"Looks like you got your airplane, Major," Chief Schultz said when Clete looked up at him.
"All I have to do is fly it into Argentina from Porto Alegre, wherever the hell that is, right?"
"It's on the Atlantic Coast, maybe a third of the way between Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo," Schultz said. "I got a chart."
He handed it to Clete.
"Is that typewriter still in there?" Clete asked, jerking his thumb toward the sitting room of the apartment.
Schultz nodded.
"Do me a favor, Chief," Clete said, swinging his feet out of bed. "While I'm getting dressed and Enrico is going to get Capitan Delgano out of bed, extract enough from this message so that I can show it to Delgano without telling him anything that's none of his business."
"Aye, aye, Sir."
"Be so kind as to present my compliments to el Capitan Delgano, Suboficial Mayor," Clete said. "And ask him to join me at his earliest convenience."
"S¡, mi Mayor," Enrico said, smiling.
"See if you can rustle up some coffee on your way," Clete added.
"Coffee, mi Mayor? Not chocolate?"
"I'm glad you thought of that, Enrico. I'm jumpy enough the way I am. I don't need any coffee. Chocolate, please."
"Chocolate for me too, please, Enrico," Schultz said. "I can't handle Ar-gentine coffee."
Enrico shook his head in disbelief and then followed Schultz out of the bedroom.
Clete went into the bathroom and took a quick shower, hoping it would wake him up.
When he came out, Schultz had already finished the extract. Clete read it, then started to get dressed.
AIRCRAFT AVAILABLE AT PORTO ALEGRE BRAZIL NAVAL AIR STATION AFTER 1200 LOCAL TIME 16 APR 1943
AIRCRAFT HAS ARGENTINE REGISTRY NUMBERS FURNISHED AND IS PAINTED SAME COLOR AS STAGGERWING.
AIRCRAFT HAS 1600 MILE RANGE AND CIVILIAN ONLY RADIO AND NAVIGATION SYSTEM.
REQUESTED ON SITE TRAINING AVAILABLE FOR YOU AND COPILOT.
"I didn't know if you were planning on taking Delgano with you or not, is why I left that training business in."
"This is just what I wanted, Chief," Clete said. "And I'm not taking Del-gano with me. He's an Argentine intelligence officer. Getting the airplane is a temporary truce, nothing more. I'm sure he would be fascinated to have a look at a Brazilian Navy Base. And I don't want to piss the Brazilians off by bring-ing an Argentine officer with me. If I didn't have to, I wouldn't even let him know where the airplane is."
"You don't need him to help you fly it?"
"No. It's not much of an airplane. A little twin-engine aerial taxi, is all it is. I can handle it by myself."
"How about navigating it by yourself? I could go along with you."
"You stay here and make sure Ettinger stays here," Clete said. "But thanks for the offer, Chief."
Schultz shrugged to indicate thanks were not required, then asked, "While we're waiting for Delgano, you want to write your reply to
the message?"
"No big deal. The next time you're in contact, tell them I expect to be at Porto Alegre shortly after the airplane is ready."