The Spymasters (Men at War 7)

“And then they got out on a Kriegsmarine patrol boat,” Lieutentant Colonel Ed Stevens was telling Brigadier General William Donovan, “one flying the new colors of France.”

David Bruce grunted derisively.

As Donovan was about to say something, there was a knock at the door.

“Come!” Bruce called.

“Well,” Wild Bill said, “if it’s not our favorite loose cannon.”

Dick Canidy wasn’t sure how to respond.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, sir. My apology for being late.”

“I’m just damn glad you’re here,” Donovan said. “And with Kappler safe.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you.”

“How is Ann doing?” Donovan went on.

“I just left her. Very well. Thank you.”

“Dick,” Ed Stevens said, “I was just telling the General about the S-boat you stole—”

“Borrowed, Ed,” Canidy said, grinning. “I got word that Ludwig Fahr—the Abwehr agent—got it back to Palermo by dawn, then scuttled it on some rocks and literally walked back ashore. They never knew (a) that Fahr was gone or (b) that he was who’d ‘borrowed’ the boat.”

“I was just about to describe France’s new national colors,” Stevens said, grinning and gesturing for Canidy to pick up the story. “And how you used them on the S-boat . . .”

Canidy, with a straight face, looked at Wild Bill and said, “Surely you’ve heard about the new flag, sir?”

Donovan shook his head, but the Irishman knew when he was having his chain yanked, and grinned. “I’m sure you’ll enlighten me, Dick.”

“It’s a white cross superimposed on a field of white with a white star and white stripes,” Canidy said, grinning broadly. “It really stands out on a battlefield.”

Everyone but Bruce chuckled.

After a moment, Donovan said, “Well, judging by David’s face, we have some serious business to cover. Not that I don’t believe what you did, Dick, wasn’t serious. Damn good work.”

I guess the ends can justify the means, Canidy thought. I’m not getting reamed for going back into Sicily.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Especially in light of the fact that Jimmy Doolittle has begun the soft bombing of Sicily today. David, bring Dick up to speed on why it was important to get Kappler out of there.”

After five minutes of background, David Bruce then said: “And what we have just found out is that just about the time that Walter Höss was escorting Bormann and von Braun into the Chemische Fabrik Frankfurt plant to meet Wolfgang Kappler, Gisevius and Kappler had cleared the border, headed for Bern. A railcar of TNT then cooked off, taking out half of the production facility and narrowly missing Bormann and von Braun. So there won’t be a full production of high explosive for a while and there won’t be any nerve gas for the foreseeable future.”

Canidy nodded. “That means there won’t be the threat of Tabun for Husky. Oskar said there was none in Sicily; that the replacement had to be manufactured first.”

“And now, thanks to his father, it won’t be,”

Stevens said.

“What about Oskar’s mother and sister?” Canidy said. “Where are they?”

“We got them to Dulles,” Bruce said, looking briefly at Donovan, “and Dulles has them with Old Man Kappler in his Bern safe house. It’s an ancient estate near the River Aare. We are having our documents section produce papers to get them out, after enough time has passed, to South America by way of probably Portugal.”

“And Gisevius?” Canidy said. “He really did us a helluva job by sending Ludwig Fahr to me.”

“Dulles is also hiding Hans in Bern from the Gestapo,” Bruce said. He paused, and brought out the knives as he added, “That’s the same scenario Dulles had set up with Sparrow—and the Reds got Sparrow. We can only hope that this time the same mistakes won’t be made.”