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Her father waves his hand “Oh, she knows She’s my wife! Of course she knows”

This keeps getting stranger

“Okay, but we don’t want anyone to knoho doesn’t have a need to know,” Rainy says It takes her father a ur

e out that by “we” she does not mean the family, but the army

“Of course,” he says, straightening up and sending a glance in the direction of his wife

“You just need to pass the word that we’d like one of our people to meet with him No cops—this is not about the law”

That sounds strange co out of her mouth, but she will have time to consider the moral question later

Her father nods “I can tell sonals that after that it will be out of his hands “But you, you don’t talk to Don Vito, you understand os”

Rainy gives his “I’e,” she says, sure that she’s telling the truth No one with any sense would strike a bargain with a three-striper “Please do make the call as soon as possible My colo—my superior officer is in a hurry”

Halev arrives looking perfectly respectable, wearing a dark suit and a yarernails tri a thorough grilling frohtly entle than what Rainy’s SS colonel endured—Rainy and Halev escape into the stairwell and finally into the glowing Manhattan night

“Sorry about all that,” Rainy says She breathes a long exhalation of relief She’s bearded her father in his den, and Halev has not been frightened off by her mother, so now she can let herself relax, at least a little

“Oh, it was nothing,” Halev says “Just help ernails”

Rainy laughs Then says, “Sorry about the unifor”

“I wouldn’t have recognized you any other way,” he says, and adds with aard gallantry, “Besides, you look better in a uniforown”

The eternally logical part of her brain considers counterarguments to that obviously false statement The rest of her brain tells her to shut up and accept the compliment