The Assassination Option (Clandestine Operations 2)

Cronley interrupted him by calling for a waiter.

“. . . in Frankfurt,” Parsons went on, “for the promotion ceremony.”

“Yes, we flew up when General Smith let it be known that (a) he would like to participate, and (b) that he wanted a word with General Gehlen.”

“General Smith wanted to participate?” Major Ashley asked, either dubiously or in surprise.

Thank you for that question, Major Ashley.

“It turned out—Dunwiddie never told us—that when he was born—what did General Smith say, Tiny? ‘In the age of the dinosaurs’?—his father’s company commander was Captain Smith.”

“Oh, so you’re from an Army family, Captain?” Parsons asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“And you, Captain Cronley?”

The waiter appeared, saving Cronley from having to answer. When the waiter had taken their orders, Parsons had a fresh question.

“Let me go off on a tangent,” he said. “You said you flew up to Frankfurt, and presumably flew back. Is there reliable air service between here and Frankfurt? The reason I ask is that it’s a long ride on the train, and I expect that I’ll have to—myself and Major Ashley will have to—go up there often.”

“You’re asking about MATS? The Air Force Military Air Transport Service?”

“Yes, of course.”

“I really have no idea.”

“But you just said you flew back and forth to Frankfurt today. How did you do that?”

“I loaded the general and Dunwiddie into a Storch, wound up the rubber bands, and took off.”

“What’s a Storch?”

“It’s a German airplane. Sort of a super Piper Cub. We have two of them.”

“You’re a pilot? An aviator?”

Cronley nodded.

“I don’t remember seeing pilot’s wings when I saw you in uniform at the Schlosshotel Kronberg,” Parsons said. “And that raises another question in my mind. If you don’t mind my asking.”

“Ask away. Isn’t that what this is all about? Finding out about each other?”

“Why is it you’re not wearing your uniform now? I mean, isn’t that civilian attire?”

“As a special agent of the CIC, I’m allowed to wear ‘civilian attire’ when I think it’s necessary.”

“But you’re not a CIC special agent, are you?”

“Until January second, I am a special agent of the CIC, assigned to the Twenty-third CIC Detachment,” Cronley said, and then indicated Dunwiddie and Hessinger. “We all are.”

“And on January second?”

“Then we will all be transferred to DCI-Europe. I would have thought General Greene or Colonel Mattingly would have explained that.”

“It’s not clear in my mind,” Parsons said.

“And after that, you and the sergeant here will have to wear your uniforms?” Major Ashley asked. His tone of voice made it a challenge.