Griffin W.E.B. - Honor Bound 03 - Secret Honor

Wachtstein again," Martin said. "I just wonder which of you is more delighted."

"You think he'll be on that plane?" Clete asked innocently.

"Well, we'll see in a minute, won't we?" Martin asked, and went into the cabin.

"How did he know that?" Dorotea asked.

"He has someone in the German Embassy."

"Do you think he knows about Peter?"

"I think he suspects."

"And if he finds out for sure?"

Clete held his hands up in a gesture of helplessness.

Ground handlers and customs and immigration officers marched across the tarmac. A moment later, Ambassador von Lutzenberger and Generalmajor von Deitzberg, both in civilian clothing, came out of the terminal and walked quickly after them.

"That's Ambassador von Lutzenberger," Dorotea said.

"The other one is von Deitzberg, who is an SS officer pre tending to be a soldier."

"How do you know that?"

In for a penny, in for a pound, Clete decided. "Martin gave a picture to Leibermann. Leibermann made a copy for me."

"Is Martin on our side?"

"Martin is on Argentina's side. And I suspect that he is just as adept at getting cozy with the Krauts as he is with me."

The Condor taxied onto the tarmac and the pilot skillfully parked it beside the Lodestar. The cockpits were separated by the length of the right wing of the Lodestar and the left of the Condor.

The pilot of the Condor looked down with shameless curiosity at the blonde sitting in the copilot's seat of the

Lodestar with earphones over her soft blond hair.

Stairs were wheeled up to the door of the Condor as it opened. The delegation of Argentine officials climbed them and entered the aircraft.

A moment later, a plump man got off.

"Gradny-Sawz," Clete said.

"I know."

"That's von Tresmarck," Clete said as a second man appeared in the door. "He's from Montevideo, where he runs the ransom operation. He's queer."

"Really?" Dorotea replied, then: "Oh, there's Peter!

Thank God!"

Peter, who was in uniform, glanced at the Lodestar.

For Christ's sake, Peter, don't wave!

He was followed by a man in a German naval officer's uniform. He followed Peter down the stairs, where they both gave von Lutzenberger and von Deitzberg stiff-armed Nazi salutes, shook their hands, and then followed them across the tarmac to the terminal building.

"Who was he?" Dorotea asked.

"I never saw him before," Clete said. From a nearly for gotten portion of his brain, information he thought he would never have to use popped to the top. "He's a Korvet tenkapitan."

"A what?"

"It's the same rank as lieutenant commander. The equivalent of major."

"Nice-looking man," she said.

"He's a goddamned Nazi," Clete snapped.

"Cletus, you're jealous!"

A moment later, other passengers began to leave the air plane.

Four or five minutes later, Martin appeared in the cockpit again.

Apparently he's satisfied that everyone who's going to get off is off.

"Thank you for your kind hospitality, Dorotea and Clete," he said.

"It's nothing, Bernardo," Dorotea said.

"Our pleasure," Clete said. "I don't suppose you know who the naval officer was?"

Martin hesitated before answering. "His name is Boltitz.

He's to be an assistant naval attache."

"I owe you one."

"Are we still keeping score?"

"I'm sure you are," Clete said.

They shook hands, and Martin left.

"Enrico!" Clete called, and when he appeared in the cockpit,

"Get the extinguisher, please."

"Si, Senor."

"What you do, honey," Clete said to his student, "is turn on the MASTER BUSS. It's already on, because I wanted to use the radios. Then you put the mixture to FULL RICH, the throttle to LOW

IDLE, punch the ENGINE PRIME button, then the

LEFT ENGINE START."

"OK."

He glanced out the window. Enrico was standing by a large fire extinguisher on wheels."

Clete gave him the "winding it up" sign, and Enrico nod ded.

"Do it, baby," Clete said.

"Really?" she asked, and set the controls as he had explained. The left engine ground, coughed, and came to life.

"Let it warm a second, until it smoothes out, then get off

FULL RICH, and when you see Enrico is ready with the extin guisher, start the right engine."

A minute later, she looked at him happily.

"El Palomar, Lockheed Zebra Eight Four Three," Clete said, "on the tarmac in front of the terminal. Request taxi and takeoff, visual flight rules to Pila."

Dorotea looked at him curiously.

He pointed to her microphone.

She smiled and picked it up. "El Palomar, Lockheed

Zebra Eight Four Three," Dorotea said into it, "on the tarmac in front of the terminal. Request taxi and takeoff, visual flight rules to Pila."

A long moment later, the tower replied, disbelief evident in the man's voice.

"Say again, Senor?"

"That's Sefiora, Senor," Dorotea said. "I say again, Lock heed Zebra Eight Four Three on the tarmac in front of the terminal. Request taxi and takeoff, visual flight rules to Pila."

There was an even longer wait for El Palomar's reply.

"Zebra Eight Four Three, make a left turn from your parking position. Take Taxiway Left Four to Runway Two Eight.

Report when you are on threshold of the runway."

"That's enough instruction for one day," Clete said, and took Dorotea's microphone from her hand to reply to the tower. There was a look of disappointment on her face.

Enrico put his head in the cockpit. "Ready, Senor Clete."

"I'll tell you what, baby, when we're ready to go, put your feet on the pedals and your hands on the wheel, and follow me through."

"Really?"

"Really."

She smiled at him.

What the hell, Amelia Earhart was a pretty good pilot, and women are ferrying everything up to B-17s from the fac tories. There's no reason she can't be taught to fly.

[ ONE ]

Estancia Santo Catalina

Near Pila, Buenos Aires Province

1530 12 June 1943

The wedding of Senorita Alicia Carzino-Cormano to Major

Freiherr Hans-Peter von Wachtstein posed many of the same problems as the wedding of Senorita Dorotea Mallin to

Senor Cletus Howell Frade… and also some additional ones.

For one thing, the thatch roof was in bad shape on La

Capilla de Santo Catalina, which (like La Capilla Nuestra

Senora de los Milagros on Estancia San Pedro y San Pablo) served as the parish church for its estancia. The roof had been up for twenty-five years, and was leaking. Though Dona

Claudia Carzino-Cormano had directed its replacement, until that was completed, a tent was used as a chapel to serve the workers.

When the need for the chapel for the wedding became known, that process was one-third completed-the old roof and its rotting supports had been removed. There was no way the repairs could be completed in less than a month, which was of course out of the question. As was a marriage ceremony in Buenos Aires. There was no time for that, either. A six-weeks-premature baby would be credible, while a three-months-premature baby would not.

As was to be expected, Senora Dorotea Mallin de Frade offered Estancia San Pedro y San Pablo's La Capilla Nuestra

Senora de los Milagros for the wedding, as well as whatever else Estancia San Pedro y San Pablo had to offer.

Dona Claudia accepted the offer of the chapel but not the

Casa Grande. Her daughter would have her wedding recep tion in her own home. That was only fitting. Furthermore, a reception in Dorotea's Casa Grande would be awkward.

Clete might agree to entertaining the Germans, but he would not like it; and Clete, like his father, was unpredictable when forced to do anything he didn't want to do.

It was in fact not at all easy for Claudia herself to be charming to the Germans, for she agreed with Cletus that they had been responsible for the murder of Jorge Guillermo