"Frankly, Coronel, I am rapidly tiring of debating this with you. But go ahead."
"Se¤or, I have reason to believe that the Germans have someone in BIS. If Almirante Montoya is aware that we know about this German decision, the Germans will learn that he knows."
"The Germans have someone inside BIS?" Ramirez asked incredulously.
"I believe so, Se¤or."
"Well, so what if the Germans know we know? It might make them recon-sider."
"It would also let them know we have someone in... in their embassy, Se¤or. My source would be compromised."
"An important source? Important to the security of Argentina?"
"S¡, Se¤or."
"Shall I get el Almirante on the phone for you, mi General?" Querro asked. He had a telephone in his hand.
Ramirez waved his hand, "no," and Querro replaced the receiver in its cra-dle.
"With Argentina's interests as the criterion, Coronel, is this source worth this man's life?"
"S¡, Se¤or. That would be my very reluctant conclusion."
"You have no one you could assign to this?"
"I had already planned to increase the surveillance on Frade and the others, mi General. But beyond that..."
"And you have warned him, haven't you?"
"S¡, Se¤or. And if anything else comes to my attention that I can tell him without putting my source at risk, I intend to tell it to him."
"That would seem to be about all you can do under the circumstances," Querro volunteered.
"Thank you very much, Mayor, for that astute observation," Mart¡n said, icily sarcastic.
Ramirez looked between them.
"About this aircraft import license Frade asked for," he said. "Would the import of an airplane for him, his use of an airplane, pose a serious threat to Ar-gentine security?"
"No, Se¤or. And there are other aircraft available to him."
"Can you obtain the permit for him?"
"It might be difficult, mi General," Mart¡n said. "And it would be impossi-ble to keep quiet. There would be curiosity about BIS asking for an aircraft im-port permit for Se¤or Frade."
"So you're saying it would be ill-advised."
"On the way here from the estancia, in the airplane, I thought of an irregu-lar way to accomplish it."
"By 'irregular' you doubtless mean 'illegal,'" Ramirez said.
"S¡, Se¤or."
"How illegal?"
"Aircraft registration numbers are painted on the tail and on the wing. When an aircraft lands somewhere, the airport authorities write down these numbers and put them in a file. Afterward, they are seldom, if ever, seen again by human eyes."
"Oh?"