"You're a pilot? An aviator?"

Cronley nodded.

"I don't remember seeing pilot's wings when I saw you in uniform at the Schlosshotel Kronberg," Parsons said. "And that raises another question in my mind. If you don't mind my asking."

"Ask away. Isn't that what this is all about? Finding out about each other?"

"Why is it you're not wearing your uniform now? I mean, isn't that civilian attire?"

"As a special agent of the CIC, I'm allowed to wear 'civilian attire' when I think it's necessary."

"But you're not a CIC special agent, are you?"

"Until January second, I am a special agent of the CIC, a.s.signed to the Twenty-third CIC Detachment," Cronley said, and then indicated Dunwiddie and Hessinger. "We all are."

"And on January second?"

"Then we will all be transferred to DCI-Europe. I would have thought General Greene or Colonel Mattingly would have explained that."

"It's not clear in my mind," Parsons said.

"And after that, you and the sergeant here will have to wear your uniforms?" Major Ashley asked. His tone of voice made it a challenge.

"Who told you Special Agent Hessinger is a sergeant?"

"You don't use the term 'sir' often, do you, Captain?" Ashley snapped.

"I guess I don't. Sorry. Blame it on the OSS."

"'Blame it on the OSS'?" Ashley parroted sarcastically.

"The OSS was-and I suppose the DCI will be-a little lax about the finer points of military courtesy," Cronley said. "My question to you, Major, was who told you Special Agent Hessinger is a sergeant?"

"As a matter of fact, it was Colonel Mattingly."

"I'm surprised. He knows better."

"My question to you, Captain," Ashley snapped, "is whether after Two January you will wear the prescribed uniform."

"After Two January the chief, DCI-Europe, will prescribe what DCI-Europe personnel will wear," Cronley said. "Right now, I don't think that will often be a uniform revealing our ranks to the world."

Ashley opened his mouth to reply. Cronley saw Parsons just perceptibly shake his head, which silenced Ashley.

Two waiters appeared and handed out menus.

They ordered.

"You understand, of course, Mr. Cronley," Colonel Parsons said, "that Major Ashley was understandably curious."

"Mister Cronley"? Was that a slip of the tongue?

Or is he being nice?

If he's being nice, why is he being nice?

"Absolutely," Cronley said. "Curiosity's a common affliction of intelligence officers, isn't it?"

"Absolutely," Parsons agreed with a smile. "My wife says, aside from my drinking, it's my worst character flaw."

Everyone laughed dutifully.

"Truth to tell, I'm a little curious about what you're going to do after Two January."

"Do about what, Colonel?"

"Identifying yourself, yourselves."

"To whom?"

"Hypothetical situation?"

"Why not?"

"You and Mr. Hessinger and Captain Dunwiddie-in civilian attire-are riding down the super highway here-what's it called?"

"The autobahn."

"The autobahn, in that magnificent German automobile Major Wallace drives . . ."

"The Opel Admiral," Dunwiddie furnished.

"Thank you. And, deep in conversation about how to repel the Red Threat to all we hold dear, you let the Admiral get a little over the speed limit. The ever-vigilant military police pull you over."

"Don't let it get around, Colonel, but your hypothetical situation actually happened several times to Colonel Mattingly."

"Really?"

"He was driving me from Kloster Grnau to Rhine-Main to catch the plane to Buenos Aires. In his magnificent German automobile, his Horch. Have you ever seen his Horch? That's a really magnificent car."

"I don't think I'd recognize a Horch if one ran over me."

"Between the monastery and Rhine-Main, the MPs pulled him over three times for speeding. The last citation was for going three times the speed limit."

"You're pulling my leg."

"No, I am not. Three times the speed limit is a hundred and seventy KPH, or a little over a hundred miles an hour-"

"Cronley," Major Ashley interrupted him, "why don't you let the colonel continue with his hypothetical?"

"Sorry," Cronley said. "Go ahead, Colonel."

"So there you are, by the side of the road, and the MP says, 'Sir, let me see your identification, please.' What are you going to do?"

"Follow the example shown me by Colonel Mattingly," Cronley replied. "Dazzle him with my CIC special agent credentials. Telling him I am rushing somewhere in the line of duty."

"But you won't have CIC credentials after One January," Ashley said.

"Oh, but I will."

"No, you won't," Ashley snapped. "You'll then be in the Directorate of Central Intelligence, not the CIC."

"I'm sure Colonel Parsons has his reasons for not telling you about that," Cronley said.

"Not telling him what about that?" Parsons asked.

"Now I'm in a spot," Cronley said. "Maybe this hypothetical wasn't such a good idea after all."

"What are you talking about, Cronley?" Parsons asked.

Not only am I no longer "Mister Cronley," but he's using the tone of voice lieutenant colonels use when dealing with junior captains who have done something to annoy them.

"Colonel, I'm just surprised that General Greene-and especially Colonel Mattingly, after all, he did tell you Hessinger is a sergeant-didn't tell you about this. But they obviously had their reasons. But what the h.e.l.l, they didn't ask me not to tell you, so I will."

Colonel Parsons gave Major Ashley another don't-say-anything shake of the head, but it was too late.

"Ask you not to tell us what?" Ashley snapped sarcastically.

Three waiters marched up to the table carrying their dinner.

Serving it was an elaborate ceremony, but finally everything was served and the waiters left.

I am now going to pretend I think the hypothetical is closed.

"Do you know the officers' clubs import this beef from Denmark?" Cronley asked. "It seems they're leaning over backwards to avoid any suggestion that the clubs are taking the best beef from the Quartermaster-"

"You were saying something, Mr. Cronley," Colonel Parsons interrupted him, "about General Greene not telling me something?"

"Right," Cronley said.

He paused before going on: "Oh, what the h.e.l.l. I don't want to be stuffy about this-G.o.d knows there's a h.e.l.l of a lot cla.s.sified Secret and Top Secret that shouldn't be cla.s.sified at all-but this is justifiably cla.s.sified . . ."

"Meaning you're not going to tell us?" Ashley asked, rather nastily.

"No, Major, I've decided you have the need to know about this, so I'm going to tell you. But I also have to tell you this is cla.s.sified Top SecretPresidential."

"You are aware, Cronley, are you not, that both Colonel Parsons and myself hold Top SecretPresidential clearances?" Ashley said, angrily sarcastic. "We're ent.i.tled to know."

Well, I finally got you to blow up, didn't I?

And I ain't through.

"What you and Colonel Parsons are ent.i.tled to know about the DCI, about Operation Ost, Major, is what I decide you have the need to know."

If that doesn't set Parsons off, nothing will.

Greatly surprising Cronley, it didn't.

"Warren, Mr. Cronley is right," Parsons said. "Why don't we let him tell us what he thinks we should know?"

I'll be d.a.m.ned.

But why is it that I don't think I've won?

"I'll tell you what I can, sir, about the DCI and the CIC," Cronley said. "The basic idea is, as you're fully aware, to hide Operation Ost from just about everybody who does not have a genuine need to know. Everybody, in this sense, includes the FBI and that part of the CIC engaged in looking for n.a.z.is. As well, of course, as just about everybody else."

"Admiral Souers explained that to me in some detail," Parsons said.

"Yes, sir, he told me that he had. But what he didn't tell you, and what General Greene apparently hasn't told you-and I really wish he had-and what I'm going to tell you now, is how the admiral decided the concealment could best be accomplished."

"And how is that?" Ashley demanded.

"Warren," Colonel Parsons said warningly.

Now Parsons's on my side?

What the h.e.l.l is going on?

"When Admiral Souers told me that, at his request, and with the President's approval, the Army was going to task EUCOM-CIC with the logistical support of DCI-Europe, I suggested to him that I'd like to use EUCOM-CIC for more than that."

"You suggested that you'd like?" Ashley demanded sarcastically.

"Warren, shut up!" Parsons ordered curtly.

Well, if nothing else, I really have Parsons's attention.

"I suggested to the admiral that we could conceal a great deal of DCI-Europe within the CIC," Cronley went on. "For example, if we let people think that the Pullach compound is a CIC installation, and that General Gehlen's people were being employed by the CIC to track down n.a.z.is . . ."

"But you're calling it the South German Industrial Development Organization Compound," Parsons said.

"Admiral Souers raised the same objection, sir. I suggested that if the Pullach compound was actually being used by the CIC as a n.a.z.i hunting center, they wouldn't put that on the sign. The sign would say something like the General-Bros Sd-Deutsche Industrielle Entwicklungsorganisation."

"Clever," Colonel Parsons said thoughtfully. "And, I gather, Admiral Souers and General Greene went along with your ideas?"

"Admiral Souers did. I don't think General Greene was unhappy with them."

"And, in any case," Parsons said, "what General Greene might think is moot, isn't it?"

"Colonel, I don't know this, but I think that if General Greene didn't like any of this, he would have told Admiral Souers, and I know the admiral would have listened. What I'm guessing is that General Greene didn't have any major objections."