer has dual loyalty."

"What the h.e.l.l does that mean?"

"Up and down. A good officer is loyal to his superiors and his subordinates. They taught you about this when you went to that Texas military school, right?"

"It was mentioned once or twice. So what?"

"It didn't take me long to figure out Mattingly. His is only up."

"Excuse me?"

"His loyalty is upward only. People under him are expendable."

"That's true, but so what?"

"So I knew it was only a matter of time until he expended me."

"Okay."

"Then you showed up. And I saw that yours is both ways."

"How do you know?"

"If yours was only upward, to Mattingly, you would have kept your nose to yourself and let him get away with what he was trying to do to Dunwiddie. Get Dunwiddie to shoot the NKGB-er and him know nothing about it. You didn't. You were loyal downwards. If you're at the bottom, like I am here, loyalty downwards is very important."

"Well, then, welcome to our little conspiracy, Freddy."

"Like I said, I see only one maybe big problem. Getting the NKGB-er onto the Argentine airplane. We'll have to think about that."

"Why don't we find a quiet corner of the dining room and think about it there? While I'm eating. The only thing I've had to eat all day is a bacon-and-egg sandwich."

"Because you are going to call Mrs. Colonel Schumann and ask her what you can do for her. Probably dinner."

"I'd rather not."

"I'd rather not be here. I would rather be back at Harvard chasing Wellesley girls and working on my doctorate. But I am here."

"Then you take her to dinner."

"She doesn't want to have dinner with me. I'm an enlisted man. Besides, what we are trying to do is important. And you know you can't afford to have Mrs. Colonel Schumann p.i.s.sed at you."

He picked up the elaborate old-fas.h.i.+oned telephone on his desk.

"Kindly connect me with Mrs. Lieutenant Colonel Schumann," he ordered.

"Maybe she's not there," Cronley said after a moment. "Maybe she got tired of waiting for me."

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Schumann. This is Special Agent Hessinger. I have found Captain Cronley for you. One moment, please."

He put his hand over the microphone, said, "Be charming," then extended the receiver to Cronley.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Schumann. This is Captain Cronley. How are you? Special Agent Hessinger tells me you're all alone in Munich."

"The colonel had to go to Vienna," Rachel said.

"So Hessinger told me. I was wondering if you're free for dinner."

"As a matter of fact, yes, Captain Cronley, I am."

"When would you like me to call for you?"

"Actually, I'd be open to an invitation for c.o.c.ktails, too."

"You mean right now?"

"Could you fit me into your busy schedule?"

"With pleasure. The thing is, I've been flying just about all day . . ."

"Flying? Where?"

". . . and I need a shower and a fresh uniform. Could you meet me in the bar in, say, thirty minutes?"

"I'll be waiting. Thank you so much, Captain Cronley."

"Yes, ma'am."

Cronley stood and put the receiver back in its cradle.

"How'd I do?"

"You're no Cary Grant, more like Humphrey Bogart. Anyway, all you have to do is keep her happy."

"How do I do that?"

"By doing whatever she wants you to do."

"You going to be here when I've fed her?"

"No. I get off at five. It's now five-fifteen. How about I meet you in the dining room for breakfast at seven?"

"I'll be there."

[ FIVE ].