by Abigail Keam
Mona still did not lower her gun.
Frightened, Violet rushed to stand beside her.
Mona asked briskly, “What do you want?”
“Someone needs to see you.”
“Who?”
“Come with me and you’ll see.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Listen, someone important wants to see you and we’ve got to deliver. It’s on the up and up. You can bring your gun with you.”
“Why does this person want to see me?”
“Don’t know. Wasn’t told, but it’s government business. If you resisted, I was to tell you that you told Mrs. Roosevelt this morning that you loved your country and wanted to help. Well, now’s your chance.”
Mona was stunned. She had indeed said that at the luncheon with Mrs. Roosevelt. How would these cretins know this if Mrs. Roosevelt hadn’t repeated what she had said?
Still seeing Mona hesitating, the scarred man said, “Look, lady. We’re only going a couple of doors down on this floor. You can keep your gun, but we’ve got to hurry.” He shot a look at Violet, “My partner is going to visit with you while Miss Moon is gone to make sure you don’t call anyone. This has to be on the down low. You understand?”
Wide-eyed, Violet nodded.
The gray-haired man said, “Please sit.” He pulled out a chair for Violet.
“Miss Mona? What should I do?”
“You go downstairs to the lobby, Violet, and if you don’t see me in fifteen minutes, notify the front desk that I have been kidnapped.”
The gray-haired man blocked Violet’s movement toward the suite door.
Mona stomped her foot to gain the man’s attention. “This gun is loaded with a hair trigger. You either do it my way or not at all.”
The man with the scar jerked his head toward his partner. “Let her leave.”
“The boss is not going to like this.”
“But what can we do?” He spoke to Violet. “Hey, girlie, take a hike.”
Violet shot one last desperate look at Mona before scurrying out of the suite.
Mona motioned to the two men with her gun. “Let’s go. Stay six feet in front of me.”
The two men sauntered out of the suite and turned right. They stopped four doors down where the men pointed at a door.
Mona said, “Beat it. I’ll take it from here.”
“Gladly,” said the gray-headed man, pushing back his Fedora. They both heard the elevator door ring and dashed for it. A woman with a small dog got off and walked past Mona, who hid her gun in the folds of her dress. As soon as the woman passed, Mona opened the door and walked in.
Near the room’s fireplace sat an older man in formal attire smoking a cigarette. He was very well groomed with manicured nails and clipped eyebrows. That went for his hair as well. Mona knew he’d had a haircut that very day as the back of his neck was freshly shaven. His cologne was mild and not overpowering like some men’s. His shoes were handmade. Probably Savile Row. The creases in his black tux were crisp. His white shirt was starched. This was a man who took care of himself and bought the very best.
“Good evening, Miss Moon. Would you please have a seat? I won’t take up much of your time. I know you will be attending the ball at the British Embassy. I am also attending and meeting my wife there, so I can’t tarry long.” He glanced at Mona’s gun. “You can put that away. You’re quite safe.”
Mona looked about the room. “Anyone else here?”
“Just us.” He took out his silver cigarette case and offered a cigarette to Mona. “Would you like one?”
“No, thank you. I don’t smoke.”
“Neither do I, really. Just habit here and there.” He waved his hand to a chair. “Please sit. What I’ve got to say should only take a few moments.” He gave her a long, hard look. “It’s true what they say about you. Your hair is white as snow and your eyes are yellow like a cat’s. I guess you know you have an uncanny resemblance to Jean Harlow.”
Ignoring the flattering comments, Mona asked, “Who are you?”
“My name is William Donovan.”
“Who were those goons who abducted me?”
Donovan tsked tsked. “Abduction is such a strong word and not appropriate. They escorted you, Miss Moon. From time to time, I am allowed the help of FBI gentlemen.”
“You call them gentlemen? Those G-men scared my companion half to death.”
“But you kept your head. You are completely unharmed, are you not?”
“Okay, what do you want?”
Donovan explained, “I represent a loose collection of businessmen and lawyers who travel quite extensively. While we are on our travels, we can’t help but notice things.”
“What kind of things?”
“Anything that might be of use to our government.”
“By noticing, you mean spying?”
“I call it information collection, but if you want to call it spying, so be it.”
Lowering her gun, Mona asked, “What’s this got to do with me?”
“It is rumored that you are going to marry Lord Farley.”
“What of it?”
“You will be rubbing elbows with British royalty then. You’ll be privy to private conversations of the British aristocracy.”
“I doubt that I’ll be invited to meet the King and Queen. Lord Farley hasn’t seen the royal family for years. He is a noble, not a royal.”
“But he does have impressive connections in Great Britain and abroad. So do you. You are great friends with Lady Alice Morrell, whose life you saved in Mesopotamia. You are also an ally of Alice Longworth. I say it is impressive that you are pals with two of the most famous Alices in the English-speaking world.”
“So what?”
“There is a concern about Prince Edward’s fascination with fascism.”
“Who’s concerned?”
“His father, King George, for one thing. President Roosevelt for another. There have been intelligence reports that the Prince of Wales’ current mistress, Wallis Simpson, is making dangerous friendships and having affairs with men of ill repute while she is seeing Prince Edward. We believe her to be a Nazi sympathizer. We fear her influence over the Prince of Wales might not be in the United States’ interest. We cannot allow Great Britain to fall under a fascist government if Prince Edward should become king.”
“That’s ridiculous. Germany is a constitutional republic with President von Hindenburg at the helm. Nazism is not supported by the majority of the German people.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Miss Moon. You’re not keeping up with current events. The Nazis got almost forty-four percent of the German vote in March of 1933. That’s up from eighteen percent of the vote in 1930. The Nazis are very much in control of Germany.”
“Hitler made a speech last year at the Reichstag, where he promised continued disarmament and peace.”
Donovan produced a condescending smile. “Now, Miss Moon, I know you are an intelligent woman. Surely you’re not falling for those lies. Your daddy must have taught you that you go by what a man does rather than what he says. Fascism is gaining ground in Europe. Look at Italy with Mussolini. Stalin in Russia. Oswald Mosley in Great Britain. Von Hindenburg is a frail old man. He won’t be able to contain Adolf Hitler for much longer. When he dies, the facade of German democracy will crumble.”
“You’re right. I haven’t been keeping up. I’ve been trying to turn my little corner of the world around. I haven’t had the time to study international politics except in broad strokes.”
“I feel Hitler is a very dangerous man and fear his stranglehold on Germany. I also fear this strain of politics in our own country. It’s very easy for people to fall under the allure of a man who has charisma and promises a way back to greatness in times of immense stress. America must stay alert.”
“That may be, but I do not see what that has got to do with me. I am not a fascist or a Nazi. I believe in democracy.”
“You migh
t hear or see something that will be of interest to our government. The best information gathering service in the world is the Vatican. The second best is MI6 for Great Britain.”
“Again, so what?”
Donovan said, “What I’m trying to say is that the United States has no formal organization to gather and sift through information, nor do we have operatives overseas. We do have military gatherings, but the information is not shared. Often, President Roosevelt is not officially briefed on important matters. So, our government currently relies on people such as myself and hopefully, you, to fill in the gaps.”
Mona was horrified. “You’re asking me to spy on Lord Farley’s family and friends. This I will not do. I am amazed that you would ask me to hand over scraps of gossip that I overhear in the powder room.”
Donovan snuffed out his burning cigarette. “You were there when a man jumped out of a window in the Willard’s dining room this afternoon?”
“I was.” Mona sat down in a chair opposite Donovan. She was very interested now in what Donovan had to say.
“That man’s name was Juan Garcia. He is a double agent working for the British government and was attempting to steal a German’s attaché case from the man’s room when he was caught. He had to kill the German, who worked for the German Embassy.”
Mona pulled back.
“You seem shocked.”
“I am.”
“The FBI has been watching this German agent for a long time. He stayed at the Willard quite often. We believe he was meeting with an American who feeds him information, but we don’t know whom. We couldn’t catch them in the act of exchanging information. After Garcia began following him, the FBI was given orders to observe and not interfere. Only when Garcia killed the German, did the FBI decide to intervene on Garcia’s behalf. But Garcia misunderstood their intentions and put up a fight. He thought our men were enemy agents trying to apprehend him for stealing the case. We finally got hold of him outside the Willard and safely whisked him away.”
“Yes, I saw. It was a very clumsy attempt to help. Not subtle at all, especially when your men were shooting at him, and he jumped out a closed window.”
Donovan shrugged.
“What happened to the German operative?”
“His body has been taken aboard an ocean liner returning to Germany where he will have a tragic accident of falling overboard and drowning. The body will not be recovered.”
“I suppose there will be witnesses saying they saw him fall over the railing.”
“Of course.”
“What was in the attaché case?”
“Proof that Hitler has no intention of honoring the disarmament clause of the Versailles Treaty.”
“He means to build up the German military again?”
“That’s what President Roosevelt fears. There is a great deal of sympathy for this Hitler in our country. Many Americans agree with him and his brand of hatred. This could mean disaster to our way of life if a pro-Nazi candidate became president, which may happen when Prince Edward becomes king. People will be influenced by Prince Edward’s political bent as he is so popular in our country. For the good of all, the United States must stay the course of being a constitutional republic. So you see, we need everyone doing their part. That’s why Mrs. Roosevelt called me to speak with you. She was very impressed with you and felt you could help.” Seeing Mona’s conflicted face, Donovan stood and looked at his watch. “Your friend, by now, is walking to the front desk and going to inform them that you have been kidnapped. You need to intercept her before our little chat becomes an incident.”
“How did you know about that?”
“I heard everything that was said in your room. Remember, the rooms have ears.”
“I don’t like being spied upon, Mr. Donovan.”
“You’re no longer Mona Moon the cartographer. You’re Mona Moon, one of the wealthiest women in the world, who owns most of the copper mines in the United States. You are going to marry an important man. You must expect people to scrutinize you. Believe me when I say the moment you stepped on the train to come to Washington, you were being shadowed.”
“That is disappointing to hear. I was hoping to take a few days here just as plain old Mona Moon and be a tourist like everyone else.”
“That is very naïve of you, Miss Moon. Plain old Mona Moon would not have lunch with Eleanor Roosevelt. The rules of the game have changed for you. You see? If I were in your place, I would beef up my security team. You are too vulnerable.”
“I don’t know what to say, Mr. Donovan.”
“Here’s an example. I was dining at the Willard the same time as you. I saw you come in with Alice Longworth.”
“I didn’t notice.”
“That’s my point. You also didn’t notice a blond young man with Nordic features and wearing a dark suit surveilling you.”
“I did notice him.”
“He followed you and your companions into the dining room. You should have had him checked out. We certainly did. He could be a danger to you. As it is, he is a Swedish diplomat with ties to the Nazi party. I imagine that he is going to contact you to arrange the purchase of Moon Enterprises’ copper for his country, but the copper will really be diverted to Germany for their rearmament program.”
Mona felt the heat rise to her cheeks. She knew this man was right. She was no longer a private citizen who could do as she pleased. “Mr. Donovan, I feel rather naive.”
“Does that mean you will help us?”
“I don’t know. I must think on it, but I can assure you that I will be more aware in the future. I would not knowingly do anything that puts my country in jeopardy.”
“Whatever you decide, our conversation must be confidential. You can’t tell your companion or your fiancé what was discussed between us. I trust you understand the need for secrecy in this matter.”
Mona didn’t reply, looking gloomily at Donovan. She felt a heavy burden had been placed on her shoulders.
“Think about what I said. That’s all I ask.” He picked up his hat. “See you at the embassy ball.” He strode out of the room leaving Mona alone.
Thinking she better hurry to Violet, she took the stairs down to the main floor while Donovan captured the elevator. Mona caught Violet’s hand just as the young girl was reaching for the front desk bell to summon a clerk.
“Oh, Miss Mona. I was so worried.”
Mona heard the elevator bell ding. The elevator opened, and Mr. Donovan exited it with aplomb, making his way outside of the hotel. Mona picked up a newspaper from the hotel’s front desk and used it to shield her face. She didn’t want anyone reading her lips. “Violet, I want you to put in a call to Dexter Deatherage tonight. Tell him to send Jamison and Samuel plus four Pinkertons to me. I also want Rupert Hunt recalled from the West. They are to come to Washington as soon as possible.”
“What has happened, Miss Moon? You wanted to be incognito on this trip. No muss. No fuss.”
“I’m afraid that is now impossible. I need you to do something else for me, Violet. I want you to use a pay phone away from here to make the call. Reverse the charges. Don’t use the hotel’s phones. Someone might be listening in from the switchboard.”
Violet’s mouth shaped into a silent O. “I’ll find a telephone that has a privacy box so no one can overhear me.”
“There’s a drug store around the corner. It’s only a block away. Make sure you cover your mouth when you speak.”
“I’ll go now while it’s still light.”
“Good girl. Now, I must be off. And not one word about this to Lord Farley if he calls.”
“No, ma’am.”
“Be careful, Violet.”
“You’re giving me the chills, Miss Mona.”
“I feel slightly cold myself. See you later tonight.” Mona strode out of the hotel and asked the doorman to hail her a cab. She tightly clutched her purse, which held her gun, hoping she would not have to use it tonight.
But then agai
n, the evening was young.
4
“Miss Moon?”
“Yes,” Mona said, handing her wrap to a maid. She turned and was greeted by an affable man with sandy brown hair and a pencil thin mustache that was now so fashionable.
“I am Colonel Maynard Pickard. It is my honor to be your escort this evening.”
Mona smiled and extended her hand, looking him over carefully. His description matched what Robert had portrayed, and Pickard was wearing a red carnation as a signal that he was indeed Pickard.
Pickard swooped Mona’s hand up, kissing it in the Continental manner. “Shall I show you to a table?”
“I’d like to meet the British ambassador first. Where is the receiving line?”
“Let me show you.” He offered his arm. “Shall we?”
“Yes.” Mona was a little nervous. She didn’t want to make a mistake and have it reported to Robert that she had made a faux pas.
Pickard showed her to the line. “I’ll get us some drinks. Champagne to your liking?”
“Yes, thank you,” Mona replied. She did like champagne, but wouldn’t drink what Pickard handed her. She never imbibed any beverage anyone gave her unless it was her staff or Lord Farley. She had seen too many girls taken advantage of that way.
Hearing a commotion, Mona turned to see Alice Longworth had arrived and was causing a stir among the other guests. She was wearing a chiffon dress colored her signature blue with an amazing headdress of ostrich feathers and carrying a fan made of the same.
Mona shook her head, grinning. Alice always liked to make an entrance. Mona moved forward in the line until she felt a tap on her shoulder.
“Thought I would see you here.”
“Hello, Alice.” Mona pushed a floating ostrich feather away from her face. “Where did you get that crazy hat?”