Griffin W.E.B. - The Corps 08 - In Dangers Path

There was a slight hesitation before Lieutenant Pickering replied. «More or less, sir.»

Which means, of course, that he does not want to lie about it.

«You're going out again, are you, Lieutenant?»

«Actually, sir, I'm meeting someone coming in,» Pickering replied.

With a little bit of luck, he'll be standing there, hatless, when Mac gets off his airplane. Once Mac has had a word with him regarding the necessity of Marine officers always being in the proper uniform

—

all of it, including headgear

—

he will wear a hat when taking a shower

.

Admiral Ball grunted and walked into base operations. Five minutes later, the R4-D touched down on time (it had filed a Direct Memphis flight plan from Anacostia). Admiral Ball was so informed by the AOD. Admiral Ball immediately began asking himself questions: Had something happened and Mac wasn't on the Gooney Bird? There had been no word from the aircraft to the tower that a general officer was aboard. And when the plane taxied up to the ramp in front of base ops, there was no general's flag flapping from a short staff next to the pilot's side window.

It wasn't until the Gooney Bird had turned around and its nose was facing base ops that Admiral Ball saw General Mclnerney's face in the cockpit.

Admiral Ball smiled as he walked toward the airplane. The smile vanished when he saw that Lieutenant Pickering was doing the same thing.

What the hell is he doing out here

?

He waited until Mac had shut down the engines and then called up at him, «Still letting you fly, are they, old buddy?»

«Damn, Jesse,» General Mclnerney called back. «What are you doing out here this late at night? Isn't it long past your bedtime?»

«Well, I was going to buy you a drink, but now I'm not so sure.»

«I accept. Let me shut this thing down, and I'll be right with you.»

Admiral Ball walked to the fuselage door just as it opened, and the steps dropped down.

The first person off was a Marine brigadier general. I

wonder who that is? Mac's deputy? He's not an aviator

. Lieutenant Pickering addressed the general officer: «What the hell were you doing in the cockpit?»

«1 am perfectly able to manipulate the landing gear, as you damned well know, hotshot,» the general said, and then he wrapped his arms around Lieutenant Pickering.

My God, it's his father!

General Pickering spotted Admiral Ball and saluted. «I'm Fleming Pickering, Admiral,» he said, as Ball returned the salute.

«Welcome to Memphis NAS, General,» Admiral Ball said. «We didn't know you were coming, or we'd have had the senior Marine here to greet you.»

«No problem at all. This is the Marine I came to see.»

Lieutenants Sylvester and Hart deplaned next, followed by Chief Spectowski and Petty Officer Damon. Baggage followed. Finally, Major General Mclnerney came down the ladder. Lieutenant Pickering saluted him. Mclnerney returned it.

«How are you, Pick?» General Mclnerney called cheerfully. «Skating on thin ice as usual, I see?»

God, he knows Mac well enough for Mac to call him by his first name!

«Sir?»

«This aging admiral here is old Navy, Pick,» Mclnerney said, nodding at Admiral Ball. «He likes officers to be in uniform. Where the hell is your cover?»

Lieutenant Pickering snapped his fingers and looked mildly embarrassed. «I must have left it in the car. I'll go get it.»

«Don't bother,» Admiral Ball heard himself saying. «No one will see you out here.»

«Getting soft in your old age, are you, Jesse?» Mclnerney asked. «There was a time when you would have ordered him keelhauled.»

«Now I know a wise officer has to make allowances for Marines,» Admiral Ball said. «They're not really human.»

I

am not going to let this goddamn pup foul up my seeing Mac

!

«I'll pretend I didn't hear that, Jesse,» Mclnerney said. «In case you haven't noticed, you're outnumbered by Marines.»

«We're going to need more wheels than we have,» General Pickering said.

«That means we're really going to have to impose on your hospitality, Jesse,» Mclnerney said.

«What do you need, Mac?»

«We need a guard on this airplane. An armed guard,» General Pickering said.

«No problem, General,» Admiral Ball said. «And what else?»

«Quarters overnight for the Chief and his friend.»

«No problem. What else?»

«In the morning, I'll need a copilot for the Gooney Bird. It's going first to Chicago and then to 'Diego,» Mclnerney said. «And I'm going to have to borrow one of your Corsairs.»

«That can be arranged, no problem,» Admiral Ball said.

«And then we'll need a ride for the rest of us into Memphis, to the hotel,» Mclnerney said. «We all won't fit in Pick's car.»

«You're going to Memphis?»

«To the Peabody,» General Pickering confirmed. «And a cordial invitation is extended to you, Admiral, to join us while Mac and I wash down his new stars.»

«General Mclnerney and I go back a long way, General,» Admiral Ball said.

«Not as far as Flem and I do, Jesse,» Mclnerney said. «Flem was my sergeant at Chateau-Thierry.»

«Why don't you and your aide ride with me, Mac? And General Pickering and his aide can ride with Lieutenant Pickering?»

Who will as certainly as the sun will rise drive that Cadillac into Memphis wearing his leather jacket and no cover. Probably at twenty miles over the speed limit.

«Sounds fine,» General Pickering said. «How about the Chief and his friend? And the guard for the airplane?»

«The AOD can handle that.» Admiral Ball nodded at the AOD, who was standing a respectful distance away waiting for his orders. Admiral Ball motioned for him to come over.

«So you and General Pickering are old friends, are you?» Admiral Ball asked General Mclnerney as they were driving into Memphis.

«I was with him the night he got—and damned well earned—the Navy Cross. All bullshit aside, he saved my life that night.»

«I don't think I've ever met him before.»

«He got out after the war. He runs—owns—Pacific and Far East Shipping. And his father-in-law owns the Foster hotel chain. Roosevelt commissioned him a brigadier when he came back in the Corps.»

«What's the Corps having him do?»

«Keep this under your hat, Jesse. He's the Director for Pacific Operations for the OSS. That's where he's headed now. I can't tell you what for, but my orders from SecNav, personally, were to give him anything he thinks he needs to get his job done.»

«Sounds like an interesting man.»

«One of the best, Jesse, one of the best,» Mclnerney said. «And the boy, Pick, is a chip off the old block. He could have spent this war running an officers' club. For that matter, he probably could have gotten himself declared essential, exempt from the draft, to run either P&FE or Foster Hotels. But he didn't. He came into the Corps, went through OCS, then came to me and begged me to get him out of a desk job and into flight school. He flew for Charley Galloway in VMF-229 on Guadalcanal. An ace. Seven Japs, I think.»

«I'd heard something about that.»

«Turned out to be one hell of an officer,» Mclnerney said.

One hell of a

lousy

officer

, General Ball thought, but did not, of course, say it.

This is not the time to deal with this disgrace to his uniform. Not with his father about to go back to the Pacific, with a lot obviously on his mind. And not when we're all about to wash down Mac's second star.

note 67

The Gobi Desert

150 Miles Southeast of Chandmani, Mongolia