“I don’t know,” Tony replied. “It looks as if he’s moved right in here permanently. I’ve kept my eyes open, and they haven’t come in with a radio locator on a truck. When they do that, we’ll have to watch our step, maybe cut down our reports to once a day and vary the times a little bit.”
“We’ll see,” Dick replied. “Now I want to write a note to Tomaso before he comes, telling him to meet us in the trees behind the villa in a little while.”
He scribbled the note on a piece of paper and tied it to the end of the rope just in time, as he saw the figure of the old man creeping forward along the roof. Looking down as he tossed the rope down, Dick saw Tomaso take the note from the rope, then attach his own paper to it and give three jerks.
After studying Tomaso’s details on the day’s movements of German troops and equipment, Dick and Tony made their report to American headquarters. And at the last moment, Dick decided to tell them the broadcast schedule would be changed for safety’s sake. The next report would be at one A.M. the following night.
“That’s a good idea,” Tony said, after they had switched off the radio. “They’re bound to get mobile locators here tomorrow anyway. And they’ll be listening especially after dusk and just before dawn, when we’ve broadcast before. If we go on the air at one in the morning for only about two minutes, they won’t have time to do much of anything.”
“Sorry you’ve got to stay here all the time, Tony,” Dick said, as he prepared to leave. “But it’s the only thing to do.”
He gave the radioman the latest news of the dam, of Scotti, and their plans.
“They’re actually giving an opera here in town tomorrow night,” Tony said. “Wish I could hear it. I think it’s wonderful the way they won’t let anything stop their opera!”
“Opera seems a million miles away from me right now,” Dick said. “It’s hard to remember that I ever sang in opera. Well—maybe I’ll sneak in for a look tomorrow night if I haven’t anything else to do.”
He laughed, and then crawled over the ledge and let himself down the rope to the roof below. Crouching low, he made his way back to the end of the wing, dropped off, and scurried up the hill to the clump of trees. There he found old Tomaso waiting with Max and Slade.