W E B Griffin – Men at War 1 – The Last Heroes

He thought that over- e bells”

“I was leavings-:’ she said, “and found you ringing th ure, he thought with admiration. A very She thinks under press tough-minded young woman- glass said, ,is move the ,The first thing we had better do,” Dou body. Next we’d better run through what we’re going to say happened:’

“I was thinking,” Cynthia Chei@owith said, “that we have to appear completely natural. A suspicious policeman could cause us trouble.”

,If you’ll carry his clothes, miss “I’ll move him.”

“I don’t know your name’ ” Douglass said to the boats “Ellis, Captain, Edward B – @” the boatswain’s mate said. n to it, I ,I want you to understand, Ellis, that if it comes dow will accept full responsibility for what we’re doing here today.”

“I understand that, Captain,” Ellis said. g Douglass “There are good reasons for doing what we’re doin said. boatswain’s mate said, the wain’s mate.

: i understand that, too.%ion – t mean only with regard to Miss Chenowith-11

Ellis interrupted him. “I don’t need any explanations, Captain. And I know how to keep my mouth shut.”

“I’m in your debt,” Douglass said.

“Since you brought that up, Captain,” Ellis said, “I may need a character reference. The candy-ass at the dispensary told me that if I left, he’d have me before a court-martial.”

“When you’re not at the dispensary, what do you do at the Navy Yard?”

“Work in the arms room,” Ellis said. “They don’t like China sailors over there, and they don’t know what to do with us when we come home.”

“Are you married?”

“China sailors don’t get married,” Ellis said simply. “Would you like to come to work for me?”

“Yes, sir, I would like that.”

“You don’t know what I do,” Douglass said.

“Whatever it is, it looks more interesting than checking out forty-fives to the duty officers and master-at-arms,” Ellis said.

Then he jerked the sheet off Whittaker’s body, bent over the bed, and hoisted it onto his shoulders.

Douglass glanced at Cynthia Chenowith. She was looking at the body, biting her lower lip.

“Anytime you’re ready, miss,” Ellis said.

He carried Whittaker’s body down the stairs and across the driveway to the house. Upstairs, he arranged the body against the file wall of the shower in the master bedroom.

Cynthia Chenowith put Whittaker’s clothing over an armchair, and his underwear in a hamper.

Then they left the house as they had entered it, through the kitchen. Cynthia opened the gate for them, and Ellis drove the Plym-outh through, made a twelve-block circle through back streets, and returned. he stopped in front of the small gate, and Captain Dougl, (ut and rang the bell. A moment later, the driveway gates ol and Cynthia Chenowith’s La Salle convertible drove through pulled up on the wrong side of the street, nose to nose with the Plymouth, and then unlocked the gate for Captain Douglass her key- Five minutes later, sirens screaming, a police car and an an ce arrived.

Ian By then, Cynthia Chenowith had telephoned Summer Place, gently broken the news to Barbara Whittaker-The White House Washington, D.C.

9:25 pm., December Ty 1941

After he left the President, Colonel William Donovan found Cap tain Peter Douglass in the staff cafeteria drinking coffee with boatswain’s mate Ellis.

Both stood up when he approached the table.

“Colonel,” Douglass said, “this is Boatswain Ellis. I’ve learned he can be counted on in a pinch, and I’ve told him I’m going to have him reassigned to US.”

Donovan gave Ellis a quick but penetrating look. It had obviously been necessary to bring this enlisted man into whatever was going on. Douglass would have done that only if he found it necessary, and then only if he believed Ellis could be trusted. Donovan put out his hand.

“Welcome aboard,” he said.

“Thank you, sir,” Ellis said.

“You can tell me what’s happened on the way to the office,” Donovan said. “You have a Navy car?”

“Yes, sir,” Ellis said.

Donovan led the way out of the cafeteria to the parking lot.

“I don’t know where to go, sir,” Ellis said after he’d gotten behind the wheel.

“The office is at Twenty-fifth and E, the National Institute of Health,” Donovan said. “But what happened in the house (D Q Street?”

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