Дэвид Балдаччи - The Escape

“You read any meaning into that?” asked Schindler.

Puller gazed over at him. “I’m not a shrink, sir. I don’t know what my dad meant by it, if anything.”

“When was the last time you visited your brother at DB?” asked Daughtrey.

“About six weeks ago. I try to get up to see him as often as I can. Sometimes the job gets in the way of that.”

“What did he say during your last visit?”

“Nothing about escaping, I can assure you.”

“Okay, but what did he say?” Daughtrey persisted.

“We talked about our father. He asked how my work at CID was going. I talked to him about being at DB. Asked him how it was going.”

“Did you talk at all about his case?” asked Schindler. “What landed him in DB?”

“It’s not a case anymore, sir. It’s a conviction. And no, we didn’t talk about it. What is there left to say?”

Rinehart asked, “Do you have a theory on what happened with your brother’s escape?”

“I’ve formed no opinion because I don’t know all the facts.”

“The facts are still evolving. Suffice it to say the situation was most unusual.”

“It would seem impossible that he’d be able to escape without some help. The backup generator failed? How likely is that? And who was the dead guy in his cell?”

“So you are in possession of the facts?” said Schindler in an accusatory tone.

“Some, not all. But who could have orchestrated something like that at DB?”

“It is troubling,” said Rinehart, quite unnecessarily.

“Has your brother tried to contact you?” asked Schindler.

“No.”

“If he does you will of course contact your superior immediately.”

“I believe that would be my duty, yes.”

“That wasn’t what I asked, Puller.”

“I would contact my superior, yes.”

Schindler handed him a card. “Actually, I’d rather you contacted me first.”

Puller slipped the card into his pocket without answering.

Daughtrey said, “I’m sure you’ve been warned to stay away from this case?”

“My CO made that pretty clear.”

“But since you’re an investigator, I’m also sure you’re quite interested in getting involved in this case, correct?”

Puller gazed at the one-star. This was interesting territory, he thought.

“I didn’t think it was up to me,” he replied. “A direct order is a direct order. I’ve put too many years in to torpedo my career over this.”

“Over your brother , you mean,” said Daughtrey.

Puller gazed at the man. “Do you want me involved in the investigation?”

“That would go against all applicable military rules,” interjected Rinehart firmly.

“Well, that doesn’t really answer my question, sir.”

“I’m afraid that’s as good of an answer as you’re going to get, Puller,” said Schindler, rising. They all stood.

“I’ve got leave coming up,” said Puller.

Schindler smiled.

“Well, then, I’d use it wisely if I were you.” He tapped Puller’s pocket where he’d put Schindler’s card. “And don’t forget to call me if something pops. Interest in this case goes up so high you’d need a tank of oxygen to breathe.”

Daughtrey said, “One more question, Puller.”

“Yes sir?”

“Did you ever ask your brother if he was guilty?”

The query surprised Puller, and he didn’t like to be surprised.

“I did, once.”

“And what did he tell you?”

“He was noncommittal.”

Daughtrey said, “And what do you think? Was he guilty?”

Puller didn’t answer right away. It didn’t really matter what he thought about his brother’s guilt or innocence. It couldn’t change reality. Yet it seemed that all three men very much wanted to hear his answer.

“I don’t want to believe that my brother was a traitor,” he finally said. That was really the best he could do, and he didn’t intend to say any more on the subject despite being outranked.

Daughtrey said, “He was guilty, Puller. Because the court-martial said he was. Evidence was overwhelming. You may not have been privy to it, but we all were.”

Rinehart said, “That’s all, Chief Puller. You’re dismissed.”

Puller walked out wondering what the hell had just happened.

HE NEEDED TO think this through, but also talk things out with someone. And there was really only one person he could do that with. He lifted his phone from his pocket and punched in the number. She answered two rings later.

“I heard,” Julie Carson said immediately. “You want to talk, right?”

“Yeah. I just saw my father, and then I got a weird sort of third degree from a suit from the NSC and a couple of generals, one Army, one Air Force.”

“What was the NSC’s name?”

“James Schindler. I’ve got his card. He’s based in D.C.”

“Who was the Army guy?” she asked.

“Three-star named Aaron Rinehart, big guy, broken nose, hair shaved close to the scalp. He had about as many decorations on his chest as my father. His name is familiar.”

“I’ve certainly heard of him, but don’t know him personally. Tough, no-nonsense, incredibly well connected, and moving up fast for his fourth star. There’s even talk he’ll be the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs or Chief of Staff of the Army at some point. How about the flyboy?”

“One-star named Daughtrey. He didn’t offer up his first name.”

“Okay, I’ll see what I can find out. They’re all in the database somewhere.”

“Thanks, Julie.”

“I haven’t done anything yet.”

“You answered your phone when you obviously knew why I was calling. You could have played ostrich and dodged the bullet. You’ve got a new command down in Texas that I’m sure is keeping you busy twenty-four/seven. So thanks.”

“I don’t much care for ostriches. Never saw the point. And I’m getting these folks down here whipped into shape. I’ll call you later.”

He hung up and sat back. He wasn’t thinking about his brother right now and his dilemma. He was thinking about the woman who had been on the other end of that conversation.

When Puller had first met her, Julie Carson was an Army one-star assigned to the Pentagon with designs on at least one and possibly two more stars before her military career was finished. Puller had run into her during a case he was investigating in West Virginia. The two had started out as adversaries and then months later had ended up sharing a bed while Puller was investigating his aunt’s death at her home on the Gulf Coast of Florida. And Carson had almost been killed while trying to help him. Though badly wounded, she’d fully recovered. Puller still had nightmares about it.

She had gotten her second star and with it a new command at an Army base in Texas. They had said their goodbyes over a bottle of wine and take-out Italian. The Army tended to get in the way of any permanent relationships among service members. He knew he might not see her in person again, at least for a while. After Texas the odds were she would be headed to the Pacific Northwest. After that, it was anyone’s guess. He was just glad that she had answered his call. Right now he needed a friend with stars on her shoulders.

Later that day, he had just gotten back to his apartment near Quantico when his phone buzzed. It was Carson.

“I hope you don’t mind if I eat while I talk,” she said. “I had time today to either eat lunch or do a five-mile run.”

“And of course you opted to run.”

“Don’t we all?” she replied as he heard utensils hitting a plate and liquid being poured into a glass.

“You cook a lot down there?” he asked.