“It’s a little early for that, isn’t it, Captain, sir?” Dunwiddie greeted him.
“I’ve already had my breakfast, so why not?”
“Are you celebrating, drowning your sorrows, or just boozing it up?”
“I’ve been trying to make up my mind about that.”
“Drinking just because it makes you feel good is decadent and depraved.”
“I’ll bet they taught you that at Maple Syrup U.”
“Actually, my mother repeated that line to me no more than five million times.”
Dunwiddie went behind the bar, took a bottle of Haig & Haig Pinch Scots whisky from the display, then sat on a stool next to Cronley.
“However,” he went on, as he poured a glass nearly full, “under the circumstances, I feel a little taste is in order.”
He took a very healthy swallow of the whisky, and smacked his lips appreciatively.
If it’s true, Cronley thought, that the larger the corpus into which alcohol is introduced the less effect it has on said corpus, Tiny can do that all day without getting noticeably plastered.
As far as normal-sized people like me are concerned, I better not have any more of this. Right now, getting even slightly plastered is something I can’t afford to do.
“Speaking of your sainted mother, Tiny, I thought that story about her sending you maple syrup worked well with Konstantin. We’ve got to get him thinking about his mother, his wife, his family.”
“Yeah.”
“I wish I knew if his father is alive, if he has any kids.”
“You’re thinking that if we can get him thinking about his mommy and daddy, his loving wife, and their little ones, if any…?”
“He might start to think that while a bullet in the back of his head might solve his problems, the NKGB might turn its kind attention to them. I’m pretty sure he’s been trying very hard not to think of them, so we have to make sure he does.”
“He looked very unhappy when Tedworth was leading him back to his cell.”
“He looked very unhappy when Tedworth led him in from his cell. What we have to do is give him some hope for the future.”
“And reminding him that he’s got a family about to get sent to Siberia, or shot, because he got caught is going to give him hope for the future?”
Tiny, looking past Jim, then quickly covered his mouth with his hand and said, “Change the subject.”
Cronley looked over his shoulder. Former Oberst Ludwig Mannberg had entered the room and was walking toward them.
“Ah, I’d hoped to find you here, Captain Cronley,” Mannberg said, smiling and offering his hand.
Cronley smiled, remembering what Tiny had said about habitual handshaking Germans: “They can’t go to the can to take a leak unless they first shake hands with everybody in the room.”
I don’t want to call him Herr Oberst, because he’s not a colonel anymore and I don’t want him to think I don’t know that.
On the other hand, I don’t want to piss him off, either. Unintentionally.
“Will you join us for a little taste, Herr Oberst?” Cronley said as they shook hands.
“It’s a little early for me, thank you just the same,” Mannberg said. “I’m hoping you can spare a few minutes for me.”
“Anytime, Herr Oberst. You know that.”
Mannberg gave his hand to Tiny, said, “Herr Dunwiddie,” and then added, “I don’t mean to be rude, but I was hoping to have a few minutes alone with Captain Cronley.”
“Dunwiddie’s my deputy, Herr Oberst. Anything you have to say to me—”
“Of course, of course,” Mannberg said quickly. “No offense, Herr Dunwiddie.”
“None taken,” Tiny said. “What can we do for you?”
“It concerns the NKGB agent, Orlovsky.”
“What about him?” Cronley asked.
“Well, what’s happened is that Oberstleutnant Bischoff has gone to the general and said that somehow you and he got off on the wrong foot.”
Cronley didn’t reply.
“And the general asked me to see what I could do about straightening out the situation, the misunderstanding, between you.”
“What misunderstanding is that?”
“Well,” Mannberg said, “my understanding was that Herr Oberst Mattingly has told Herr Dunwiddie to keep an eye on the situation for him while we deal with it.”
“He did.”
“Well, Bischoff said that you had issued orders that he was not to be allowed to further interrogate the Russian.”
“I did.”
“I don’t understand, Herr Kapitän.”
“I didn’t like what Bischoff was doing to Orlovsky, and I saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere with him, so I’ve taken over the interrogation.”
“Oberstleutnant Bischoff is a highly trained, greatly experienced interrogator, our best.”
“I can only repeat what I said, that I didn’t like what he was doing to Orlovsky and I saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere with him, so I took over the investigation. There’s no misunderstanding.”
“With all respect, Herr Kapitän Cronley, I must protest.”
“Duly noted.”
“And I must ask you to reconsider. The Russian must be broken.”
“I intend to get the information we both want from him.”
“And is Oberst Mattingly aware of what you have decided to do?”
“He didn’t want to hear it, but I told him anyway.”
“And he approved?”
“You miss the point, Mannberg. Colonel Mattingly doesn’t want to know anything about this situation. Since he didn’t tell me to ‘deal with the situation,’ he can hardly tell me not to deal with it, can he?”
“But you have just said you have taken over the interrogation!”
“And I have. From Mr. Dunwiddie, who shouldn’t have allowed Bischoff to interrogate my prisoner in the first place.”
“Your prisoner?”
“I’m the commanding officer of the Twenty-third CIC. And of Kloster Grünau. Since my men arrested this fellow, whoever he is…”
“We know who he is!”
“… then he’s my prisoner. So far as I know, recently discharged from POW status former soldiers have no authority to arrest anyone, much less any authority to detain anyone, or interrogate anyone, do they?”
“This is not the reaction I expected from you,” Mannberg said. “Would you be willing to discuss this with General Gehlen?”
“No.”
“When he hears of our conversation, I feel sure he’ll report it to Colonel Mattingly.”
“When I told Colonel Mattingly about what I had decided to do here, he didn’t want to hear it. I don’t think he’ll be any more interested in hearing Herr Gehlen try to tell him what I’ve decided to do here.”
“You understand, you must understand, how important it is we get the names of our traitors.”
“I do. And when I have them, I’ll tell you and then you and Herr Gehlen may offer your recommendations about what I should do with the people you have allowed to infiltrate the South German Industrial Development Organization and consequently put it under such an absolutely unacceptable risk of exposure.”
“Frankly, Kapitän Cronley, I’m having trouble believing we’re having this conversation. I don’t like to think what General Gehlen’s reaction to it will be.”
“Well, I guess you’ll know as soon as you tell him,” Cronley replied. “Is there anything else on your mind?”
“No, thank you.”
“And you’re sure you won’t change your mind about a drink?”
“That’s very kind, but no thank you.”
He offered his hand to Cronley, and then to Dunwiddie, and then walked out of the room.