The Honor of Spies

"Garcia just told me there's been a message from General Nervo. An important person will arrive at El Plumerillo around two-thirty or three and suggests you be there."

"He say what important person?" Clete asked.

Nowicki shrugged.

"Maybe the general. And/or somebody else."

Clete looked at his watch.

"Well, I guess I better go change my shirt. Never meet an important person at an airport in a bloody shirt. Enrico, I can really change my shirt without help. Go get the Lincoln."

The Lincoln, two Gendarmeria Nacional Fords, and a truck were lined up in front of the house when Clete came out ten minutes later. Enrico was standing beside the Lincoln, holding the door open for Clete.

"With your permission, Don Cletus, I will not go. I want to have a look around the perimeter. You will not be alone." He gestured at the gendarmes. "And you will have more room in case there is more than one important person at the airport."

"Try not to fall down the mountain, Enrico," Clete said, and got behind the wheel.

[SEVEN]

Edelweiss Hotel

San Martin 202

San Carlos de Bariloche

1505 16 October 1943

"It is a great honor to have you in our hotel, Coronel Peron," the manager said, "and a pleasure to see you back so soon, Senor Schenck."

"I'm here privately," Peron said.

"We're thinking very seriously of buying a small estancia here," Evita said.

"Now, as I'm sure you can understand, we don't want that getting out," Peron said.

"I understand completely. You may trust my discretion and that of everybody in the Edelweiss."

"Thank you."

"How much trouble will it be to get my car from the garage?" Senor Schenck asked.

"I can have it at the door in five minutes," the manager said.

"Oh, good!" Evita said. "I'm so anxious to see this place!"

"I'd like to clean up a little . . . ," Peron said.

"Me too," Evita said happily. "My back teeth are floating, as they say."

Peron looked as if he wanted to choke her.

And she's not talking in that stilted language anymore. I suppose she figures she doesn't have to impress me with her culture now that we're all such good friends.

When Senor and Senora Schenck got to their room, she beat him into the bathroom and he waited impatiently for her to come out.

"Teeth no longer floating?" he asked sarcastically as he brushed past her.

"What does he see in her?" Inge said, ignoring it.

"I don't know, but I'm glad he sees whatever it is. With a little luck, I'll have his signature on that deed this afternoon--because of her."

When he came out of the bathroom, he went directly to the telephone and, consulting a business card, asked the hotel operator to get him a number.

"Senor Suarez, this is Jorge Schenck," von Deitzberg said. "I managed to convince el Coronel Peron to have a look at the property. I have reason to believe he'll like it. I'd like to strike, so to speak, when the iron is hot, by which I mean later today.

"What do you mean it'll take longer than that?"

Senor Suarez took forever to explain the bothersome details of completing such a transaction, the Argentine bureaucracy being what it was.

"Bribe somebody," von Deitzberg snapped. "Now, this is what I want done. I want you to be having a drink in the Edelweiss Hotel bar from five o'clock--make that half past four--until I get there.

"I will express surprise at seeing you, and I will tell you that I have been showing Peron Estancia Puesta de Sol, and one thing will lead to another and you will ultimately say something to the effect that there's no reason the deed can't be transferred right there in the bar if that's what he wishes to do."

Senor Suarez asked how sure could Senor Schenck be that Peron would want to do that.

"Trust me, he'll want to do that," von Deitzberg said. "You just be in the bar when we walk in."

[EIGHT]

El Plumerillo Airfield

Mendoza, Mendoza Province, Argentina

1505 16 October 1943

The first person to stand in the open door of SAA's Ciudad de San Miguel was Inspector General Santiago Nervo of the Gendarmeria Nacional. He took a quick look around, which caused the dozen gendarmes from the truck to pop to attention, then got off the airplane.

Next to get off, surprising Clete, was Capitan Roberto Lauffer, and then, surprising Clete even more, the president of the Argentine Republic appeared in the door and got off. He was followed by Subinspector General Nolasco, el Coronel Martin, and the Reverend Kurt Welner, S.J.

What the hell is he doing here?

Finally, two men in the powder blue uniforms of SAA pilots came through the door. One of them was Capitan Gonzalo Delgano. The other--obviously Delgano's copilot--he recognized but could not remember his name.