sound of the shower before reaching for the bedside telephone. Then he hung it up, went to his trousers and found his wallet and the number, and picked up the telephone again and dialed it.
“The Colonel’s tied up, sir. Maybe I can be of help?”
“Thanks, but no thanks, Sergeant. Please tell him I’m on the line and holding.”
“Yes, sir.”
Lowell came on the line a moment later, but before he spoke to Oliver, Oliver could hear him speak to Sergeant McMullen: “I thought I told you, Mac, Oliver’s on the anytime, anywhere list.”
And then he spoke to Oliver.
“Sorry about that. I thought I told Mac you were on the good guy list, but the shake of his head and hurt look on his Irish face tells me I didn’t. What’s up, Johnny?”
Before Oliver could reply, Lowell added. “Christ, the brides did meet the plane, didn’t they?”
“Yes, sir, driving your Packard. And we are now in your house.
For which I am, we are, very grateful.”
“I’m glad somebody’s using both. How did things go down there?”
“I have a present for you from Colonel Rangio. Actually two presents. A bottle of Argentine champagne for you and Major Lunsford. And a letter, sort of, for you.”
“What’s the letter, sort of, say?” Lowell asked, then picked up on Oliver’s hesitation. “Johnny, I hope you read it.”
“Yes, sir. I thought maybe I should.”
“So what’s it say?”
“It’s a list of people, name, rank, code name, who are going to Africa.”
“Good God!”
“I think it’s good stuff, sir. Things went very well with Rangio, because of Zammoro.”
There was no reply for a long moment.
“I hate to interrupt your leave, Johnny, but I want the list, and I know Felter will. I was going to tell you to take it to Homestead Air Force Base—it’s not far from where you are—and have them send it up here. But I really think I should talk to you both. Would it make things easier for you if I offered to buy lunch for the brides at the Homestead O Club at twelve-thirty or one?”
“We’ll be there if you want us to, sir.”
“I’ve got access to a T-37, but I don’t like to fly into Ocean Reef in an Air Force airplane. And Geoff’s got the Cessna at Bragg.”
“I understand, sir. We’ll be there at 1230.”
The line went dead.
Johnny put the telephone back in its cradle and rolled onto his back.
“ ‘We’ll’ is who? And ‘there’ is where?” Liza asked.
She was standing in the bathroom door, naked and dripping.
“The little red ‘line in use’ button on the bathroom extension lit up,” she explained, “and suspicious wife that you better understand I am, I wondered who my husband was talking to.”
“ ‘We’ll’ is all four of us. Colonel Lowell wants to buy us lunch at Homestead AF Base.”
Liza looked as if she was going to say something. Johnny worried what it would be.
What she finally said was, “Well, for reasons I can’t imagine, I seem to have worked up an appetite.”
She turned and walked back into the bathroom.
After a moment, Johnny swung his legs out of bed and walked after her.
[ FIVE ]
Officers’ Open Mess
Homestead AF Base, Florida
1220 7 February 1965
Lt. Col. Craig W. Lowell was waiting for them just inside the door.
Marjorie Portet went to him and kissed him.
“If you’re here to tell us we don’t get the ten days’ leave, Uncle Craig,” she said, “I’ll kill you.”
“You get the ten days—and probably more, if you ask for it,” Lowell said.
“In that case, we’re glad to see you,” Marjorie said. “And thanks for letting us use your house.”
“I just need a word with Johnny and Jack,” Lowell said. He shook their hands. “Jack, have you had a chance to talk to your dad yet?”
“No, sir. He was leaving for Miami when we got to Ocean Reef. He said something about looking at airplanes.”
“He’s now the president of Intercontinental Air, Ltd., and I’m surprised he didn’t tell you.”
“He’s probably saving it for dinner,” Jack said.
“More than likely,” Lowell said. “You said you have a letter for me, Johnny?”
“A letter and a bottle of champagne,” Oliver said.
Jack handed him a paper bag with the champagne, and Oliver handed him the envelope from Rangio.
“Let’s go in and get a table,” Lowell said.
“These young officers and their ladies are whooping it up on leave,” Lowell said to the waiter, “and thus will require something intoxicating. I’m unfortunately on duty, and iced tea will have to do.”