The Honor of Spies

"You will get to meet the others later," she went on. "For now get yourselves settled. You know where to go. Sister Monica, you will decide who goes on duty now. When you have done so, and your selection is settled, send her to the apartment. If Father and I are inside, wait for us to come out." She turned to Father Welner. "Are you ready, Father?"

"Yes, Reverend Mother."

With that they all marched out of the library.

Clete smiled.

"I'm almost afraid to ask, darling," Dorotea said. "But what are you thinking?"

He grunted. "When I was in Los Angeles just now, I heard that since February there have been women in the Marine Corps. I was thinking that Mother Superior would make a fine gunnery sergeant."

"What the hell, Clete," Sawyer said. "Why not? They've had women in the Army and the Navy for a long time."

Frade began, very cheerfully, to sing to the melody of "Mademoiselle from Armentieres": "'The WACs and WAVEs will win the war, parlez-vous. The WACs and WAVEs will win the war, parlez-vous. The WACs and WAVEs will win the war, so what the hell are we fighting for? Inky dinky parlez-vous.' "

Sawyer laughed. Dorotea glared at him and asked, "How much of that wine have you had?"

"Not as much as I'm going to," he said, and reached for another bottle of Don Guillermo Cabernet Sauvignon 1917.

Mother Superior returned much sooner than Frade thought she would, this time trailed by Father Welner, Oberstleutnant Frogger, and Herr Wilhelm Frogger. But no nuns.

"Enrico," she said, "I didn't know about Marianna until Cletus told me. I am so very sorry."

"Marianna and El Coronel are now at peace with all the angels, Mother," Enrico said. "I have avenged their murder."

" 'Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord,' " Welner quoted.

"I have avenged them," Enrico repeated.

Mother Superior changed the subject: "Frau Frogger--"

"Frau Fischer," Cletus interrupted her. "Fischer. There's nobody named Frogger here."

Mother Superior looked at him very coldly.

He met her eyes. "The name is Fischer. And make sure your nuns don't fo rget that."

"Cletus!" Dorotea started to protest.

Mother Superior stopped her with an upraised hand, then went on: "La Senora Fischer, in addition to what else might be troubling her, is not only exhausted but has apparently been beaten."

"That was after she tried to kill a woman with a fireplace poker," Clete said. "The woman she tried to kill didn't like it much."

"So Father Welner told me," Mother Superior said calmly. "She's lost a tooth and may require dental attention. We can deal with that if it becomes a problem. What she needs now is rest. Sister Monica will be with her overnight. If she awakens, I have prescribed--given Sister Monica--a sedative to give her. I'll try to talk to her tomorrow afternoon."

Staff Sergeant Sigfried Stein came into the library. When no one said anything to him, he announced cheerfully, "I bring greetings from Vint Hill Farms. We're up. And to the estancia."

"Good man," Frade said.

"You must be Major Stein," Mother Superior said.

Stein looked at Frade, who nodded.

"Yes, ma'am," Stein said.

"Both la Senora Fischer's husband and her son have told me that the very sight of you triggers feelings--uncontrollable feelings, irrational feelings--of rage in la Senora Fischer."

"I don't think she likes Jews very much," Stein said.

"And you are a Jew?"

"Guilty," Stein said.

"What is your first--I almost said 'Christian'--name?"

Stein looked at Frade again, and Frade nodded again.

"Sigfried," he said, not very pleasantly. "Jewish first name Sigfried."

"May I call you 'Sigfried'? Or would you prefer 'Major Stein'?"

"Siggie is what people call me," he said finally.

"Forgive me, Siggie," Mother Superior said. "I have to ask you this: Have you even done anything to her--said something cruel, or struck her, restrained her, anything like that?"

"No, ma'am," Stein said. "Never. Not that I haven't been tempted." He heard what he had blurted and quickly added: "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

Mother Superior made an It doesn't matter gesture with both hands.

She said: "I thought I knew that when I looked into your eyes. You have very kind eyes. Siggie, if you're willing, you can be very important in bringing la Senora Fischer back to good health."

"Excuse me?"

"We don't have to get into the details now. I just need to know if you'd be willing to help."

Stein looked at Frade, whose face showed nothing.

"If it's all right with the major," Stein said finally, "then okay. I'll do what I can."

"It would help, Siggie," Frade said. "Having her craz . . . like she is now isn't doing us any good."

"Okay. Just tell me what you want me to do."

"I'll have to give it some thought," Mother Superior said. "Knowing that you're willing to help will be useful."

She turned to Delgano and Sawyer.

"And you are?"

They introduced themselves.

"What is that you're drinking, Cletus?" Mother Superior asked.

"Wine," Frade said. "They make it from grapes."