"What's the letter, sort of, say?" Lowell asked, then picked up on Oliver's hesitation. "Johnny, I hope you read it."

"Yes, sir. I thought maybe I should."

"So what's it say?"

"It's a list of people, name, rank, code name, who are going to Africa."

"Good God!"

"I think it's good stuff, sir. Things went very well with Rangio, because of Zammoro."

There was no reply for a long moment.

"I hate to interrupt your leave, Johnny, but I want the list, and I know Felter will. I was going to tell you to take it to Homestead Air Force Base-it's not far from where you are-and have them send it up here. But I really think I should talk to you both. Would it make things easier for you if I offered to buy lunch for the brides at the Homestead O Club at twelve-thirty or one?"

"We'll be there if you want us to, sir."

"I've got access to a T-37, but I don't like to fly into Ocean Reef in an Air Force airplane. And Geoff's got the Cessna at Bragg."

"I understand, sir. We'll be there at 1230."

The line went dead.

Johnny put the telephone back in its cradle and rolled onto his back.

" 'We'll' is who? And 'there' is where?" Liza asked.

She was standing in the bathroom door, naked and dripping.

"The little red 'line in use' button on the bathroom extension lit up," she explained, "and suspicious wife that you better understand I am, I wondered who my husband was talking to."

" 'We'll' is all four of us. Colonel Lowell wants to buy us lunch at Homestead AF Base."

Liza looked as if she was going to say something. Johnny worried what it would be.

What she finally said was, "Well, for reasons I can't imagine, I seem to have worked up an appetite."

She turned and walked back into the bathroom.

After a moment, Johnny swung his legs out of bed and walked after her.

[ FIVE ].

Officers' Open Mess Homestead AF Base, Florida 1220 7 February 1965 Lt. Col. Craig W. Lowell was waiting for them just inside the door.

Marjorie Portet went to him and kissed him.

"If you're here to tell us we don't get the ten days' leave, Uncle Craig," she said, "I'll kill you."

"You get the ten days-and probably more, if you ask for it," Lowell said.

"In that case, we're glad to see you," Marjorie said. "And thanks for letting us use your house."

"I just need a word with Johnny and Jack," Lowell said. He shook their hands. "Jack, have you had a chance to talk to your dad yet?"

"No, sir. He was leaving for Miami when we got to Ocean Reef. He said something about looking at airplanes."

"He's now the president of Intercontinental Air, Ltd., and I'm surprised he didn't tell you."

"He's probably saving it for dinner," Jack said.

"More than likely," Lowell said. "You said you have a letter for me, Johnny?"

"A letter and a bottle of champagne," Oliver said.

Jack handed him a paper bag with the champagne, and Oliver handed him the envelope from Rangio.

"Let's go in and get a table," Lowell said.

"These young officers and their ladies are whooping it up on leave," Lowell said to the waiter, "and thus will require something intoxicating. I'm unfortunately on duty, and iced tea will have to do."

"Now that I know I'm not going to have another abbreviated honeymoon," Liza said. "I think I would like something . . ."

"Champagne?" Lowell asked.

"Why not?"

"They probably don't have any cold," Marjorie said.

"Do you?" Lowell asked the waiter.

"Yes, sir, of course," the waiter said.

"The Air Force lives much better than we poor soldiers," Lowell said. "I would have thought your father would have told you that. Bring them a bottle of something nice. After we have a sip, we'll order."

"Yes, sir."

Lowell took the two typewritten sheets from Rangio's envelope and read them.

"You showed this to Jack?" Lowell asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Very interesting, where Rangio tells us our friend is," Lowell said. "Especially since this is the last word from our friends in Virginia, who appear to be a day late again."

He handed Jack a sheet of paper.

SECRETCentral Intelligence Agency Langley, VirginiaFROM : Assistant Director For AdministrationFROM: 6 February 1965 1805 GMT 6 February 1965 1805 GMTSUBJECT : GUEVARA, ERNESTO (MEMORANDUM #51.) TO: Mr. Sanford T. Felter Mr. Sanford T. Felter Counselor To The President Room 637, The Executive Office Building Washington, D.C.By CourierIn compliance with Presidential Memorandum to The Director, Subject: "Ernesto 'Che' Guevara," dated 14 December 1964, the following information is furnished:(Reliability Scale Five) (From CIA, Paris, France)SUBJECT is in Paris, staying at the Cuban Embassy. He is accompanied by (First Name Unknown) OSMANY; Emilio ARAGONeS; (FNU) PAPITO; and (FNU) MANRESA.SUBJECT visited the Louvre museum 1300-1630 Paris Time accompanied by an Antonio CARRIOOL, the Cuban Ambassador to Paris and an unknown official of the French Foreign Ministry.Tonight, he and his entourage, plus CARRIOOL, are scheduled to attend a formal dinner at the ChiCom Embassy.

Howard W. O'Connor HOWARD W. O'CONNOR SECRET.

Jack read it and handed it to Oliver, who read it and handed it back to Lowell.

Lowell folded it and put it into the Rangio envelope.

"I was going to carefully grill you about the Argentines," Lowell said. "To see if they were really on the team or just being charming. This makes that unnecessary, wouldn't you say?"

"I'm sure they're with us, sir," Oliver said.

"Sandy Felter will love this," Lowell said, tapping the envelope. "He'll send an FYI copy to the agency. You obviously made the right decision about Zammoro, Johnny. I think that will open a lot of doors."

"What decision about Zammoro?" Liza asked.

"I can't answer that," Lowell said. "And your husband can't with me sitting here. But I agree with Felter's observation that pillow talk is the one large hole in security that'll never get plugged."

"You're not going to tell us what any any of this is all about, right?" Marjorie challenged. of this is all about, right?" Marjorie challenged.

"Right," Lowell confirmed.

"Do we at least get to ask what happens next?" Marjorie asked.

Lowell thought that over.

"Okay," he said. "After you leave, you report back to Bragg. Several weeks after that-maybe as much as a month after-Jack goes to the Congo-"

"For how long?" Marjorie asked.

"You better count on at least a month, and maybe a month or two longer," Lowell said. "Which, I think I should point out, is a considerably shorter period of time than a tour in Vietnam."

"And Johnny?" Liza asked.

"For the time being, Johnny stays at Bragg. Then he goes wherever he's needed, either to the Congo or South America. Unless something unexpected happens, neither will be gone from Bragg for very long."

"Isn't something unexpected happening inevitable?" Liza asked.

"Like you and Johnny getting married after all?" Lowell replied.

The waiter ended the conversation by delivering the champagne.

[ SIX ].

Room 637, The Executive Office Building Washington, D.C.

1135 8 February 1965 "I didn't expect to see you," Colonel Sanford T. Felter said when Lieutenant Colonel Craig W. Lowell walked into his small office.

"I'm fine, sir," Lowell said. "Thank you very much for asking, sir. And might I inquire into the Colonel's all around well-being, sir?"

Felter did not reply.

"I'll settle for 'Hello, Craig,' " Lowell said.

"Hello, Craig. I didn't expect to see you," Felter said sarcastically, but there was a smile on his lips.

"What do we know new about our friend Ernesto?" Lowell asked.

"This just came in," Felter said as he opened a drawer in his desk, to come out with a sheet of paper.

SECRETCentral Intelligence Agency Langley, VirginiaFROM: Assistant Director For Administration Assistant Director For AdministrationFROM: 7 February 1965 1805 GMT 7 February 1965 1805 GMTSUBJECT : Guevara, Ernesto (Memorandum #52.) TO: Mr. Sanford T. Felter Mr. Sanford T. Felter Counselor To The President Room 637, The Executive Office Building Washington, D.C.By CourierIn compliance with Presidential Memorandum to The Director, Subject: "Ernesto 'Che' Guevara," dated 14 December 1964, the following information is furnished:(Reliability Scale Three) (From CIA Hong Kong)SUBJECT is reported to be in Peking for meeting(s) with Liu Chao Chi and other senior members of the Communist Party Secretariat.

Howard W. O'Connor HOWARD W. O'CONNORSECRET What's he doing in China?" Lowell asked when he had read it. "Whatever it is, it's not good news," Felter said. "The least that will happen is that the Chinese will provide arms. That's not good news."

Lowell grunted his agreement, then smiled.

"Well, for a change, I am the bearer of good news," he said, and tossed Rangio's envelope on Felter's desk.

"What's this?" Felter asked as he took the two sheets of paper from the envelope. He raised his eyes to Lowell when he had read it.

"I got it from Johnny Oliver yesterday in Florida. He got it the night before in Buenos Aires from one of Rangio's men, who got on their Aerolineas plane to tell them they had a free upgrade to first class." He paused. "And earlier that day, the day they left Argentina, Rangio went with them to Cordoba, showed them where Senor Guevara lived, was an altar boy, where he played soccer, and introduced them not only to Guevara's next-door neighbor, but to the SIDE guy in Cordoba and the chief of the Policia Federal for Cordoba."

"Sounds too good to be true. 'Beware of the Argentines bearing gifts'?" Felter said.

"Both Oliver and Portet believe the affection between Rangio and Zammoro is genuine."

"As a result of which Rangio will happily arrange a clear shot at Guevara for Zammoro? Or vice versa?"

"According to Oliver, Zammoro takes being an officer seriously. . . ."

"Hang around him, maybe it'll be contagious," Felter said. "How did you get up here, anyway?"

"In a T-37," Lowell said. "I have developed a close relationship with my Air Force peers at Strike. They let me fly their airplanes."

"I don't want to know how you've developed that close relationship, " Felter said, and chuckled, and then grew serious. "This Rangio/Zammoro thing really sounds a little too good to be true."

"Oliver said that when he 'counseled' Zammoro about not having told anybody about knowing Rangio, Zammoro said something to the effect that he had taken an oath before God to obey the orders of those appointed over him, and he would obey those orders . . ."

He paused and took a slip of paper and read from it: ". . . 'even if those orders are not to kill the Antichrist sonofabitch who has my wife in a cage on starvation rations.' "

"You wrote it down?"

"Johnny Oliver did, he wanted to remember it exactly. And he gave it to me."