“If you’d like, Mrs. Winters, I’ll hold that while you’re drinking your coffee,” Janice said.
“It’s a him, not a that, Miss Johansen,” Barbara said. “He even has a name.”
She handed Thomas H. Winters IV to Janice.
“Good-looking kid,” Janice said. “Beautiful. You’re sure Tom is the father?”
“Jesus Christ, Janice!” Tom exclaimed.
“I’m sure, Miss Johansen,” Barbara said.
“In that case, I think you qualify to be a member of Super Spook’s Merry Band of Outlaws. And I think you should start calling me Janice, and I will call you Barbara.”
“Thank you, Janice,” Barbara said.
“Yeah, welcome, welcome, Barbara, we’re glad to have you,” Cronley said.
“Thank you, Jim,” she said, her voice on the cusp of breaking.
“And now, if you will excuse me,” Cronley said, “my bodyguard and I have to get on the SIGABA.”
[TWO]
The Mansion
Offenbach Platz 101
Nuremberg, American Zone of Occupation, Germany
0855 26 February 1946
“Buenos Aires, Fulda. Captain Cronley for Colonel Frade. Require secure line.”
“Buenos Aires understands Captain Cronley for Colonel Frade on a secure line,” a heavily Spanish-accented voice replied.
“Affirmative, Buenos Aires.”
“Hold One, Fulda.”
Holding One took about two minutes.
“Fulda, Colonel Frade is on. The line is secure.”
“This better be important. I dislike rising with the roosters to answer the phone.”
“It is.”
“I understand people have been shooting at you.”
“How’d you hear about that?”
“El Jefe thought I should know they missed.”
“And they were trying hard. The sonofabitch had a Schmeisser. My Horch is full of bullet holes.”
“What’s on your mind, Little Brother?”
“I need to talk to Colonel Niedermeyer. Can you get him on here?”