on it, I’d have laid odds he hadn’t eaten either. He had, however, shaved. He’d changed his clothes, too; he was back in uniform now, though his jacket hung over the back of his chair and he had loosened his necktie.
The tea items from last night had disappeared, and there was a pot of coffee on the desk. I could smell how strong it was from where I sat.
He made to take his seat and then, apparently realizing his informality, reached for his uniform tunic. I waved my hand. “Please don’t bother with that for me.”
He paused for just a moment before leaving the jacket where it was and settling into his seat. The slightest easing of his ramrod posture and the loose tie at his neck were the only concessions he seemed to be making for what was clearly a lack of sleep. His expression was alert as ever, so I don’t really know what gave it away, but I could sense he was tired.
“Do you want some coffee?” he asked, motioning to the pot.
I shook my head. I couldn’t abide the stuff. If and when we ran out of tea in this country, I would be prepared to go to battle with the Germans myself.
“There’s been a development,” he said without further ado.
My heart picked up the pace. “What is it?”
He opened the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a small, thin black book, which he tossed on the desk between us. “That,” he said.
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask what it was, but then I remembered him taking something from the drawer in the dead man’s desk last night and putting it into his pocket. No doubt it had been this book.
“May I?” I was already reaching for it as I asked. After all, if he didn’t want me to handle it, he shouldn’t have put it within grabbing distance.
I opened it and was a bit disappointed to see that it was a common datebook. The man had led a busy life, by the looks of it, because most of the pages were filled. When I flipped through it, though, I realized that I couldn’t make out any of the words. Another language, perhaps? But no, the letters were all wrong in a way I couldn’t quite name.
“Either his handwriting is atrocious, or it’s coded,” I said, looking up at the major.
“Quite possibly both,” he replied. “Although, we’ve deciphered it.”
“That was quick work,” I said, impressed. While I had been pulling up weeds in the garden, the major and his people had apparently not stopped to rest.
“It wasn’t a complicated cipher,” he said. “I think our man was fairly confident he had the upper hand and wasn’t overly concerned about being caught.”
“A costly mistake,” I said, blinking back the memory of the man’s brown eyes staring, unseeing, from the bloody puddle on the floor. What had been the last thing that crossed his mind, as he lay there dying? Had he thought of his killer? Of his country? Of someone that he loved?
The major’s gaze met mine, pulling me out of my grim daydream. “In times like these, any mistake may prove costly. That’s why we’ve got to move with care.”
We? My heart pounded a bit at the word, but I forced myself to remain calm.
“Most of the entries in that book are of little use, but there is one thing of interest. He’s scheduled a meeting with a contact for tomorrow night. The notation seems to indicate an exchange is going to be made.”
“Then you know who the traitor is?” I wondered why I felt vaguely disappointed. Perhaps I had thought the matter would not be solved without my help. Well, this seemed easy enough if they had a name and place.
“Not exactly,” he answered.
I waited. There was a long moment of quiet that was finally broken when the major’s chair creaked as he sat forward, his forearms leaning on the desk. I couldn’t help but notice the way his uniform dress shirt outlined the muscles of his upper arms. He clearly hadn’t spent all of his time in the military at a desk.
“I’ve spoken with my superiors about you.”
My brows went up slightly.
“I’ve been given permission to take you into my confidence, to a degree.”
“How flattering,” I couldn’t resist replying.
“I’ve told them that you did very well under pressure and that you may prove valuable in the next stage of the operation.”
“How so?” I asked warily.
“The datebook indicates the