"OK. Anything to get out of my father's bedroom in the museum," Clete said, and quickly added, "Sorry, I didn't mean that the way it came out."
"I know," she said, then went on: "There's something else, Cletus. There are some papers in your father's safe that belong to General Rawson. He'll be staying with me at Estancia Santo Catalina, and I'd really like to have his papers for him when he arrives."
What kind of papers?
"Oh?"
"You do have the combination to the safe, don't you?"
And that was just a little too casual a question.
"I've never even seen the safe," Clete said "Enrico, what do you know about el Coronel's safe? Where's the combination?"
"Only el Coronel knew the combination, Se¤or Clete," Enrico said.
"Well, then, I guess General Rawson will have to wait for his papers until we can get a locksmith out there," Clete said. "Or we could blow it open, if the papers are that important."
Claudia did not find that amusing.
"I just can't believe that your father didn't write the combination down somewhere," Claudia said. "Would you mind if I looked for it?"
Yeah, as a matter of fact, I would. I don't understand why, but the idea bothers me. Why do I have the feeling, Claudia, that you would rather that I don't see what's in the safe?
"If this is important to you, Claudia, as soon as I get out there, I'll call you, and we'll look for it together," he said.
"I'm... the girls and I... are driving out to Santo Catalina tonight," Clau-dia said. "I thought I'd go over to San Pedro y San Pablo tomorrow and see if I could find the combination. If you have no objection to my looking for it, that is."
I can't have her getting into the safe before I do. I don't want her looking through the records of what Humberto has been doing for Peter.
And have I just been sandbagged? Is that persistence innocent, or because she knows damned well I'm not likely to tell her no again, no matter how po-litely? And what is in that safe that she-and General Rawson-don't want me to see?
"Does 'G.O.U.' mean anything to you, Claudia?" Clete asked.
He could see in her eyes that she knew what it was.
"What do you know about the G.O.U.?" she asked.
"Not nearly as much as I would like to," he said.
"Clete... ," she began, and stopped when a servant opened the door.
"Se¤or Frade, Se¤or Mallin and his family wish to pay their respects." "I'll leave you, Clete,"
Claudia said. "This has been a very long day for me.
She gave him her cheek to kiss.
"I need to talk to you, too, Claudia," Clete said, thinking of Dorotea.
"Call me when you get to San Pedro y San Pablo," she said, and then, "Let's go, girls."
They left the room, exchanging quiet greetings with the Mallins as they came in.
Chapter Nine
[ONE]
1420 Avenida Alvear