W. IV - Honor Bound 05 - The Honor of Spies

"And why would Senorita de Carzino-Cormano want to do this?" von Gradny-Sawz challenged.

"Open your eyes, for God's sake, Gradny-Sawz," Cranz said. "She looks at von und zu Aschenburg like he gives milk." He smiled at von und zu Aschenburg. "I was about to commend you for being willing to make any sacrifice for the cause, Aschenburg, but then I thought that your . . . charming . . . the lady isn't really going to be that much of a sacrifice, is it?"

"May I suggest I know the lady better than you do?" von und zu Aschenburg said. "But I really would like to get a look at one of those airplanes."

"I wish she were as interested in me as she is in you," Cranz said. "I would happily make the sacrifice you're implying."

There was dutiful laughter.

"Go ahead," Cranz said. "What have you got to lose?"

"As a gentleman, I obviously must decline to answer that question," von und zu Aschenburg said.

"With your permission, Exzellenz?" von Wachtstein asked.

"Let me know how it comes out," von Lutzenberger said.

Von und zu Aschenburg and von Wachtstein left, closing the door after them.

Cranz got up, walked to the door, locked it, and then went back to the conference table.

"May I have another look at that, please?" Cranz asked.

Von Lutzenberger handed him the letter that had been inside the manila envelope, the only thing that the diplomatic pouch had held.

"Von Wachtstein knows nothing of this, right?" Cranz asked. "You didn't let anything slip, Gradny-Sawz?"

"Of course not."

"And Boltitz?" Cranz pursued.

"No, he doesn't know anything about this. The only people who do are in this room, plus of course Raschner."

"I want it kept that way," Cranz said. "And your covert identity arrangements . . . Everything is in place?"

"Including, as of yesterday, a nice flat--two servants included--in a petit-hotel at O'Higgins 1950 in Belgrano."

Cranz nodded and said: "So all that remains is to see Oberst Peron, to get those Mountain Troops to provide security on the beach, and to move the special shipment and the SS guard detail to San Martin de los Andes. The latter may pose a problem."

"How so?"

"The incident at Frade's house upset Oberst Peron," Cranz said. "But I think I can deal with him."

[THREE]

Apartamento 5B

Arenales 1623

Buenos Aires, Argentina

1750 24 September 1943

El Coronel Juan Domingo Peron was in uniform, but his tunic was unbuttoned and his tie pulled down, when he came out of his apartment onto the elevator landing. He was not smiling.

"Commercial Counselor" Karl Cranz was not surprised. The portero in the lobby of the building had told Cranz--as he obviously had been instructed to do--that Peron was not at home, and it had been necessary to slip him ten pesos--and, when that didn't work, ultimately fifty--before he was willing to forget his instructions and telephone Peron's apartment only when Cranz was on the elevator and it was too late to stop him.

"Mi coronel," Cranz said as charmingly as he could, "please believe me when I say I would not intrude on your privacy were it not very im - portant."

Peron did not reply to that directly. Instead, he said, "I didn't know you knew where I lived, Cranz."

"I went to the Frade house on Libertador, mi coronel . The housekeeper told me."

That was not true. The housekeeper in the Frade mansion across from the racetrack on Avenida Libertador had--and only reluctantly--told him only that el Coronel Peron no longer lived in the mansion and that she had no idea where he had moved.

It had cost Raschner two days of effort and several hundred pesos to get the address, which came with the information that he was sharing his new quarters with his fourteen-year-old "niece."

"That woman has a big mouth," Peron said unpleasantly.

" Mi coronel, I have to have a few minutes of your time," Cranz said.

"Why?"

"Another special shipment is about to arrive. We need your help."

The news did not seem to please Peron.

"Wait," he ordered curtly. He turned and went back into his apartment and closed the door.

Cranz instantly decided he was going to give Peron three minutes--180 seconds--to reopen the door before he pushed the doorbell. He looked at his wristwatch to start the timing.

One hundred and seventy seconds later, Peron pulled the door open and motioned for Cranz to come into the apartment.

Cranz found himself in a small foyer. Three doors--all closed--led from it. The only furnishing was a small table with a lamp sitting on it, and a squat jar holding two umbrellas.

"Well?" Peron asked.

"We had word from Berlin today--there was a Condor flight--giving the details of a new special shipment," Cranz said. "We need your help again; el Coronel Schmidt and his Mountain Troops."

"The last time I had the Mountain Troops 'help' you, Cranz, at Tandil, it was nearly a disaster. It was a disaster, and it could have been much, much worse."

"You're a soldier, mi coronel . You know as well as I do that things sometimes get out of hand. The SS officer who let things get out of hand at Tandil paid for it with his life."

" I almost paid for his letting 'things get out of hand' with my life," Peron said.

"It was a very bad situation, mi coronel . We cannot ever let something like that happen again."

"No, we can't. If you came here to suggest that I be anywhere near where the special shipment will be landed, or have anything to do with it, I must disappoint you."

" Mi coronel, it was not my intention--everyone recognizes how important you are to all those things we are trying to do, and that we would be lost without you--to suggest that you go to Samborombon Bay, or that the Mountain Troops go to the beach. We are prepared to handle the landing operation ourselves.

"But what I was hoping is that you would see the wisdom of authorizing another 'road march exercise' for Schmidt's Mountain Troops. In addition to the special shipment, there will be another SS security detachment. An officer and ten other ranks--"

"To be taken to San Martin de los Andes, you mean?"

"And we realize that both you and el Coronel Schmidt have expenses"--Cranz took a business-size envelope from his pocket and extended it to Peron--"which we of course are happy to take care of."

After a moment, Peron took the envelope and glanced inside. It was stuffed with U.S. one-hundred-dollar bills.

There were 250 of them, none of them new. They had come from the currency in the special shipments. The $25,000 in American currency was equivalent to almost 100,000 Argentine pesos, a very substantial amount of money. And American dollars were in demand. German Realm Marks had virtually no value in the international market.

For a moment, Peron appeared to be on the verge of handing the dollar-stuffed envelope back to Cranz.

"You will handle the landing operation itself?" Peron asked. "You can do that?"

"I believe we can, mi coronel . But looking at the worst-case scenario: Even if something went terribly wrong on the beach, this would not involve the Mountain Troops at all. They wouldn't be anywhere near the beach."

Peron considered that for a moment.

Then he slipped the envelope into his right lower tunic pocket. The deal had been struck. The Mountain Troops would take the special shipment and the SS men to San Martin de los Andes.