AMANDA DIDN’T KNOW WHETHER TO BE ANGRY OR AMUSED. Perhaps a little of both was in order. She had made an offhand comment to Tim about doing more to help the war effort and here she was, in a skimpy two- piece bathing suit, sitting on a beach blanket with the ocean in the background as Captain Merchant took a picture of her and Gunther Krause, who was also in swim trunks and enjoying himself hugely.
Thankfully, Tim had the good grace to look uncomfortable. Both he and Merchant were also in trunks and if any of the handful of people in the area were watching they all looked innocent and innocuous. Just a group of friends enjoying a pleasant day, they would conclude. They were where she and Tim had frolicked not so long ago, only now the beach was almost deserted.
Merchant took another moment to focus the camera. He’d taken several pictures already. “Amanda, smile a little more warmly and try to give the impression that you actually like Krause.”
Krause laughed. “I actually am very likeable once you get to know me.”
“Shut up and snuggle,” Merchant said and Tim glared.
Amanda put her head on Krause’s shoulder and he put his arm around her waist. Tim seethed. If his hand got too close to her breast he was going to break it. He had noticed that the Nazi was peering down the front of Amanda’s too-loose top. Damn it.
One of Krause’s contacts in Mexico had informed them that the Japs wanted to know just who the source inside the U.S. Navy was. Specifically, who had provided the information on the carriers’ location? When Tim had mentioned the problem to Amanda over lunch, she had suggested it be a fictitious person in Nimitz’s staff, a civilian and a woman, and someone who’d been having an affair with Krause. The idea made sense and it had been a short leap to getting Amanda to volunteer. Yes, she wanted to help her country defeat the Japs, but did she have to do it with a Nazi’s hand around her body and with Tim breathing fire out of each nostril?
She took a deep breath and smiled at the camera. She realized that her objections were idiotic. What she was doing was nothing in comparison with what soldiers, sailors, and Marines were doing in actual combat. How could being pawed and leered at by a Nazi prisoner compare with being shot? She had made Merchant agree to the caveat that her real name would not be used and he had agreed. A letter would go down to Mexico from Krause telling his friend that he was engaged to the lovely Patricia Barkley, photos attached, and that he was a lucky man. The note would casually mention that Patricia Barkley worked for some admiral. It was hoped that this would more than satisfy any doubters and be of no interest to anyone reading it.
“Enough,” said Merchant. The camera and film went into a container. The film would be developed immediately and the letter and photos would go out this afternoon.
Krause helped Amanda to her feet. Tim noticed that his hand brushed her bottom and her eyes widened slightly. Krause never saw the punch coming. It hit him in the pit of the stomach and he doubled over, gasping and vomiting lunch. The second punch struck him on the side of the head and dropped him to the sand where he spit out blood and something white that might have been part of a tooth. He rolled onto his side and got up groggily.
“Once again, my hero,” said Amanda, smiling sweetly.
Merchant shook his head. “That’s going to screw up German-American relations, you know, and maybe leave a mark on this asshole.”
Krause managed to straighten up and shook his head. “No, it won’t. I deserved it, but I have no regrets.”
Amanda glared at him. “And I need a swim. Nothing personal, Herr Krause, but I feel just a little dirty and want to clean up. Tim, come with me.”
The water was a little on the cool side, but comfortable enough. “Tim, you have been very good and I want to be just a little bit bad. I did what I thought was right in having those pictures taken, and have no regrets. I just can’t stand remembering him touching me. Only you get to do that.”
Tim grinned. “Does that mean we’re going behind the raft again?”
“Indeed it does, sailor boy.”
Toki and Masao were beside themselves with joy, as was the entire crew of the
The
“This is a magnificent opportunity to end this war,” Masao said.
Toki laughed. “I thought you were a warrior who wanted it to go on forever. Don’t tell me you’ve had your fill?”
“At least for a while,” Masao admitted. “I would like to go home, see my family, walk the earth, smell the flowers, and convince my sister that you are a complete and utter fool.”
“But it won’t happen for a while,” Toki said. “Too many people have plans for us once we’ve destroyed the Americans.”
“You are very confident that they will be destroyed. How many of our carriers will be sent against the two Americans? My guess would be four or five.”
Toki grinned and then turned somber. “All of them. We have eight carriers ready to use and we will overwhelm the Americans. Sadly, it will mean that we will lose men and planes. The Americans will doubtless defend their ships with desperation.”
“Carriers at anchor and under repair cannot launch planes,” Masao said.
Toki took a long swallow from the bottle in his hand. “Which means that the Americans will have taken the planes off their ships and will launch them from ground strips. It may also mean that other planes will be at ground bases and will protect their carriers. Of course, Yamamoto will distract them and hopefully stop that from occurring.”
“How will he do that?”
Toki smiled smugly. “Kurita’s battleships and a couple of smaller carriers will first attack San Diego and Los Angeles. It will cause the Americans to hold back their planes and attack Kurita’s ships. We may lose some old battleships, but their day is over anyhow. It is now the time of the carrier. When the battle is over, we can get on with consolidating our hold in the Pacific.”
Somehow a pair of fresh bottles had appeared in their hands and they swallowed happily. “And how will we do that?” Masao asked.
“The plans for after our victory are simple but elegant. We will finally occupy the island of Oahu, which will probably surrender without a fight when they finally see how hopeless their situation has become. Then we will land more army troops to take back Alaska, and a large force will be sent against the Panama Canal. The Americans will squeal like pigs being castrated.”
“Excellent,” Masao said. He thought his voice sounded funny and concluded that he was getting a little drunk.
“And finally, we will land an army on Australia and end that nuisance. With total control of the seas, we might just decide to bypass MacArthur’s forces now fighting ours on New Guinea and force Australia to surrender without an invasion. Don’t you think it would be wonderful if MacArthur lost yet another army like he did in the Philippines? Of course, he would become our prisoner, which would further shame the Americans.”
Masao thought it all sounded wonderful. He also thought he was going to have a terrible headache in the morning. He sincerely hoped he would not be required to fly for at least a little while.
Merchant smiled. “Admiral Spruance would like to borrow your brain for a little while. He promises to return it reasonably intact.”
Tim wondered what this was all about as he walked down the hall to Spruance’s office. To his surprise,
