killing youperhaps even that-to keep you from going into panic. There is
information in this file which could destroy your mother. Send me to
prison, probably for the rest of my life. Oh, Kroeger thought it all out.
But he misjudged. He didn’t know you.”
“Do I really have to see him? Talk to him?”
2S
“I’ll be in the room with you. That’s where the deal is made.”
Andrew Scarlett looked startled. “Then you’re going to make a deal with
him.” It was a distasteful statement Of fact.
.’We have to know what he can deliver. Once he’s satisfied that rve carried
out my end of the bargain, you, we’ll know what it is he’s offering. And
for what.”
‘Men I don’t have to read this, do V It was not a question. -An I have to
do is be there… okay, ru be therel”
“You’ll read it became rm ordering you tot”
AD right. All right, Dad. I’ll read it.”
“Thank you. . . . Im sorry I had to speak that way.” He began to button his
overcoat.
16Sure. . . . I deserved it. . . . By the way, suppose Mother decides to
call me at school? She does, You know.”
“Theres a tap on your phone as of this morning. An intercept, to be exact.
Works fine. You have a new friend Aamed Tom Ahrens.”
“Who’s -her
“A lieutenant in CIC. Stationed in Boston. He has your schedule and will
cover the phone. He knows what to say. You went to Smith for a long
weekend.”
“Jesus, you &ink of everythin&”
#,most of the time.” Canfield had reached the door. “I may not be back
tonight”
‘Where are you going?”
“rve got some work to do. rd rather you didn’t go out but if you do,
remember the cabinet. Put everything away.” He opened the door.
“I won!t so anywhere.”
“Good. And Andy … you’ve got one hell of a respon’bility ahead of you. I
hope we’ve brought you up so you can handle it. I think you can.” Canfield
walked out the door and closed it behind him.
The young man knew that his stepfather spoke the wrong words. He was trying
to say something else. The boy stared at the door and suddenly he knew what
that something else was.
Matthew Canfield wasWt coming back.
What had he said? In the last extremity, Janet had to be told. His mother
had to be told the truth. And there
26
was no one else now who could tell her.
Andrew Scarlett looked at the briefcase on the table.
The son and the stepfather were going to Bern, but only the son would come
back.
Matthew Canfield was going to his death.
Canfield closed the apartment door and leaned against the hallway wall. He
was heavy with sweat, and the rhythmic pounding in his chest was so loud he
thought it might be heard back in the apartmenL
He looked at his watch. It had taken him less than an hour, and he had
remained remarkably calm. Now he wished to get as far away as possible. He
knew that by any of the standards of courage or morality or responsibility,
he should stay with the boy. But such demands could not be made on him now.
One thing at a time or he’d go out of his mind. One item crossed off and
then on to the next.
What was the next?
Tomorrow.
The courier to Lisbon with the detailed precdutions. one mistake and
everything could explode. The courier wasWt leaving until seven o’clock in
the evening.
He could spend the night and most of the day with Janet. He rationalized
that he had to. If Andy cracked, the first thing he’d do was try to reach
his mother. Because he couldn’t face staying with him, he had to be with
her.
To hell with his officel To hell with the armyl To hell with the United
States governmentl
In light of his impending departure he was under voluntary surveillance
twenty-four hours a day. God damn theml
They expected him to be no farther than ten minutes from a Teletype.
Well, he wasn’t going to be.
He would spend every minute he could with Janet. She was closing up the
Oyster Bay home for the winter. They’d be alone, perhaps for the last time.
Vighteen years and the charade was coming to a finish.
Fortunately for the state of his anxiety, the elevator came quickly.
Because now he was in a hurry. To Janet.
27
The sergeant held the car door open and saluted as smartly as he could.
Under ordinary circumstances, the major would have chuckled and reminded
the sergeant that he was in civilian clothes. Instead, he returned the
salute informally and hopped into the car. “ro the office, Major
Canfield?” “No, Sergeant. Oyster Bay.”
F
28
CHAPTER 3
An American Success Story
On August 24, 1892, the social world of Chicago and Evanston, Illinois, was
shaken to its foundations, which were not inordinately firm to begin with.
For on this day Elizabeth Royce Wyckham, the twenty-seven-yearold daughter
of industrialist Albert 0. Wyckham, married an impoverished Sicilian
immigrant by the name of Giovanni Merighi Scarlatti.
Elizabeth Wyckharn was a tall, aristocratic girl who had been an
ever-present source of worry to her parents. According to Albert 0. Wyckham
and his wife, the aging Elizabeth had thrown over every golden matrimonial
opportunity a girl could ask for in Chicago, Illinois. Her reply had been:
“Fool’s gold, Papal”
So they had taken her on a grand tour of the Continent, expending great
sums in great expectations. After four months of surveying the best
matrimonial prospects from England, France, and Germany, her reply had
been:
“Idiot’s gold, Papa. I’d prefer a string of loversl”
Her father had slapped his daughter resoundingly.
She proceeded, in turn, to kick him in the ankle.
Elizabeth first saw her future husband at one of those icnic outings the
officers of her father’s firm in Chicago eld annually for deserving clerks
and their families. He had been introduced to her as a serf might have been
to the daughter of a feudal baron.
He was a huge man with massive, yet somehow gentle hands and sharp Italian
features. His English was almost
29
unintenigible, but instead of accompanying his broken speech with awkward
humility,. he radiated confidence and made no apoiogies. Elizabeth liked
hun,immediately. Although young Scarlatti was neither a clerk nor had he a
family, he had impressed the WYckhm executives with has knowledge of
machinery and had actually submitted a design for a machine that would cut
the cost Of producing paper rolls by possibly 16 percent. He had been
invited to the picnic.
ElizabeWs curiosity had already been aroused by her
fathees stones about him The greaser had a knack for
tinkering-absolutely incredible. He had spotted two ma
chines, in as many weeks wher . ein the addition of single
levers eliminated the nec4essit* of second men on the
jobs. As there were eight of each machine, the Wyckham
Company was able to lay off sixteen men who obviousfY
were no longer pulling their weight. Further, WYCkham
had had the foresight to hire a second-generation Italian
from Chicagcvs Little Italy to accompany Giovanni Scar
latti wherever he wandered in the plant and literally act
as his interpreter. Old Wyckhain objected to the eight dol
lars a week. he paid the conversAnt Italian but justified
the salary on the basis that Giovanni would make other
improvements. He had better. Wyckham was Paying
him fourteen dollars a week.
The first true inkling Elizabeth had about her future husband came several
weeks after the picnic. Her father gloatingly announced at the dinner table
that his big Italian simpleton had requested permission to come in Sundaysl
No additional pay, mind you; just that he had nothing better to do.
Naturally, WYckham had arranged it with his watchman, for it was his
Christian duty to keep such a fellow occupied and away from all the wine
and beer to which Italians were addicted.
On the second Sunday Elizabeth found a pretext to go from her elegant home
in suburban Evanston to Chicago and then to the plant. There she found
Giovanni, not in the machine shop but in one of the billing offices. He was
laboriously copying down figures from a file marked clearly-COMWENTLu- The
drawer of a steel file cabinet on the left wall of the office was open. A
long string of thin wire was still hanging from the small lock. Obviously
the lock had been expertly picked.
At that moment, as she stood in the doorway watching
30
him. Elizabeth smile& This large, black-haired Jtafian simpleton was far
more complicated than her ‘father thought And, not incidentally, he was most
attractive.
Startled, Giovanni looked up Within a split second his attitude changed to
one of defiance.
“Okay, Miss ‘Usbett You tell you papal I don’t want to work here no morel”