The Honor of Spies

Casanova Peron will be out of Buenos Aires and in no position to do anything about stopping what's going to happen to his beloved godson, Don Cletus, in case he should hear about it--and if he was here, that would possibly, even likely, happen.

And once Juan Domingo takes possession of Estancia Puesta de Sol--which he will if Evita has anything to say about it, and she will--I'll have him in my pocket. There's no way he could satisfactorily explain how, on his army pay, he came into possession of an estancia worth half a million pesos from a man who died years ago in a car crash.

"I'll look in the book for the number, darling," Evita said. "And then you can call about the tickets."

"Can I make anybody another drink?" von Deitzberg asked.

"Oh, yes, please," Evita said. "It's a celebration, isn't it?"

XVI

[ONE]

Casa Montagna

Estancia Don Guillermo

Km 40.4, Provincial Route 60

Mendoza Province, Argentina

0430 16 October 1943

After failing to do so with several gentle nudges, Dona Dorotea Mallin de Frade awakened her husband by jabbing her elbow into his side.

Startled, he sat up and looked down at her.

"Why don't you go get Mother Superior?" Dorotea asked.

"Is something wrong?" Clete asked.

"No. I just want to start my catechism lessons a little early today. Right after that, I'm going to have a baby. Go get her, goddamn it, Cletus!"

"Oh, shit!"

He jumped out of bed, hastily pulled on his trousers, and ran out of the room.

"You're not needed in here, Cletus," Mother Superior said. "Go find something useful to do. Perhaps you can come back later."

Don Cletus Frade had been deep in thought as he watched Mother Superior and her crew--Sister Carolina, the huge nun whom Clete thought of as Mother Superior's sergeant major; Sister Monica; and two others whose names he didn't know--start turning his bedroom into what was obviously going to be the delivery room.

"Excuse me?"

"I said get out. Go find something useful to do."

"Like what?"

"Prayer comes to mind."

He looked at her for a moment, then left the room.

What the hell, why not?

God, if anything bad is going to happen, make it happen to me, not Dorotea or her baby. Our baby.

Thank you.

[TWO]

Aeropuerto Coronel Jorge G. Frade

Moron, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

0835 16 October 1943

SAA Chief Pilot Gonzalo Delgano stepped outside the passenger terminal and watched SAA Flight 455, one-stop Lodestar service to San Carlos de Bariloche, take off, desperately--and futilely--hoping that a red warning flag would appear on the instrument panel, causing the pilot to return to the field.

When that didn't happen, he went into his office in the passenger terminal, picked up the telephone, and dialed a number he had been dialing at least once every five minutes since seven o'clock.

"Extension 7177," a male voice answered.

"Is he there? Or do you know--"

"He's here, Major," "Suboficial Mayor" Jose Cortina said. "Hold on."

Delgano heard, faintly: "It's Delgano, Coronel."

El Coronel Alejandro Martin came on the line: "What's so important, Gonzalo?"

"Coronel, von Deitzberg, that blond German woman from Uruguay, el Coronel Juan D. Peron, and some other blond woman by the name of Duarte just took off for Bariloche. I didn't know whether to stop them or not. I tried to--"

"Peron and von Deitzberg--all of them--were traveling together?" Martin interrupted.

"Yes, sir. I heard about Peron going when I came in this morning. He called last night and said he needed four seats even if that meant taking somebody off the plane."

"When's the next flight out there?"

"At half past one."

"Hold four seats on that. Six. Cancel the flight."

"That won't be hard. It may not go anyway."

"What?"

"It's undergoing maintenance. They may not be finished in time. If they can't leave at half past one, they get into San Martin de los Andes too late. The runways there are not lit. We're working on it, but . . ."

"Is there any other way to get there in a hurry?"

"No, sir."

"You're going to be at the airport?"

"Yes, sir."

"Stay there. I'll get back to you."

[THREE]

Circulo Militar

Santa Fe 750