Secret Warriors (Men at War 2)

"Are you telling me that, with her exception, you don't see any security problem?"

"I don't suppose my opinion is worth much," Canidy said, "but if you figure some way to shut her up, I don't see a security problem, period.

I never did."

"That's very interesting, Canidy," Donovan said.

"It is almost exactly the opposite of the opinion Baker holds. And he's a professional."

"I'm not exactly an amateur myself anymore, Colonel. I stopped being an amateur when the sub went off without me."

"Not exactly an amateur, but not a professional either," Donovan said.

"Okay, Canidy, that'll be it. Thank you."

"What's my status, may I ask?"

"Mr. Martin and I are going to discuss that now. Until a decision has been reached, I think it would be best if you waited in your room."

"Yes, Sir," Canidy said. When he had gone, Martin said, "You're not going to like this, Bin, but my vote goes to Canidy."

"Oh, mine, too," Donovan said.

"What you and I are going to have to do is come up with some way to stroke Baker's ruffled feathers. He's good, and we can't afford to have him feeling that we're pissing on him."

"Piss on him a little, Bill," Martin said.

"It'll be good for him. He seems to think that he's the spy master, and that's your role." Donovan thought that over a moment. "I'll tell you what," h

e said.

"I'll send him in and you piss on him. Tell him you question his judgment about yelling "Fire!" so loudly."

"Why me?"

"It was your idea, Holds worth," Donovan said reasonably, and stood up.

"I'm going to go see Canidy and read the riot act again, and then I'm going to find out if he really has laid on a clambake. I haven't been to one in years."

TWENTY-ONE Summer Place Deal, New Jersey July 4, 1942

Colonel William J. Donovan was not surprised at Dick Canidy's reaction when he went to Canidy's room-actually a small apartment over the boathouse-and told him that he had decided it would be a mistake to put everybody on ice. From the tone of Canidy's "Yes, Sir," Donovan understood that Canidy had already put himself in Donovan's shoes, considered the possible options, and reached the decision that Donovan would most likely come to. "That's all you've got to say? No questions?"

"All sorts of questions," Canidy said.

"How are you going to handle Baker? How are you going to handle the Chambers girl? And that bird brained friend of hers, Charity Hoc he?

Canidy is either more artfully deceitful than I believe or he really has no idea how Ann Chambers feels about him "I've spoken to the Chambers girl," Donovan said.

"She's very much like her father. Once she understands how important it is to protect the secrecy of what we're doing, it wouldn't enter her mind to endanger that by writing about it."

"The Chambers newspapers ran Drew Pearson's "Donovan's Dilettantes' column," Canidy said.

"Brandon Chambers reserves the right to read Pearson's columns before they run in his newspapers. He has killed dozens of them that I know about. I can only assume that Chambers decided that whatever I'm doing, I'm not providing a haven for well-bred draft dodgers, and thus there was no question of national security involved."

"Hmmm," Canidy grunted thoughtfully. "Or he believed Pearson," Donovan said, chuckling, "and decided to publish that piece as his patriotic duty. It's even possible that he understood I would actually be pleased by such a story, because it would divert attention from what we're really doing." Canidy laughed at that. He knew Brandon Chambers enough to see that Donovan might be right about that. "In any event, I'm going to arrange to have a meal with him to express my appreciation for his discretion. I don't think we have anything to worry about with the Chamberses, pre or fille. Canidy nodded.

"And the birdbrain? "We're going to offer Miss Hoc he," Donovan said, "whose father, incidentally, is also a friend of mine, summer employment."