“Oh, Cronley,” Parsons said, “in for dinner, are you?”
Actually I’m here to steal some silverware and a couple of napkins.
“Right. Good evening, Colonel. M
ajor.”
The headwaiter appeared.
“Table for four, gentlemen?”
“Two,” Cronley said quickly. “We’re not together.”
“But I think we should be,” Parsons said. “I would much rather look at this charming young woman over my soup than at Major Ashley.”
The headwaiter took that as an order.
“If you’ll follow me, please?”
They followed him to a table.
“You are, I presume, going to introduce your charming companion?” Colonel Parsons said, as a waiter distributed menus.
“Miss Colbert, may I introduce Lieutenant Colonel Parsons and Major Ashley?”
“We’ve met,” Claudette said. “At the Pullach compound.”
“I thought you looked familiar,” Ashley said. “You’re the ASA sergeant, right?”
“She was,” Cronley answered for her. “Now she’s a CIC special agent of the Twenty-third CIC, on indefinite temporary duty with DCI.”
“I see,” Parsons said.
“But, as I’m sure you’ll understand, we don’t like to talk much about that,” Cronley said.
“Of course,” Parsons said. “Well, let me say I’ll miss seeing you at the Pullach compound.” He turned to Cronley. “Sergeant . . . I suppose I should say ‘Miss’ . . . ?”
“Yes, I think you should,” Cronley said.
“Miss Colbert handled our classified traffic with Washington,” Parsons went on. “Which now causes me to wonder how secure they have been.”
“I’m sure, Colonel, that they were, they are, as secure as the ASA can make them,” Cronley said. “Or was that some sort of an accusation?”
“Certainly not,” Parsons said.
Cronley chuckled.
“Did I miss something, Mr. Cronley?”
“What I was thinking, Colonel, was ‘Eyes Only.’”
“Excuse me?”
“Way back from the time I was a second lieutenant, every time I saw that I wondered, ‘Do they really believe that?’ Actually, ‘They can’t really believe that.’”
“I don’t think I follow you,” Parsons said.
“I know I don’t,” Ashley said.