They both had glasses dark with scotch.

"I was about to wave the bottle at you," Stevens said, "and offer you more, but it would appear that I'm drinking a bit faster than everyone else."

"I'd suggest it's an evaporation factor," Canidy said, smiling. "Air is terribly dry this time of year."

Stevens finished filling his glass, then touched it to Canidy's in a toast. "I'm just damn glad you're here, Dick."

"Thank you. Me, too."

David Bruce said, "You were saying about our agent who's been doubled?"

Canidy nodded. "We're feeding him disinformation with some really low-level real stuff. There's a team that's trying to get to him, see if he's really turned or just controlled. We don't know. It's my opinion that he's under duress. Tubes is a good guy with no ax to grind, no reason to aid the enemy."

"Tubes?" Bruce said.

"Maximus, if you prefer."

Bruce smiled. "Oh, yes. Thank you, Jupiter. Jupiter."

David Bruce sipped his scotch, then said: "Will the Germans see Maximus as a sign we're going to invade Sicily? And what about the S-boat and the ship you took out?"

Canidy drank from his glass as he considered his answer.

After a moment, he said, "As to the boats, I don't see why they would not simply be seen as targets of opportunity. And we have agents in Sardinia, too, so why would we not not in Sicily? And before you ask about blowing the villa, that could have been done by anyone, including the Mafia, pissed at the hanging in the port." in Sicily? And before you ask about blowing the villa, that could have been done by anyone, including the Mafia, pissed at the hanging in the port."

David Bruce's expression suggested that he did not exactly agree with that assessment.

"What about Ike?" Bruce then said.

"What about him?" Canidy said defensively.

"Has he been told?" Bruce went on.

"Told what?" Canidy said, his tone incredulous. "That we fucking took out a ship carrying nerve gas that his people said did not even exist? Jesus!"

Canidy drained his glass, then looked at Stevens.

"Give me that bottle, Ed. I can use another now."

David Bruce made a face.

"Dick does make a good point," Ed Stevens said evenly after he passed the bottle to Canidy. "Why muddy the waters?"

After a moment, David Bruce nodded.

"Sorry, Dick," he said. "I'm just trying to keep all the pieces in perspective. Now's not the time for us to slow down. We're making real progress. Thanks to our OSS agents in Sardinia you mentioned, eighty-four B-24 Liberators bombed La Maddalena on April tenth. They even sank the Italian heavy cruiser Trieste. Trieste. And, of course, we took Bizerta and Tunis on May seventh." And, of course, we took Bizerta and Tunis on May seventh."

"More than a quarter million German and Italian prisoners," Stevens said.

"And now," Bruce added, "thanks to Ed Stevens and his new pals, it would appear the path to taking Sicily and Italy is clearing."

Canidy looked at Stevens. "New pals?"

Stevens gave Canidy a copy of Lieutenant Commander Ewen Montagu's OPERATION MINCEMEAT OPERATION MINCEMEAT outline. When he'd read it, Stevens then gave Canidy an overview of the OSS's contribution. outline. When he'd read it, Stevens then gave Canidy an overview of the OSS's contribution.

"We put together Major Martin at Whitbey House," Ed Stevens said.

As he explained OSS Whitbey House Station's participation, Canidy found himself laughing aloud at various points.

"I am really sorry I missed being a part of that," Canidy said.

"I wish I had been of more help," Stevens said, "but the others handled it marvelously."

He then produced another typewritten page.

"That's the report from 'Jimmy' Jewell-formally, Lieutenant N.L.A. Jewell-captain of HMS Seraph. Seraph. Confirmation and details of the transport of the body and its launching off Spain on April thirtieth-two weeks ago. Pretty straightforward. Borderline boring, actually, as it all went according to plan." Confirmation and details of the transport of the body and its launching off Spain on April thirtieth-two weeks ago. Pretty straightforward. Borderline boring, actually, as it all went according to plan."

Canidy glanced at the page and nodded.

"Immediately after we got that signal," Stevens said, "Montagu had the message traffic at the Admiralty reach a fevered pitch, all cranked up about the missing of Major Martin."

Stevens took a moment to refreshen his scotch.

He went on: "On May second, the naval attache in Madrid signaled that the body of Major Martin had been picked up off the coast. So the Admiralty responded to the naval attache about the briefcase and its, quote, most secret, unquote, documents. The attache then got hammered with urgent messages to get back every damn document-but don't be too obvious. Don't want the Spaniards getting suspicious, wink, wink. And return those documents to DNI immediately!"

Canidy chuckled.

"May fourth, they gave Major Martin a full military burial in Huleva."

"And the briefcase?"

"Returned," Stevens said. "Very, very carefully put back together."

"Meaning, they read the contents? The writings finely crafted at Whitbey House?"

Stevens reached for a stack of papers and said, "Commander Fleming brought these over. These are far more interesting to read."

"And they are...?"

"Intercepts of German wireless traffic courtesy of the fine folks connected to the Golf, Cheese, and Chess Society."

Canidy grinned. He knew a little about the Brits' code-breaking operations at Bletchley Park, some forty miles northwest of London. Golf, Cheese, and Chess Society-GCCS for short-came from its Government Code and Cypher School there.

Canidy flipped through the documents.

"I'll give you the executive summary," Stevens said, clearly enjoying himself.

"I'd say a bit of Niven or Fleming or Ustinov rubbed off on you, Ed."

"They're great guys, Dick," Stevens replied. "Anyway, in the first week of May the German agents telegraphed the contents of the letters to German intel in Berlin. They stated that, due to time-the Admiralty was hammering the naval attache to get them back, right?-they're unable to examine documents for authenticity."

Canidy nodded.

Stevens went on: "The first message sent to Berlin that was intercepted was boldly detailed and gave us a marvelous step-by-step. It said that the body of the Royal Marine had been found on the beach at Huelva by a fisherman who then had brought it to the attention of personnel at the nearby naval station. There a naval judicial officer took charge of all documents and personal effects. And the body was sent to the morgue, where a doctor certified that Martin had fallen into the sea alive but died of asphyxiations from five to eight days 'exposure to sea.'"

"Ah, those brilliant Spanish physicians," Canidy said, sipping his scotch.

"They even had a Captain Ron Bowlin, USAAF, who'd crashed into the sea there on April twenty-seventh, brought in to identify the body. He couldn't, of course, but now we know where ole Ron is."

Canidy chuckled.

"Meanwhile, German intel, working from photos of the contents of Major Martin's briefcase, had determined that the documents were indeed genuine. That information then got forwarded to Admiral Doenitz."

"Commander in Chief, Naval Staff," Canidy said. "Ding, ding. We have a winner." We have a winner."

"Even better, the cover letter read: 'The genuineness of the captured documents is above suspicion.'"

Canidy shook his head in amazement.

"Then just yesterday came the sweetest piece," Stevens went on. "His Heil Hitler himself now believes that the Sicily invasion is a diversion. He's demanding that, quote, measures regarding Sardinia and the Peloponnese take precedence over everything else, unquote."

Stevens stopped to take a sip.

"And now we hear that General Keitel-"

"Corporal Schickelgruber's commander in chief," Canidy said, impressed. "Very nice."

"-has passed word down that they expect Sardinia, Corsica, and Sicily to be attacked all at once, or perhaps one at a time, when we take Greece."

"I heard you were sucking up all those drachmas. Guess they did, too."

Stevens nodded. "It was more than drachmas, but they helped."

David Bruce finally spoke up.

"We couldn't have asked for more out of an operation," Bruce said. "They clearly believe that the Allies have enough troops for both assaults. And that can only cause them to defend-or not defend-territory accordingly."

"So the radio traffic confirms that Mincemeat was swallowed?" Canidy said, but it was more a statement than a question.

"Whole," a familiar voice said from the doorway.

"Jesus Christ!" Canidy said, seeing who it was, and struggling to quickly get to his feet.

"Not quite," Wild Bill Donovan said, laughing. "Only a common general. But I thank you for the promotion."

Canidy was smiling. He put out his hand.

"Very good to see you, General. And congratulations."

"That was nice work, gentlemen," Donovan said. "Even Ike and the boys at AFHQ are impressed."

Donovan looked at Canidy. "You've been busy, too, Dick. Why don't you fill me in."

"Of course. I-"

Donovan, looking at Canidy's drink, interrupted: "Why don't you first pour me a little of whatever evil spirit that might be. I suspect, with your history, I'm going to need a taste."

"...And that was the story that the Mafia guys were getting out of the SS office in Palermo," Canidy said. "That Muller was scared and going to use the Tabun without authorization. The Germans had sent it to Palermo, without his knowledge, to be staged as insurance. Not as an offensive weapon. Of course, that can be all wrong...."

Donovan was quiet a moment, sipping his scotch.

"Thankfully," he then said, "it would appear that you are right. We had corroborating evidence."

"Confirmed?" Canidy said. "By who?"

"Hans Bernd Gisevius," he said. "But ultimately Canaris."

"Admiral Canaris in the Abwehr?"

He nodded. "We doubled Gisevius. He's a leader of the German underground who Allen Dulles uses as his pipeline to Canaris. And Canaris also is tight with Fritz Thyssen."

Canidy knew Dulles was the OSS station chief in Switzerland. The Thyssen name was unfamiliar to Canidy and his face showed he didn't recognize the name.

"The Ruhr Valley industrialist. Who in the early days funneled a helluva lot of money into Hitler's pockets. Then he finally saw the writing on the wall, packed up the kids and grandkids, and fled for Switzerland in 1939. He's still a player in the Ruhr Valley, and tightly connected with Wolfgang Kappler."

"Why is that name familiar?" Canidy wondered.

"Kappler Industrie GmbH," Stevens furnished, "chief provider of coke, steel, and other materials to Mann and Daimler-Benz."

"Engines," Canidy said.

"Engines," Stevens confirmed.

"And there is an SS Obersturmbannfuhrer Obersturmbannfuhrer in the Messina office named Oskar Kappler," Donovan went on. "And Thyssen has both been seen in the company of Wolffy Kappler and sniffing around industrial sites and the docks in Buenos Aires." in the Messina office named Oskar Kappler," Donovan went on. "And Thyssen has both been seen in the company of Wolffy Kappler and sniffing around industrial sites and the docks in Buenos Aires."

It took Canidy a moment to put those pieces together in his mind.

"So the real reason they don't want to use the gas," Canidy ventured, "the reason they don't want the war to become any worse than it has, is because they are making plans to get the hell out of Dodge."

"There are some who would agree with you, Dick," Wild Bill Donovan said. "I happen to be one of them."