World War III

There were too many Gard Robertses in the military, Caffey had long believed. It was just his misfortune to be assigned to serve under one. He knew the kind of commander Roberts was and, by his manner, Roberts knew he knew. That they understood each other made for an awkward reception. They were polite, but their courtesies veiled an underlying acrimony neither of them could deny.

“This was very kind of you, General,” Caffey was saying. They were standing near Roberts’s wet bar, each with a drink. The cocktail party had broken up into small groups. A private in cook’s whites passed with a tray of hors d’oeuvres. Except for the uniform, Caffey had done this less than twelve hours ago.

He appreciated it even less.

“Delete the ‘General’ tonight, Caffey. You have the rest of your tour for that.” Roberts was uncomfortable and slightly inebriated. He seemed unsure how he should handle his new deputy commander. “Enjoy yourself.”

“I think I’d call you General if I ran into you in a Juneau whorehouse, General. It’s a habit that’s hard to break.” Caffey tried to smile. He hated this ridiculous chitchat.

“Careful of your references, Caffey,” Roberts said, half severely. “Don’t want the ladies to get the wrong impression.” He laughed too loudly.

Caffey nodded. Jesus Christ, he thought.

Mrs. Roberts introduced herself again and offered Caffey an appetizer. She was slightly taller than her husband with a more intelligent face. She’d also had a few more drinks.

“It’s so nice to have you, Colonel Caffey. Is your wife coming soon?” She leaned against her husband slightly for support.

“Not right away, I’m afraid, Mrs. Roberts.”

“Oh, call me Clare, Colonel.”

Caffey imitated a smile, “Clare.”

“Did you get the flowers?”

“Yes. They’re beautiful.”

“I grow them, you know. I have—”

“I don’t think Caffey has a great abiding interest in flowers,” Roberts said impatiently. “Anyway, I want some time with him.”

Caffey saw the tiny flicker of hurt in her eyes, but it passed. She’s used to it, he thought. He wondered what it was like to live with a man like that — the pompous sonofabitch. Then he thought it probably wasn’t much different from what Nancy had to endure.

Clare moved off after gracefully detaching herself from them and Roberts motioned Caffey to a corner of the living room under a color photograph of himself in a dress uniform.

“Caffey, we have a very smooth operation here. That’s how I want it to stay — smooth.”

“I’m all for that, General.”

“I want you to know that I didn’t ask for you here.”

Caffey nodded. “I appreciate your directness.”

“This isn’t the 81st Airborne. We do things differently up here. That means you do what I tell you to do when I tell you to do it. I don’t like initiative, Caffey. Initiative is disruptive. You’re deputy brigade commander, and I emphasize the deputy. Is that plain enough to you?”

“Loud and clear, General.”

“Good.” Roberts let out a sigh. He even smiled. “You can make full bird colonel with me, Caffey, if you don’t rock the boat. It’s not a flashy command, but it is visible to the Pentagon. If you’re smart, that should be important to you.”

“Doing my job is what’s important to me, General.”

“Just remember our little talk. I—” Something caught Roberts’s eye. He looked up over Caffey’s shoulder and smiled broadly, gesturing with his hand. “Now, there’s an officer that stands out in this man’s army.”

She’d just entered and her cheeks were pink from the cold. Several officers greeted her. Mrs. Roberts took her coat and offered her an appetizer. She was in uniform. The rank was major now, up from second lieutenant six years ago.

“Katie,” Caffey said softly, almost stunned.

“You know Major Breckenridge?” Roberts said.

“I knew her.” He set his drink down. “Norfolk. She was the youngest instructor attached to the Code and Cipher School.”

“She’s my S-2 chief now,” Roberts said proudly. “Best damned intelligence officer I’ve ever had. And ambitious. Wainwright is just a pit stop for her.”

Caffey nodded. “So was Norfolk,” he said under his breath.

She made her way through a tangle of officers to where Roberts and Caffey stood. Her eyes never left Caffey. “Hello, Jake,” she said when she was near enough to touch him. The general might as well have been invisible. “Long time.”

Caffey nodded. “Long time.”

For several seconds neither of them spoke. They just stared at each other. Finally, Roberts interrupted with a bright observation.

“So, you know each other, do you?”

Major Breckenridge broke away first. She gave the general a dazzling smile. “Yes, General. Maj — I mean, Colonel Caffey was one of my first students at Command and Staff. I was just out of the Point, and my first duty was teaching field-grade officers theory on the new PRC-82 intelligence coder.” She shook her head and glanced at Caffey. “It was a little intimidating, a brand new second luey surrounded by all that brass.”

“You got over it, I hope,” Caffey said.

“More or less.” She turned to Roberts. “I could use a drink, General. Where do I drop my quarter?”