Victory and Honor (Honor Bound 6)

“And that’s who’s looking for me?”

Mattingly nodded.

“You can fess up and say that all you were doing was obeying orders.”

When Frade didn’t reply, Mattingly said: “‘All I was doing is obeying my orders’ is really the last refuge of the scoundrel. I never thought of that until I started reading the first interrogation reports of some really despicable Nazis. They admitted gassing people—how could they deny it?—but said all they were doing was obeying orders. If it works for them, it would follow that it would work for you.”

“And what are my other options?”

“You really don’t have any. They’re going to find you sooner or later. As a practical matter—because of your dual citizenship, your Navy Cross, and Cletus Marcus Howell—there’s a good chance it will never get as far as a court-martial.”

“Oh, now that is good news!” Frade blurted sarcastically.

“What Morgenthau is after is two things. He wants the Nazis in Germany and he wants to make an example of somebody so that no one else will be tempted to be nice to the Nazis.”

“Oh? Why shouldn’t I like Nazis? I mean, all they did was murder my father and try to murder me on several occasions. Not to forget they strangled my best friend’s father to death.”

Mattingly shrugged. “You were involved in getting Nazis to Argentina, and that’s all Morgenthau will care about. And so far as he’s concerned, every German you helped get to Argentina is as bad as Himmler.”

“Well, I’m not going to give up people like Niedermeyer,” Frade said. “Or Boltitz. Or von Wachtstein. Speaking of whom . . . ?”

“Not a word, Clete. I’m sorry.”

“Can we find out?”

“Gehlen’s working on that for you.”

“Boltitz?”

“He went to Bremen, with Max, to work on the U-boat intel. Stein went with them. I think that will prove to be valuable.”

“So, what do you want me to do?”

“About the best thing you can do is stall for a while, give me some time to hide Gehlen and his people.”

“Okay. I’ll stall in Argentina. They’ll never find me in Argentina.”

“What I have to say to you now is delicate, Clete.”

“So be delicate.”

“Dulles believes, and Graham concurs, and I do, too, that you should let the Secret Service—Morgenthau—find you.”

“What’s the reasoning behind that idiot notion?”

“If they can’t find you, they’ll go after other members of Team Turtle. And they may reveal things we don’t want them to know.”

“No fucking way. They’re good people. They’ll keep their mouths shut.”

“Think that through, Clete. No one’s questioning their courage. But are they up to dealing with all the pressure Morgenthau and the Secret Service can throw at them? Threats of going to Leavenworth, et cetera?”

Frade didn’t immediately reply.

Mattingly went on: “One scenario is that if they have you, they won’t spend much effort in looking for people you’re hiding in Argentina. When they break you, you’ll tell them where they can be found.”

“In a pig’s ass I will.”

“If you can stall them, Clete, it will give us time to work out the Gehlen problem. Bruce has begun vague talks with the Brits, with MI6.”