“Yes, I do,” Cronley said. “One of the spooks who came to El Jefe’s room in the Bristol was a fellow alumnus.”
“What spooks who came to your room in the hotel?”
Cronley told him.
Ashton thought about that for a moment, and then said, “I know what we can do. About keeping the wrong people from seeing the after-action reports, I mean. Send them to me.”
/> “I thought we were talking about the spooks who came to my room,” El Jefe said.
Ashton ignored him and went on, “And once I get them, as chief, Operation Ost, I can decide who else should see them. I will decide nobody else should see them. That way, they would be on file in case, for example, the admiral wants to.”
“That’d work,” El Jefe said.
“Problem solved,” Cronley said sarcastically. “Now all we have to do is write the after-action report—”
“Reports,” Hessinger interrupted. “Plural. Starting, I suggest, with Tedworth grabbing Colonel Likharev.”
“We need an after-action report on that?” Cronley asked, and as the words came out of his mouth, realized they would.
“On everything,” Schultz confirmed.
“As I was about to say, I don’t know how to write an after-action report,” Cronley said.
“I do,” Hessinger said.
“Congratulations. You are now our official after-action-report writer,” Cronley said. “Have at it.”
“I don’t have the time,” Hessinger said. “Since I am no longer the company clerk. We need somebody else to do it.”
“You’re talking about Staff Sergeant Miller? Your new deputy?”
“He can help, but I’m talking about Claudette Colbert,” Hessinger said.
“Who?” Ashton asked.
“There are apparently two,” Cronley said. “The movie star and Hessinger’s. Hessinger’s Claudette Colbert is an ASA tech sergeant who wants to be an intelligence officer,” Cronley said.
“What about her?” El Jefe asked.
“She takes shorthand, and she types sixty words a minute,” Hessinger said. “We could really use her.”
“Not to mention, she intercepts for us what Parsons and Ashley are saying to the Pentagon. And vice versa,” Cronley said.
“Then get her, Jim,” Schultz said. “The admiral gave you authority to recruit people. Call Major McClung and tell him you want her.”
“There’s two problems with that,” Cronley said. “I’ve never laid eyes on Sergeant Colbert, and until I—”
“You’re recruiting her to push a typewriter, Jim, right? So what do you care what she looks like?”
“That’s not what I meant. Freddy says she’s a good-looking female. But I want to make sure she understands what she’s letting herself in for.”
“So send for her and ask her.”
“Before he does that, he better find out if Major McClung is going to let her go,” Hessinger said.
“Right,” El Jefe said. “Get on the secure line and call Major McClung.”
“How did you know we have a secure line to the ASA?”