"It crashed?" Martha asked.
Clete nodded.
"It was shot down, is what you mean, right?" she pursued.
Clete nodded again.
"You went out and found this German ship in an airplane, right? What kind of an airplane?"
"A Beech stagger-wing."
"You went out in an unarmed civilian airplane, knowing full well you were going to get shot at, and probably shot down. Am I getting close?"
"You're a regular Sherlock Holmes."
"Not 'probably" shot down. Almost certainly shot down. That's why they gave you the Navy Cross. And promoted you to Major. You did what you saw as your duty, thinking you were going to get yourself killed. Modesty is a virtue, Cletus, but there is such a thing as carrying a virtue too far."
"Have another oyster, Grandfather."
"And what are you going to do down there now? The last time I spoke with Colonel Graham-"
"The last time you talked with Colonel Graham!"
Colonel A. F. Graham, USMCR, was a Deputy Director of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and Clete's immediate superior officer.
"-he was pretty vague about what you're going to be doing, in addition to being the Assistant Naval Attach‚, I mean."
"I'm surprised he talked to you at all," Cletus said.
"It turns out that not only does Howell Petroleum ship a lot of product on that railroad he used to run, but also that we have a number of mutual friends," the Old Man said.
"Senator Brewer, for example?"
"Him too, I suppose. His name never came up. And furthermore, as a favor to the OSS, I'm still carrying that Jew on the Howell books as an oil-depot ex-pert. Of course, Graham talks to me. He knows where I stand in this war. Un-like some other kin of yours, I want our side to win."
"I know how you feel about my father..."
"I should hope so."
"... but I cannot sit here and by keeping my mouth shut tacitly agree to your characterization of him as a Nazi, an Axis sympathizer."
The Old Man snorted.
"This is Clete's last dinner," Martha said entreatingly. "Do we have to get into it over Clete's father?"
"Who's fighting? I'm just calling a spade a spade."
"And I don't like your characterization of Ettinger as 'that Jew.' Christ, you had him to the house as your guest!"
"He's an Israelite, isn't he? What's wrong with that?"
"I give up."
"I have no idea what I've said that could possibly offend you," the Old Man said.
A waiter ap
peared with small bowls filled with a reddish liquid.