W E B Griffin - Honor 2 - Blood and Honor

by Blood

  For another, when they approached the School of Naval Engineering, with-out really thinking about it, Clete began to move the Cub in a manner that would make the Cub a more difficult target for anyone inclined to shoot at it.

  For another, General Rawson's orders to Clete had been to land on the soc-cer fields adjacent to the School of Naval Engineering, "if possible." In his mind, he would evaluate the situation, the location of the opposing elements, and then authorize Frade to determine, as Step Two, whether he could safely land the airplane on the field.

  Clete took one look at the soccer field, decided it was obviously possible to land there-all the Navy weaponry, mostly light machine-gun positions, were emplaced to oppose the First Infantry's movement down Avenida del Libertador-and did so.

  By the time he taxied back to a takeoff position, three officers of the First Infantry-one of them had actually unsheathed his sword-galloped onto the soccer field to investigate the astonishing landing of an airplane.

  General Rawson climbed out of the Cub, discussed the situation with the officers, and issued his orders. After leaving a few men in place facing the Navy, the regiment would bypass the School of Engineering and resume its march down Avenida del Libertador.

  When they had moved far enough down Libertador so that simultaneous movement of the First Cavalry and the Second Infantry would bring both columns to the Casa Rosada at the same time, the First Cavalry and the Second Infantry would be ordered to resume their march.

  "I am now going to reconnoiter by air," General Rawson announced, "to as-certain the exact location of the First Cavalry and the Second Infantry."

  He then climbed back into the Cub.

  The First Infantry officers saluted and began to trot back to their troops.

  General Rawson laid a hand on Clete's shoulder, and Clete turned to look at him.

  "Is there any way we can communicate when we are up in the air?"

  Clete showed General Rawson the earphones and microphone-with which he had mistakenly believed General Rawson would be familiar-and Rawson put them on.

  "You may depart," Rawson ordered.

  Clete pushed the throttle forward and took off. Once they were airborne he started to look for the First Cavalry and the Second Infantry, which he had been told were stopped at Pueyrred¢n and Cordoba.

  "It will take twenty minutes for the orders to be passed and for the First In-fantry to make any measurable progress," Rawson announced over the inter-com. "Would it be possible, without extraordinary risk, to observe what's going on at the Casa Rosada?"

  "Yes, Sir," Clete said, and for the next twenty minutes Clete flew back and forth over Buenos Aires.

  As he flew down Avenida Cordoba he noticed a man in a strange uniform, and he was almost convinced it was Peter von Wachtstein. When they flew over Plaza de Mayo, they saw an overturned bus in flames, and he could see the faces of people inside Casa Rosada watching it burn.

  Twenty-five minutes after taking off from the soccer fields, General Rawson decided the First Infantry had moved far enough so that the First Cavalry and the Second Infantry could be ordered to resume their march.

  Clete flew down Avenida Cordoba again and dropped the order to the First Cavalry and the Second Infantry to get moving.

  Thirty minutes after that, as both columns converged onto the Plaza de Mayo, white flags-probably sheets, Clete decided-appeared in the windows of the Casa Rosada.

  "General, you want me to try to land down there? I'm a little worried about that burning bus. I don't know what debris's liable to be on the street."

  "You mean land in Plaza de Mayo?" General Rawson replied, a touch of in-credulity in his voice. And then, without giving Clete a chance to reply, he went on: "I think we should return now to Campo de Mayo. It would be more fitting if General Ramirez and I accepted the capitulation together and arrive at Casa Rosada together. By automobile. With a suitable escort."

  On the fifteen-minute flight back to Campo de Mayo, General Rawson pushed his intercom mike switch one more time.

  "I think I should tell you, my friend, that when your father talked about all the amazing things one could do with a small airplane, I was one of those who simply didn't believe him. How nice it is that his son should be the one to prove us all wrong."

  [THREE]

  The Officers' Casino

  Campo de Mayo

  Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

  1845 19 April 1943

  Teniente Coronel Alejandro Bernardo Mart¡n rolled up the curved driveway to the Officers' Casino in the chauffeur-driven official Mercedes assigned to the Chief of the Bureau of Internal Security of the Ministry of National Defense. During the day there had been well over one hundred proclamations issued in the name of the Governing Council of the Provisional Government of the Ar-gentine Republic. Of these, three personally issued by the President had a direct effect on Teniente Coronel Martin:

  El Almirante Francisco de Montoya, Chief of the BIS, had been relieved of his duties, placed on leave, and would be retired.

  Until a successor to Almirante de Montoya was named, Teniente Coronel Alejandro Bernardo Mart¡n would assume the duties of Chief, BIS.

  Teniente Coronel Alejandro Bernardo Mart¡n was brevetted Coronel until further orders.

  Coronel Juan Domingo Per¢n wanted Montoya dismissed from the service and placed under house arrest. But Mart¡n prevailed against him. Mart¡n argued before General Rawson and General Ramirez (who retained his post as Minis-ter of War) that Montoya had done his duty to Argentina as he had seen it and had taken or not taken a number of actions that had benefited the Grupo de Oficiales Unidos and the execution of Outline Blue.

  Mart¡n also refused permanent appointment as the Chief of BIS. The offer was colored, he believed, by emotion on the part of General Rawson, who would later come to regret his impulsiveness. He also believed the appointment of an-other admiral to the post would go a long way toward pouring oil on the troubled waters that now existed between the Argentine Armada and the Argentine Army.

  On the other hand, Mart¡n was rather sure that his brevet promotion to Coronel would be made permanent within the next few days. As a Coronel known to have both the ear and the gratitude of the President and the Minister of War, he would have no trouble dealing with the new Chief, BIS, no matter who that might be.

  The sandbag machine-gun emplacements in front of the Casino were still there, but the weapons and their crews were gone. So were the machine guns that had earlier been visible in upper-floor windows of the building, and the guards who had been stationed at the Casino's doors.

  General Ramirez was now back in his office at the Edificio Libertador- Mart¡n had just come from there-and the maps that had been hung in the early hours of the morning on the movable wall of the Main Dining Room were now hanging in the Situation Room in the Edificio Libertador.

  The Officers' Casino of Campo de Mayo was now just that again.

  Mart¡n marched through the door of the club-he was in uniform, still bearing the badges of a teniente coronel. Perhaps, he thought, there will one day be a brass plaque affixed to the wall, commemorating the use of the Casino as the headquarters of the coup d'‚tat. But perhaps not. It might be better not to have such an historical marker. It might be better if the coup d'‚tat, and the reasons for it, and the deaths of Argentine soldiers and sailors it caused, just faded from memory.

  As soon as he was in the lobby, he saw Major Cletus H. Frade, of the norteamericano Office of Strategic Services. Frade, who had obviously and un-derstandably been waiting for him, rose out of a leather-upholstered armchair and started walking toward him, closely followed by Suboficial Mayor Enrico Rodriguez, Retired.

  I wonder, Mart¡n thought somewhat unkindly, if the old soldier thinks Frade needs protection in the men's room and follows him in there ?

  "Ah, Mayor Frade," Mart¡n said, smiling and putting out his hand. "I un-derstand that you have been flying our new President around."

  "That was twelve hour
s ago," Clete said, "and since then I have been sitting around here with my..." He stopped himself just in time from completing the rest of the sentence that came to his lips; it had to do with the insertion of the short thick opposable digit of his hand into his anal orifice. He finished, "... nothing to do."

  Martin's smile faded but did not entirely disappear.

  "I don't know if there's dancing in the streets or not," Clete went on. "But I just heard General Rawson on the radio delivering a speech from the balcony of the Casa Rosada, which suggests to me the coup d'‚tat was successful."

  I know what's bothering him: his Sergeant Ettinger. I don't want to break that bad news to him here, like this.

  "And so it has been," Mart¡n said. "I was about to have a drink. I would be honored if you would join me."

  "I'm not sure I should have a drink," Clete said. "I might say something rude with just a little alcohol in me."

  "Please," Mart¡n said. "I will buy. It is a custom in our Army for newly pro-moted officers to buy drinks for their friends. And the invitation of course in-cludes you, Suboficial Mayor."

  "You got promoted?"

  "Are you all that surprised?"

  "No. Not at all," Clete said. "I didn't mean to be so..."

  "But you have been unable to understand why you have been... asked to stay here... when it became apparent that we have a new government?"

  "Yeah," Clete said. "And 'asked' isn't the word."

  He pointed to a major, still in field uniform, who was watching them.

  Mart¡n gestured for the major to join them.

  "Se¤or Frade, Mayor," Mart¡n said, "will no longer require your protection. You may consider yourself relieved of that responsibility."

  "S¡, mi Coronel," the Major replied, and then after a moment's hesitation offered his hand to Clete. "I hope, Se¤or, you can understand my position."

  "No hard feelings, Major," Clete said, taking his hand. "I know who gave you your orders."

  "I considered it necessary," Mart¡n said, acknowledging he had given the orders. "Not only because I wanted to have a word with you before you took off..."

  "It's too late to take off," Clete said. "I don't want to try to land that Lock-heed at Estancia San Pedro y San Pablo at night."

  "... but for other reasons as well," Mart¡n concluded. "Will you have a drink with me? I'll explain."

  "Yes, of course. Thank you. And congratulations, mi Coronel. It's a well-deserved promotion."

  "For saying that, I will buy you two drinks."

  He touched Clete's arm and propelled him to the bar, which was crowded with the successful members of the Revolution of 1943 not needed at the Edificio Libertador.

  "Would you bring us a bottle of Johnny Walker Black, please? And three glasses?" Mart¡n ordered.

  When it was delivered, he waved the barman away, poured the whiskey himself, and handed Clete and Enrico their glasses.

  "If you will indulge me further, gentlemen, I have three toasts to offer."

  "Don't take too long," Clete said.

  "To the new government of Argentina," Mart¡n said seriously.

  Clete raised his glass.

  "Hear, hear," he said.

  "To the officers and other ranks of the Argentine Armada and Army on both sides of this unfortunately necessary change of government who died for their country today."

  Clete's face showed that the toast surprised him, but after a moment he said, "Hear, hear," raised his glass, and took another sip of his whiskey.

  "And to Technical Sergeant David Ettinger, United States Army. I am very sorry indeed, Mayor Frade, to have to tell you that he also died in the service of his country."

  "Oh, shit," Clete said. He looked at his half-empty glass of scotch, drained it, and then looked at Martin.

  "When did that happen? How?"

  "Excuse me, mi Coronel," Enrico said. "Did you say Ettinger is dead?"

  "I'm afraid so, Suboficial Mayor," Mart¡n said, then looked at Clete. "I re-ceived the word just two hours ago. When the telephones to Montevideo were restored. Sergeant Ettinger's body was found on the beach at Carrasco two days ago. In the morning. He had been stabbed to death."

  Mart¡n saw that Clete's face was white, and his lips bloodless.

  With either pain or rage or both. This is not the time to tell him Ettinger was mutilated. Or how.

  "By party or parties unknown, right?" Clete asked bitterly.

  "My sources tell me the murder has all the marks of a killing for pay."

  "And we know who paid, don't we? That goddamned Goltz!"

  "'Goltz,' Se¤or Clete?" Enrico asked.

  "That German SS Colonel, Enrico. He ordered Ettinger's murder, and he got it. He's the same sonofabitch who ordered my father killed. I'll get that sonofabitch, somehow!"

  "I understand your feelings, Frade," Mart¡n said, "but it would help nothing if you took any-"

  "It would be unprofessional, right? Conduct unbecoming an intelligence officer? Well let me tell you, mi Coronel, if I ever get a bead on that Kraut sono-fabitch-and I'm damned sure going to try-I'll drop him in his tracks!"

  "A 'bead,' Se¤or Clete?" Enrico asked.

  "A 'bead'?" Mart¡n parroted.

  Clete, looking at the confusion on their faces, smiled.

  "I guess that doesn't translate into Spanish very well, does it?" he said. "In English-or American, I suppose-when you line your rifle sights up on a deer, you say you're 'taking a bead.' I guess it comes from the little brass balls the old Winchesters used to use for front sights; they looked like beads."

  "You shot many deer in the United States, did you?" Mart¡n asked.

  "Asked the professional intelligence officer, cleverly tactfully trying to change the subject," Clete said, smiling at him. "Don't worry, Martin. When I drop that sonofabitch, I will make a real effort to do it so you won't get in-volved."

  Mart¡n smiled at him.

  In Frade's shoes, I would certainly feel exactly the same way.

  "I ask you, my friend, not to act in haste or anger," Mart¡n said.

  "Is there any longer any reason I have to stay here?" Clete said, then smiled and added, "Asked the amateur intelligence officer, tactfully trying to change the subject."

  "The original reason I asked Capitan Delgano to... make sure you were available... was of course the possibility that the Lockheed would be needed."

  "That, I understood. But why until now?"

  "El Presidente considered for a while offering your aircraft to former Pres-idente Castillo and members of the former government. It would take them out of the country."

  "Oddly enough, I thought that might be it," Clete said. "I had a lot of time to think, you understand."

  Mart¡n looked at Clete, smiled, and shook his head.

  "In any event, former Presidente Castillo, and some others, have been placed aboard a boat in El Tigre which will take them to Uruguay. You are free to leave. With the gratitude of the government, and my personal gratitude."

  He offered Clete his hand.

  "Where will you go?" Mart¡n asked.

  "I don't know," Clete said. "What I'm wondering is how I will get any-where. I flew in here."

  "The least we can do for you is provide you with a car and driver," Mart¡n said.

  "How about a ride into Buenos Aires?" Clete asked. "I've got cars there. I want to make a telephone call...."

  "I took the liberty of telephoning Se¤orita Mallin-actually I spoke with her father-and told him that, although you were unavoidably detained, you were not in any danger."

  "Jesus H. Christ!" Clete said, and then added, thinking out loud: "That was damned nice of you."

  "It was nothing," Mart¡n said.

  He looked around the room, found the major who had been Clete's oh-so-courteous guard, and waved him over.

  "Mayor, I want you to find a car and a driver, and then escort Se¤or Frade anywhere he wishes to go in Buenos Aires."

  "S¡, mi Coronel."

  "Thank yo
u," Clete said. "I am free to take the airplane?"

  "Of course, but you said you..."

  "Tomorrow," Clete said, thinking aloud. "I'll have somebody drive me out here. Or, if I decide to go to the estancia, I'll fly a Cub here, pick up the Lock-heed, and worry about getting the Cub back later."

  "I will order Capitan Delgano to make himself available to you at your con-venience."