Honor Bound (Honor Bound 1)

“Possibility One is that their replenishment vessel is in fact so important that they would be willing to pay any price to ensure that it remains operational—even if that means earning el Coronel Frade’s hatred by killing his son…and/or the embarrassment of being caught by us.”

El Almirante de Montoya grunted, accepting that theory.

“Possibility Two,” Martín went on, “is that they wished to demonstrate both to the Americans, and in particular to el Coronel Frade—and the Grupo de Oficiales Unidos—that they are so powerful that they can do whatever they wish with impunity. They caused the disappearance of the first OSS team that was sent here to deal with the replenishment vessel. By eliminating the head of the second OSS team—”

“Let me interrupt for a moment,” de Montoya said. “What about young Frade? Is he a professional intelligence officer, or was he sent down here because he is his father’s son?”

“I at first thought the latter,” Martín replied. “Now I am having second thoughts. It seems certain that the OSS sent him here to deal with the Reine de la Mer.”

“You think they can sink her?”

“No, Sir. I don’t think that will happen. The man I had on the pilot’s boat when the Reine de la Mer entered our waters reported—I sent you his report, mi Almirante—that she is heavily armed for a merchant vessel, with what we believe are two dual forty-millimeter Bofors cannon, plus heavy machine guns, and what is very likely a radar antenna.”

“A what?”

“A device that uses radio waves to detect other vessels, or boats, within a ten-to-twenty-mile range.”

“I’ve heard that both the Germans and the English have such devices, but I was not aware they were commonly available.”

“The replenishment vessel is tremendously important to the Germans. It would follow she would have the best available equipment.”

“So young Frade’s mission is doomed to failure?”

“That is my belief, mi Almirante. If we are to believe everything Delgano said about the current activities at Estancia San Pedro y San Pablo, Frade intends to bomb the Reine de la Mer with incendiary devices, apparently designed to explode her fuel tanks, or at least set them on fire. And all he has to do this with is his father’s airplane, which is, as you know…”

“I know,” de Montoya said impatiently. “I’ve flown in it. It is not a warplane.”

“As I was saying a moment ago, mi Almirante, my second theory vis-à-vis the motives of the Germans is that killing young Frade would send the message that they have the better intelligence operation; that they are so powerful that they don’t care if they enrage a possible President of Argentina; and, as a secondary benefit, they protect the Reine de la Mer.”

“In either case, young Frade dies?”

“I’m afraid so, mi Almirante.”

“Pity. It will be difficult for his father personally, and difficult for us, my friend, if we have a President who hates the Germans.”

“I don’t see how it can be avoided. The Americans are apparently determined to make the attempt against the odds.”

“And what, in your opinion, should our course of action be?”

“What I have been thinking—what I would like to present for your concurrence, mi Almirante—is that we do nothing, simply let happen what happens.”

“Based on what reasoning?”

“We are a neutral power. We don’t know that the Reine de la Mer is in fact a replenishment vessel in our waters, thus violating our neutrality; and we don’t know that young Frade is in fact an OSS agent sent here to sink her, thus violating our neutrality. Consequently, however the attempt to sink the Reine de la Mer turns out, we can express surprise, regret, anger, whatever would be appropriate. But to repeat, I think young Frade will fail.”

“And die in the attem

pt?”

“Regrettably, mi Almirante.”

“If your suspicions that that fool Habanzo has been dealing with the Germans are justified, they will know within a half hour of his leaving this building—if they don’t already know—everything that’s going on at Estancia San Pedro y San Pablo.”

“Delgano came directly here to report to Habanzo,” Martín said. “And I haven’t let either of them out of my sight since Habanzo brought Delgano to me. I don’t think Delgano knows Habanzo has a German connection. And in any event, I don’t think that even Habanzo would be fool enough to try to telephone the Germans from this building. So I am assuming that the Germans know nothing about the activities at Estancia San Pedro y San Pablo.”

El Almirante de Montoya grunted again, accepting that.

“How will you deal with those two?” he asked after a moment.