shocked him. It was the first time Ted had spoken of it to him and he fell back on their old habits; they did not beat around the bush with each other.
“Look, Ted; these things adjust themselves in time. And you’ve got the kid to think of…”
“There isn’t any kid,” said Ted. “There never was.”
***
With an effort he pulled his attention back to Garnett, who was still talking.
“…five years in boardinghouses on gold-bar pay… the morning he made first he had to call his C.O. a goddamned fool to his face and get busted before lunch. That afternoon he turned down twelve thousand a year from the best airline in America. What would you have thought?”
It was like an old, old record caught in one groove, repeating again and again a fragment of an unhappy tune. He didn’t mean to sound unsympathetic but what was there to say?
“I’ve always thought he was a rare guy, Cliff.”
“She’s realized that, Casey. She did go back to him.”
“Cliff, what’s all this leading to?”
“Does Ted think she just came back to him and is having that kid because he is pretty secure now?”
“You’ll have to ask Ted what he thinks. It’s his business.”
“Ted and I were never very close,” persisted Garnett. “You know what he thinks of you.”
“Maybe that’s because I don’t try to run his life.”
“It’s in your hands. You don’t have to send him at his age.”
Dennis flinched and looked at his wrist watch.
“I don’t have to send any of them. We could all be secure, under Hitler.”
Instantly he felt ashamed of the retort because he knew that Garnett, too, was deeply troubled. But there was no time for this kind of trouble now. He was relieved at the sight of Kane leading his party into the room again, walking with some of his old assurance as he brought Jenks straight over to them.
“General Dennis, Captain Jenks is obviously the victim of a shock condition induced by the strain of his nineteen missions. This is a clear-cut case of combat fatigue, a medical, not a disciplinary, matter. He needs immediate rest.”
“Sir, did the Captain tell you that he finished ten days in a rest house Thursday and has been medically certified fit for the completion of this tour?”
He saw Kane coloring again, apoplectically, but it did not cool his own fury. This preposterous fabrication was an insult to his investigation. It was probably the idea of Prescott, whose smirk had vanished now. Kane, with a clear head, would never have fallen for such a stupid stratagem. Already he had begun to think of a new way out but Prescott, now under a heightened obligation, spoke first.
“Captain Jenks, did you know of any defect in your plane that would have made such a long flight impossible for it?”
“His copilot took the plane. It hasn’t aborted.” Dennis chopped the words out fast to save Kane from this second, transparent trap. But although he had heard clearly, Kane clutched at the straw.
“We won’t know that till the plane comes back,” he said.
“If it comes back,” said Dennis. He had never seen Kane fumble like this before. There must be serious trouble in London or Washington. Dennis felt doubly guilty that his chief should have to be worried with such a business at the moment. But Kane was regaining a little of his old brusqueness.
“We’ll continue the investigation later, General,” he said.
The guard answered Dennis instantly and they watched through a taut silence while he marched Jenks out.
“General,” said Kane as the door closed, “this is very serious.”
“Every detail will be checked, sir. It happened at five-twenty this morning. I’ve got the rest of the twenty-four hours.”
He wanted to shield Kane from it as long as possible, to make him see that it was not his burden yet, that every resource would be strained to keep it from becoming his burden. But Kane’s perceptions had outraced intermediate consolation.
“Twenty-four hours for what?”
“To
“Look, Ted; these things adjust themselves in time. And you’ve got the kid to think of…”
“There isn’t any kid,” said Ted. “There never was.”
***
With an effort he pulled his attention back to Garnett, who was still talking.
“…five years in boardinghouses on gold-bar pay… the morning he made first he had to call his C.O. a goddamned fool to his face and get busted before lunch. That afternoon he turned down twelve thousand a year from the best airline in America. What would you have thought?”
It was like an old, old record caught in one groove, repeating again and again a fragment of an unhappy tune. He didn’t mean to sound unsympathetic but what was there to say?
“I’ve always thought he was a rare guy, Cliff.”
“She’s realized that, Casey. She did go back to him.”
“Cliff, what’s all this leading to?”
“Does Ted think she just came back to him and is having that kid because he is pretty secure now?”
“You’ll have to ask Ted what he thinks. It’s his business.”
“Ted and I were never very close,” persisted Garnett. “You know what he thinks of you.”
“Maybe that’s because I don’t try to run his life.”
“It’s in your hands. You don’t have to send him at his age.”
Dennis flinched and looked at his wrist watch.
“I don’t have to send any of them. We could all be secure, under Hitler.”
Instantly he felt ashamed of the retort because he knew that Garnett, too, was deeply troubled. But there was no time for this kind of trouble now. He was relieved at the sight of Kane leading his party into the room again, walking with some of his old assurance as he brought Jenks straight over to them.
“General Dennis, Captain Jenks is obviously the victim of a shock condition induced by the strain of his nineteen missions. This is a clear-cut case of combat fatigue, a medical, not a disciplinary, matter. He needs immediate rest.”
“Sir, did the Captain tell you that he finished ten days in a rest house Thursday and has been medically certified fit for the completion of this tour?”
He saw Kane coloring again, apoplectically, but it did not cool his own fury. This preposterous fabrication was an insult to his investigation. It was probably the idea of Prescott, whose smirk had vanished now. Kane, with a clear head, would never have fallen for such a stupid stratagem. Already he had begun to think of a new way out but Prescott, now under a heightened obligation, spoke first.
“Captain Jenks, did you know of any defect in your plane that would have made such a long flight impossible for it?”
“His copilot took the plane. It hasn’t aborted.” Dennis chopped the words out fast to save Kane from this second, transparent trap. But although he had heard clearly, Kane clutched at the straw.
“We won’t know that till the plane comes back,” he said.
“If it comes back,” said Dennis. He had never seen Kane fumble like this before. There must be serious trouble in London or Washington. Dennis felt doubly guilty that his chief should have to be worried with such a business at the moment. But Kane was regaining a little of his old brusqueness.
“We’ll continue the investigation later, General,” he said.
The guard answered Dennis instantly and they watched through a taut silence while he marched Jenks out.
“General,” said Kane as the door closed, “this is very serious.”
“Every detail will be checked, sir. It happened at five-twenty this morning. I’ve got the rest of the twenty-four hours.”
He wanted to shield Kane from it as long as possible, to make him see that it was not his burden yet, that every resource would be strained to keep it from becoming his burden. But Kane’s perceptions had outraced intermediate consolation.
“Twenty-four hours for what?”
“To
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