“More important, how did you get in here? You’re supposed to be kept in the house.”
“If I wanted to leave here,’ Eric said, “I could. I hate to tell you this, but your security is a joke.”
“What do you want, Eric?” Canidy asked. “I want to talk to you,’ Fulmar said. There was a moment’s hesitation, and for a moment Ann thought he was going to send Eric Fulmar away. But he didn’t. “Okay, we’ll talk,” he said.
“Fix me a stiff one of those, will you?” He disappeared. In a moment, there was the sound of splashing water. For a moment, Ann was confused.
Then she understood what was going on.
My God, when he does that, it sounds like Niagara Falls. Or afire hose!
Canidy flushed the toilet and came back into sight, He took the drink Fulmar had made and swallowed it straight down. “Jesus!” Fulmar said.
“That was a little quick, wasn’t it?”
“I drank about a quart of coffee so that I wouldn’t fall asleep on the way home,” Canidy said.
“I hope that two or three like that, plus a warm shower, will overwhelm the caffeine. Make me another one, will you?” Then he started to get undressed. He very neatly hung his trousers on a hanger, then tossed his shirt, his T-shirt, and his shorts on top of the soiled sheets.
It’s not even funny-looking, Ann decided. He’s beautiful, gorgeous, handsome, but that thing between his legs is ugly. “I won’t be long,” Dick Canidy said to Fulmar. He disappeared again, and there was the sound of a shower running. Much more quickly than Ann expected, he reappeared, still naked, toweling his head. He made a quick swipe at the rest of his body, then wrapped the towel around his waist. My God, ugly or not, I’m disappointed! Canidy picked up his drink and went to his bed. He propped pillows against the headboard and arranged himself against it. “Okay, Eric,” he said, “ask away. But make it brief, will you? This has been a bad day.”
“Where did you take Jimmy and Martin?” Fulmar asked. “To Washington,” Canidy said. “I know that,” Fulmar said. “Okay,” Canidy said after a minute.
“Why not? The OSS is starting a school in Virginia. Jimmy and Martin are going to be instructors.”
“What’s the OSS?”
“It stands for the Office of Strategic Services,” Canidy said. “We’re all in it. Colonel Donovan is the boss.”
“What are they going to teach?”
“Martin is a parachute expert. Jimmy is going to teach people to cut throats and blow things up.”
“I could teach that,” Fulmar said.
“I could teach a lot of interesting Errol Flynn-type things. You’d be surprised how good the Berbers are at cutting throats.”
“I suppose you could,” Canidy said, ‘but as I’m sure you have already figured out for yourself, there is some question whose side you are on in this war. “You don’t believe that, do you?” Fulmar said. “It doesn’t matter what I believe,” Canidy said. “Well, do you or don’t you, goddamn it?”
“No, I don’t,” Canidy said.
“But right now, my opinion doesn’t count for a whole hell of a lot around here.”
“Well, what do they want with me? Since they don’t trust me?” Canidy wanted to avoid answering that.
“You can’t blame them, Eric,” he said, “for wondering.”
“Wondering what?”
“For Christ’s sake, figure it out yourself. You didn’t want to come to this country.”
“Bullshit!” Fulmar flared.
“You were with me in that god damned boat. I didn’t ask to get left behind over there. I was prepared to kill to get on that god damned submarine, and you know it.”
“I mean the second chance you were offered,” Canidy said. “What second chance?”
“You know damned well what I mean,” Canidy said.
“You had to be tied up and smuggled to Gibraltar because you wouldn’t come voluntarily.”
“Who told you that?”
“Baker,” Canidy said. “Shit!” Fulmar said.
“It hasn’t occurred to you that He’s a lying bastard?” Canidy was on a spot, and quickly moved to get off it.
“And people have wondered why, since you’ve been here, you have made no attempt to get in touch with your mother.”