Fine and Canidy immediately got to their feet. Ann slid over on the banquette, and then Agnes Draper followed her, which meant that her hip was no longer pressing against Ed’s.
Bitter watched Canidy, Stevens, and Fine elbow their way through the crowded bar to the lobby.
“They do that all the time, Eddie,” Whittaker said. “Have their private little chats. I’m not sure if they really have anything secret to talk about or whether they do it for the effect.”
"Oh, come on, Jimmy,” the duchess said. “That’s unfair!”
“Hey,” Whittaker said. “You’re supposed to be my girl. You keep taking his side, Ann’ll come after you with an ax.”
“No, I won’t,” Ann said. “Anybody on Dick’s side is on my side.”
“Will you watch your mouth!” the duchess said to Whittaker. But she reached her hand out and rubbed the balls of her fingers over the back of his hand.
There was no question about it. Whittaker was emotionally involved with the duchess, and the duchess was a married woman. And she didn’t really care much who knew about it. He told himself that it was none of his business, yet he wondered what Colonel Stevens, who must know, thought of it. And then he wondered what Colonel Stevens wanted to tell Canidy and Fine.
Stevens, Canidy, and Fine went by elevator to the fifth floor of the hotel, then into a suite guarded by an American wearing a uniform with civilian technician insignia. Inside the suite, Stevens led them into a small study.
He took a manila envelope from his briefcase, and a page of a newspaper from the envelope. He laid it on a table.
“That came in an hour or so ago from Sweden,” he said.
“You’re not going to ask how things went at Horsham St. Faith?” Canidy asked.
“Eighth Air Force called and said the mission was accomplished,” Stevens said. “Is there something I don’t know?”
“I was at Horsham St. Faith when the photorecon plane returned,” Canidy said icily.
“I didn’t know that,” Stevens said, evenly.
“It was pretty badly shot up. The copilot brought it back, but he dumped it on landing. The pilot died in the ambulance. Probably that was best. He had a large chunk of steel in his head. He would have been a vegetable anyway. ”
“Jesus, Dick!” Fine said.
“Dick, you can’t think that you’re in any way responsible,” Stevens said.
“No, of course not. The Good Fairy ordered that recon mission. Not me.”
"It was necessary,” Stevens said.
“I should have flown it,” Canidy said. “Not some kid who graduated from high school last year. Some kid with maybe a hundred fifty hours total time.”
“You know why that’s out of the question,” Stevens said.
“Tell that to the kid’s mother,” Canidy said. “I say ‘mother’ because he didn’t look old enough to have a wife.”
“Like you, Dick,” Stevens said,“he was a volunteer. And we could afford to send him.”
Canidy looked at him for a long minute.
“Was it Lorimer’s idea that I couldn’t go, Colonel,” he asked, “or yours?”
“Mine,” Stevens said. “If that angers you, I’m sorry.”
Canidy nodded. Visibly changing the subject, he went to the newspaper Stevens had taken from the envelope and looked at it. Then he pointed his index finger.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” he said. “Our old pal Helmut Shitfitz.”
Stevens chuckled. He was relieved that Canidy was going to let his unhappiness about the B-26 pilot drop.