“Too big. Too difficult. The other one I can run single-handedly, more or less. I was in the Kriegsmarine.” He looked at Canidy and added, “And you were in the U.S. Navy, yes?”
“Yeah, but as an aviator,” Canidy said, mimicked an airplane with his left hand, then looked back at the port. “So, you’re going to steal that S-boat?”
He shook his head again. “Borrow it. I’ll bring it back.”
Canidy chuckled and said, “I knew I liked you for a reason.”
He then said: “Serious question: How the hell are we going to approach the Casabianca with a fucking enemy S-boat?”
“Serious answer?” Beck said. “Carefully. Very fucking carefully.”
He looked at his watch.
“The S-boat has a complement of twenty-four. After they refuel and provision the S-boat for its nightly mission—which will happen anytime now—the crew will then come ashore to dine, leaving maybe one or two sailors aboard on watch.” Beck paused as he looked to see if there were any questions. There were none, and he went on: “Then the U-boat crew will be flooding in here as usual right after six o’clock—which is in an hour and fifteen minutes.”
“What about her captain?” Canidy said. “He’s not going to Jimmy’s brothel.”
Palasota, tapping his fingertips to his chest, said, “Leave that to me. He will be my guest as we celebrate the new command of Lieutenant Mario Fiorini of the Regia Marina.”
Canidy considered that, then said, “How do we get Tubes aboard?”
They all gave that a moment’s thought.
Then Palasota said: “Easy. Same way we got him up here. But this time we cover him up on a gurney and have two of my men carry the passed-out drunken sailor back to his U-boat. At that point, we’ll get the S-boat sailors to lend a hand—and take over their vessel.”
“Simple enough,” Canidy said. “And how are we going to get Gimpy here aboard? Same way?”
“You’re not going to,” John Craig said.
“What?” Canidy said.
“All things being equal, Dick, I’d just as well not get on the sub. Do I have to remind you how well I did on Hank’s Gooney Bird?”
Canidy looked at him a long moment.
“Dick, I’m staying behind.”
“Are you crazy?” Canidy said, then noticed Andrea Buda was watching John Craig with a keen interest.
And there’s something in her eyes . . . do they have something going?
“I can keep the station going,” John Craig said. “We never had a resistance built; now we can, with Jimmy Skinny. ‘This is the lesson . . .’ remember?”
John Craig saw Canidy looking at Andrea.
“Look,” he then said, “there’s not been a good time to get into this. Andrea said Tubes never touched her.”
“What?”
“All that he sent me in the messages was boasting—but it was about a hooker. He was coming here instead, and it’s probably how the SS caught him.”
Canidy looked to Palasota, who nodded and said, “Makes sense. He was here . . . then he wasn’t.”
Canidy exhaled audibly, then looked at John Craig.
“Go get back on the radio with Neptune. Message back: quote We have
commandeered S-boat. Do not repeat do not let loose any fish. Vessel is number S-323. If you miss vessel number, look for the colors. We will be flying France’s new national flag. Signed Jupiter unquote.”