“I understand,” Hewlitt said. “This is the headquarters, I take it.”
“Yes, it is, and the knowledge of its location is one of the most vital secrets we have.”
“I understand,” he told her. “You can rely on me.”
She gave him the fraction of a smile. “If we had not been totally convinced of that, you would be in Canada right now.”
With that she left him and he was alone for perhaps half an hour. Then a man came into the room who at first glance seemed to be, like Percival, a trim but otherwise undistinguishable individual. Then he noticed that part of one of his hands was missing. That meant an industrial accident or possibly a combat injury; Hewlitt cataloged the fact away in his mind and waited for what the man had to say.
He came to the point without formalities. “Mr. Hewlitt, my name is Pappas. I’d like to talk to you about several things if you don’t mind.”
“Certainly.”
“I understand^ that you had an interview with Colonel Rostovitch.”
“Yes, sir, I did.”
“And after you talked to him, you returned to your desk briefly and then left the White House in Miss Stoneham’s company.” “That’s right.”
“Did Colonel Rostovitch accuse you of being a member of the underground?”
“Yes, his exact words to me were, ‘You are an agent; as soon as I finish with you, you will be taken out and shot.’ ”
“You have a good memory, Mr. Hewlitt.”
“Thank you; it’s an asset that’s helpful at times.”
“I believe that. However, you were not shot.”
“Fortunately, no.”
“Colonel Rostovitch is not noted for relenting on promises of that kind. I would be very interested to know what you said or did to cause him to change his mind.”
Hewlitt didn’t know who this man was, but the manner in which he spoke implied authority — not forcefully, but in a very quiet practical way that suggested maximum capability. “The answer I believe is Amy Thornbush,” Hewlitt said.
“Who is she?”
“I don’t believe that she is anyone,” he replied. “The first time that I talked to Mr. Zalinsky he asked me if I knew Amy Thornbush. I remembered the name. Later it was mentioned to me once more. Since I was certain that I had not met any such person, I considered it possible that it was some sort of a code.”
“Please go on.”
“When I met Colonel Rostovitch he said to me very positively, ‘You have been sleeping with Amy Thornbush.’ That narrowed the field immediately — either it meant Barbara Stoneham or it was a recognition signal. At least those were all the possibilities that occurred to me at that moment.”
“There were no other young ladies who had favored you?”
“Yes, there were, but the colonel’s method of speaking implied a steadily continuing relationship, and there was no one else who would come under that category.”
“That’s all you had to go on.”
“Yes, sir, at that moment.”
“What did you do?”
“I gambled; I had to. There was a possibility, of course, that Barbara Stoneham was also known by another name, but since the colonel was aware that I knew her as Barbara, he wouldn’t logically have thrown the other name up to me if he had had her in mind.”
“You reasoned that out.”
Hewlitt shifted his position and looked again at the man who was interrogating him. “I can’t honestly claim that, I didn’t have that much time. I liked the other possibility better and I bet on it.”
“How?”
“I said to him, ‘And so have you.’ If it was a recognition signal, I gave it back to him.”
“In your opinion, Mr. Hewlitt, is that why he let you go?”
“Yes, Mr. Pappas, it is. I realized that he could check up and determine within a very short time if I was in any way a member of, say, an enemy underground organization in this country, but it did buy me enough time to get out of the White House and into Percival’s hands. Do you know Percival, sir?”
Pappas nodded. “Yes, I know him. I am fully aware of what took place after you and Miss Stoneham reached the safe house.”
“I’m reassured that you are,” Hewlitt said.
“One more point: were you able simply to walk out of the White House without any interference from the guards or anyone else?” “Yes, sir. Major Barlov was very helpful there.”
“Please explain that.”
“Colonel Rostovitch said to me, ‘Meanwhile I give you a message; deliver it.’ I said that I would as soon as I was able. Then he said, ‘We have devices of which you do not dream. We have used them. Inform them that their submarine, the one named for the Filipino traitor and that has the high diver on board, was found and sunk by us early this morning.’ ”
Hewlitt noted at once that Pappas paid particularly close attention to that answer, especially the latter part of it.
“That is a reasonably exact quotation of his words?”
“I believe, Mr. Pappas, that it is verbatim.”
“Excuse me for a moment, if you please.”
Hewlitt was alone for some time. He ran over in his mind the interview he hatl just had and reassured himself that he had quoted Rostovitch accurately. He was not likely to forget a speech like that, particularly with the references to the Filipino traitor — which Ramon Magsaysay had most certainly not been — and the high diver, which was most likely another code designation.
When Pappas came back he had with him another man; he was not unduly tall, but his shoulders were exceptionally wide and the tautness of his physique could not be concealed by the slacks and sport shirt that he wore.
There were no introductions; the newcomer simply said, “Mr. Hewlitt, would you mind repeating to me the exact words of the message that Colonel Rostovitch gave to you?”
Since the other two men were standing up, Hewlitt got to his own feet. “Certainly not. The message was, ‘We have devices of which you do not dream. We have used them. Inform them that their submarine, the one named for the Filipino traitor and that has the high diver on board, was found and sunk by us early this morning.’ ”
“That is verbatim?”
“I’m certain of it, sir.”
“Did you gain any other impression from his manner?” Pappas asked.
Hewlitt turned toward him. “Only that he was trying to impress me with his authority and the meaning of his message. Of the news he was giving me.”
“Did you believe him?” the muscular man asked.
Hewlitt had not decided whether he liked this new man or not, he seemed a trifle peremptory. The fact that he had not as yet introduced himself could have been responsible for that impression.
“Not entirely, no,” he answered. “In the first place Magsaysay was a distinguished patriot; a traitor betrays his own country. One untruth in a statement casts doubt on all of the rest. Then that bit about the high diver sounded like another code device to me — that’s just a guess, of course. As to the submarine part, I couldn’t evaluate that because I simply didn’t have enough data to go on.”
The new man relaxed visibly in his manner. “All this is very interesting, Mr. Hewlitt, including your opinions. Apparendy you displayed excellent resourcefulness and your point about President Magsaysay is very well taken. As it happens, I’m the high diver, but you were right about Amy Thornbush and that was where it counted.”
Hewlitt felt much relieved. “Thank you, sir. Pardon my asking, but I was told that I was to meet the First Team on this trip. Am I still programmed to do that?”
“You will,” Pappas promised.
An air of expectation prevaded the conference room during the showing of the Solomon Fitzhugh tape. Those who saw it knew that Ed Higbee had already given it his approval, but when it was over they did not hesitate to express their own opinions. The consensus was very strong that the senator had done his best and that he would be believed as much as anyone who could be put on the air. That was enough for the admiral; in one of the few easy decisions he had made he O.K.’d the program to be aired that same evening.