General Wallace turned in his seat to face Frade. “May I speak with Mr. . . . Delgano, you said? . . . here?”
“Anything you have to say to me, sir, you can say to Captain Delgano.”
“I had a personal message from General Arnold directing me to place all my facilities at the disposal of the OSS for this operation of yours.”
“Did you?”
And General Arnold didn’t mention that this operation of mine is sort of a secret, and that running us around the base behind a MP jeep with its siren and strobe going might not be such a good idea?
You didn’t think that might make people wonder what the hell is going on?
“What I’ve done is put the crew of the Constellation in the visiting officers’ BOQ. I’ve put you—and the others—in a senior officers’ quarters—a rather nice little cottage that was, fortunately, vacant. I hope that’s all right, Mr. Frade?”
“Fine. Thank you, sir.”
“And put it under secure guard, of course,” General Wallace concluded.
There was another MP jeep in the driveway of a red-tile-roofed cottage. It was parked nose out, and its headlights illuminated the lawn of the adjacent cottage, where two Brazilian women—obviously maids of some sort—stood with their arms folded, almost visibly wondering what all the activity was about. As the general’s escort jeep pulled to a stop and its siren died, the MPs in the parked jeep jumped out, popped to attention, and saluted the staff car.
“Would you like me to come in with you, Mr. Frade?” General Wallace asked. He already had his front passenger door open.
“That won’t be necessary, General, thank you. What I want you to do, if you’d be so kind, is to get us a car and driver to use while we’re here. It’s getting late, and we still have to go to the officers’ club for dinner.”
“I can arrange for the club to deliver your dinner, if you’d like. Security might be a problem there.”
“We’d rather go to the club, if that would be all right. And speaking of security, you can send the MPs away, please.”
“Is that wise?”
“I think so. I appreciate your concern, but we’re all armed.”
“Whatever you say, Mr. Frade. Can you give me some idea how long you’ll be here?”
“We’ll leave at first light. And as soon as we break ground, the Constellation will go back to the States. I presume that if I need anything, I can get in touch with you by asking the operator for the commanding general?”
Wallace nodded, then said rather formally, “I’ll be available around the clock, Mr. Frade.”
“I’ll make sure General Arnold know
s of my appreciation of all your efforts, General.”
“That’s kind of you, Mr. Frade. But unnecessary. I am just doing my duty.”
“And doing it in an outstanding manner, in my opinion. Thank you again, General.”
Frade reached across the seat, shook Wallace’s hand, and got out of the staff car. Delgano followed him and they walked to the door of the cottage. There Frade turned and waved to General Wallace as he drove off.
He looked at Delgano and shook his head.
Delgano smiled. “We have officers like that in the Ejército Argentino, too. Many of them are colonels and generals.”
“Shame on you, Major Delgano.”
Frade lifted the knocker on the door and let it fall.
One of Howard Hughes’s Saints pulled the door open a crack and, when he recognized Frade, opened it all the way.
"Be on your guard,” Frade announced. “I sent the MPs away.”