“Well,” Canidy shot back, “my first observation—”
“Dick!” Fine said, cautioning him.
“Before you go off half-cocked, Major,” Bruce said, “you should know that I have my reasons.”
“Reasons?” Canidy parroted.
David Bruce knew that he shouldn’t, but he felt some small pleasure picking up the envelope and handing it to Canidy. “For you.”
Canidy reached out, practically snatched the envelope, and opened it. He flipped past the outer cover sheet stamped TOP SECRET, then past the inner one stamped TOP SECRET—EYES ONLY BRUCE STEVENS CANIDY and read the message without expression.
* * *
TOP SECRET
OPERATIONAL IMMEDIATE
FROM OSS WASHINGTON FOR OSS LONDON EYES ONLY BRUCE STEVENS CANIDY
QUOTE USING MOST EXPEDITIOUS MEANS CANIDY IS TO REPORT TO THIS OFFICE AND TO ME RE PEAT ME DIRECTLY STOP CANIDY IS NOT REPEAT NOT TO ATTACH HIMSELF TO OR ASSUME AUTHORITY OF ANY OP OR MISSION STOP DONOVAN END QUOTE
* * *
Canidy put it back in the envelope.
“Any idea what this is about?” he said.
Bruce locked eyes with him, waited for a moment, then said, “Officially? No. Unofficially?” He paused, seemingly deciding if it was wise to go on. “Unofficially, I think it’s rather clear.”
Canidy waved Go on with his hand.
Bruce said, “You are damned lucky to be alive and free as opposed to alive and in the hands of the Sicherheitsdienst. You knew too much to go behind the lines. What if you had in fact been captured?”
“But I wasn’t,” Canidy shot back. “And I accomplished the mission.”
“At an incredibly great risk,” Bruce replied icily. “And not without significant loss. The Hungarian pipeline is blown, and last word we got from the OSS radio station was code that they had been discovered and were about to be captured.”
Canidy’s face tightened. He looked past Bruce and stared out the window.
“Judging by the wording of Colonel Donovan’s message,” Bruce went on calculatingly, “I presume he feels the same way.”
After a moment, Canidy locked eyes with Bruce.
“Maybe you’re right,” he said, putting his cup and saucer on the desk. “I greatly regret the loss of any agents, but I did what I thought was the best under the circumstances….”
“And you did do the best considering the circumstances,” Fine offered.
“Thank you, Stan,” Canidy said.
Then he stood, and took the envelope that held his top secret order from Donovan.
“If you’ll excuse me, I think I should pack.”
[ ONE ]
Unterseeboot 134
30 degrees 35 minute