Excerpt from The Crimson Cipher
Tuesday, February 23, 1915
The other boarders had all left the house when a car arrived for Emma. She hurried outside carrying her lunch sack and a leather carryall, noting that her knees trembled. She sent up a swift prayer as a uniformed man got out of the car.
“Miss Shuster?”
“Yes.”
“Good morning. I’m here to take you to Captain Waller.” He opened the passenger door for her, and Emma climbed in.
What would she do if Captain Waller didn’t think she would perform well at the job? She bit her lower lip and tried to stop thinking about the uncertain future. Everything was strange here. Though the day was much warmer than what she’d been accustomed to in Maine Februarys, she still shivered. The city streets they traveled seemed to her cold and unforgiving. The job, which she only knew had some connection to cryptography, loomed before her as a huge unknown.
Heavenly Father, if this isn’t where You want me, You’ll have to provide something else.
The driver took her on a thirty-minute ride to a military compound and delivered her to an office. Emma sat on a hard bench for twenty minutes. The woman at the desk kept busy at a typewriting machine. Several times the telephone at the side of her desk rang and she answered it in ostentatious tones. A young man wearing a suit came in from the hall, spoke to the woman, and took a seat. Finally a white-haired man in full uniform came out of the room behind the typist’s desk, glanced about, and settled his gaze on Emma with a nod.
“Miss Shuster, come this way, please.”
Emma picked up her carryall and followed him into a smaller room which reminded her of her father’s office—built-in bookshelves on two sides, a large desk, and several cabinets for papers. A painting of a ship of the line hung behind the desk, and two padded chairs awaited the captain’s visitors. He turned and faced her.
“I’m Captain Waller. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He shook her hand. “I had the utmost respect for your father.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“I’m sorry he’s gone, and I hope that if you find yourself in need, you will call upon me.”
Emma’s eyes teared up, and a lump filled her throat. She nodded and tried for a grateful smile.
“Please have a seat.”
Emma sank into one of the chairs, and the captain settled into the large chair behind his desk.
“Lieutenant Patterson gave me a glowing report on your abilities, but also on your poise and deportment. In this organization, temperament can be as crucial as intelligence.”
“Oh? I’m not certain what type of position is being proposed.”
“Good. Patterson was under orders not to say too much. You must have gathered that we at the Signal Corps deal in communications.”
“Yes, sir. I will go so far as to say that I felt my cryptography work with my father led directly to this expedition.”
He smiled, the creases in his face sliding into pleasant lines of amusement. “It’s true. We’re not currently at war, but that could change at any time. We have of late concentrated on three goals in the Corps, ma’am. First, to help the Allies—that is, those we assume will be our allies if we join this great conflict. We in the United States have many reasons for wanting to see England and her friends come out the victors.”
Emma nodded. “I feel the same way, though I realize all has not been amicable between us and the British.”
“No, we’ve had some trouble with them where shipping and free trade are concerned.” Waller shrugged. “However, we shall put that aside for now. Officially, we can’t do much in that quarter at present, but if our activities bring us knowledge that will help the Allies, we’ll share it with them.” He sat back in his chair and eyed her gravely. “Our second purpose is to gather all the information we can, so we’ll be ready if this country should enter the war. There is much we can learn now to help us know the principal combatants better. And knowledge, as you know, is power.”
“Yes. I can see that it would be helpful to enter a conflict armed with certain information about the enemy.”
“Indeed. And our third purpose...” He paused and gazed for a moment toward the window. When he looked back at her, his face was grim. “Miss Shuster, during the past three weeks, I’ve had your background examined minutely.”
She swallowed hard, wondering just what he had discovered. Did he know she’d been involved in a rather foolish prank in high school, or that she’d failed some of her examinations the year her mother died? That she’d visited her mother’s grave weekly while she lived in Maine, or that she’d exchanged hundreds of letters with her girlhood friend, Vivian?
“I tell you this,” Waller said, “so that you understand my confidence in you. I don’t speak so frankly to all our candidates. But from what I’ve learned of your character, and I must admit, because of your father’s character, I don’t hesitate to tell you that we also engage in trying to stop espionage and destruction within these United States.”
End of Excerpt