Secret Warriors (Men at War 2)

"Yes, he does."

"Well, for the time being, keep a close eye on them, but let Whittaker try his method."

"I'd planned to," Canidy said. "Good," Doug lass said tightly.

"Now to the business at hand. From this point, you and I will be talking about the African flight. It is classified Top Secret."

"Yes, Sir."

"Captain Fine has been briefed on certain aspects of the mission and provided with certain documents. You will note that he has also been provided with a pistol and that there is provision to handcuff the briefcase containing the documents to his wrist." Canidy looked at Fine, then at the briefcase he held in his hand. It was handcuffed to his wrist. "The documents placed in Fine's possession are to be in one of five places," Doug lass said.

"In his possession; in your possession, in Commander Reynolds's safe at Lakehurst, in El don Baker's possession, or in mine. "Yes, Sir."

"The lock has a sequence counter" Doug lass said.

"It counts every time the case is opened. You will keep a record of those numbers. If you should ever open the briefcase and the number does not tally, you are immediately to notify Cynthia, Baker, or me.

In that order. Canidy nodded. "And any documents removed from the briefcase are to be returned to it before the case is shut again. The documents are not to be separated. Understood? "Yes, Sir."

"The details of this operation are known in full only to Baker, myself, and Chief Ellis. And, when we have finished filling each other in, to you two. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir."

"I have explained to Captain Fine your other responsibilities at Summer Place," Doug lass said.

"And that you will have your hands full for the next few days getting everybody settled. So what I suggest you do, Dick, is put all this material in Reynolds's safe tonight, when you get there, and forget it until after the Fourth."

"When we get there this morning you mean,' Canidy said, and then, puzzled, asked, "The Fourth?"

"The Fourth of July," Doug lass said "You remember, Independence Day?

Parades? Fireworks? Patriotic speeches?"

"Jesus, are we going to celebrate it in the middle of a war?"

"Even more enthusiastically than before the war," Doug lass said. "Now it's considered important for morale."

"I know," Canidy said, straight-faced.

"I'll see if I can't come up with the makings, lobsters, beer, corn on the cob, that sort of thing, and then we'll have a clambake on the beach."

"That's an idea, certainly," Doug lass said.

"Why not?"

"If that's all, Captain? And presuming you're ready, Stanley?"

"Anytime," Fine said. His eyes were smiling, He had caught Canidy's sarcasm, even though it had sailed right over Captain Doug lass's head.

"Have a good flight," Captain Doug lass said.

"Tell Chief Ellis I'll be in the car."

VII ONE I The Willard Hotel Washington, D.C. July 2, 1942

Charity Hoc he, Sarah's friend from Bryn Mawr, had arrived at half past five the day before. She was a tall, sharp-featured blonde. And she was so very Main Line that Sarah and Ann Chambers had joked behind her back that there was no way to tell whether Katharine Hepburn had lurked in the shrubbery at Bryn Mawr to study Charity before she made The Philadelphia Story, or whether Charity had gone to the movie over and over so that she could faithfully mimic the actress's mannerisms and nasal speech. Despite the heat, Charity had swept into the suite with an ankle length mink coat over her shoulders. Under this she wore the college-girl uniform of sweater and pleated plaid skirt. She had large breasts, which Sarah and Ann called behind her back the Hoc he Dairy and which the sweater did little to conceal. "Daahling!" she cried.

I can't wait to see it."