"What I meant is that they want you to identify Galahad and Cavalry," Schultz said. " 'Quickest means' is what they said."
"I'm not going to identify them," Clete said. "I don't want to run the risk of having either of them exposed."
"The Luftwaffe guy and Colonel Martin, right?"
Clete didn't answer.
"Mr. Frade, I work for you," Schultz said. "That was just to keep things straight in my mind. If anybody else asks me, I don't have a clue who Galahad and Cavalry are."
"How did you pick up on Martin?"
"I figured it had to be either him or Captain Lauffer, but Delgano works for Mart¡n. Two and two usually makes four."
"Usually," Clete said, chuckling.
"I don't think you can just ignore them," Schultz said. "I think you have to tell them you have reasons not to identify them."
"You really think so?"
"Either that or make up names," Schultz said.
"Oh, shit," Clete said, and walked out of the bedroom and sat down in front of the typewriter. He rolled a sheet of paper into the machine and looked thoughtful for a long moment. Then he typed a single sentence, tore the paper from the machine, and handed it to Schultz.
Regret that to obtain absolutely reliable intelligence from galahad and cavalry it was necessary to give my word of honor that their identities will not be furnished to third parties.
"You really want me to send this?" Schultz said, chuckling.
"It's more polite than 'fuck you, I ain't gonna tell you,' isn't it? Send it word for word."
"Aye, aye, Sir."
A sleepy-eyed maid entered the room carrying pots and cups and saucers. A moment later, Capitan Delgano, in a bathrobe, and Enrico came in.
Clete handed him the extract Schultz had prepared.
"I would prefer to discuss this subject in private, Se¤or Frade," Delgano said.
"I prefer that Chief Schultz stay," Clete said. "Sorry."
"Very well," Delgano said. "I rather suspected the aircraft would be at Porto Alegre. It's a major Brazilian base, and both U.S. Navy and Army Air Corps units are stationed there."
"Is that so?"
"With that in mind, I did a little preliminary planning," Delgano said. "May I show you on the map?"
"Of course."
Delgano laid Chief Schultz's map on the desk beside the typewriter and pointed with his finger.
"This is Santo Tome, in Corrientes Province," he said. Christ, Graham said Corrientes Province is where they 're going to infil-trate the new team into Uruguay!
"It's across the Rio Uruguay from Sao Borja, Brazil. It's approximately five hundred fifty kilometers from Porto Alegre to Santo Tome. Since your aircraft has a range of sixteen hundred miles, we should have no difficulty-"
"Wait a minute," Clete said. "Now that I think of it, I don't think the C-45 has a sixteen-hundred-mile range. That's probably a typo. A thousand seems more like it, and it may be as little as six hundred."
"Six hundred miles seems a short range for a transport aircraft," Delgano said.
"It's not a transport aircraft," Clete said. "It's a liaison aircraft, a small twin-engine aerial taxi."