He gave the address and hung up. A “He’ll be right here ‘ ” he said.
“What’s he doing in the office?” Donovan asked.
“I guess he feels that he should be doing something besides i S ting in his apartment listening to the radio,” Douglass said.
“Presuming,” Donovan said, getting back to the problem at hand, “that we can find a casket that fits in Baker’s station wagon, we’ll have Edward drive the body to New Jersey.”
“I’ll go with him,” Cynthia Chenowith said.
“You think that’s necessary?” Donovan asked after a moment.
“Mr. Whittaker,” she said levelly, “was very good to me. It’s least I can do. I want to. I can probably be helpful.”
Donovan nodded.
“Get on the phone, Pete,” he said. “Arrange with the fun, home for a casket. Tell them we’ll pick it up in an hour,” Eldon C. Baker arrived a few minutes later. He did not sc very surprised to find Colonel Donovan, a sailor, and an attractive young woman in the kitchen of a mansion; and he asked no questions.
“We have something of a problem here,” Douglass said.
“What were you doing at the office?” Donovan asked somewhat abruptly. ked. “Good.”. all IXST Ranous Colonel to see either you Or Captain Douglass had hoped 13aker said. “There has been an interesting development in the Mo-Toccan business’ ”
Do’ovan didn’t reply to that. t, pete he saiddidn’t mean to interrup @,As I was saying ” Douglass began, “we have a difficult situanote here, and need your help. Specificallyl we need to use your sta-tion wagon for a couple of days.”
,Certainly ” Baker said. tol olice had been told. He Douglass d Baker the Story the P at Cynth had the feeling from looks Baker directed ia Cheno ked no queswith that Baker knew he was being lied to, but Baker as tions, help, of course ” he said when Douglass -whatever I can do to had finished. -When can we pick up the body?” _five minutes ,I, 11 do that” Donovan said, “in fortycan matter?
“Then, Sir, may I get “‘to the Moroc 4@you think it’s important?” Donovan said.
Ayes, Sir,” Baker said. “I do.” this is rather confidential-,Cynthia Donovan said, &I’m afraid to leave us alone for a few minutes?”
Could I ask you the library?” Cynthia asked. “It’d be more “Why don’t you 90 in comfortable in there.”
“You’ll be all right?” Donovan asked.
“Yes,” she said simply. into the library-“All right ‘ 11
Donovan said, and led the way “OK, Baker,” Donovan said. “What’s so important?”
“I don’t know how deeply Captain Douglass has gone into this with you’ ”
Baker began. 4,so you’ll have to start at the begin-“Not at all,” Douglass said. ning.”
‘,This came into my hand about One-thirty this afternoon, Baker said, handing Donovan a sheet of yellow Teletype paper, SO blurry that Donovan : thought it must be fifth or sixth carbon E GENERAL RABAT MOROCCO FOR G2 WAR DEPARTMENT WASHINGTON DC COPY TO DEPARTMENT OF STATE WASHING9
6:50 PM DECEMBER 6 1941
PASHA OF KSAR ES S6UK ASSASSINATED 2: ])EC By uny-KNOWN PARTIES STOP SIDI Fi, F@ BELIEVED ALJVE STOP J. ROBERT BERRY MAJOR Donovan read it, shook his head, and handed it to Douglass.
“Who the hell is the pasha of Ksar es Souk?” Donovan asked tiredly. “And why is it classified secret? The pasha knows he’s dead, and so do the people who shot him.” He gave Baker a look of impatience. “I have no idea what any of this is all about.”
“I have been working under certain constrictions,” Baker said. “Starting with Captain Douglass’s inability to tell me why we are interested in Louis Albert Grunier.”
“Who the hell is he?” Donovan asked.
“He’s a mining engineer,” Douglass furnished, “who worked in the Union Mini6re mines in Katanga Province of the Belgian Congo J before the war.”
“OK,” Donovan said. Now he had an idea what was going on. “You’ve found him?”
“When the war started, he tried to return to France,” Baker said, 64 and got as far as Casablanca. He was not permitted to return to France. The French need engineers in the Atlas Mountain phosphate mines. Phosphates, of course, are essential to the manufacture of various kinds of explosives and gunpowder.”