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

"They're at Casa Montagna," Frade said.

"Good God! Another bloody complication!" Wattersly exclaimed.

"Excuse me?"

"Carry on with this, Alejandro," Wattersly said. "I'll pick this up later."

"Well, as I was saying, von Gradny-Sawz invited me to lunch a couple of weeks ago at the ABC on Lavalle. During lunch, he just about asked for asylum, and told me that they--specifically el Senor Cranz, who is the commercial attache at their embassy and, until von Deitzberg got off the U-boat, was the senior SS man in Argentina--intended to kidnap Senora Pamela de Mallin, Cletus's mother-in-law, her son, and possibly Senor Mallin, and exchange them for the Froggers. He said something to the effect that he was 'morally offended at the involvement of an innocent woman and her fifteen-year-old son in this sordid business.' "

"Alejandro, I put Pedro on that," General Nervo said. "He had a talk with one of our more prominent kidnappers who said--and Pedro believes him--that neither he nor any of his friends had been approached, nor had he or they heard anything about kidnapping any of the Mallin family."

"And you believe that, Comandante?" Wattersly asked.

Nolasco nodded. "The man I talked to, Coronel, depending on what the general tells the court, is facing either five years or twenty-five behind bars. He is motivated to be as cooperative as he possibly can. And while we're on the subject, he volunteered the information that he's reliably heard that the assassination community is reluctant to work for our German friends, especially when that is connected with Don Cletus. They prefer to deal with people who don't shoot back . . . or at least don't shoot back as well as Don Cletus and Rodriguez do."

"Carrying that further," General Nervo said. "The people I have in the German Embassy have heard nothing about this kidnapping plot either. So what's it all about?"

Frade thought: So he has people in the German Embassy? Why don't I believe that?

Someone in his position would almost be expected to have "people" in the German Embassy.

But for some gut reason, I don't believe him. For one thing, it would be the last thing someone like him would volunteer without reason.

Martin shrugged and held both hands up.

"You're saying there never was a plan to kidnap my mother-in-law?" Clete asked.

"We're saying we don't know," General Nervo said. "If I were you, I wouldn't take your people off any of them. It's always easier to keep people than to get them back."

"Returning to Senor von Gradny-Sawz," Martin said. "Yesterday, he called to tell me that he had just spent several days with von Deitzberg, who was in Argentina covertly and using the identity of a deceased ethnic German-Argentine named Jorge Schenck; that von Deitzberg had told him that Hitler has personally ordered him to destroy South American Airways' new aircraft--"

"I want to hear about that," General Nervo said. "What the hell that whole thing is all about, as well as the plans to destroy the airplanes."

"--I misspoke a moment ago. Von Gradny-Sawz said that Hitler had personally ordered Himmler to have von Deitzberg 'deal with the airplanes.' "

"If you take that as being true," Wattersly said. "And I find it difficult to believe that Herr Hitler even knows about South American Airways. He has a pretty full plate before him at the moment. But if that is the case, one must then assume that Hitler knows von Whatsisname is here. And if that is true, one must assume that von Whatsisname is up to something important."

"Von Deitzberg," Martin said somewhat impatiently. "SS-Brigadefuhrer Ritter Manfred von Deitzberg."

"Thank you," Wattersly said politely.

"Von Gradny-Sawz also said that von Deitzberg told him he is to 'eliminate' the Froggers wherever and whenever found, and do the same to Don Cletus," Martin went on. "And then he told me that von Deitzberg was going to be on this afternoon's SAA flight to Montevideo."

"He's really being helpful, isn't he?" Nervo said. "What do you make of that?"

"Generally, I have the feeling that he's trying to ingratiate himself with me so that he can find asylum here. So far as von Deitzberg flying to Montevideo is concerned, I had the feeling--feeling only, nothing to back it up--that he would not have been distressed had von Deitzberg been arrested at the border."

"Why didn't you have him arrested?" Nervo asked.

"I want to arrest him--if it comes to that--for something more than having illegally entered Argentina. Blowing up airplanes, for example. Or hiring members of our criminal community to have another go at my friend Cletus."

Nervo grunted.

Martin went on: "The thought occurred to me that once I had arrested him, what would I do with him? The president would have to be informed immediately, of course. And he would have questions. 'How did he get into Argentina? ' I would then have the choice between pretending I had no idea--in other words, lie--or telling the president about U-405."

"Which would make the president then wonder both how you knew about U-405," Capitan Lauffer said, "and why you didn't arrest him on the beach at Samborombon Bay."

"And that would involve el Coronel Schmidt and his Mountain Troops," Nervo said. "And the German SS men who also came ashore, whom Schmidt took with him to San Martin de los Andes. And why didn't you arrest the lot?" He turned to Lauffer. "Tell me, Roberto, what would El Presidente do if this was laid before him? Seek the wise counsel of el General de Division Manuel Frederico Obregon, the director of the Bureau of Internal Security, to see what he made of it?"

"I'm afraid, sir, that's just what he would do," Lauffer said.

"I don't swim well with my hands tied," Nervo said. "So confiding in El Presidente doesn't seem to be an option."

"If SS-Brigadefuhrer Ritter Manfred von Deitzberg . . ." Wattersly began, and then stopped. "Was that right, Martin?"

"That was correct, Coronel."

". . . is the major problem, the solution seems obvious. Any suggestions, Rodriguez?"

Frade thought: What's he talking about? What obvious solution?

Certainly, he's not suggesting . . .

Enrico popped to his feet, came to attention, and barked, "If Don Cletus approves, mi coronel, the Nazi bastard will be dead before the sun sets tomorrow."

"Good chap!" Wattersly said.

"Let's see what the Nazi bastard is up to before we do that," Clete said evenly.

"But, my dear fellow, you heard what Alejandro said. What he's up to is blowing up your airplanes and then killing you and the Froggers, not necessarily in that order. I say nip the whole bloody thing in the bud."

"I'd like to see who he contacts here, people we don't know about," Frade said.

Nervo grunted.

"So would I," Nervo said. "We can always kill him later."

"Well, now that that's come up," Wattersly said, "I am a bit curious to see if he tries to contact Coronel Schmidt."

"The Mountain Troops guy?" Clete said. "I thought he was Juan Domingo Peron's good buddy."

"Not exactly, Old Boy," Wattersly said. "You're really not aware of the di chotomous feelings Erich has toward your Tio Juan?"

"That's Schmidt's name, 'Erich'?"

"Erich Franz Schmidt. His mother and mine are cousins," Wattersly said. He paused and looked between Martin and Nervo. "We're getting off the track a bit here, but I think he should hear this. Agreed?"

Martin nodded. Nervo said, "I agree."

"Erich believes--he's from Bavarian Roman Catholic stock; they tend to be devout and nonquestioning--that Stalin, Communism, embodies the Antichrist, and that Hitler and the Nazis are fighting on the side of God.

"He is not a fool. Foolish, sometimes, but not a fool. He fully understands that Juan Domingo Peron's fascination with Fascism and National Socialism is based not so much on religious conviction but on what's good for Juan Domingo Peron.