The Charm School

fifty, dressed in a ski parka, stood in the cold. “Sorry to bother you, Colonel. We met earlier in the woods. I’m Lewis Poole. May I come in a moment?”
    “That depends. Were you born Lewis Poole, or are
you
one of Burov’s flying worms?”
    Commander Poole smiled. “I guess that meeting on the path could have been a setup. But I can take you to fifty guys here who were in the Hanoi Hilton with me.”
    “Come in.”
    Poole stepped in and greeted Lisa. He stood by the fire and warmed himself, then said, “Can we play a little music?”
    Lisa put on one of Dodson’s tapes in a portable player, and the voices of black gospel singers filled the room.
    Poole said, “They’ve about given up on house bugs because we find them and squash them. Also, we play music or just use writing and sign language. Every one of us here can communicate by signing. Someone found a book on it in the library years ago, and by the time the Russians realized it, we were all pretty adept at signing.”
    Lisa nodded. “We used a simple sign language in the embassy.”
    “Right. You know what it’s all about. This cottage is probably all wired for you. Soviet technology. But I don’t think they’ve invented a simple one-family house furnace yet.”
    “Brandy?” Hollis asked.
    “Fine.”
    Hollis poured him some brandy.
    Poole took a drink and continued, “Also, you have to be extremely aware of the directional microphones outdoors. They’re in the watchtowers. You have to get low, into gullies and ravines, and swish pine branches around when you speak.”
    Hollis commented, “I suppose there are a lot of things we have to learn.”
    “Yes. I can set up a briefing session for you both in the next day or two.”
    “That’s very good of you, Commander.”
    “Lew. Let me introduce myself a bit further. I’m the aide-de-camp for General Austin. Do you know the name?”
    Hollis replied, “Of course. He was the commander of the Eighth Tactical Wing at Cu Chi. The only American Air Force general shot down. Missing, believed dead.”
    “Yes. But he’s very much alive. According to camp rules, there is no senior man among us and no aide-de-camp or any command structure. But we’re all military, are we not? So we’ve set up a sub-rosa POW camp organization as we were trained to do. You understand.”
    Hollis nodded.
    “It may surprise you, Colonel Hollis, to discover that the spirit of resistance is still alive here after nearly two decades. But I hope it
doesn’t
surprise you.”
    Hollis did not respond.
    Poole continued, “Though to be perfectly frank, we have not accomplished very much aside from sabotaging the curriculum as often as possible. In real terms—that is, bottomline breakout—Jack Dodson is only the second man we’ve gotten out of here. The escape committee has tried virtually everything known in the annals of prison-camp escape, including a hot-air balloon. But there are either a few turncoats among us or perhaps it’s the Russian wives, though they aren’t supposed to know anything about escape plans. Maybe it’s just good KGB intelligence work. Whatever it is, we’ve been damned unsuccessful.”
    Lisa asked, “What happened to the first man who escaped?”
    “That was Gene Romero, an Air Force captain. He was recaptured and shot on the athletic field along with five other men as an example. That was nine years ago.”
    “And Dodson?” Hollis asked. “How did he get out?”
    “I’m not at liberty to say.”
    “All right.”
    Poole glanced at Hollis and Lisa and said, “Your presence here has sparked a lot of hope.” His eyes searched Hollis’, and he asked, “Right or wrong?”
    Hollis replied, “I’m not prepared to comment at this time.”
    Poole seemed to take this as a positive statement, Hollis thought. Poole said, “Well, the reason I’m here is to invite you to meet General Austin.”
    “Now?”
    “Yes. Now.”
    Hollis considered a moment, then replied, “You understand that I don’t accept the authority of General Austin under these circumstances.”
    “I think I understand that.”
    “Well, Commander, let me be blunt so that you do understand. I hold an active and honorable commission as a full colonel in the United States Air Force. The status of you men is somewhat questionable.”
    Poole stared at Hollis, then turned away and looked at the fire. “All right. I think General Austin knew you might say that. His invitation is not an order. In fact, if you wish, I’ll