Secret Warriors (Men at War 2)

"So, no matter what he's doing, I don't think he'll be doing it on the Fourth. If you two wanted to see him, I mean."

"Damn right I want to see him," Ed Bitter said, a little thickly. The alcohol was getting to him.

"Jesus, I owe him an apology."

"Yes, I think you do," Ann said, reinforcing that argument.

"The seashore sounds splendid to me," Charity offered. "Anyplace but this steam bath."

"But how would we get there?" Bitter asked reasonably.

"I don't want to take the baby on a train. And it would take forever.

And we don't know he's where you think he is."

"We can drive," Doug lass said. "You need gas to drive," Bitter said.

"The tank in your car is full," Doug lass said.

"And there's a hundred gallons' worth of coupons in the glove compartment." Ed Bitter, surprising his wife, accepted the black-market gasoline and ration coupons without comment. But, as if he sensed that they really shouldn't be going through with their plan, he offered a last objection. "Who's going to drive?" he asked, focusing his eyes with an effort on Doug lass.

"I'm a little tiddly myself, and you're obviously in 'no condition to drive."

"I'll drive," Ann said.

TWO I Summer Place Deal, New Jersey 2830 Hours July 3,1942 Even with a priority, there had been no airline seat available from Louisville for El don Baker. And he had elected not to use his priority to evict from their berths officers traveling by train from Fort Knox northward. He had consequently caught what sleep he could sitting up in a passenger car to Washington, and it had been nearly six in the evening when he finally reached Summer Place. He was not especially pleased with what he found. First, Canidy had allowed Second Lieutenant C. Holds worth Martin III to call his parents. Then Mrs. Chesley Hay wood Whittaker had taken it upon herself to invite Mr. and Mrs. C. Holds worth Martin, Jr." to come out of the brutal heat of Manhattan and spend the Fourth of July with their son at Summer Place.

THE SECRET WARRIORS 0 ITO "I said they could come," an unrepentant Canidy told Baker after the damage was done.

"Martin pre came to the horn and asked me if it would be all right."

"You should have politely told him no," Baker said. "I was not about to do that. From where I sit, one of Donovan's Disciples ranks the hell out of a lowly Dilettante like myself. And I also thought it would please the admiral."

"And you didn't think you should keep them away from Fulmar?" Baker demanded. At this moment, Eric Fulmar, wearing trunks and a beach robe, was sitting with the Martins and the admiral beneath one of the umbreflaed tables on the lawn. "Again, El don, when Martin pre asked to speak to him, I didn't think it was my place to tell him no."

The damage has been done, Baker decided. First thing in the morning I will report what's happened to Captain Doug lass. In the meantime, I will do what I came here to do. "Captain Doug lass thought it would be a good idea if I sat in on the first session between you and Fine. In case the two of you don't have everything you should have."

"He told me to put the briefcase in Reynolds's safe at Lakehurst and start on it fresh after the Fourth."

"Then, inasmuch as Commander Reynolds doesn't know me, I think that you and I had better ride out there to get it," Baker said. "What about waiting until after the Fourth?"

"I plan to leave here at five tomorrow afternoon," Baker said. "So it's either tonight or tomorrow morning" "Tonight, then," Canidy said.

"Tomorrow we're going to have a clambake on the beach, I wouldn't want anything to interfere with that."

"Let's go, then, Baker said. "You realize we'll have to make the trip twice? Once to get it, and once to put it back?"

"Unless you elect to sleep with it handcuffed to your wrist," Baker said.

When they returned from Lakehurst, Canidy politely asked Admiral de Verbey if he might use his war room.

He then collected Fine, who had been sitting on the porch with Mrs. Whittaker, and led him up to it. "In the somewhat changed circumstances," Baker said, "I think the best thing to do is run briefly through the whole mission. If either Of YOU have questions, interrupt me. It may not be necessary to remind both of you, but I will: The classification of this operation is Top Secret Cabinet Level.

And the cabinet's access is on a need-to-know basis. For your general information, the President has decided that the Vice President does not have the need to know."

"We're impressed, El don," Canidy said.

"Can we move on now?" Baker opened the briefcase, made note of the lock-open sequence count and took out a large-scale map. He spread the map out on the table so that it was right side up in front of Canidy.