"Could you forget hearing the name von Wachtstein here tonight?"
Lauffer's eyebrows rose.
"It's very important to me," Clete said.
"Whose name?" Lauffer said. "I have such a hard time remembering names...."
"Thank you."
"May I say that I admire your taste? Dorotea is quite beautiful."
"I noticed," Clete said.
Lauffer stood up.
"It should go without saying that I wish you every happiness," he said.
"Thank you," Clete said, and then chuckled. "That was the first word of congratulations I've received, incidentally."
"Then I'm glad it came from me," Lauffer said, and put out his hand. "We're all going to have a busy day tomorrow. Thank you for a... I was about to say 'memorable,' but that wouldn't be accurate. Thank you for your hospi-tality."
"Good night, Roberto."
Lauffer left Clete alone in the room.
Clete picked up his snifter and took a sip.
Jesus, he thought. I'm going to have to tell the Old Man and Martha, be-fore they hear about it someplace else.
He put the glass down and stood up.
"Will that be all, Se¤or?" Antonio asked.
"Yes, thank you, Antonio," Clete said. "Please thank the cook for a... wait a minute. Is there a typewriter around here someplace?"
"A typewriter, Se¤or?"
"A typewriter."
"The housekeeper has-"
"Will you bring it, and some paper and envelopes, and a pot of coffee, to my room, please?"
"Of course."
Writing the Old Man was even more difficult than Clete imagined, and not only because the venerable Underwood had a Spanish keyboard with the keys in the wrong places.
He had just ripped from the typewriter his sixth failed attempt to write the Old Man a letter when there was a knock at the door.
Now what?
"Come!"
The door opened. One of the maids was standing there. Behind her, in his gaucho costume, stood Chief Schultz.
"The Se¤or, Se¤or insisted on..."
"We got a reply to your radio, Major," Chief Schultz said. "I thought I'd better bring it over."