"He entered the country on an Argentine passport."
"How can he do that?" Goltz asked, surprised and annoyed.
"He was born here. Under Argentine law, he is an Argentine. He is appar-ently claiming both his inheritance and his Argentine citizenship."
"Are you telling me that a word in the proper ear cannot expose that cha-rade? And have him expelled?"
"Finding the proper ear may be difficult, Herr Standartenf?hrer."
"That's your job, Herr Oberst!" Goltz said, his temper flaring.
"When Oberst Frade's son arrived at the Pan American terminal, Herr Stan-dartenf?hrer, he was greeted by a delegation of senior Argentine military offi-cers, headed by the Minister for War, General Pedro P. Ramirez, and Major General Arturo Rawson. Both men were close friends of Oberst Frade. I rather doubt that would be of much use to whisper in ei
ther of their ears that expelling Oberst Frade's son would be a good thing."
"The Americans arranged for that?"
"I don't think so. I think it was General Ramirez's own idea. Both to show respect for the late Oberst Frade and to send a signal to those responsible for his death that the officer corps of the Argentine Army is displeased."
"That's an unexpected development."
"I was disappointed, but not surprised. Oberst Frade was a highly respected officer. Perhaps even a beloved officer."
"We will have to have a long talk about this," Goltz said. "But I would pre-fer that the Ambassador and Gradny-Sawz participate. This is not the time."
"I am at your disposal, Herr Standartenf?hrer."
"You were telling me about tonight?"
"The Ambassador suggests that you join the official party to pay respects to Oberst Frade at the Edificio Libertador. Inasmuch as the Ambassador and the First Secretary will be in uniform, you might wish to wear uniform yourself."
Goltz considered that. "It may require pressing...."
"I'm sure that will pose no problem," Gr?ner said. "May I suggest you wear uniform to the Ambassador's residence?"
"Yes," Goltz agreed.
"Following dinner the senior Embassy officers will meet at the Residence, and we will all go to the Edificio Libertador. That shouldn't take long. There is a Corps Diplomatique line. You sign a guest register, enter the Hall of Honor, pay your respects at the casket, then to members of the Frade family in an adja-cent room, and have a glass of champagne with the Argentine protocol officer in another adjacent room. After that you are free to go. The Ambassador will bring you back to the hotel."
"What, exactly, does 'pay one's respects at the casket' mean?"
"This is a Roman Catholic country. The custom is that you kneel-a prie-dieu is provided-at the casket and offer a prayer for the quick reception of the deceased into heaven."
"Are you a Catholic, Herr Oberst?" Goltz asked, almost suspiciously.
"I was raised Evangalische"-Protestant-"but I rarely enter a church ex-cept when duty requires. There will be a funeral service tomorrow for Oberst Frade at the Basilica of Our Lady of Pilar, with interment to follow in the adja-cent cemetery. It's called Recoleta. I don't know whether the Ambassador would like you to attend that or not."
"I'll discuss that with him tonight," Goltz said. "I am not fond of either fu-nerals or church."
"The diplomatic service of the Reich sometimes requires that one do things one would rather not," Gr?ner said, and immediately was sorry.
Goltz was liable to interpret the remark as referring to the Frade action, and in fact Goltz looked at him strangely.
"How do I get from here to the Residence?"
"I would be happy to take you there, but that will mean I will have to stop by my house to change into dress uniform. The other option is to have Major von Wachtstein accompany you. A third option would be to go to the Residence by yourself. In my car. You would be in G?nther's hands. He is both a capable driver and speaks Spanish, which may prove useful to you."
"Of the three options, I would prefer to inconvenience the Major," Goltz said.