The Honor of Spies

"Cletus, what did you do to your head?" Rawson asked, even before saying "hello" or embracing him.

"Like President George Washington, Senor Presidente, I cannot tell a lie. I passed out as Dorotea was giving birth to our son, and cracked my head on the floor."

He realized that was the first time he had ever used the term "our son," and the sound of it produced a strong and unexpected reaction: His eyes watered and his throat tightened.

"When did that happen?" Rawson asked. "The baby. Not your head."

"Just after noon, sir," Clete said.

"Well, then, I will be able to say I was among the first to be able to offer my congratulations. How is Dorotea?"

"Very well, sir. Thank you."

"And I will have the happy privilege of baptizing your son," Father Welner said.

First things first, right? Sprinkle my son with water before some heathen Episcopalian can get to him?

"I see the Pipers have yet to arrive," Rawson said.

"Pipers"? What Pipers?

"Excuse me, sir?"

"They should be here by now," Rawson said. "I ordered el Coronel Pereitra to send them immediately."

Rawson saw the confusion on Clete's face and explained to him what had happened, what orders he had issued, and what he hoped would happen.

The Pipers had not arrived when he had finished.

"Well, I don't intend to stand around here waiting for them; they'll arrive sooner or later," Rawson said. "What I think we should do now is send Subinspector General Nolasco to San Martin to deal with el Coronel Peron . . ." He stopped when he saw the look on Nervo's face.

"If, of course," Rawson said, more than a little sarcastically, "this meets with General Nervo's approval. Cletus, you would be surprised at how helpful General Nervo has been. One would think he went to the Military Academy and into the army instead of becoming a simple policeman."

"Actually, mi general," Nervo said. "I thought about going to the Military Academy, but I couldn't. My parents were married."

Father Welner, Subinspector General Nolasco, Capitans Lauffer and Delgano, and the copilot whose name--Garcia--Clete suddenly remembered looked horrified.

There was a hushed silence, broken only when Cletus chuckled and then laughed out loud.

"You think that's funny, Cletus?" Rawson asked, as if torn between indignation and curiosity.

"General, it's what reserve Marine Corps officers, like me, who didn't go to the Naval Academy, say to regular Marine Corps officers, who did."

"Mi general," Nervo said, "I should not have said that. It just slipped out. Apparently, I cannot handle my newfound freedom to say what I'm thinking without considering the consequences."

"General Nervo believes he is about to be thrown into the River Plate with his hands tied behind him," Rawson said. "And if he ever says something like that again to me, I'll throw him into the River Plate myself."

"And I will help, mi general," Capitan Lauffer said.

"Bobby," Frade said. "We call people like you 'ring knockers.' "

"A reference, no doubt, to a wedding ring?" Rawson asked.

"No. Naval Academy graduates wear Naval Academy rings. When someone who is not 'Regular Navy' says something they don't like, they knock their rings on a table, or whatever, to remind us amateurs that we are challenging regulars who went to the Academy and therefore know everything about everything and are never wrong."

"How interesting," Rawson said. "'People like you' would obviously include me. Your father, Cletus, had the odd notion that the Ejercito Argentino was making a serious mistake in restricting the officer corps to graduates of the Military Academy."

"Well, I have to agree with that, sir," Cletus said.

"Perhaps we are," Rawson said, his tone suggesting he didn't believe that for a moment. "So tell me, General Nervo, what--as an amateur--it is that you find wrong with my idea of sending Subinspector General Nolasco to San Martin to deal with Peron?"

"Sir, I don't think we should arrest Peron until we know more about his involvement in this," Nervo said. "Send Nolasco to San Martin to locate Peron and keep an eye on him, but not arrest him until he hears from you."

Rawson nodded but did not reply.

"General," Clete said. "We don't know if the Pipers will arrive--"

"I ordered el Coronel Pereitra to send them," Rawson said impatiently, then heard what he had said. "And if they don't?"

Clete said, "Even if the Husares de Pueyrredon's Pipers do arrive, we won't know if they'll work until I have a look at them. And without the Pipers, we're just pissing in the wind. Which means we're going to have to think of something else, like commandeering a couple of those."

He pointed across the airfield to hangars in which at least four privately owned Piper Cubs were parked.

"And what is your suggestion in that regard, Cletus?" Rawson asked.

"Send the general over there with me to commandeer those airplanes."