I wonder why she didn’t?
Maybe Colonel and Mrs. Schumann aren’t the happy couple everyone thinks they are.
Happily married women don’t usually drink four martinis before lunch and then grope officers under the table.
“As you suggested, sir, Colonel Schumann probably told her not to ask questions about what happened at Kloster Grünau.”
“What I’m worried about, Jim, is that you don’t fully understand (a) the absolute necessity of maintaining the security of Operation Ost, and, more important, (b) that you’re in a position where a careless act of yours can cause more trouble in that regard than you fully understand.”
Here it comes.
“I must respectfully argue, sir, that I fully understand both.”
“Then what the hell did you think you were doing when you interrogated the NKGB agent? I told Dunwiddie to deal with that situation.”
When Cronley didn’t immediately reply, Mattingly went on, “Cat got your tongue, Captain? I’m surprised. You usually have an answer for everything at the tip of your tongue.”
“I have an answer, sir, but I suspect you’re not going to like it.”
“Let’s find out.”
“For one thing, sir, Major Orlovsky is my prisoner, not General Gehlen’s.”
“Your prisoner?”
“And I didn’t like the way he was being treated by Gehlen’s man, Bischoff.”
“What do you mean your prisoner?”
“Sir, Orlovsky was arrested trying to sneak out of Kloster Grünau by one of my men. Doesn’t that make
him my prisoner?”
“I am beginning to see where you’re coming from,” Mattingly said after a moment. “So tell me, Captain Cronley: What are your plans for your prisoner? What are you going to do with him?”
“I haven’t quite figured that out, sir.”
“Has it occurred to you that he may have to be disposed of?”
“If you mean shot, yes, sir.”
“And, that being the case, it would be much better if he was disposed of by someone other than an American officer?”
“If Major Orlovsky has to be shot, sir, I’ll do it. I’m not willing to turn that—or Major Orlovsky—over to Gehlen.”
“It didn’t take long for those new captain’s bars to go to your head, did it?” Mattingly said furiously. “Just who the hell do you think you are?”
“I’m the officer you put in charge of security of Operation Ost, sir.”
“Captain, I am the officer in charge of security for Operation Ost.”
“Sir, that’s not my understanding.”
“What is your understanding, you impertinent sonofabitch?”
“That you, sir, are in charge of the European functions of Operation Ost, that Lieutenant Colonel Frade is in charge of the Argentine functions, that the whole thing is under Admiral Souers, and that, far down on the Table of Organization, I’m in charge of security for European functions under you.”
“And would you say that gives me the authority to tell you what to do and how to do it?”