“Your mother, sir, apparently believes that Hitler is a great man and that National Socialism is the hope of the world; she would, I am sure, do whatever she can to make her way back to the German Embassy. You’ll understand I couldn’t permit that to happen before you came here. Now that you are here, I must presume that she will know or learn—or guess—something of your relationship with Colonel von Stauffenberg, Major von Wachtstein, and Kapitän zur See Boltitz. Something, in other words, about Operation Valkyrie. I think your father shares your opinion of Hitler, but I’m not sure of that, and I can’t take any chances. I absolutely cannot take the risk that your mother or father ever find themselves talking to any Germans under any circumstances. You take my meaning?”
Frogger met his eyes, then nodded. “I understand, Major.”
Dorotea asked, obviously surprised, “He knows Peter? And Karl? And what’s Operation Valkyrie?”
“I’ll explain later,” Frade said.
Her face showed she didn’t like the response, but she didn’t challenge it.
“I have to be absolutely sure we understand each other, Colonel,” Frade said.
“I know the rules of the game we’re playing, Major.”
“That’s a poor choice of words. It isn’t a game.”
“We understand each other, Major,” Frogger said. “When will I be permitted to see my parents?”
“They’re about three kilometers from here. But it’s late, and I think it would be better if we went there first thing in the morning.”
Frogger nodded but did not reply.
“Can you ride?” Frade asked.
“Of course.”
“All right, then. I’ll have Rodríguez have horses brought here at first light. Too early?”
“First light will be fine with me.”
“Rodríguez and I’ll go with you. I think that you should know that if it wasn’t for Rodríguez, your parents would be dead, at the hands of some SS troops who came ashore from the U-405. He saved your parents’ lives at no small risk to his own.”
“Then I am, of course, grateful beyond—”
Frade silenced him by raising his hand.
“Rodríguez is a retired Argentine sergeant major who is not very fond of Germans. This is largely—but not entirely—because he was seriously wounded in the successful assassination attempt on my father, with whom he served all of his adult life. The assassination was ordered by either Himmler himself or someone close to him. Argentines carry grudges a long time.”
What the hell, I’m going to have to tell her sooner or later—why not now?
Get it over with. . . .
“But while we’re on the subject, Colonel, the Germans have twice attempted to assassinate me, most recently a couple of hours ago.”
“Cletus, my God!” Dorotea exclaimed.
Frade looked at her and said, “All they managed to do was shoot up the Ford station wagon pretty badly.”
He turned back to Oberstleutnant Frogger.
“I’ve just jumped on you, Colonel, for using the word ‘game.’ This is why; this isn’t a game.”
“Where did they try to kill you?” Dorotea asked softly.
“In front of the house on Avenida Coronel Díaz. I went there to take a shower. Three guys in a stolen Peugeot. Now deceased.” He paused, looked between them, and went on: “In a massive understatement, I’ve had a busy day. What I want to do now is get a sandwich or something, then go to bed. We can talk some more in the morning, if you’d like.”
“Fine,” Frogger said.
“Rude question: How well do you ride? We have gentle mounts and the other kind; mostly the other kind.”