The Escape (John Puller, #3)(19)

They exchanged salutes and she said, “Follow me, please, Chief Puller.”

Well, it seemed everyone knew who he was.

They walked down a long corridor while Army life went on all around them. Military installations were centers of nonstop activity, and yet Puller wasn’t distracted by any of it. He had no idea whether he was walking to his professional death or a stint in the stockade. Or something else entirely. Questions like that got a man to focus.

She opened a door, ushered him in, closed it behind him, and he heard her regulation heels tapping back down the hall. And then he forgot about the lieutenant. Sitting facing him across the small table were the same three gents as before: Army general Rinehart; Schindler, the NSC suit; and the Air Force one-star Daughtrey. Schindler, Daughtrey, and Rinehart, thought Puller. Sounded like a law firm, which didn’t make him feel any better at all.

“Enjoying your visit to Kansas?” began Schindler.

“Up until about ten minutes ago, sir.”

“Why don’t you take a seat and we’ll tell you what you’re going to do,” said Daughtrey tersely.

Puller sat down across from them.

Schindler took a moment to adjust his tie and apply balm to his chapped lips. Then he said, “We understand that you disobeyed a direct order from your CO.”

“What would that be, sir?”

“That would be your driving here through the night with the purpose of investigating your brother’s escape from prison.”

“Investigating?”

“Well, so far you’ve spoken with a woman who works in administration at the prison, Chelsea Burke. And you were hoping to talk with a PFC Davis, who might be able to provide you with some leads. And then you were out observing an electrical substation connected to DB.”

Puller stared across the width of the table, silently marveling at how quickly they had been able to pounce on all this.

“You know all the stuff in the papers about the NSA spying and all, Puller?” said Daughtrey, a tiny smile playing over his lips.

“I read about it.”

“Tip of the iceberg, but ninety percent of an iceberg is hidden underwater. You used your credit card to buy gas and food. We tracked you that way.”

“Good to know, sir,” Puller said sarcastically.

Schindler said, “Intelligence keeps us all safe.”

“So spying on our own people keeps us safe?” said Puller more forcefully than he probably intended.

Schindler waved a hand derisively at this comment. “You don’t think there are Americans working with our enemies? Some of our fellow citizens will do anything for money. Hell, some of the biggest banks and hedge fund concerns in this country have been laundering cartel money and aiding terrorism for decades, and all for the almighty dollar.”

“I’ll take your word for it. So what now?”

“Well, now you have a decision to make, Puller,” said Schindler.

“And what’s that?”

“Basically, work for us or face the consequences.”

“And how exactly would I work for you?”

Schindler glanced at his colleagues before continuing. “Doing exactly what you want to do, what you’re here to do, in fact. Investigate your brother’s escape. But the difference is we’re kept in the loop the entire way. You step outside that box, your career is over.”

Rinehart added, “The decision is yours, Puller. And we’ll respect whichever way you choose to go. But if you choose not to work for us, your butt is on a cargo plane out of here. And just to make sure you don’t come snooping back around on your own time, your next assignment will be overseas, starting tomorrow. Got a couple of unsolved murders on two different bases, one in Germany and one in South Korea. Army hasn’t decided yet which one you’ll be assigned to. My vote would be Korea, and my vote will carry great weight.”

Puller took all this in but didn’t immediately respond. They had him boxed in and both he and they knew it. “Why me?” he said finally. “You’ve got lots of resources at your fingertips. CID. Military Intelligence. You don’t need me.”

Rinehart responded, “On the surface a fair and accurate statement, Puller. But you have something none of those resources have.”

Puller thought he knew the answer but waited patiently for the man to deliver it.

Rinehart said, “You’re his brother. You grew up together. You both served together, albeit in different branches. We know of his assisting you on that investigation in West Virginia. We know you visited him frequently at DB. We know you two talk on the phone. You know him better than anyone else. So we think that you have the best shot to bring him in.”

“Alive,” said Puller.

“Absolutely.”

“If I say yes to your offer, when can I start my investigation?”

“Immediately.”

“No strings attached? No conditions?”

“Other than the one stated, that you report to us.”

“And what about the other people investigating this? You can’t stop them from doing their jobs. There’s no way they’ll leave this case to one CID agent.”

“You’ll just have to work around them. We’ll leave it up to you.”

“And no help from you on that point?”