"Well, I've known Jimbo-call sign 'Limbo'-since he flew off-the-book ONI missions out of Miami," Stevens said. "He is a damn good guy. And damn bright. Stan is right that he misses absolutely nothing. I wonder what we can find out about this von Eckardt for him?"

"I don't know. But we have to try. It certainly looks like von Eckardt knows something that we needed to know yesterday. When Ike hears about this, we damn well better have some answers."

[TWO].

Palermo, Sicily 1320 31 May 1943 "No more screams, si?" Dick Canidy said to Andrea Buda as they stopped before the faded yellow door of the house. He put his index finger to his lips.

"Si," she said, nodding. To make it clear, she put her hand over her mouth.

Good. I wish I'd put my hand over your mouth in Palasota's office, Canidy thought as he pushed open the door and called out, "Apollo!"

"Andrea, calm down!" Jimmy Palasota had yelled in Sicilian over her screaming. "It's all right!"

It had taken some time to get her quiet enough so that Canidy could release her wrists and she would talk instead of scream. And then she had rattled off something in Sicilian as she waved her hands wildly.

"Jesus, Jimmy," Canidy said when she stopped and stood there catching her breath. "What did she say? All I recognized in that tirade was Frank and Tubes's names."

She glared at Canidy as Palasota translated.

"That she doesn't know where they are," Jimmy Skinny said. "And something about every time she sees you, someone in her family winds up missing."

"What the hell does that mean? I haven't done a thing to her family."

"Well, she made the point that Francisco is missing-"

"And so is Tubes!" Canidy interrupted. "They were working together, for christsake."

"-And, she said, they were with you shortly before you disappeared and then they did."

"If anyone is to be suspect here, it's her. She was with them-certainly with Tubes-long after I left here."

The last time that Canidy had seen Andrea Buda was when Frank Nola had brought her to Mariano's house, where Tubes Fuller had first set up MERCURY STATION. Nola had found her blocks away in Professor Arturo Rossi's home-disguised in Rossi's clothes-hiding from the SS, and convinced her she'd be better off at Mariano's. They learned that the SS was hunting her father, Luigi, because his fishing boat had left port the night that Canidy had blown up the cargo ship thought to hold the nerve gas. Shortly thereafter, with Rossi being smuggled to safety in Algiers, Muller had ordered two random fishermen tortured for the sabotage, and their bodies hung in the port by the burned pier.

Andrea's father and her twin brothers had avoided Muller's wrath-for the time being.

Palasota then said: "She also mentioned something about you letting the Germans machine-gun one of Francisco's crews."

Canidy's eyes darted between Jimmy Skinny and Andrea.

What the hell?

I knew Nola would repeat that story-but I didn't think that I'd turn out to be the bad guy in it.

"That is pure bullshit!" Canidy blurted. "What happened was we were under way, coming here, when we happened across an S-boat stopping one of Nola's fishing boats. The goddamn Krauts had the crew already lined up when we first saw them, and in almost the next moment they mowed down the crew. There was not one damn thing we could do but save ourselves." He turned to look at Andrea. "Frank saw that and knew that we later did sink an S-boat, maybe the same one."

Canidy looked back at Palasota. "Tell her that."

He did, and then Andrea studied Canidy for a long time.

Palasota then added something, ending it with, "Capiche?"

She then looked between Palasota and Canidy, and nodded.

"What did you just say, Jimmy?"

"What Francisco told me about you risking your life for our family and country. That you're doing it right now."

Canidy nodded.

"What was the cousin's name?" Palasota said.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

Palasota looked at Andrea and said what he wanted. All Canidy understood was "Nazi SS."

"Mariano?" she then said softly, looking at Canidy. Tears suddenly flowed down her cheeks. "I go."

"You really shouldn't," Canidy heard himself say. "Let Antonio or-"

"I go!" she repeated, this time angrily.

That is one tough young broad.

"Your English . . . it is getting better."

She nodded. "Tube teach me."

Yeah, I bet he taught you a thing or two.

Canidy led Andrea into Mariano's house, their feet crunching on the broken glass and plates. Andrea gasped at all the damage. Canidy closed the door then motioned for Andrea to wait in the kitchen. She nodded, then saw a straw whisk in the corner and started sweeping up small piles of debris.

There had been no response to Canidy's calling out, "Apollo!"

He looked around. The bicycle was where he'd left it. He listened carefully for a moment, then stepped around the bicycle, pulling out his .45 as he went.

"Apollo!" he called out again as he pounded up the wooden stairs.

He approached the top, turned to look toward the window-and saw John Craig van der Ploeg, still sitting on the floor, was bent over the makeshift radio table. The Sten and the empty K-ration box were on the floor beside him.

Canidy quickly scanned the room, noticed nothing unusual, then quickly crossed the floor.

He saw John Craig's torso slowly rising and falling, then heard his soft snores.

He's out cold.

Canidy put his .45 back in his waistband, then walked over, grasped John Craig's shoulder, and gently shook him.

John Craig awoke startled, groping around for the submachine gun as he sat bolt upright.

Then he realized it was Canidy.

"Damn it! You scared the crap out of me!"

"Welcome to my world. Hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror."

John Craig exhaled audibly.

"Actually," he then said, rubbing his eyes, "I'm glad you did wake me. I was having this really bad dream about that Luftwaffe transport. But instead of me shooting it down, it shot us up. Then I bailed out and as I popped my chute, the Giant circled back and came right at me. The last thing I saw was the pilot-who looked just like Mariano-screaming bloody murder. Then you woke me . . ."

Canidy grunted. "Either your bum foot must be making you delirious or you need to lay off those Peter Paul Choclettos."

"You find anything?"

"Yeah," Canidy said. "Jimmy Skinny's Whorehouse Hotel."

"What?"

After Canidy explained the connection, he looked over at the wireless.

"How about you? How goes it with the radio?"

"Good. On my third try, I got a hit on Mercury," he said, reaching into his coat and pulling out what Canidy recognized as a decrypted message. "But it was a new hand."

"You hadn't heard it before?"

John Craig shook his head. "Not this one. It wasn't so much heavy-handed keying but sloppy. Like they were new to messaging. Really like they'd just learned."

"What did the message say?"

"Next to nothing besides saying that they need more 'supplies.' I sent that we were just making contact, checking in, and that we'd have questions later. The signal was really strong and clear, and I wanted to wait till we got the RDF for when they're on the air longer."

"Good, but getting our gear won't happen until dark," Canidy said, then motioned at the message. "What else do you have?"

"We got another from Neptune."

"An update? They said that when they were under way-"

"But they're not under way," John Craig interrupted, shaking his head. "The update is that they now expect a thirty-six- or forty-eight-hour delay."

"Damn it! They were going to be on station tomorrow and the second. Now it's on the third and fourth?" He sighed. "It's two hundred and fifty miles from Corsica to here, which will take at least two, three days. So that puts arrival here on the seventh or eighth. That should make our life interesting . . . assuming we survive."

"What if it's longer?"

Canidy grunted again. "How's your backstroke these days?"

John Craig chuckled nervously, then said, "What about Hermes?"

Canidy shook his head. "It's one thing for Hank to drop us from those black birds at night, but it would be suicidal to land in daylight. We need stealth, and that's what boats, especially subs, offer."

John Craig nodded.

"Algiers sent two messages," he went on. "The first was short, and said that the Sandbox interview of the latest group that Nola's fishing boat smuggled out knows nothing of the whereabouts of Nola or Tubes."

"Shit. No surprise, though."

John Craig finally held out the handwritten decrypted message.

"And, saving the best for last, this one is interesting."

Canidy took the sheet and his eyes fell to it:

31MAY 1145.

To Jupiter From Caesar Wild Bill's orders. Your priority now is to locate immediately-and be prepared to extricate or terminate, if so ordered-SS Lt Col Oskar Kappler, deputy officer in Messina SS HQ.

Absolutely critical this mission accomplished no later than seven (7) days from this date.

If ordered to terminate subject, important but not imperative to cause death to appear as if an SS or OVA murder.

Wild Bill demands that you confirm receipt and your understanding of this order.