The weather had been deteriorating when he had taken off for Eschborn, and all the way to Eschborn he had been very much aware that the smart thing for him to have done would have been aborting the flight and trying later.
But he knew he was running out of time. He had to try.
Both ambulances had been waiting for him when he landed. He learned that it had taken them just about an hour to drive from the ASA Relay Station to the airfield. That meant he would have to allow three hours on “D-Day” for that part of the plan. Half an hour, after he had the ETA of the SAA Constellation at Rhine-Main, to contact the Pullach compound and tell them to radio the Relay Station and send the ambulances to Eschborn. Another hour for the ambulances to drive to Eschborn, and another hour for the ambulances to drive to Rhine-Main. And thirty minutes “just in case.”
That sounds very neat and doable.
But what if the weather on D-Day is even worse, absolutely unflyable, than it is today?
Cronley put the Storch down safely on the runway, then taxied to the chapel, where he found the converted ambulance waiting for him.
He was not surprised that no one came out to push the Storch under the tent hangar, or that no one got out of the ambulance. Pounding all around was what the weather people termed “heavy precipitation.”
He got out of the Storch, ran through the fat, cold raindrops to the ambulance, and got in the back.
General Gehlen turned from the front seat and handed him a towel.
“Your arrival cost Sergeant Dunwiddie a bottle of whisky,” Gehlen said. “It was his belief that if you ever got here, you would be walking. I had more faith.”
“I should have walked,” Cronley said as he dried his head and face.
“Colonel Frade has been heard from,” Gehlen said, and handed him a SIGABA printout. “Bad news.”
“Jesus . . .” Cronley said as he looked at the sheet:
PRIORITY
TOP SECRET LINDBERGH
DUPLICATION FORBIDDEN
FROM TEX
VIA VINT HILL TANGO NET
1115 GREENWICH 6 NOVEMBER 1945
TO VATICAN ATTENTION ALTARBOY
INFO COPY TO BEERMUG
1-ON ARRIVAL OF UNDERSIGNED BUENOS AIRES 1005 GMT 6 NOVEMBER GENERAL MARTIN AND FATHER WELNER INFORMED UNDERSIGNED MAJOR ASHTON HAD BEEN STRUCK BY HIT-AND-RUN DRIVER AS HE EXITED TAXI OUTSIDE AVENIDA LIBERTADOR HOUSE 1605 GMT 5 NOVEMBER.
2-ASHTON CURRENTLY IN SERIOUS BUT STABLE CONDITION GERMAN HOSPITAL SUFFERING BROKEN RIGHT LEG, LEFT ARM, SEVERAL RIBS, CONCUSSION AND INTERNAL INJURIES. WHEN CONDITION PERMITS HE WILL BE FLOWN TO UNITED STATES.
3-GENERAL MARTIN THEORIZES, UNDERSIGNED CONCURS, MOST CREDIBLE SCENARIO IS THAT HIT-AND-RUN WAS ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION BY PARTIES UNKNOWN WHO FOLLOWED ASHTON FROM JORGE FRADE ON HIS ARRIVAL FROM MENDOZA.
4-GENERAL MARTIN THEORIZES, UNDERSIGNED CONCURS, PARTIES UNKNOWN MOST LIKELY ARE NON-GEHLEN NAZIS, OR CONTRACT EMPLOYEES THEREOF, WHO WISHED TO USE ASHTON’S ASSASSINATION AS PROOF TO OTHER NON-GEHLEN GERMANS THAT SS IS STILL FUNCTIONING IN ARGENTINA.
5-THESE THEORIES DO NOT REPEAT DO NOT EXCLUDE THE POSSIBILITY THAT ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION IS IN SOME WAY CONNECTED WITH OUR FRIEND KONSTANTIN. MARTIN CONCURS.
6-CRITICALLY EXAMINE AND REINFORCE AS NECESSARY ALL SECURITY MEASURES IN PLACE REGARDING KONSTANTIN, PAYING PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO ABSOLUTELY DENYING HIM OPPORTUNITY TO COMMUNICATE WITH HIS SUPERIORS OR THOSE GERMANS WHO HAVE OR MAY HAVE REPEAT MAY HAVE BEEN TURNED.
7-WELNER DEPARTING BUENOS AIRES ABOARD SAA FLIGHT 707 2000 GMT 6 NOVEMBER. ETA RHINE-MAIN WILL BE SENT FROM LISBON.
8-UNDERSIGNED HAS FULL CONFIDENCE IN YOUR ABILITY TO HANDLE CHANGED SITUATION.
TEX