The Honor of Spies

There was silence for a full sixty seconds.

Finally, Rawson said, "If you have any suggestions as to how your scenario might be averted, Inspector General, I'd like to hear them."

Nervo nodded. "You prepare three orders, Senor Presidente. The first one orders Schmidt to immediately return to San Martin de los Andes. El Coronel Wattersly and I personally hand this order to el Coronel Schmidt--"

"How are you going to do that? You're here, and he's . . . where exactly?"

"El Coronel Martin has ordered SAA to hold an SAA Lodestar for us, Senor Presidente. We would fly to Mendoza, find out where Schmidt is, and drive there."

Rawson nodded. "And if Colonel Schmidt chooses to ignore the order?"

"Then we hand him the second order, which relieves him of command of the 10th Mountain and orders him to consider himself under arrest pending court-martial for disobedience of a lawful order. The same order appoints Edmundo to assume command of the 10th Mountain, which he then orders to return to San Martin de los Andes."

"And if Schmidt refuses to acknowledge the second order?" Rawson asked.

"Then I will kill him," Nervo said.

"Whereupon el Coronel Schmidt's loyal--loyal to him--officers will kill you. Kill you and Wattersly. Have you considered that?"

"That possibility has run through my mind," Nervo said.

"You said three orders," Rawson said.

"The third order is to el Coronel Peron. It is for him to report to you immediately in person here in Buenos Aires."

"Two questions there, Inspector General," the president replied. "First, how would you get this order to Coronel Peron? And what makes you think he would obey it?"

"My deputy, Subinspector General Nolasco, will be on the Lodestar, Senor Presidente. After it drops Edmundo and me off in Mendoza, it will take him to San Martin de los Andes, where Peron will already be under surveillance. He will give the order to Peron and then offer to fly him to Buenos Aires in the Lodestar, which will leave for Buenos Aires just as soon as Nolasco concludes the business--unspecified--he has in San Martin. If Peron gives him any trouble, or makes any effort to contact Schmidt, he will be arrested."

"And then what?"

"That's as far as I got, Senor Presidente," Nervo said.

"Anyone else have anything to say?" Rawson asked.

"Senor Presidente . . . ," Wattersly began.

"Hold it a second, Edmundo. Let's follow the practice of asking the junior officers first. Bobby? What have you got to say?"

"Mi general, I'm your aide-de-camp, a capitan . . ."

"Who is in this mess up to his nostrils. Tell me what you think of the inspector general's proposal."

"The only thing I was thinking, sir, was two things. The first was that if we had the Piper Cubs you say the Husares de Pueyrredon has sent to Mendoza, they would be useful to find el Coronel Schmidt."

"Good idea!" Rawson said. "And?"

"If the president would give me permission to accompany Inspector General Nervo and el Coronel Wattersly when they go to meet el Coronel Schmidt, I think it would lend weight to their position. If I was there, your aide-de-camp, el Coronel Schmidt . . ."

"If I sent you with these two, Bobby, what would happen would be that all three of you would be shot to death," Rawson said. He turned to Martin. "Okay, Martin, what have you got to say?"

For fifteen seconds Martin almost visibly formed his reply.

"I was thinking--I realize this might be construed the wrong way; that I'm trying not to go out there--I would be of more use staying here in Buenos Aires with you, Senor Presidente. If things go bad when Edmundo and Santiago meet Schmidt, or with el Coronel Peron when Subinspector General Nolasco goes to San Martin to deal with him, I think it would be useful for you, sir, to have at your side at least one man whose loyalty to you is known."

"In other words, you would prefer to be shot against a wall here with me than on some country road with Edmundo and the inspector general. Is that what you're saying?"

Nervo laughed. Rawson gave him a dirty look.

"Well, you'll be with me, Martin, but in Mendoza, not here," Rawson said. "Now, here's what's going to happen: just about everything Nervo proposed, with one major exception. Edmundo is going to stay here at the Edificio Libertador, and I'm going to meet with Schmidt wherever the Husares de Pueyrredon's Piper Cubs find him.

"I am going from here to the Edificio Libertador, where I am going to get on the military telephone to el Coronel Pereitra of the Husares de Pueyrredon. I am going to order him to move--immediately, in secrecy--his regiment to Mendoza, in three stages. First the observation aircraft, second the Immediate Reaction Force, and then the balance of the regiment.

"I am then going to dictate and have typed the orders Inspector General Nervo suggested that I issue. Then I am going to Aeropuerto Jorge Frade and get on the airplane Martin ordered them to hold for him and fly to Mendoza."

"Senor Presidente, everyone will know you've left Buenos Aires," Martin protested.