The Honor Of Spies - The Honor of Spies Part 36
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The Honor of Spies Part 36

"How much did that cost?" Claudia asked, gesturing toward the Constellation.

"A lot," Clete admitted. "And we have three of them."

"And where's the money going to come from?"

"So far it's come from my grandfather, which brings us to that, Humberto."

"Excuse me?" Duarte said.

"There are two accountants aboard the Ciudad de Buenos Aires," Clete said, "dispatched by my grandfather to make sure I don't squander his money on whiskey and wild women. Tonight, I'm going to put them up in the house on Coronel Diaz. But we're going to have to find them someplace to live--someplace nice; they're high-priced CPAs--maybe the Alvear or the Plaza. Can you deal with that?"

Duarte nodded.

"The immediate problem is to get them off the airplane, by which I mean we need the service of Immigration and Customs."

Humberto pointed. Clete saw a half-dozen uniformed Immigration and Customs officers.

"But first we need a better way to get things off the Connie than that stepladder," Frade said. "I wonder where Senor Manana is." He looked around and spotted him.

"Senor de Filippi?" he called.

Guillermo de Filippi, SAA's chief of maintenance, walked to him.

"Our immediate problem, Guillermo," Frade said, "is to unload our new aircraft. That stepladder won't do. Any suggestions?"

"Senor Frade, we don't have a ladder that tall."

"We have wood, right?" Frade said. He pointed to two railroad flatcars, both bearing enormous stacks of lumber intended for the construction of a third hangar. "And carpenters? Does that suggest anything to you?"

"Senor Frade, the carpenters stop work at five o'clock, and it's after that. There would be problems with the union."

"I will deal with the workmen, Don Cletus," Enrico Rodriguez said.

Frade turned and saw him standing behind him. Holding his shotgun.

How the hell did he get down the ladder with the shotgun?

I don't think that being forced to build a stairway with a shotgun aimed at you would be good labor-management practice.

"Enrico, tell them it's two days' pay if they can build a stairway up to the plane in half an hour."

Father Welner chuckled. Senor de Filippi looked confused.

"And I'll throw in a case of beer," Frade added, then turned to de Filippi. "And there's a couple of other things that have to be done. On the airplane are airframe and engine engineers . . ."

He stopped in midsentence when a line of cars started to stream from behind the hangar onto the tarmac.

"What are we going to do, have a parade?" Frade quipped.

"We are having a cocktail and small buffet at your house on Coronel Diaz," Claudia said. "To celebrate whatever is going on here."

"You set that up, did you?"

"I was with your father for many years, Cletus. I didn't think you would mind my using the house."

"I was just about to say, 'Thank you very much, that's a great idea.' "

"And while that's going on," Claudia said, "we're going to have a quick board of directors meeting in the upstairs sitting room."

"We are?" he asked, smiling at her.

"We are," Claudia said flatly. "And I mean right now."

"There's a lot that has to be done here," Frade said.

"Aside from getting your passengers off that airplane and into the cars--and that can be dealt with by Senor de Filippi--there's nothing you have to do here that won't wait until tomorrow morning. Humberto and I have a right to know what's going on here, and I insist you tell us. And right now."

Actually, there is one thing I have to do here that won't wait until morning.

My back teeth are floating.

"Claudia, I'm going to go directly into the hangar, get in the Horch, and when you get to the house I'll greet you at the door."

He pointed to the automobile, which was sitting just inside the door, and then at Rodriguez.

"Enrico, have someone throw my bags off the Connie and put them in the Horch. We're going to Coronel Diaz. Senor de Filippi can get the ladder built. Right, Guillermo?"

"Of course, Senor Frade."

"And then bring everybody to my house on Coronel Diaz. You know where it is?"

De Filippi nodded.

Claudia eyed Frade suspiciously.

"I trust that that will be satisfactory, Claudia?" Frade asked with a smile.

She examined his face carefully and finally said, "All right." Then she added, "Be there, Cletus."

He grabbed her, kissed her wetly on both cheeks, and then walked quickly toward the hangar.

He walked past the Horch until he found the men's room.

A moment after he had reached one of the urinals, someone walked to the adjacent fixture. Frade looked to see who it was.

"Please don't say it, Cletus," el Coronel Alejandro Martin said.

"But people will talk, Alejandro, if you keep following me into men's rooms."

He sighed. "I should have known better than to ask."

"Humberto said you were looking for me," Frade said.

"We have to talk."

"Okay."

"Not in here."

"I presume you've been invited to Senora Carzino-Cormano's cocktail and small buffet?"

Martin shook his head.

"Not to worry. It's her party, but my house. You're invited. So we can talk there. Or better yet, ride into town with me. We can sit in the back of the Horch and wave at our loyal subjects."

He turned slightly away from the urinal and well mimicked the regal flat-handed slow wave of British Royalty.

Martin smiled and chuckled.

"I think I should warn you, Cletus, that I have learned you are at your most dangerous when you're playing the clown."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, mi coronel."

"Okay, I'll ride in with you. What we need to talk about has nothing to do with what happened here today. But I want to talk about that, too."

[FOUR].

Ruta Nacional No. 7

Near Moron

Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

1750 19 September 1943

"I hope this doesn't make you think I'm paranoid, mi coronel," Frade said, "but I think we are being followed."

Frade was at the wheel of the Horch. Martin sat beside him. Enrico was in the back. The canvas top of the Horch had been lowered.

"We are," Martin said. "Please tell Enrico not to shoot them; they belong to me."

"Enrico," Frade called, raising his voice. "Don't shoot at the people in the car behind us. They belong to el Coronel Martin."

"There's two cars of them, Don Cletus," Enrico called. "They've been with us since we left the airfield."

Frade looked at Martin, held up two fingers, and wordlessly asked with a raised eyebrow, What the hell is that all about?

Martin explained: "About a month ago--on August 12, to be precise--there was an incident near your home on Coronel Diaz. You may have read about it in the press. It was necessary for the police to kill three criminals they came across in the middle of a robbery."

"I do seem to recall something about that," Frade said.

"I didn't want something like that to mar Dona Claudia's little party today. Better safe than sorry, as they say."

"You really think that's likely?"

"I'd say it's far more likely that unknown malefactors who don't like you would have another go at you while you're--while we're--riding along here like targets in a carnival shooting gallery."

"How would they know I'm here?"

"How many cars like this Horch would you say there are in Argentina?"

"Good point," Frade said.

"Cletus, can we have one of our off-the-record conversations?"

"Same rules?"

"Same rules. We don't have to answer a question, but if we do, it has to be the truth."

"Ask away."

"Let's start with what happened today: What's going on with that enormous airplane?"

"Airplanes. There's three of them."

"Three of them?"

"There's another at the Canoas airfield, being painted, and another on the way there."

"And what are you going to do with them? More to the point, what are you going to do with them for the OSS?"

"The what?" Frade replied. "The OSS? What's that?"