"I don't know what you're talking about," Ramirez said.
"Jorge had a private library at Estancia San Pedro y San Pablo," Rawson said. "More or less full of photographs and other material devoted to his son. The safe is behind the books. A portion of the bookcase moves outward."
"Why do you call it a shrine?"
"That's how I think of it," Rawson said. "I meant no disrespect, either to God or to Jorge...."
"Where do you suppose the combination to that safe is? Do you suppose Se¤ora Carzino-Cormano might have it?" Ramirez said, getting back to the subject.
Claudia Carzino-Cormano's only slightly smaller Estancia Santo Catalina bordered Estancia San Pedro y San Pablo.
"Coronel Mart¡n believes only Coronel Frade had the combination," Lauffer said.
"Well, it wouldn't hurt to ask her," Ramirez said, paused, and went on. "God, if he'd only married her! Why in God's name didn't he marry her! They were living in sin for years! If they had married, even if she didn't have the combination, she could have ordered the safe opened."
"He didn't marry her because he wanted to leave everything he owned to his son," Rawson said. "I thought you knew that. But that's neither here nor there. We have to deal with the situation as it is. What are our options?"
"Send el Coronel Mart¡n to Estancia San Pedro y San Pablo with orders to open the safe-even if he has to use explosives," Mayor Querro said.
"You don't really think we could do that without attracting the attention of the Polic¡a Federal, do you, Pedro?" Ramirez said sarcastically. "And that, for obvious reasons, is the last thing we want to do."
"Another option," Rawson said, "is to do nothing about the safe...."
"Hope no one gets into it before we act?" Ramirez asked. He thought that over a moment, then went on. "Assemble another complete Operations Order, you mean. That's possible, I suppose."
"What other choice do we have, mi G
eneral?"
"Sir, we need the money," Querro said. "What about that?"
"Damn!" Ramirez said.
"Sir," Lauffer said uneasily, "el Coronel Mart¡n asked me to tell you that there has been a radio from the son-"
"From el Coronel Frade's son?" Rawson interrupted.
"Yes, Sir. Asking to delay the funeral services until he can get here. He leaves Miami tomorrow."
"Wonderful!" Ramirez said. "And the first thing he's going to do is head right for that safe!"
"Why do you say that?" Rawson asked. "I can't believe that Jorge dis-cussed Outline Blue with him."
"I'm not so sure about that," Ramirez replied. "But that's not what I meant. What I meant was that, under the law, the moment Jorge died, everything he owned became the son's patrimony."
"I'm not sure that's so," Rawson said. "He's an American. For one thing, we can deny him a visa."
"He doesn't need a visa, he's an Argentine."
"He's not an Argentine. My God, he served in the American Navy!"
"Corps of Marines," Ramirez corrected him. "But he was born here and is legally an Argentine. He has an Argentine passport. Jorge got him one just be-fore he became involved with blowing up the Reine de la Met:"
"We could detain him," Rawson said.
"On what pretext? The Americans would howl in outrage, and Castillo would wonder why we did that. About our only choice is to appeal to him- maybe Claudia Carzino-Cormano could appeal to him-to let us carry out the work his father began."
"And if he says no?"