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"We tell Whittaker that it's something connected with the invasion of North
Africa. That's credible. But we simply cannot even suggest what we really want
from Fulmar at this point."
"I'll be a sonofabitch if I understand any of this," Canidy said.
"Good.
You're not supposed to."
"What makes you think Fulmar will believe anything you have to say?"
Canidy asked.
"I suppose it's occurred to you that you destroyed your credibility with
Fulmar when you left him and me floating around in the Atlantic off Safi?"
Canidy said. "That's where you come in," Baker said.
"Why do you think you were left behind? You ever wonder about that?"
"I was too mad to wonder about it," Canidy said. "Police detectives have an
interrogation technique," Baker said, "where one is a heartless sonofabitch,
and another is kind, gentle, and understanding."
"And I'm to be the good guy, right?"
"Now you're getting the picture," Baker said.
"You're not a sonofabitch like Baker; you were left behind, too."
"The truth is that you are a genuine, heartless sonofabitch, and like being
one," Canidy said. "I'm sorry you feel that way," Baker said.
"Okay," Canidy said.
"I get the picture. Is this class about over now?"
"I was about to suggest it was," Baker said, and waved his hand back down the
pebble runway to where the DI 8 sat waiting for them.
V I ONE I The Willard Hotel Washington, D.C. June as, 1942
Sarah Child Bitter was kneeling on the floor of what at one time had been the
suite Joseph Schild and Company, Merchant Bankers, maintained in Washington.
The suite was now what she thought of as her first married home. What she was
trying to do was force mashed carrots into Joe, a lo sin battle that was
thankfully interrupted when the telephone rang. Long distance was calling for
Commander Bitter.
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"I'm sorry, operator, he's not here," Sarah said. "If that's Mrs. Bitter,
operator, the voice said, "I'll talk to her."
"This is Mrs. Bitter," Sarah said. "Go ahead, Sir," the operator said.
"This is Doug Doug lass, Mrs. Bitter," a pleasant voice said. "I'm an old
friend of Ed's."
"I know," she said. Doug Doug lass was more than an old friend. He was the man
who had saved Ed's life when Ed had been wounded. Doug Doug lass had landed
his own P-40 on a dry riverbed, manhandled Ed from the cockpit of his plane
into his own cockpit, and then somehow managed to take off again.
"When I called his folks to ask if they knew where he was, they gave me your
number."
"You don't know how glad I am to hear you're back," Sarah said. "So am I," he
said.
"I never thought I would be delighted to be stationed in Selma, Alabama, but-"
"Is that where you are?" Sarah asked.
"Alabama?"
"They gave me a fighter group down here, Mrs. Bitter,' he said. I will thank
him for my husband's life, for Joe's daddy, hut this isn't the time. Oh,
please call me Sarah," she said. "I hear there's a baby, too, I didn't know
about," "Yes, there is," Sarah said.
"I'd like to see Ed," Doug lass said.
"And if he's going to be available, this weekend. I'm coming up to Washington.
"He'll be available," Sarah said.
"And you'll stay here with us." There was a perpetual shortage of hotel rooms
in Washington for civilians. And so many officers were visiting the city, Ed
had told her, that rooms in transient bachelor officers' quarters had become
nothing but wall-to-wall cots. Sarah was at first delighted to have the chance
to offer Doug Doug lass a place to stay, until she remembered that her old
friend Charity Hoc he was coming on Friday afternoon and Ann Chambers on
Saturday, which meant there would be no spare room. Well, they would just have
to make do, have the hotel send up cots or something. Both Ann and Doug lass
had large claims on her. And Charity was a dear. Fortunately, it turned out
there wasn't going to be a problem after all. "Well, that's very kind, Sarah,
but I already have a place to stay," Doug said. "A nice place?" she
challenged. "Very nice." He chuckled, "I'll be staying with my father."
"Well, there's a room here if you need one," Sarah said.
"Are you going to be here on business?"
"I am solemnly informed that the entire war effort will collapse unless I
immediately acquire some cross-country time," he said.
"So I decided to cross the country to our nation's capital instead of Hogwash,
Wisconsin." He has a nice voice, Sarah thought. And seems like a nice fellow.
"Well, if the fate of the nation depends on it," Sarah said. "How long can you
stay?"
"Overnight, anyway," he said.
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"If you can find a baby-sitter, I'd like to take you out to dinner."
"No, you won't," Sarah said.
"We'll have a party. I even know some girls."
"You don't have to do that," he said. "I want to," Sarah said.
"When and where are you arriving?"
"I'll leave here, say, six, six-thirty," he said.
"I should touch down at Bolling no later than half past ten."
"You can't make it from Alabama that quickly, can you?" she said.
"You can in a P-3 8," he said. "I really look forward to this," Sarah said.
"Me, too, Sarah," he said, then: "Gotta go! See you Saturday." The line went
dead. What I really would like to do, she thought, is call Ed and tell him.
But he doesn' the me to ca im ere.
She meditated a moment, then lifted her finger off the switch. When the
operator came on the line, Sarah gave her Ann' number at the Memphis Advocate.
"Ed's friend Doug lass is going to be here Saturday, too," she announced.
"If he's going to see Ed, maybe he'll see Dick Canidy, too."
"At least I should be able to corner him and see if he has a number or an
address," Ann said. Then: "Just for the bell of it, why don't you try the
National Institutes of Health again for me? Save me the price of a call. If he
comes on the line, hang up." Sarah giggled.
"Okay," she said.
"I will." Ann gave her the number, said, "See you Saturday," and hung up. just
as before with Ann, the operator at the National Institutes of Health informed
Sarah that no one named Canidy worked there. "I'm sure there's some mistake,"
Sarah said.
"I was told to call him at the National Institutes of Health building.
There was silence on the line, and Sarah had just about decided the operator
had hung up on her, when there was the sound of a phone being rung. A woman
answered and said," Hello? The one word was enough for Sarah to judge that she
was young, sophisticated, and intelligent.
"Major Richard Canidy, please," Sarah said. There was a hesitation.
"May I ask who's calling?"
"My name is Sarah Bitter," Sarah said. There was another pause. Sarah
suspected she was about to be put off again, so she quickly added, "My husband
is Commander Edwin Bitter. He and Major Canidy were in the American Volunteer
Group." There was another pause, not as long. "May I ask where you got this
number?" the young woman asked. "From another Flying Tiger," Sarah said.
"Major Doug Doug lass."
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"I see," the young woman said, her inflection explaining a good deal.
"Well, I'm sorry, Miss, there is no one here by that name."
"I see," Sarah said.
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