“Colonel Mattingly,” Alphonse called out. “How nice to see you again, sir!”
“Hello, Alphonse,” Mattingly said, and offered his hand. Then he turned to Cronley.
“Cronley,” he said.
“Good evening, Colonel,” Cronley said.
“Steve, this is Captain Cronley. Cronley, Major Davis.”
“How do you do, sir?”
“Captain.”
“We were upstairs,” Mattingly said. “The office is locked.”
“Yes, sir,” Cronley said. “It is.”
“What may I get you, Colonel?” Alphonse asked.
Colonel Mattingly ordered Dewar’s on the rocks, and Major Davis said, “The same, please.”
“I was afraid I wouldn’t find you. Or anyone,” Mattingly said. “We have to make the Blue Danube at 2330.”
“I left word with the switchboard that I’d be in here,” Cronley said. “They didn’t tell you?”
“I didn’t ask, actually,” Mattingly said.
“What brings you to Munich?”
“We had some business with Colonel Parsons at the Compound,” Mattingly said. “And while we were there, he told us that Sergeant Colbert got involved in something pretty nasty.”
“That’s Miss Colbert now. I made her a DCI special agent.”
“You made her a DCI special agent
?”
“Uh-huh.”
“The correct answer to that question would have been, ‘Yes, sir.’”
“No disrespect intended, sir. But the colonel did notice that I’m not wearing any insignia of rank?”
“Before we get into it yet again, Cronley, when I get back to Frankfurt, I’d like to tell General Greene about this incident Sergeant Colbert was involved in. So, what can you tell me about it?”
“Sir, Major Wallace has already brought General Greene up to speed on the incident.”
“In other words you’re not going to tell me what you know?” Mattingly snapped.
“Sir, with respect, I don’t believe you have the Need to Know.”
“And you think you have the authority to make that decision?”
“I know I do, Colonel.”
“Captain,” Major Davis said, “I’d like to know where the hell you think you got the authority to refuse to tell Colonel Mattingly anything he wishes to know.”
Cronley reached in his pocket and took out his DCI credentials. He held them open for them to read.