The butler pursed his lips thoughtfully.
“Well,” he said, “aside from the obvious questions raised by your getting your assignment directly from General Blitzkrieg as opposed to Colonel Battleax, who is your immediate superior in the so-called chain of command, I guess my feelings could be summed up in one question: Why is this man smiling?”
The commander made little beckoning circles with his hand.
“Elaborate.”
“It has been my distinct impression,” the butler continued, “that the general holds you in something less than highest esteem. In fact, it would be safe to say that he would rather chew ground glass than give you the time of day, much less do you a favor. I therefore think it would be safe to assume that if he is taking the time to inform you personally of your new assignment, and is happy about doing it, the assignment is in all probability much less desirable than he is making it out to be.”
“Check.” Phule nodded. “A bit long-winded, perhaps, but dead on the money with my own assessment.”
“You did ask me to elaborate, sir,” Beeker said, a little stung by the “long-winded” accusation.
“The problem is,” the commander continued as if his butler hadn’t spoken, “how to find out what the trap is before we step in it.”
“If I might say so, sir, I believe the general himself has given you the answer to that problem.”
“How’s that?”
“You could check the recording again, but as I recall, he specifically instructed you to obtain additional information on the assignment directly from the casino owner.”