"You smuggled people into Argentina?" Delgano asked, but it was an ac-cusation, not a question. "An OSS team, no doubt?"
"I have five civilians with Brazilian passports aboard," Clete said.
"I consider that a breach of our agreement," Delgano said. "They will, of course, have to be interned."
"If you intern them," Clete said, "this airplane will not leave the ground again."
"Colonel Mart¡n told me you were dangerous, and that I should not trust you," Delgano said, and then, as if he had just made up his mind, added: "I will intern them."
"The presence of my passengers in no way changes our arrangement. I will teach you how to fly the aircraft..."
That's bullshit. That would really be a case of the blind leading the blind.
"... and make it available to the G.O.U. as I promised."
That's bullshit too. There's no way he could fly this airplane by himself. If the G.O.U. wants this airplane, I'll have to fly it.
"Nevertheless, your 'passengers' will have to be interned," Delgano said. "Or if not interned, sent back across the Rio Uruguay. That would be probably be best, for all concerned."
"I think you're overstepping your authority, Capitan. I don't think you have the authority to do anything that will keep this airplane from flying to Estancia San Pedro y San Pablo tomorrow."
Delgano considered that.
"What am I to tell Coronel Porterman?" he asked.
Clete decided Delgano was thinking out loud.
"I suggest you tell him that there has been an unexpected development," Clete said. "That it will be necessary to quarter five people overnight-for rea-sons that are none of his business."
"You are asking me to lie to a superior officer, Mayor Frade. That is dis-honorable."
"How would you categorize your behavior toward my father, Capitan? And what was it you said to me, at Estancia San Pedro y San Pablo, about 'people in our profession being sometimes required to do things that are personally re-pugnant'?"
Delgano met Clete's eyes. There was cold anger, even hate, in them.
Christ, we got this far, and now this self-righteous sonofabitch is going to screw everything up.
Delgano turned and walked away from the aircraft without saying any-thing.
So what do I do now?
I can't really refuse to fly this thing to Estancia San Pedro y San Pablo; I gave Mart¡n my word that I would. And if this goddamned coup d'‚tat fails, I don't want Mart¡n and Rawson and Ramirez and the rest of them stood up against a wall because I didn't provide them a means to get out of the country.
Delgano said, "send them back across the Rio Uruguay." If that happens, it wouldn't be the end of the world. If 1 can get the radar sent back with them, we wouldn't be any worse off than we were yesterday.
Clete saw Delgano, faintly, standing beside a man on a horse.
That's probably Coronel Porterman.
Delgano walked back to the Lockheed.
"Your 'passengers' will take the horses of the guard detail," Delgano said, "and be accommodated overnight in the transient officers' quarters."
"I'm not sure my passengers know how to ride," Clete thought aloud.
"Excuse me?" Delgano asked, somewhat incredulously.
"Just a moment, Capitan," Clete said, and turned to walk back up the aisle to talk to Ashton.