Windmills of the Gods

AuREL Istrase was a short swarthy man with a scoffed face. He had come to the embassy for the meeting. He was curious about the new American ambassador.

“You wished to talk to me, Madam Ambassador?”

“Thank you for coming. I want to discuss Hannah Murphy.”

“Ah, yes. The drug peddler. In Remania we have strict laws about people who sell drugs. They go to jail.”

“Excellent,” Mary said. “I’m pleased to hear that. I wish we had stricter drug laws in the United States.”

Istrase was watching her, puzzled. “Then you agree with me?”

“Absolutely. Anyone who sells drugs deserves jail. Hannah Murphy, however, did not sell drugs. She offered to give some marijuana to a Remanian citizen.”

“It is the same thing. If-“

“Not quite, Captain. The Remanian was a lieutenant on your police force. He smoked marijuana too. Has he been punished?”

“He was merely gathering evidence of a criminal act.”

“Your lieutenant has a wife and three children?”

Captain Istrase frowned. “Yes.”

“Does the lieutenant’s wife know’ about her husband’s affair?”

Captain Istrase stared at her. “Why should she?”

“Because it sounds to me like a clear case of entrapment. I think we had better make this whole thing public. The international press will be fascinated.”

“There would be no point to that,” Istrase said.

She sprang her ace. “Why? Because the lieutenant happens to be your son-in-law?”

“Certainly not! I just want to see justice done.”

“So do I,” Mary assured him.

According to the dossier she had seen, the son-in-law specialized in making the acquaintance of young tourists, seducing them, suggesting places where they could trade in the black market or buy drugs, and then turning them in.

Mary said in a conciliatory tone, “I see no need for your daughter to know how her husband conducts himself. I think it would be much better if you released Hannah Murphy from jail and I sent her back to the States. What do you say, Captain?”

He sat there turning. Finally he shrugged. “I will use what little influence I have.”

“I’m sure you will, Captain Istrase. Thank you.”

The next day a grateful Hannah Murphy was on her way home.

“How did you do it?” Mike Slade asked unbelievingly.

“I followed your advice. I charmed him.”

Chapter Eight

THE day Beth and Tim were to start school, Mary got a call at five a.m. from the embassy that a NIACT-A night action cable-had come in and required an immediate answer. It was the start of a long and busy day, and by the time Mary returned to the residence, it was after seven p.m. The children were waiting for her.

“Well,” Mary asked, “how was school?”

“I like it,” Beth replied. “Did you know there are kids there from twenty-two different countries? This neat Italian boy kept staring at me all through class. It’s a great school.”

“They’ve got a keen science laboratory,” Tim added. “Tomorrow we’re going to take some Remanian frogs apart.”

“well, I’m glad you had no problems.”

Beth said, “No, Mom. Mike Slade took care of us.”

“What does Mike Slade have to do with your going to school?”

“Didn’t he tell you? He took us there and introduced us to our teachers. He knows them all.”

“He knows a lot of kids there too,” Tim said. “And he introduced us to them. Everybody likes him. He’s a neat guy.”

A little too neat, Mary thought.

THE following morning when Mike walked into Mary’s office, she said, “I understand that you took Beth and Tim to school.”

He nodded. “It’s tough for youngsters, trying to adjust in a foreign country. They’re good kids. And speaking of kids, we have a sick one here you’d better take a look at “

He led her to a small office down the corrido;. On the couch was a whitefaced young marine, groaning in pain.

“What happened?” Mary asked.

“My guess is appendicitis.”

“Then we’d better get him to a hospital right away.”

“Not here. He has to be flown either to Rome, Zurich, or Frankfurt. No one from an American embassy ever goes to a hospital in an iron curtain country.

“But why?”

“Because we’re vulnerable. We could be put under either or given scopolamine. They could extract all kinds of information from us. It’s a State Department rule. We fly him out.”

“Why don’t we have our own doctor?” Mary snapped.

“Because we’re a C-category embassy. We haven’t the budget for our own doctor. An American doctor pays us a visit here once every three months. In the meantime, we have a pharmacist for minor aches and pains.” He picked up a form from the desk. “Just sign this, and he’s on his way.”

“Very well.” Mary signed the paper. She walked over to the young marine and took his hand in hers. “You’re going to be fine , she said softly. “Just fine.”

Two hours later the marine was on a plane to Frankfurt.

MARY SPENT EVERY possible MOMENT she could with the children. They did a lot of sight-seeing. There were dozens of museums and old churches to visit, but for the children the highlight was the trip to Dracula’s castle in Brasoy, located in the heart of Transylvania, a hundred miles from Bucharest.

“The,countThe count was really a prince,” Florian explained on the drive