The Honor of Spies

"There will be a brief reply to this one. Alice, please write this down--not in shorthand--so that Colonel Raymond can take it back to Vint Hill, send it, and then burn it--repeat burn it."

"Yes, sir," Alice said.

" 'Pinocchio did not lie. Princeton didn't think you are as smart as you are. Use your best judgment. Keep me advised. Graham, Colonel, USMCR.' Read it back, please, Alice."

She did so.

"Now give it to Colonel Raymond to make sure he can read your writing."

"Yes, sir."

"I can read it fine, sir," Raymond said a moment later.

"Get that out immediately when you get back to Vint Hill Station, please."

"Yes, sir."

"That will be all, then, Colonel. Thank you."

"Yes, sir," Raymond said, came to attention, and saluted. Graham returned it. Raymond did a crisp about-face and marched out of the office.

When he was gone, Graham said, "Now that it's a done deed, I will listen to your comments."

"I don't think you had any other choice," Dulles said. "At the moment, we have absolutely no control over what Frade will do or won't do, even if we knew what to tell him to do."

"Great minds take similar paths," Graham said. Then he struck a match and, holding Frade's message to him over his wastebasket, set the message on fire.

[FIVE]

Casa Montagna

Estancia Don Guillermo

Km 40.4, Provincial Route 60

Mendoza Province, Argentina

1650 3 October 1943

Mother Superior had made it plain that she regarded Clete Frade's treatment of the mother of his unborn child as the despicable behavior to be expected of someone who had obviously inherited his father's insanity. But, aside from that, Mother Superior had been so cooperative that Clete suspected she had been given her marching orders from whoever in the hierarchy of Holy Mother Church had the authority to order a Mother Superior around.

One of the most important things she had done was to calm Senora Moller and Senora Kortig--and, as important, the children. She spoke fluent German, which made things easier.

"The first thing we have to do," Mother Superior told them, "is get you to speak Spanish, and the best way to do that, of course, is to get you in school. We run a bus up here every morning to take the children who live here to our school. It's inside the convent. And then, of course, it brings them home after school. Is there any reason, Don Cletus, they couldn't do that tomorrow?"

Frade thought, Translation: Would it be safe to do that?

Clete had looked at Inspector Peralta and saw that he was looking at Subinspector Nowicki, who after a thoughtful moment made a subtle thumbs-up gesture, which caused Inspector Peralta to nod in Clete's direction.

Translation: The Gendarmeria Nacional can and will protect the bus.

"I can't think of one," Clete said. "It sounds like a very good idea."

"And for the first few days," Mother Superior said, "I suggest that it would be a very good idea if Senora Moller and Senora Kortig came to school, too. Would that be all right?"

As long as I've got their husbands under my thumb here, why not?

"I think that would be a very good idea," Clete said.

"And now, so as to leave you gentlemen to your wine, I suggest that I take the ladies and the children to their apartments. I'll see what things they'll need for school, and answer any questions they might have."

"I think the fathers would like to be in on that," Clete said. "Would that be all right?"

"I think that would be a very good idea," Mother Superior said.

"Would you like to come along, Dorotea?" Mother Superior asked.

"What I think I am going to do is have a little lie-down," Dorotea said. "I'm tired from the flight."

Translation: I am now going to stand behind a partially open door and listen to what the men will say that they probably wouldn't say if I was in the room.

"Well, I can certainly understand why you're tired," Mother Superior said, flashing Clete an icy smile.

A minute later, Clete saw that the bar held men only. Stein was missing.

He's sitting on the SIGABA and waiting--probably in vain--for the graven-on-stone messages from Mount Sinai.

What was it Graham said about the more people knowing about a secret the less chance there is that it will remain a secret?