The Assassination Option (Clandestine Operations 2)

“I’ve got twenty-five of them,” El Jefe said. “I can get more, but I thought that would be enough for now.”

“If I may?” Gehlen said.

“Go ahead.”

“I can make a small contribution. Seal the cards you brought in plastic.”

“How are you going to do that?” Schultz asked.

“Abwehr Ost’s special documents facility survived the war,” Gehlen said. “Amazingly intact.”

“Survived where?” Schultz asked.

“Here in Munich. In a sub-basement of the Paläontologisches Museum on Richard-Wagner Strasse.”

“I thought that was pretty much destroyed,” Hessinger said.

“Not the sub-basement,” Mannberg said. “But just about everything else.”

“We’re back to getting something to drive in Vienna. What I’d like to have is a couple of cars—I’m too old to ride around in a jeep in this weather—and maybe a small truck—like that ambulance you had at the airport.”

“That’s no problem,” Cronley said. “We have half a dozen of them. I don’t know about cars. If we ask the Ordnance Depot for cars, they’ll want to know why we want them.”

“No, they won’t,” Schultz said. “I’ve got another letter from the admiral in my briefcase. This one directs all U.S. Army facilities to provide DCI-Europe with whatever support we ask for.”

He produced the letter and passed it around.

“That’ll do it,” Hessinger pronounced. “I recommend you get Fords or Chevrolets, not German cars.”

“Why would you recommend that?” Cronley asked.

“Because there’s no spare parts for the German ones.”

“So what’s left to do?”

“Except for getting the cars, cutting the orders, and getting these ID cards filled out, I can’t think of a thing,” Hessinger said.

“Except wait to hear from Rahil,” Gehlen said. “That would be useful.”

“The one thing I didn’t expect you to be, General, is a wiseass,” Schultz said.

“Life is full of surprises, isn’t it, Chief?” Gehlen said.

Cronley saw they were smiling at each other.

And that Mannberg and Ashton, seeing this, seemingly disapproved.

Screw the both of you!

V

[ONE]

Quarters of the U.S. Military Government Liaison Officer

The South German Industrial Development Organization Compound

Pullach, Bavaria