Rag and Bone (A Billy Boyle WWII Mystery) - Hardcover

Benn, James R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 156947849X ISBN 13: 9781569478493

Publisher: Soho Press, 2010

Synopsis

The fifth Billy Boyle investigation

American Lieutenant Billy Boyle is assigned to London by his uncle, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, to investigate the murder of a Russian security officer in the buildup to D-Day. Billy recognizes that this is a politically charged case, pitting Allies against one another, and that he must proceed with caution. The Polish contingent is incensed over evidence that implicates the Russians in the murder of hundreds of Polish prisoners in the so-called Katyn Forest Massacre, and Scotland Yard thinks this murder of a Soviet officer may be a revenge killing—perhaps perpetrated by Billy’s friend Kaz, a Polish baron in exile. But Billy doesn’t buy it. Can he find the real murderer, exonerate his friend, and prevent Allied relations from falling to pieces at this critical moment of the war?
From the Trade Paperback edition.

About this title

About the Author:

James R. Benn is the author of ten books in the Billy Boyle series: Billy Boyle, The First Wave, Blood Alone, Evil for Evil, Rag and Bone, A Mortal Terror, Death’s Door, A Blind Goddess, The Rest Is Silence, and The White Ghost. A librarian for many years, he lives in Hadlyme, Connecticut, with his wife, Deborah Mandel.
From the Trade Paperback edition.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

Chapter One
Naples, Italy
Late December 1943
 
Everyone was happy. The sky was a vibrant, vivid blue,
clear in every direction. The breeze out of the north felt crisp and cool at
our backs. Sunlight warmed our faces as it cast long, thin shadows across
the gray decks of the destroyer. I stood close to Diana, our hands clasped
discreetly amid the folds of my flapping trench coat. We were on duty
with the boss, but this was light duty, an excursion out of Naples harbor
to the island of Capri, twenty miles due south. Nobody was paying us
any mind, so we stood together at the rail, close, touching when we could,
making believe it was a holiday outing. Diana and I had been through a
lot, separately and together, the terrible and the wonderful. For the last
two days we’d enjoyed each other’s company as never before, as if all the
burdens and terrors of the past had decided to take a holiday as well. We
were together, neither of us in danger, and we had time alone. Nights, as
well as days.

I heard Kay Summersby laugh. She and the general were huddled in
the lee of the deck gun, sheltered from the wind. He leaned in to speak
to her, their heads touching. She laughed again and laid her hand on his
arm briefly, before she glanced at the naval officers grouped around them.
It was a passel of navy brass, all shiny braid, big grins, and ready with a
light whenever Uncle Ike pulled a cigarette from the pack in his coat
pocket. They reminded me of doormen at the Copley Plaza the week
before Christmas.

I could tell Uncle Ike was happy. He looked relaxed, and his smile
was natural, not the posed face he used for politicians and photographers.
Hell, he had just been told by the president of the United States himself
that he’d been picked as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary
Force. Uncle Ike had been expecting to be sent back home, or to watch
the big show from the Mediterranean. Instead, he’d beat out his own boss,
General Marshall, and gotten the top job, along with a handshake from
FDR. Add blue skies and a beautiful woman to the mix and you had all
the wartime happiness any man could handle. This was his last day in
Italy, and he’d wanted to see the famous Isle of Capri, which he had
ordered turned into a rest center for combat troops on leave. He’d made
this cruise into a treat for the HQ staff, his family of secretaries and aides
who worked long hours, seven days a week, keeping the paperwork, and
the war, moving along.

Kay was happy, too. She’d just received her orders to accompany
the general to London, along with most of his core staff. Not that
anyone thought she wouldn’t, but she’d been on pins and needles for
a while, especially when odds were that he was headed back to the
States. Kay, a British citizen, would have been left behind. When he
got the Supreme Commander job, I’d almost asked Uncle Ike if Aunt
Mamie would move to London, but fortunately thought better of it.
He was my relative, of a distant sort, but he was also the highestranking
general this side of the Charles River, and I was a dime-adozen
lieutenant. And I liked Kay, whatever was going on between
them. Maybe nothing, maybe something. Who was I to judge? There
was a war on.

I sneaked a kiss, tasting the salt from the sea spray on Diana’s lips.
Kay saw us and raised her eyebrows in mock horror. Diana laughed, and
put her arm through mine, as loose strands of her golden hair caressed
my face. We were in love, Diana Seaton and I. It had been rocky for a
while, but right now we were walking on air. I had a week’s leave, and it
would be ten days before she departed for wherever the Special Operations
Executive was sending her. It seemed like we had forever.

“Look,” Diana said, pointing to Mount Vesuvius off the port bow.
“Smoke.”

“That’s all we need,” I said. The night before, a thin trail of lava had
snaked down the mountain. The locals said it happened all the time, and
there was nothing to worry about, unless the mountain exploded. Then
worrying would be of little help, so why bother? I felt the same way about
the war, so I understood.

“Let’s hike up there, Billy,” Diana said. “I want to see the crater.”

I leaned in to whisper to her. “Diana, in ten days you’ll be jumping
out of an airplane. How about we take it easy until then?”

“I never said anything about an airplane, Billy Boyle,” she said, jabbing
her elbow into my ribs. “You’re not afraid of a dormant volcano, are
you? Or of being beat to the top by a woman?”

“That thing belches molten lava! But you’re probably in better shape
than I am, I’ll admit it. I haven’t had much to do since Ireland, while
you’ve been busy with training exercises.”

“I promise to go slowly. We’ll pack some food in the morning, and
have a picnic.”

“On a volcano.”

“It does sum things up fairly well.”

I didn’t argue the point. I was happy, too. Yesterday Uncle Ike had
pinned the silver bars of a first lieutenant on me, along with the Purple
Heart for a wounded arm that still ached. It was a step up from a second
louie, finally. He’d apologized for taking so long, explaining that he didn’t
want headquarters staff getting more than their fair share of promotions.
I didn’t quibble, even though Purple Hearts are pretty rare around typewriters
and filing cabinets. Now I was looking forward to celebrating the
new year with Diana in Naples, wearing my best Class A uniform, silver
bars polished and sparkling in the candlelight of the fanciest restaurant
I could get us into.

I watched Diana gaze at the smoldering, distant mountain and wished
there could be a medal for her. She wore a British uniform without any
insignia, and few people would ever learn how she’d served. I knew about
her first mission, since we’d stumbled into each other in Algiers. But this
time, there wasn’t much to go on. Of course, she wouldn’t tell me a thing,
but I had noticed her practicing her Italian, speaking with any Neapolitan
who would spend time with her. Since most were starving, the extra
rations she passed around insured a steady stream of chatterboxes. So I
figured Italy, somewhere north of the Volturno River, which left a lot of
territory—all in German hands—where the British might want to plant
a spy.

“It’s Rome, isn’t it?” I asked, keeping up the playful banter.

We’d almost called it quits over her working with the Special
Operations Executive, until I decided it was crazy to lose her because I
was worried about losing her. I’d taken a bullet through the arm not too
long ago, and that brush with death made me think things over. Maybe
we would both survive this war, maybe one of us, perhaps neither. So why
not make the best of the time we had together? I’d decided if the choice
was to be happy or be miserable, why not go for happy? If either of us
ended up dead, at least we’d have had our day in the sun. And today it
was as if happiness were contagious. Smiles all around, a beautiful day,
nothing to worry about for the moment, if you ignored the fitful plumes
of smoke rising from the volcano off the port bow.

“You’re the detective, you figure it out,” she said, jabbing her finger
at my chest.

“Italian lessons, that’s a major clue.”

“We are in Italy, Billy. You know I enjoy languages. What better
place?”

“Hmm. OK, let me think.” I studied her, trying to summon up any
hint of an unusual remark or interest. The wind freshened, and she held
her collar up, shielding her face. I followed her to the bow. Fine mist blew
into our faces as the destroyer cut through the calm, pale blue waters. Diana
turned away from the spray, leaning against me, pressing her body against
mine. I put my arms around her, thinking of last night and the night before
in her room at the Hotel Vesuvio. It was difficult not to caress her, kiss her
lips again, envelop her as droplets of water cascaded over us. I resisted, and
returned to the guessing game at hand.

Church. She’d gone to church with me on Sunday. I had written my
mother, telling her I went to Mass whenever I could. Knowing she’d ask
about it in her next letter, I made sure to go at least once in Naples. Diana
came too, which surprised me. She’s not Catholic, not even close. Church
of England, minor aristocracy, stiff upper lip. Everything the Boyles are
not. We yell, holler, cross ourselves, curse God, and beg the saints for
forgiveness. Diana had asked me about confession, communion, being
an altar boy, and all the other rituals of the Catholic faith as practiced at
the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.

“Turn around,” I said. She did, her service cap pulled down tight on
her forehead, her stiff wool collar held against her cheeks as protection
against the wind. It was a familiar look, her face framed by a uniform.

“Who was that nun you were talking with after Mass? When you left
me with that gasbag colonel, remember?”

“Sister Justina? She’s from Brindisi, as it turned out. She knew about
the twelfth-century mosaics in the cathedral there. We had a nice
chat.”

“Oh,” I said. Diana had been to Brindisi several times. The SOE had
a station there. It was a good location, easy access by sea and air to
Yugoslavia, Greece, Crete, and Italy north of our lines. It was also the
seat of Italian government, at least the one now allied with us. “How was
her English?”

“Poor. We spoke Italian. Why?”

“No reason, just curious. Could you understand her? I thought they
spoke some sort of dialect down there.”

“Salentino, I believe it’s called. Yes, it sounded a bit different, probably
much like the Sicilian you’ve heard. But anyone who speaks Italian
can understand it, even if the words sound a bit different. Why the sudden
interest?”

“I’m interested in whatever you’re interested in.”

“I’m interested in climbing Mount Vesuvius with you, and enjoying
the whole week ahead of us.”

“Me, too,” I said, keeping my thoughts to myself. I wanted nothing
more than to spend the few days ahead with Diana, climbing
volcanoes if need be. But another part of me couldn’t stop trying to
figure out what she was up to, and I wasn’t smart enough to listen to
that distant, small voice in the back of my mind, telling me to leave
well enough alone.

I didn’t. Brindisi was well south of our lines, a safe place for an SOE
agent to claim to be from. It made sense that Diana would want to pick
up some local dialect, to solidify her cover. Her Italian was fluent, but it
was classroom Italian, and she’d want to sound like a native when she
spoke it. It was only when I saw her face framed as it would be in a nun’s
habit that her trip to church with me made sense. She was going as a
nun, a sister from Brindisi. Maybe she’d even taken the name Justina, if
they hadn’t picked one out for her yet. There were nuns all over Italy,
but there was only one place the SOE was likely to send an agent disguised
as one.

“The Vatican,” I whispered to her. “You’re going as a nun.”

Her eyes widened for a moment, and then anger narrowed them.

She moved away from me, gripping the rail with both hands. Her
knuckles went white.

“It isn’t a game, Billy. You should know that.”

“You said I should figure it out, Diana.”

“Yes, let’s see how smart Billy Boyle is. That’s what it’s all about, isn’t
it?” With that, she stalked off, heading into a gaggle of naval officers,
surrounding herself with them, sealing me off behind a wall of white hats
and gold braid.

I’d gotten it wrong. Well, I’d gotten it right, but that was the problem.
It wasn’t a guessing game, it was life or death. And something beyond
that for Diana. It was what she needed to do to prove herself worthy of
living. So many people had died around her that she needed to face death
all over again to understand why it hadn’t taken her. I shouldn’t have
cheapened that with my guess. But I had to know where she was going,
in case she needed me. Knowing might allow me to pretend, at least to
myself, that I could protect her. Things got complicated when it came to
women; I wasn’t good at complicated.

I walked back toward the bridge, where the newly promoted Colonel
Sam Harding was installed, monitoring radio traffic from headquarters
at Caserta, in case a communication needed the general’s attention.
Harding was another one of the joyous crowd today, having received his
promotion along with me yesterday. He was now a lieutenant colonel,
and I knew he was happy about it because he hadn’t frowned once all day.
That was riotous joy for Sam Harding, regular army, West Pointer, and
my immediate boss.

Before I came to the bridge, I joined Uncle Ike and Kay as the destroyer
changed course to starboard and the craggy white cliffs of Capri came into
view. The sun sparkled on the dolomite rock formations and the villas dotting
the beaches and hills. Kay pointed to one of the largest homes, blinding
white with an orange roof, remarking on its stark beauty.

“Whose villa is that?” Uncle Ike asked of a naval aide at his side.

“Why, that’s your villa, General,” the aide said. “Captain Butcher
assigned it to you.”

The general lost his smile. He stepped away from Kay and pointed
to an even larger villa. “And that one?”

“General Spaatz, sir.”

“Damn it, that’s not my villa! And that’s not General Spaatz’s villa!”
Uncle Ike exploded, turning on the naval aide and forcing him back a
step. His face was red with anger. “None of those will belong to any
general as long as I’m boss around here. This is supposed to be a rest
center for combat men, not a playground for the brass.”

“All the other villas on Capri have been requisitioned by the Army
Air Force, sir, orders of General Spaatz. General Clark reserved Sorrento
for army officers.”

“And what does that leave for the GIs coming off the line? The gutters
of Naples, goddamn it?”

“Yes, sir. I mean no, sir,” the navy officer said, backpedaling as fast as
he could. He looked like he’d enjoyed spilling the dirt on air force and army
brass, but both barrels of Uncle Ike’s anger were still pointed at him.

“Kay!” Uncle Ike barked sharply. “Get ahold of Captain Butcher. Tell
him to contact General Spaatz immediately and clear his officers out of
there. His action was contrary to my policy. It must cease at once.”

“Yes, General,” Kay said. “I can call him at Caserta when we get
back—”

“Now, damn it. Right now!” Kay stood alone, the clutch of officers
staring at her, each thankful he’d kept his mouth shut. No one offered
the general a light. Kay lifte...

About this edition

• Publisher: Soho Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 156947849X
• ISBN 13: 9781569478493
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320