"I thought it better to leave it in the hangar... ," Clete began, and stopped when he saw General Rawson walking toward them.
"Is there a problem?" Rawson asked.
"No problem," Clete said. "The aircraft is available on five minutes' notice. It will take me that long to get it out of the hangar and warm the engines."
Rawson looked at Clete with his eyebrows raised questioningly.
"My thought, General," Clete said, "was that-"
"Lauffer, why did you bring Se¤or Frade here?" Per¢n interrupted.
"Excuse me, Coronel," Clete said, "I was speaking to the General."
Per¢n glared at him. Rawson made a face and then gestured for Clete to continue.
"If we rolled the airplane out of the hangar and started the engines, it might give people the idea we were about to use it," Clete said. "Which seemed to me to be both unnecessary and unwise."
Rawson considered that a moment, then said, "You're right. I should have thought of that."
Per¢n's face tightened, but he didn't offer a comment.
"Capitan Delgano is with the airplane?" Rawson asked.
"S¡, mi General," Lauffer said.
"Coronel Per¢n and I are about to have a final word with Coronel Tarramanno of the First Cavalry," Rawson said. "Outline Blue calls for them to be-gin their march at two-thirty. I suggest that you stay here with Capitan Lauffer, Se¤or Frade, in case we need you."
"Yes, Sir."
"With a little luck, we won't, but I'd like to have you available," Rawson said. "Take a look at the situation map. And if you have any other thoughts, please give them to me."
"Yes, Sir."
Per¢n's face was now as stiff as a board.
"Your car is outside, Roberto?" Rawson asked.
"S¡, mi General."
"Then we'll use it," Rawson said. "Let's go, Coronel."
The Situation Map was actually a collection of maps, all taped to a sectional sliding wall normally used to break the large dining room into smaller rooms. In the center were large maps of Argentina, one showing the upper half of the country, and the other the lower.
On the maps flag pins located both provincial capitals and military bases. The pins were either black or red, and Clete wondered about the significance of the colors until he spotted a blue-and-white pin on the map of the upper half of Argentina, looked closer, and saw that it marked Campo de Mayo.
The blue-and-white flag pin obviously identified locations under control of the revolutionaries.
So far, there's only one blue-and-white flag.
Confirmation of the m
eaning of the flag pins came almost immediately, when a lieutenant stepped to the map and replaced the black pins that marked Santo Tome and the Second Cavalry post outside Santo Tome with blue-and-white pins.
Obviously, word had just come in that the Second Cavalry had not only joined the revolution, but had taken over the city of Santo Tome.
Clete moved to the right of the central maps to one of Buenos Aires and Entre R¡os Provinces. Here more than a dozen blue-and-white pins marked the location of military bases and cities. But there were far more black "unde-cided," Clete judged-pins than blue-and-white, and there were two dozen red pins, which probably marked units and locations that were opposed to the ouster of President Castillo's government.
On these maps, too, were grease pencil marks outlining the routes of march the military units controlled by G.O.U. would take from Campo de Mayo and other military bases to the Casa Rosada.