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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 German
s: “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.”
