The Shooters (Presidential Agent 4)

"I'm not?" Duffy flared. "You are under arrest for possession and use of an unauthorized radio transmitter."

"You don't give up, do you?" Castillo said. "Tell him about the radio, Tony."

"Just to make sure, Comandante," Santini said, "I checked with the communications ministry. They tell me that a radio telephone such as that is perfectly legal."

"We'll see about that at the police station," Duffy said. "You may also consider yourself under arrest, senor."

Santini forced back a grin.

"There's a small problem with that, Comandante," Santini said, straight-faced. "I've got one of these things." He waved a small plastic carnet. "I'm an assistant legal attache at the U.S. embassy. You have no authority to arrest me."

When Duffy didn't reply, Santini went on: "I also called the foreign ministry and told them that we were registering Nuestra Pequena Casa at the Mayerling Country Club in Pilar as the official residence of el Senor la Senora Sieno, which of course-as they also enjoy diplomatic status-gives the house and grounds diplomatic status and makes it inviolate to search."

Duffy looked at Castillo.

"You sonofabitch!" Duffy said.

"I'll tell you this one time, Duffy," Castillo replied coldly. "You can call me just about anything you want but a sonofabitch. If you ever call me a sonofabitch again, I'll break both of your arms."

Duffy shook his head in disbelief.

"Alfredo, this man is crazy," he said. "He has threatened violence-before witnesses; you, if no one else-against a comandante of the Gendarmeria Nacional."

"I didn't hear any threats, Liam," Munz said. "But if you ever hear one, pay attention. The colonel doesn't make them idly."

"Duffy," Castillo announced, then realized that all of Duffy's attention-confused or outraged or both-was focused on Munz.

"Duffy," he repeated more forcefully.

Duffy finally looked at him.

"Are you going to continue with this nonsense," Castillo went on, "or shall we start all over again?"

After a very long moment, Duffy asked, "What do you mean, 'start all over again'?"

"Well, I say, 'Good morning, Comandante. You're just in time for breakfast.' And then you say, 'How nice. I'm starved.' And then you come and shake my hand and sit down. And we have our breakfast, and we start talking about how we can help each other. You want to try that, Duffy, or do you want to cut your nose off to spite your face?"

They stared at each other for a long moment.

"Good morning, Comandante," Castillo said. "You're just in time for breakfast."

"I will listen to what you have to say," Duffy said finally.

"Well, that's not exactly what I hoped to hear you say," Castillo said, "but it's a start, and I'm willing to bend a little."

He waved Duffy into a chair and offered him a plate of scrambled eggs and ham. When Duffy shook his head, Castillo passed the plate to D'Elia.

Then Castillo put several spoonfuls of the egg and ham onto another plate. There was a basket of hard-crusted baguettes. Castillo took one, broke off a piece of the bread, then forked egg onto that. He generously applied salt and pepper, shook several drops of Tabasco on it, then popped the open-faced sandwich into his mouth and chewed appreciatively.

"Por favor, mi coronel?" D'Elia asked as he motioned with his hand for the bottle of hot sauce.

Castillo passed the Tabasco to him.

D'Elia then made a little sandwich much like Castillo's. Except that D'Elia was far more liberal with the application of Tabasco. When he had it in his mouth, his face showed his satisfaction with his efforts. He handed the Tabasco back to Castillo as Castillo finished constructing another little egg sandwich. When he had that one in his mouth, he passed the Tabasco to Duffy, who had been watching impatiently, but who took the bottle as a reflex action.

"I'd be careful with that," Castillo said. "They make it in Louisiana, and some men find it a little too spicy."

Duffy rose to the challenge. After he made himself a chopped ham and scrambled egg open-faced sandwich, he began to liberally polka-dot it with Tabasco.