The Honor of Spies

"Weren't you listening when I said, 'somewhere where we won't be seen together'?"

"What I respectfully suggest, Mein Herr, is that when you see me come into the Cafe Colon and then leave, you leave yourself and follow me to a place where no one will see us together."

"Thirty minutes, Raschner," von Deitzberg said, and hung up.

It took nearly that long for von Deitzberg to find a taxi and then be driven to the Cafe Colon.

He had just been served a cafe con crema--which came with a little cup full of solid lumps of real cream, and a little spoon, which triggered the thoughts that Buenos Aires was really a beautiful city--indeed "The Paris of South America," as they said--and that the Colon Opera House was larger than the opera houses in Berlin, Paris, and Vienna; and that in 1939 Argentina was said to have the largest gold reserves in the world; and that all things considered--such as that Berlin was already half destroyed and the rest would certainly soon be--Buenos Aires was a pretty nice place in which to live--when Raschner walked through the door. He looked around the cafe long enough to spot and be spotted by von Deitzberg and then turned and left.

Von Deitzberg decided that appreciatively drinking his cafe con crema was more important than jumping up to join Raschner, and did so.

When he finally left the Cafe Colon, he saw Raschner standing near the corner but did not at first see Cranz. His temper flared until he spotted him standing on the corner of the street diagonally across from Raschner.

When he started to walk toward Raschner, Raschner crossed the street, walked toward Cranz and then past him, taking a gravel walk that ran diagonally through a small park.

Von Deitzberg saw that Cranz was now bringing up the rear. Raschner crossed another street and then entered the lobby of a building near the corner. As von Deitzberg approached the door, he saw that the Argentine version of a concierge was holding open an elevator door, obviously waiting for von Deitzberg. When he got on the elevator and turned, he saw that Cranz was about to get on.

Not a word or a look of recognition was exchanged as the elevator rode slowly upward, nor as Raschner opened it and stepped out to put a key into one of the two doors opening on the elevator landing.

Von Deitzberg and Cranz followed Raschner into the apartment.

Raschner popped to attention, his right arm shot out, and he barked "Heil Hitler!" After a moment, Cranz repeated the gesture.

Von Deitzberg returned the greeting casually without the "Heil Hitler!"

"What is this place?" he asked.

"It is the former Frogger apartment, Herr Brigadefuhrer," Cranz said.

"The name I am using is Jorge Schenck," von Deitzberg said. "Use that only, please."

"Jawohl, Herr Schenck," both Cranz and Raschner said, almost in unison.

"Senor Schenck," von Deitzberg corrected them.

"Jawohl, Senor Schenck," they said, together.

"I want to talk about those swine," von Deitzberg said. "But right now, I want a cup of coffee, with cream. And some sweet rolls. The voyage from Montevideo was tiring; I hardly slept, and my breakfast was inadequate."

"There's a cafe around the corner," Cranz said. "Actually, there's a cafe around every corner in Buenos Aires. But this one, the Cafe Flora, delivers."

"And the telephone is still operable?"

Cranz nodded.

"Then get on it, and have this Cafe Flora bring us some coffee with cream, real cream; make sure they bring enough, and some sweet rolls. Lots of both--what we have to discuss may take some time."

"Raschner," Cranz ordered, and pointed toward a telephone on the table.

"Herr Obersturmbannfuhrer," von Deitzberg said icily. "I told you to get on the phone."

Cranz's face flushed, but he walked quickly toward the telephone.

"The number is on the first page of that little phone book, Herr Obersturmbannfuhrer," Raschner said, helpfully.

"So, Erich," von Deitzberg said. "What can you tell me about the Froggers?"

"So what you are telling me," von Deitzberg said, "is that the Froggers may be on Frade's estancia or they may be in the foothills of the Andes, on another of Frade's estancias--no one knows for sure?"

"Oberst Schmidt is working on an idea to see if they are in Mendoza," Raschner said.

"And how close is Oberst Schmidt to putting his idea into play?" von Deitzberg asked.