The Escape (John Puller, #3)(48)

“Who gave the order for four platoons to form the response team?” asked Knox.

“Colonel Teague.”

“The 15th’s commandant, until he was put on admin leave,” said Puller.

“And he was also the head of DB,” added Knox. “And he was on duty that night, right?”

“Yes. When the backup failed and everyone heard the explosion and the gunfire, he got right on the direct line here and ordered up the company of MPs.”

“And those noises were only heard in pod three?” said Puller, and McCutcheon nodded. “And no source for those noises has been found?”

“No,” said McCutcheon.

“When I asked Captain Macri, she said that she had chosen not to search the guards at DB for any device that might have been the source of the explosion and gun noise.”

McCutcheon said nothing and neither did Puller. If the command sergeant major wanted a staring contest to see who would blink first, Puller was certainly ready to accommodate him. When Knox started to say something, Puller flicked his knee against hers. Finally McCutcheon said, “I’m not pointing fingers.” He waited for Puller to nod his assent before continuing. “But I’m sure if she had it to do over again the captain would have chosen differently.”

“Meaning she would have searched all the guards?” said Puller.

“Yes.”

“Water under the bridge now,” said Knox. “We can’t do it over. But it is possible then that an extra guy was in the mix?”

McCutcheon leaned back in his chair. “If your numbers are right, then yes. I can check to see if an extra man reported for duty, but that’s highly unlikely. So you think the dead guy that’s unaccounted for was the extra man? A bogey in the mix?”

“Right now I don’t see any other explanation,” replied Puller. “Unless you have one.”

“I don’t,” admitted McCutcheon.

“We’ll need to talk to Lewis and Draper,” pointed out Knox.

“I believe that Captain Macri spoke to them about you. I’ll make sure you hook up with them today.” Puller said, “Macri also told me that there were no personnel unaccounted for here.”

“That’s correct.”

“But have you had any personnel leave recently?” asked Puller.

McCutcheon said, “This is an active base, sir. Personnel get assigned and reassigned all the time. Other folks come and go. We have soldiers, DoD civilian contractors, foreign military students, reservists, Air Force exchange—”

Puller interrupted. “Back up to foreign military students. I’d forgotten you had that element here.”

“Right. At the Foreign Military Studies Office.”

“How many students do you have currently?”

McCutcheon turned to his desktop computer and clicked some keys. “As of this morning, forty-five.”

“Any recent departures?” asked Knox.

McCutcheon again turned to the screen. A few clicks later he said, “One from Croatia left the day of the incident at DB. He’s the only recent one.”

“Croatia?” said Puller.

“The country’s a member of NATO, and since last year, it’s also part of the EU. And Croatia sent troops to Afghanistan. They’re our ally in a troublesome region. So one of the bennies they get for that is to come here and learn from the best. Their military is underfunded and their equipment and personnel are not in the best shape. So we’re helping them.”

“And the Croatian’s name?”

“Ivo Mesic.”

“How long was he here?”

“A month.”

“You know him by sight?”

McCutcheon nodded. “I’ve met him a few times. Had a beer with him. Seemed like a real nice guy.”

Puller took a photo from his pocket and showed it to the sergeant major. “And this is not him?” It was a photo of the dead man back at Fort Leavenworth’s morgue.

“No, that’s definitely not him.”

“He’d presumably be in the database at the fort,” said Knox. “Which means we would’ve gotten a ping if the dead guy had been in it.”

McCutcheon nodded. “Absolutely. Full background check conducted and everything. Foreign military personnel are given access credentials. They’re not at the level of a CAC,” he said, referring to the military’s Common Access Card, “but they’re issued for people who have a regular recurring requirement to access the post. As Mesic did.”

“So he could come in the Hancock or Sherman gates and not the main gate?” said Puller.

“That’s right. DoD ID lane.”

“And do we know that Mesic made it back to Croatia?” asked Knox.

“I don’t know the answer to that, but I can find out.” He pointed at the photo. “But that is definitely not him.” He spun his computer around so they could see the screen. There was a picture of a man on it.

“That’s Ivo Mesic.”

Puller read down the file information and nodded.

Knox said, “Definitely not our guy. And the file says he’s in his fifties.”

“He held the rank of colonel in the Croatian army,” said McCutcheon.