The Assassination Option (Clandestine Operations 2)

Just for running the SIGABA installation? That doesn’t make sense.

If Clete had to take somebody out, or do something else really black, who would he ask to help?

A nice young Cuban American polo player who had never heard a shot fired in anger, much less fired one himself?

Or a grizzled old sailor who had served not only in the Philippines but also on the Yangtze River Patrol?

Why didn’t Clete tell me what was El Jefe’s actual function?

Because you don’t talk about things like that to someone who doesn’t have the need to know.

So what’s El Jefe’s mission here?

Whatever it is, it’s not to keep his mouth shut when Polo does, or asks, something stupid.

He’s here to keep Polo out of trouble.

No.

More than that. El Jefe is here to see—and probably to report to the admiral—what’s going on here.

So what’s he going to report?

That Captain James D. Cronley Jr. is indeed the loose cannon everyone says he is?

That I’m dealing with a Mossad/NKGB agent and haven’t told the admiral anything about it?

“Returning to the worst possible scenario,” Gehlen said, “there is a real possibility that what the NKGB decided when we contacted Seven-K was that it might give them a chance to get their hands on me.”

“How would they do that?” El Jefe asked.

“In her—what we presume was her—last message, she twice referred to a Herr Weitz who was demanding more dollars.”

“Who’s he?” Ashton asked.

“I don’t know anyone of that name, and neither does Oberst Mannberg. But in our previous relationship I met twice with Rahil in the Café Weitz in Vienna. That’s why I suggested she may be headed for Vienna.”

“Where Fedotov’s people may be waiting for you at the Café Weitz when you go there to give her the fifty thousand dollars,” Mannberg said.

“Where Fedotov’s people may be waiting for me when I go there to give her the fifty thousand dollars,” Gehlen parroted in confirmation.

“I’m just a simple sailor, General,” El Jefe said. “You’re going to have to explain that to me. Why couldn’t you get her the money through an intermediary? How’d you get her the first fifty thousand?”

“Through an intermediary,” Gehlen said. “But we can’t do that again.”

“Why not?”

“Because she wants to make sure, or at least that’s what I’m expected to believe, that she is afraid this is a scheme to kidnap, or at least compromise, her. She said, to—in Jim’s charming phrase—‘cut to the chase’—”

“To hell with Jim’s charming phrase,” Schultz cut him off. “I just told you, I’m just a simple sailor. Take it slowly, step by step.”

Has the general picked up that El Jefe is now giving the orders?

You can bet your ass he has!

Gehlen nodded.

“As I’m sure you know, one of the great advantages the Allies had over us was that you had broke