Griffin W.E.B. - Honor Bound 02 - Blood and Honor

"You seem very pensive, mi General," Rawson said.

"I suppose I am, but if you are asking, 'Are you having second thoughts?' the answer is no," Ramirez said, and met Rawson's eyes. "I regret the necessity of having to do what we have no choice but to do; but el Presidente has made it quite clear he has no intention of leaving office, no matter how the election turns out."

"No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent," Rawson said.

"Are you quoting someone?" Ramirez asked.

"Abraham Lincoln."

"Ah, Lincoln! Honest Abe. What did they call him, 'The Great Emancipator'?"

"I asked myself if that isn't what we—with the best intentions—are about to do ourselves? Govern without consent?" Rawson said.

"And what did you answer yourself?"

"Depending on how you look at it, we intend to either preserve or restore democracy," Rawson said. "If we do that, we are right. If we don't, if we seize power and then retain it—for whatever noble reason—we will be no better than Castillo."

"Anything else?"

"More North Americans were killed in Lincoln's Civil War than were killed in the First World War, more than they will probably lose in this one. I don't even like to think what would happen here if what we plan turned into a civil war. Look at Spain . . . brother against brother, God only knows how many thousands, hundreds of thousands, died over there."

"Argentina is not Spain," Ramirez said sharply, and then, more softly, "So you are having second thoughts?"

"I had second thoughts. The conclusions I drew you just expressed with some eloquence: 'I regret the necessity of having to do what we have no choice but to do.' And I deeply regret that Jorge is no longer here to lead us."

"I asked myself what would happen if we did nothing," Ramirez said. "Just do nothing. Castillo might get reelected. That's unlikely, but possible. Or even if he seizes power rather than step down. What real harm would that do? Aside from the obvious answer that he and his cronies are robbing the treasury dry—"

"We are in agreement," Rawson interrupted him. "We regret the necessity . . ."

"Yes, we have had this conversation before, haven't we, Arturo?" Ramirez said. "Let's put philosophy away for a moment and hear what Lauffer has to tell us."

Lauffer, who had been waiting near the wine coolers for a summons, walked to them.

"Our friend," he said quietly, "believes what we are looking for is very likely in the country."

Ramirez grunted. He had suspected that all along.

"In any event, what we seek is not in Buenos Aires in either house," Lauffer said.

"I didn't think it would be," Rawson said. "What about the money?"

"We are proceeding in the belief that the money will be withOutline Blue, mi General."

"Either house?" Ramirez asked.

"The one on Avenida Coronel Diaz, or el Coronel's guest house across from the Hipodromo on Libertador," Lauffer clarified.

"If there is someone listening to this conversation," Rawson said, "and he has half the brains he was born with, he already has figured out who, and what, we're talking about. Can we stop acting like characters in a bad movie?"

Ramirez looked at him, and after a moment shrugged.

"What does Mart?n have to say about finding what we're looking for at Estancia San Pedro y San Pablo?" he asked.

"He said, Sir, that seems impossible. Getting in the house at Estancia San Pedro y San Pablo by itself would be difficult. And there is a good safe . . ."

"A Himpell, in the shrine," Rawson said.

"What?" Ramirez asked. "What shrine?"

"You never saw the shrine to the blessed norteamericano?" Rawson asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ramirez said.

"Jorge had a private library at Estancia San Pedro y San Pablo," Rawson said. "More or less full of photographs and other material devoted to his son. The safe is behind the books. A portion of the bookcase moves outward."

"Why do you call it a shrine?"

"That's how I think of it," Rawson said. "I meant no disrespect, either to God or to Jorge. . . ."

"Where do you suppose the combination to that safe is? Do you suppose Se?ora Carzino-Cormano might have it?" Ramirez said, getting back to the subject.

Claudia Carzino-Cormano's only slightly smaller Estancia Santo Catalina bordered Estancia San Pedro y San Pablo.

"Coronel Mart?n believes only Coronel Frade had the combination," Lauffer said.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to ask her," Ramirez said, paused, and went on. "God, if he'd only married her! Why in God's name didn't he marry her! They were living in sin for years! If they had married, even if she didn't have the combination, she could have ordered the safe opened."

"He didn't marry her because he wanted to leave everything he owned to his son," Rawson said. "I thought you knew that. But that's neither here nor there. We have to deal with the situation as it is. What are our options?"

"Send el Coronel Mart?n to Estancia San Pedro y San Pablo with orders to open the safe—even if he has to use explosives," Mayor Querro said.

"You don't really think we could do that without attracting the attention of the Polic?a Federal, do you, Pedro?" Ramirez said sarcastically. "And that, for obvious reasons, is the last thing we want to do."

"Another option," Rawson said, "is to do nothing about the safe. . . ."

"Hope no one gets into it before we act?" Ramirez asked. He thought that over a moment, then went on. "Assemble another complete Operations Order, you mean. That's possible, I suppose."

"What other choice do we have, mi General?"

"Sir, we need the money," Querro said. "What about that?"

"Damn!" Ramirez said.

"Sir," Lauffer said uneasily, "el Coronel Mart?n asked me to tell you that there has been a radio from the son—"

"From el Coronel Frade's son?" Rawson interrupted.

"Yes, Sir. Asking to delay the funeral services until he can get here. He leaves Miami tomorrow."

"Wonderful!" Ramirez said. "And the first thing he's going to do is head right for that safe!"

"Why do you say that?" Rawson asked. "I can't believe that Jorge discussedOutline Blue with him."

"I'm not so sure about that," Ramirez replied. "But that's not what I meant. What I meant was that, under the law, the moment Jorge died, everything he owned became the son's patrimony."

"I'm not sure that's so," Rawson said. "He's an American. For one thing, we can deny him a visa."

"He doesn't need a visa, he's an Argentine."

"He's not an Argentine. My God, he served in the American Navy!"

"Corps of Marines," Ramirez corrected him. "But he was born here and is legally an Argentine. He has an Argentine passport. Jorge got him one just before he became involved with blowing up the Reine de la Met:"

"We could detain him," Rawson said.

"On what pretext? The Americans would howl in outrage, and Castillo would wonder why we did that. About our only choice is to appeal to him— maybe Claudia Carzino-Cormano could appeal to him—to let us carry out the work his father began."

"And if he says no?"

Ramirez shrugged.

"I'm open to a better suggestion," he said.

"He's close to Se?ora Carzino-Cormano," Rawson said. "And he knows her relationship to his father."

"What I suggest is that we treat him as an honored guest who has suffered a terrible loss, and as soon as possible have Claudia talk to him. Does that make sense to you?"

“S?, Se?or, of course," Rawson said.

"I'll go see Claudia tonight," Ramirez said. "I know she's in Buenos Aires."

"If nothing else, perhaps Claudia can keep him away from the safe until after we act," Rawson said, warming to the idea. "We don't needOutline Blue. We just, have to keep Castillo from laying his hands on it."

Ramirez grunted thoughtfully.