"Under those circumstances, welcome, welcome, Captain," Castillo said. "Just as soon as we get something to eat, I'll bring you up to speed on what's going down."
He turned to Susanna Sieno.
"How about mustering the troops in the quincho, Susanna?"
"Everybody?"
Castillo nodded, then understood her question.
"Ask Sergeant Mullroney and Lieutenant Lorimer to come watch us eat first, please. Then muster them in the quincho."
"Sit down, please, Sergeant Mullroney," Lieutenant Colonel C. G. Castillo said politely when the Chicago detective came into the dining room of the main house with Lorimer. "While we talk about what we're going to do with you."
Mullroney sat down across the table from Castillo; Lorimer sat down between Torine and Delchamps.
A plump, middle-aged woman and a younger one began distributing ham and eggs and plates of rolls.
Her daughter? Castillo wondered.
Whoever they are, they wouldn't be here if Susanna didn't trust them.
Castillo pushed a coffee thermos across the table.
"Has Charley here been a good boy, Eddie?" Castillo asked.
"A very good boy, sir," First Lieutenant Edmund Lorimer said.
"Then we mustn't forget to give him a gold star to take home to mommy-I mean, the mayor-mustn't we?"
"No, sir, we mustn't. I'll be sure to do that. May I ask when that will be, Colonel?"
"First thing tomorrow morning," Castillo said. He looked at Mullroney for a long moment, then asked, "No comment, Sergeant?"
"You know the mayor's not going to be happy if you send me home, Colonel," Mullroney said after a moment.
"I guess not," Castillo said. "But the situation here-already bad-got worse about an hour ago, which leaves me with two choices. Making the mayor unhappy by sending you back home, or watching this operation blow up in my face-which, as you know, Sergeant, means in the President's face-which is not really an option."
"Lorimer just told you I haven't been giving anybody any trouble," Mullroney protested.
"That's because Lieutenant Lorimer has been sitting on you, under my orders to take you out if you even looked like you were thinking of doing something you shouldn't. So you behaved, and you get to go home-alive-with that gold star I was talking about."
"You really don't want to piss off the mayor, Colonel," Mullroney said.
"No, I don't, and I don't think I will. Making him unhappy and pissing him off are two different things. Do you know what we mean by a Gold Star for Mommy, Sergeant?"
Mullroney didn't reply, and his face showed embarrassed confusion.
"I will send a letter to the mayor with Colonel Torine," Castillo said, "with copies to the President and the director of National Intelligence, saying how much we appreciate his offering us your services, and how hard you have tried to be of use, but that I have reluctantly concluded you just don't have the investigative, analytical, and other skills necessary, and that I decided the best thing to do to ensure the success of the operation was to send you home."
"You sonofabitch!" Mullroney said.
Castillo went on as if he hadn't heard him: "Now, that will almost certainly make the mayor unhappy, but I think if he's going to be pissed off at anybody it will be at you, Sergeant Mullroney, for not being able to cut the mustard. I don't think that will make you too popular with Special Agent Timmons's family, either."
Mullroney locked eyes with Castillo but didn't say anything.
"Permission to speak, sir?" Lorimer asked.
Castillo appeared to be considering that before he made a Come on with it gesture.
"Sir, inasmuch as Sergeant Mullroney didn't ask to be sent with us, it doesn't seem fair that he should find his ass in a crack."
From the expression in Mullroney's eyes, ol' Charley did in fact volunteer to come along with us.
Volunteering no doubt scored a lot of points with the mayor.
And there'd be even more brownie points if we-and he-managed to get Timmons back.
"We're not in the 'fair' business, Lorimer," Castillo said coldly. "And therefore, since you are presumed to understand that-"
"Colonel," Delchamps interrupted. "If I may?"
Castillo appeared to be considering that, too, before he gestured for Delchamps to continue.
I don't know what you're going to say, Edgar, but obviously you picked up on where I'm trying to go with Mullroney.
You even called me "colonel."
What's going to happen now, I think, is instead of the ordinary good guy, bad guy scam, we're going to have two good guys saving Mullroney from bad ol' Colonel Castillo.
"I understand your concerns, Colonel," Delchamps went on. "But what I have been thinking is that Detective Mullroney might be useful when we go to Paraguay."
"How?" Castillo asked, his tone on the edge of sarcasm.
"In dealing with both the people in the embassy and the local police. With regard to the former, whether you go there as Colonel Castillo or as Mr. Castillo, you are still going to be the important visitor from Washington, and they are not going to tell you anything that might come around, in that marvelous phrase, to bite them on the ass. As far as the local police are concerned-your command of the language notwithstanding-you are going to be a visiting gringo, and they are not going to tell you anything."
Delchamps paused, then continued, "Now, Detective Mullroney-"
"Actually, I'm a sergeant," Mullroney interrupted.
Delchamps flashed Mullroney a look making it clear that he didn't like being interrupted, then went on, "Sergeant Mullroney is a bona fide police officer, low enough in rank so as not to frighten away the people in the embassy but yet to be, so to speak, one of them. I'm suggesting that he might be told-or would see-things they would not tell or show you."
I am now pretending to carefully consider what Delchamps just said.
The funny thing is it makes sense, even if he came up with it just to help Lorimer and me keep Mullroney on a tight leash.
"There may be something to what you say, Delchamps," Castillo said after what he considered to be a suitable pause, "but do you really believe that it outweighs the risk of Mullroney doing something stupid that would blow the operation?"
"Well, you'd have to keep him on a short leash, of course," Delchamps said, "but, yes, Colonel, I do. You might be surprised how valuable he might be."
"Sir, I'll be sitting on him," Lorimer said.
"But you have this odd notion of fair play, Lieutenant," Castillo said.
Castillo put what he hoped was a thoughtful look on his face and kept it there for thirty seconds, which seemed much longer.
"And," Castillo then went on, "to be of any use to us in the manner you suggest, he would have to know what's going on-starting with being present at the briefing I am about to deliver-and I'm uncomfortable with that."
"Sir, I'll be sitting on him," Lorimer said again.
"You've mentioned that," Castillo snapped.
"Sorry, sir," Lorimer said, and looked at Mullroney with a look that said, Well, I tried.
"All right," Castillo said. "I'll go this far. You will not return to the United States with Colonel Torine tomorrow. I will give this matter further thought, and let you know what I finally decide."
"Thank you," Mullroney said softly.
"Take Sergeant Mullroney out to the quincho and tell the others I'll be there shortly. I need a word with these gentlemen."
"Yes, sir," Lorimer said.
He gestured for Mullroney to get up and then followed him out of the room.
When the door had closed, Castillo mimed applauding. The others chuckled.
"May I ask a question, Karl?" Munz said.
"Sure."
"You don't trust him, do you?"
"He strikes me as the kind of not-too-bright guy who, meaning well, is likely to rush off in the wrong direction. And we can't afford that."
"Can I ask why you trust me?"
"Aside from all that money we're paying you, and the bullet you took for us?"
Torine, Darby, and Delchamps chuckled.