Col. Samuel Davenheim is trying desperately to get to the bottom of a plot to defraud the military—and hence honest taxpayers—of millions of dollars but has found himself stymied. Henry, however, has determined that one of the conspirators is letting on far more than he’s aware, and that the name of one of the chief conspirators has already been revealed without anybody knowing.
This is a relatively weak Black Widower story, inasmuch as the solution depends on knowing more than just the chorus to “Yankee Doodle” (of which knowledge I possess very little beyond what this story itself reveals). Other than the relative obscurity of the solution, however, it’s nice enough and a pleasant read, particularly for the political arguments it contains, regarding the nature of treason.
