Walk the Wire (Amos Decker #6)(85)
“I don’t know, Decker. I can’t get a straight answer from anyone.”
“So a dead end?”
“I’m afraid so, unless you can think of another path forward.”
“Well, that’s my job.”
Decker clicked off and stared down at Purdy’s service record while he thought about Bogart’s words.
He could see only one way forward.
He phoned Jamison.
“It’s time we cracked ‘BUD,’ ” he said.
JAMISON AND DECKER ARRIVED at Green Hills Nursing Home and were once more taken to the supervisor’s office. Her face turned red when she saw them.
“You upset him greatly. I can’t believe you’re back.”
Decker stared her down. “We’re back because Brad Daniels is a key witness in a case that has national security interests. Now, if you won’t let us see him, a whole army of Feds is going to come down on you and this facility like a ton of bricks. Your call.”
The woman’s hostile look quickly faded. “Are you serious?”
“We would not be here otherwise.”
“All right, but please don’t upset him again.”
“All I can do is ask the questions I have to ask. If he gets upset, that’s an answer in itself.”
She led them to Daniels’s room. The old man was sitting in the corner in his wheelchair, the cane clutched in his hands.
“Who is it?” he snapped as he heard them come in.
“Mr. Daniels, you have some visitors,” said the woman.
“What visitors? It’s not Christmas, is it?”
“I’ll let them explain,” she said sweetly. Then she fled the room.
Decker and Jamison came forward.
“Mr. Daniels?” he said.
The old man started. “It’s you! I recognize your voice. Can’t see no more, but I recognize voices. Get the hell out of here.”
“You can either answer our questions, or other people will come here and ask them.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass. Get out!”
“Part of your military service record was redacted. Classified.”
“Well, hell, I told you that.”
“But you didn’t say why.”
“I can’t, dumbass. That’s sort of the point of it being classified.”
“More people have been killed,” said Decker. “Several more. Something big is being planned. We need you to help us understand what that could be.”
“I only have your word for that and I don’t believe you. You’re not pulling the wool over my eyes. For all I know, you’re spies.”
“We can show you our credentials,” offered Jamison.
“Can’t see ’em. I told you that.”
Decker sat on the edge of the bed. “Is there anything you can tell us about your time at London AFS?”
“No.”
“We’ve been there. We’ve seen the radar array.”
“So?”
“It’s funny.”
“What is?”
“They have an identical facility near Grand Forks, North Dakota.”
A hint of a smile crept across Daniels’s features. “Is that right?”
“But you knew that, didn’t you?”
The smile vanished. “Who says?”
“It was discovered that the facility was being used for another purpose just recently. Not an eye in the sky, but something totally different.”
“Who cares?”
“Your help could be vital to the national security interests of this country.”
“Again, says you. You’re not tricking me. I gave an oath.”
“You’ve been out of uniform a long time.”
“An oath is an oath. Take it to my grave. Just how it’s done.”
Decker looked at Jamison in frustration.
“Is there anything we can say to make you change your mind?” said Jamison.
“Yeah, you can get the president of the United States of America to order me to give it up. Other than that, fuck off.”
“You’re the only one left from that time at London AFS.”
“Last man standing,” cackled Daniels.
“So you’re the only one who can help us prevent something really bad from happening.”
“It’s lunch time. I can smell the onions. I’m going to the dining room.”
He wheeled his chair forward, managed to ease it past the bed and wall, and then maneuvered it through the doorway.
“For a blind guy, he navigates pretty well,” said Jamison.
“He’s obviously not going to talk,” said Decker.
Jamison said, “I’m surprised they haven’t come here and killed him, too. I mean, look at poor Beverly Purdy.”
“If Irene Cramer never gave him up, they probably would have no way of knowing.”
“But if they followed us here? And found out we asked him questions? That’s probably how Beverly Purdy died.”
“Good point, Alex. I’ll have some security put here to guard against that.”
He got up to leave but then glanced at the nightstand. He picked up Daniels’s ballcap.