Page 66

Thirty minutes later, just after she had opened a can of Vienna sausages and was trying without much success to get one of the tightly packed little obscenities out of the can, there was a knock at her door.

She didn't respond. If it was Horace G. Hammersmith and she didn't respond to his knock, he might take the hint and go away.

But after a moment, there was another knock, this time far more demanding.

"Who is it?"

"Eldon Baker."

"Come on in," Cynthia called.

Baker entered the room.

"Studying," Cynthia said unnecessarily.

She saw that Baker had seen the hot plate and the jar of Nescafe and wondered if he would turn her in. He knew that she had a close relationship with Colonel Donovan and Captain Douglass; the other training personnel did not.

"Have you got a minute so that we can talk?" Baker asked.

"I should study, Eldon," she said, "but sure."

"Don't worry about the examination," he said as he closed the door.

"You won't be taking it."

"Oh?"

"I have just had a telephone call from Chief Ellis," Baker said.

"You are to go to Washington to the house on Q Street with the station wagon in the morning."

"Oh?" she repeated.

"You will take your things with you," Baker said.

"According to the Chief, you will not be coming back. At least as a trainee."

"What's this all about?" Cynthia asked.

She was sure she knew.

Oh, goddamn you, Jimmy!

"Chief Ellis did not elect to tell me," Baker said.

"But I think we can both make an educated guess, can't we?"

"Whittaker?" Cynthia asked.

"Doesn't it seem that way to you? "Baker said.

"I can't tell you how annoyed this makes me."

"Why should it bother you? He's not offering you his unasked-for male protection."

"After some thought," Baker said, "after Captain Whittaker's visit, I decided I could not overlook it. That, in other words, I had to make an official issue of it."

"I don't think I quite follow you," Cynthia said.