either.” He led me into the main gaming room and to a long circular bar in front of the roulette tables. The sound of the wheel turning, diamonds clinking, and money changing hands was accompanied by a lonely pianist playing Rachmaninoff on a baby grand in the far corner.
“What are you having?” Thompson, asked and I ordered scotch, neat. He ordered brandy and ginger. “Well, here’s to the fiddlers on the Titanic. If you’re going down, you might as well have background music.”
“To Nero,” I said.
“Quite!” We downed them in one and I called for another round.
“So…” Harry smiled mischievously. “What’s my lead, then?”
“How about ‘Englishman Fiddles About While Europe Collapses’?”
“Don’t like that one much,” he sneered. “How about Hollywood Star with German Origins in Clandestine Meeting with Gestapo Major’?”
“I wouldn’t recommend it,” I said. “Besides, I thought the Times was a serious newspaper.”
“Freelance, actually,” he confessed. “I’ll be anybody’s whore. And that includes Variety. ”
“That sounds like a threat, Harry.”
“I wouldn’t do that to you, Jack. Not without pictures.” He took a healthy swallow of the incoming brandy. “The truth is I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about Lili Sterne, but I’m a bit desperate. This war-correspondent stuff doesn’t suit me. I’m more of a human-interest kind of guy.”
“There are plenty of humans in Lisbon,” I said.
“Debatable, old chap. Highly debatable. But let’s not get carried away with my troubles! Tell me about yours! What about this chap Eddie Grimes?”
“Eddie Grimes?”
“Come on, Jack, let’s not be silly. Everybody in Lisbon knows he was working for Lili Sterne. What was he up to?”
“Off the record?”
“Absolutely!”
“Never heard of him.”
“Bastard!” He smiled. “All right. How about an exchange of information. It’s a popular pastime around here.”
“What would you have that’d interest me?”
“That’s it, you’ve got the hang of it already. How about the fact that your good friend Capitão Catela isn’t pulling that car out of the sea because you want him to. Not even because Lili Sterne wants him to.”
“You’re well informed,” I said, genuinely impressed.
“That’s the job, old boy.”
“Okay, I’ll bite. Why’s Catela pulling the car out?”
“You have to promise to give me something,” Harry said, popping his empty glass on the bar for a refill.
“Like why Lili Sterne is in Lisbon?”
“That’s how the game is played.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “You show me yours and I’ll show you mine.”
“Right! Captain Catela is pulling Eddie Grimes out of the drink because…” He leaned over and finished in a mock whisper. “Sturmbannführer Heinrich Ritter asked him to. Or should I say told him to?”
“Ritter?”
“That’s right. Your friendly neighborhood Gestapo officer.”
“Why would Ritter care about Eddie Grimes?”
“I’m sure he doesn’t. But he cares very much about Hans Kleinmann.”
“Who’s Hans Kleinmann?”
“Ah, ah, ah,” he scolded, collecting his third drink. “Your turn.”
“Okay. Lili’s trying to locate a childhood friend, somebody she grew up with in Berlin. Eddie Grimes found her here, or thought he did, anyway. He was supposed to take her back to the States, but he drove off a cliff instead.”
“And you’re taking his place?”
“Up to a point,” I said. “I don’t plan on driving off any cliffs.”
Thompson nodded thoughtfully. “Touching, but hardly front page, is it?”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“That it’s touching or that it’s not front page?”
“If it got into print, I might end up going over that cliff, after all. What about this Kleinmann character?”
“Ah, yes! Dr. Hans Kleinmann. He’s attached to the German embassy here. Some sort of state secretary, I think, whatever that means.”
“What’s he got to do with Eddie
“What are you having?” Thompson, asked and I ordered scotch, neat. He ordered brandy and ginger. “Well, here’s to the fiddlers on the Titanic. If you’re going down, you might as well have background music.”
“To Nero,” I said.
“Quite!” We downed them in one and I called for another round.
“So…” Harry smiled mischievously. “What’s my lead, then?”
“How about ‘Englishman Fiddles About While Europe Collapses’?”
“Don’t like that one much,” he sneered. “How about Hollywood Star with German Origins in Clandestine Meeting with Gestapo Major’?”
“I wouldn’t recommend it,” I said. “Besides, I thought the Times was a serious newspaper.”
“Freelance, actually,” he confessed. “I’ll be anybody’s whore. And that includes Variety. ”
“That sounds like a threat, Harry.”
“I wouldn’t do that to you, Jack. Not without pictures.” He took a healthy swallow of the incoming brandy. “The truth is I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about Lili Sterne, but I’m a bit desperate. This war-correspondent stuff doesn’t suit me. I’m more of a human-interest kind of guy.”
“There are plenty of humans in Lisbon,” I said.
“Debatable, old chap. Highly debatable. But let’s not get carried away with my troubles! Tell me about yours! What about this chap Eddie Grimes?”
“Eddie Grimes?”
“Come on, Jack, let’s not be silly. Everybody in Lisbon knows he was working for Lili Sterne. What was he up to?”
“Off the record?”
“Absolutely!”
“Never heard of him.”
“Bastard!” He smiled. “All right. How about an exchange of information. It’s a popular pastime around here.”
“What would you have that’d interest me?”
“That’s it, you’ve got the hang of it already. How about the fact that your good friend Capitão Catela isn’t pulling that car out of the sea because you want him to. Not even because Lili Sterne wants him to.”
“You’re well informed,” I said, genuinely impressed.
“That’s the job, old boy.”
“Okay, I’ll bite. Why’s Catela pulling the car out?”
“You have to promise to give me something,” Harry said, popping his empty glass on the bar for a refill.
“Like why Lili Sterne is in Lisbon?”
“That’s how the game is played.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “You show me yours and I’ll show you mine.”
“Right! Captain Catela is pulling Eddie Grimes out of the drink because…” He leaned over and finished in a mock whisper. “Sturmbannführer Heinrich Ritter asked him to. Or should I say told him to?”
“Ritter?”
“That’s right. Your friendly neighborhood Gestapo officer.”
“Why would Ritter care about Eddie Grimes?”
“I’m sure he doesn’t. But he cares very much about Hans Kleinmann.”
“Who’s Hans Kleinmann?”
“Ah, ah, ah,” he scolded, collecting his third drink. “Your turn.”
“Okay. Lili’s trying to locate a childhood friend, somebody she grew up with in Berlin. Eddie Grimes found her here, or thought he did, anyway. He was supposed to take her back to the States, but he drove off a cliff instead.”
“And you’re taking his place?”
“Up to a point,” I said. “I don’t plan on driving off any cliffs.”
Thompson nodded thoughtfully. “Touching, but hardly front page, is it?”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“That it’s touching or that it’s not front page?”
“If it got into print, I might end up going over that cliff, after all. What about this Kleinmann character?”
“Ah, yes! Dr. Hans Kleinmann. He’s attached to the German embassy here. Some sort of state secretary, I think, whatever that means.”
“What’s he got to do with Eddie
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