“I don’t know. I spent most of the time as we dined in stony silence wondering whether I was a very clever intelligence officer who knew how to break an NKGB officer or a very young, very stupid officer absolutely unqualified to mentally duel with a good NKGB officer. And, in either case, a candidate for the Despicable Prick of All Time Award.” He paused, and then added: “I really wish I didn’t like the sonofabitch.”
“So, what happens now?”
“Only time will tell. It’s now in the hands of the Lord. You may wish to write that down.”
“Actually, I think we did pretty good,” Dunwiddie said.
“Really?”
“You may wish to write this down. ‘Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just. And this be our motto: In God is our trust.’ It gets us off the hook, Despicable Prick–wise.”
“What the hell is that?”
“It’s from the last verse of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’” Dunwiddie said. “They didn’t sing that at Texas Cow College?”
XII
[ ONE ]
Commanding Officer’s Quarters
Kloster Grünau
Schollbrunn, Bavaria
American Zone of Occupation, Germany
0705 5 November 1945
Captain Cronley was shaving when First Sergeant Dunwiddie came into his quarters.
“Gehlen and Mannberg walked into the mess as I walked out,” Dunwiddie announced.
“Thank you for sharing that with me.”
“I thought you should have it in mind when you read this,” Dunwiddie said, holding up a SIGABA printout.
Cronley turned from the mirror and put his hand out for the sheet of paper. His eyes fell to it:
PRIORITY
TOP SECRET LINDBERGH
DUPLICATION FORBIDDEN
FROM VINT HILL TANGO NET
0850 GREENWICH 5 NOVEMBER 1945
TO VATICAN ATTENTION ALTARBOY
FOLLOWING BY TELEPHONE FROM TEX 0825 GMT 5 NOV 1945
BEGIN MESSAGE
NOW SOLVED BANKING PROBLEMS WILL DELAY ESTIMATED DEPARTURE TIME UNTIL 1000 MIDLAND TIME 6 NOVEMBER STOP TEX END
END MESSAGE