SECRETS: Passion, Deceit, And Revenge (Beauty 0f Life Book 8)

by Laura Acton

  Dan noted Winds moving towards an area in the back of the room with a counter holding an array of devices. He presumed they were in place to ensure privacy, disrupt any electronic listening, and prevent any video or audio recordings to keep them in compliance with the Security of Information Act.

  As CDS Jerrell McFergus entered, Dan pulled himself to attention and saluted as did all the soldiers in the room since they all wore berets per court martial etiquette.

  Jerrell returned the salute and nodded in greeting to William but went straight for Daniel. “At ease,” he said as he halted and grinned, viewing all the new honors which the former soldier fully deserved. “Pleasure to find you hale and hearty. A significant improvement from our chat at your father’s home last August. I understand you are back with your TRF team.”

  “Thank you, sir. Yes, sir. I resumed my duties in late November,” Dan answered as he assumed a parade rest stance.

  McFergus caught sight of the JAG delegation and the five officers serving as the tribunal panel as they entered. “Please, excuse me. I must speak with General Taggart before the hearing convenes.”

  Dan nodded and observed as Commander Pierre Leroux, the prosecutor, took a seat at the Crown’s table. Lieutenant Colonel Bonomi and Major Kenric joined him as Leroux’s aide Corporal Grasett strode in carrying a stack of folders, set them down, and promptly left since he did not possess the required clearance to stay.

  Kenric connected her laptop via hardwire to the seventy-inch, widescreen, high-definition monitor situated at the front between the witness’ and judge’s seats. All in attendance would have an unobstructed view of any evidence she displayed. She began pulling up files preparing for Dan’s testimony.

  After checking the time, Winds signaled Blaze from his post at the electronic monitoring section before turning on the jammers. Blaze and the rest of his unit moved to their sentry points around the room and at all entries.

  On his way to his station, between Plouffe’s table and the witness chair, Mason halted. Peering in Blondie’s blue orbs, he read unease, something they all shared today. Rehashing six years of hell would be arduous for them all. “You doing alright, Sunshine?”

  Wanting to relieve Mason’s worry, Dan produced a slight smile. “Yeah, Gorgeous. Will be better when this is all over though.”

  “I agree.” Mason patted Blondie’s back before going to his spot. With Plouffe in the room, he would stick close to his little brother. Puffy will have to go through me to get to Blondie.

  Dan strode over to the spectator area and stood beside his father, who was flanked on the other side by Colonel Sutton as they waited for Plouffe and the judge to arrive. Drawing a somewhat ragged breath in, Dan glanced at his dad when his father’s hand patted his back.

  “Steady, Son. This will all be over soon.”

  Club Ed – Secure Room near Courtroom – 0925 Hours

  Major Nigel Plouffe adjusted his three ribbons. Someone dared to remove all of his others, which caused his blood to boil. He ranted when they delivered his uniform this morning but stopped when the guards drew their tasers.

  Taking one last view of himself, he disliked the bruising on the side of his head and the small adhesive bandage over his cut. Though still angry about learning Pletcher would testify, he managed to control himself and came up with a plan last night. He would bide his time today, appear docile, but ultimately General Broderick and his toy soldier would not leave here alive.

  Lieutenant Ruellan leaned on his cane, still leery of his client after the attack. “Major, it is time to go. They are ready to start. Are you certain you want me to enter a not guilty plea? The insanity defense is still on the table. I could manage to arrange a lesser sentence and transfer to a treatment facility.”

  Plouffe glared at his counsel. “I’m innocent. This is one giant cover-up by Broderick to discredit me.” Nigel marched to the door and waited for his escort into the courtroom. Although free from the chains he would still be under armed guard which pissed him off. Additionally, he was unhappy his trial would take place here since he expected to find an opportunity to escape while traveling to Ottawa.

  Lazarus nodded to Master Corporal Montoya to proceed, wishing Plouffe was restrained, but understanding he had the right to appear uncuffed because it might create a perception of guilt from the outset.

  The Nine Lives of Dan Broderick

  30

  January 25

  Club Ed – Courtroom – 0930 Hours

  After Plouffe strode in wearing a smug expression, he remained standing with his lawyer at the defendant’s table. The Officer of the Court opened the proceedings as she said, “All rise for the court martial presided by His Honor, Military Judge General Clovis Bellerose.”

  All rose and saluted as Bellerose entered. They stayed erect but removed their headdresses during the taking of the oath by the magistrate, and the swearing in of the clerk-reporter and panel members. Berets restored, they all sat, and the tribunal commenced. Bellerose read the full list of charges against Plouffe, and Lieutenant Ruellan entered a not guilty plea before Dan was called as the prosecution’s first witness.

  Dan strode to the witness chair, removed his beret, was sworn in, put his cover back on, and sat with his shoulders squared. Upon request, he provided his identity, former rank, and current employment. “Daniel William Broderick. Master Corporal. The Toronto Police Department currently employs me as a sniper for the Tactical Response Force assigned to Alpha Team.”

  Commander Leroux stood and addressed the court. “You have before you a catalog of exhibits and a full accounting of Mr. Broderick’s interview submitted as evidence.” Grasping the assertion of favoritism would be key to Plouffe’s defense, Pierre believed it would be best to debunk the claim from the get-go. Turning to Dan, he began his examination. “Constable Broderick, how old were you when you applied for Special Forces?”

  “Twenty, sir.”

  “That means after training when you joined your unit you would’ve been only twenty-one. The minimum age is twenty-four. How did you join without meeting the criterion?”

  “I requested dispensation from General Broderick.”

  “Did you expect special treatment because you are his son?”

  “No, I made my exemption request per guidelines applicable to all service members, sir.”

  “And do you believe you received a favorable outcome because of the familial connection?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Why?”

  Dan blinked. “I met all prerequisites except an arbitrary age.”

  “How so? I mean, please detail specifically how you met the conditions and why you think the age minimum didn’t apply in your case.”

  Uncomfortable stating his accomplishments, to him it smacked of bragging, Dan did as Leroux required. “Physically, I more than exceeded the qualification standards according to my annual evaluation results. My Special Forces training documents will confirm I still hold many of the course top performance scores. I began shooting rifles when I was six-years-old. My rifle marksmanship achievements for distance, speed, accuracy, and groupings are still the highest in the Canadian Forces, only surpassing my father’s accomplishments.

  “Private tutors schooled me beginning the summer of my ninth year, and in addition to studying normal curriculum and advanced mathematics, I was drilled in military strategy and tactics. I also spoke several languages including French, Latin, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Gaelic, and was learning Pashto.”

  When Dan halted, Leroux prompted, “And the subjective age?”

  “I assumed the proviso was only put in place to ensure a certain degree of maturity. I believed I achieved the necessary level.”

  “How?”

  “I grew up in a strict military household surrounded by only adults. I graduated high school early, entered the Toronto Police Academy at seventeen, and graduated with top honors right before my eighteenth birthday.”

  Skipping the whole Snow affair since it was
not relevant to this hearing, Dan spoke the truth, “Decided my marksmanship skills would be better used in the Army. I graduated Basic Military Qualification in second place, behind Brody Hunter. Completed Soldier Qualification, MP Academy, and a Quick Reaction Force course all in the number one spot.”

  “Why did you want to join Special Forces?”

  “It was my friend’s dream. Master Corporal Hunter turned twenty-four and applied. He encouraged me to seek an exemption given I met all other areas.”

  Having accomplished his goal of highlighting to the court the exceptional man who sat before them testifying, Leroux moved forward with meatier subjects. “How long were you deployed in Kandahar?”

  “Six years.”

  “In that time, how many times did you return to Canada?”

  “Never, sir.”

  “Not once?”

  “No, sir.”

  Leroux went to his table and picked up a sheet. “How much leave did you take while in Afghanistan?”

  Unsure how to answer, Dan inquired, “Should I include medical leave?”

  “No, only normal downtime of more than one week.”

  “None.”

  “And how often were you on inactive duty due to medical reasons?”

  Dan couldn’t help the snort which popped out. “More than I wanted. Um. I never counted.”

  “Give me a ballpark and general descriptor of the major ones.”

  “Shot in my thigh, hip grazed, and concussion after an explosion had me down three weeks. One-sided brawl with Murphy and Travis laid me up a week. Dehydration, a foot stress fracture, and swollen throat after Parsons’ unit abandoned me in enemy territory took four weeks to heal. A mild fractured larynx and contusions required twenty days of inactivity. An injury to my back, a sliced palm, and knife wound kept me out of service three and a half weeks.

  “My longest recovery, almost five months, occurred after being held captive by terrorists. During a mission with Marley’s unit, got a concussion from a baseball-sized rock, and striking my head on the ground in hand-to-hand combat left me unconscious for five days and put me off duty for ten.”

  Dan took a breath. The next two incidents still hit him at a gut level to recall. He glanced at his dad. Now accepting his father loved him, the decisions surrounding both of these missions—the two times Dan believed the general finally succeeded in killing him—revealed to him the enormous emotional price his father paid for being in command.

  Although he must include these assignments in the accounting, to save his father pain, Dan chose to gloss over details when Hammer’s unit was ordered to leave him after he was impaled because the package they had been sent to retrieve was more critical than one soldier’s life. And likewise, he would emphasize that the fire strike was his decision after Yankee died.

  “Stabbed, fortunately, it didn’t hit anything vital, but the trauma sidelined me for five weeks. And lastly, when I called for an artillery strike on my position to prevent insurgents from obtaining critical intel, I survived several gunshot wounds, internal bleeding, and another concussion. Dr. Pastore kept me out of the field for nine weeks.

  “Those are the major ones, but I experienced a few minor injuries during my final eighteen months.” Dan purposely excluded poisoned by Savelievich, unsure if he should detail that one since it was a covert Guardian operation.

  William, Blaze, Winds, Mason, and Tom all bowed their heads during the litany of injuries. Images and feelings associated with all the near misses flooded their minds. Each man having similar thoughts. Damn (Dan-Daniel-Blondie) used up nine lives surviving time in Plouffe’s Hell!

  Martha Kenric swiped at welling tears listening to him recite his injuries in such a matter of fact manner. Though she heard these details in Dan’s interview, it still brought her to tears. Bonomi, Ruellan, Leroux, and Blaze’s men all pondered which situation garnered Broderick the Cross of Valor.

  But the judge and the five panel members all caught sight of what the others could not view from their positions … Plouffe smirking.

  After a pause to allow everyone to absorb what this man endured in the name of country, Leroux said, “I counted nine times you detailed, but the maple leaves on your Sacrifice ribbons indicate you were wounded fifteen times.”

  Dan sighed. “Yes, sir.”

  Leroux turned to Major Kenric and signaled for her to display the document on the monitor. As eyes focused on the screen, Leroux explained, “This is exhibit six. Time logs submitted by Major Plouffe to payroll for Master Corporal Broderick. Please note the highlighted leave records.”

  General Morris Taggart, the senior panel member, studied the former soldier’s body language. Shock was evident as Broderick’s eyes rounded and his jaw went slack viewing the records. Taggart switched his scrutiny to Plouffe, wanting to gauge his reaction too. The glare the accused shot the prosecutor was as apparent as the smirk when Broderick listed his wounds.

  No wonder no red flags ever popped up for my extended deployment. Plouffe made it seems as if I met the required downtime. Shutting his mouth, Dan redirected his gaze to the commander and waited for his next question.

  Wanting an honest reaction for the court from Broderick, Leroux had kept this detail from him until today. His inquiry a bit superfluous, he asked, “Did it surprise you to find out many of those times correspond to dates where the major recorded you on R and R leave instead of medical leave?”

  “In truth, sir, yes.” Inhaling to restore his stoic countenance, Dan added, “Despite my low opinion of Plouffe’s leadership abilities, I didn’t believe a man wearing this uniform would betray soldiers under his command. In hindsight, though … it shouldn’t surprise me, sir.”

  Leroux’s next line of queries targeted his seizure and torture by the insurgents. Laying a foundation to demonstrate Plouffe’s manipulation of the animosity shown by Murphy and Travis for Broderick, he briefly questioned his encounters with both men, then concentrated on his capture.

  “Who conducted the briefing for the operation during which insurgents overpowered and abducted you?”

  “Major Plouffe.”

  “I noted the unit was on transmission blackout. Is that normal?”

  “Occasionally, if targets possess the ability to key in on our signals.”

  “During briefing, did Plouffe or anyone else present evidence to support the possibility?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Who gave orders to maintain radio silence?”

  “Major Plouffe.”

  “What was your assigned role?”

  “Sniper.”

  “Did you select your perch?”

  “No.”

  “Isn’t that part of your task as a long-range marksman?”

  “Yes, sir. I identified a location with tactical advantages, but Sergeant Gleason went with Murphy’s selection which had significant deficiencies.”

  Kenric displayed a map, while Leroux handed Dan a pen-like item and gestured towards the screen. “Do you recognize this map?”

  “Yes, it is the zone of the mission when I was captured.”

  “For the record, please point out the two positions and give your analysis.”

  Ruellan stood. “Your Honour, I object to this questioning. There is no relevance to this case.”

  Leroux stated, “It is pertinent, and I will make a case for it before the prosecution rests.”

  “I will allow the testimony,” Bellerose said.

  Using the laser pen Leroux gave him, Dan pointed to the first location. “This is the place I selected. Given the topography, the height provided me an unobstructed line of sight to the unit’s positions, the target’s building, and the road. From there I would be able to give a heads up of approaching vehicles before they became visible to the unit, provide cover fire for them if needed, and take out our objective.

  “The outcropping of rocks at this site offered me protection on three sides.” Dan used the pointer to draw his routes, as he said, “And two exfil routes
with suitable cover. Both important factors when working without a spotter.”

  Moving the red dot again, Dan exposed Murphy’s strategic flaws. “Here is Murphy’s choice. The hill prevented me from having eyes on Gleason’s unit. This structure blocked my view of the street. Also, the position limited my angles making it difficult to lock on my target if he arrived. It also left me fully exposed in all directions with no cover should I need to exfil under fire.”

  William’s eyes tracked every detail his son offered as his fists clenched so he wouldn’t strangle Plouffe. Daniel’s analysis was spot on. Any shooter worth his salt would instantly recognize Daniel’s option was the only choice.

  “Did Sergeant Gleason indicate why he selected Murphy’s site?”

  “No, sir. He made a field decision, reiterated Plouffe’s order to maintain comms silence, and told me to remain in place until the unit retrieved me.”

  “When you discovered your sabotaged supplies upon reaching your assigned spot, did you contact Gleason?”

  “No, I followed orders. I can handle a few days of deprivation.”

  “How many days did you go without food or water?”

  “Three.”

  “Did you sleep?”

  “Only a couple of short, light catnaps. Being deep in the insurgent-held territory, and with no spotter to cover my six, I couldn’t afford to let down my guard for more than a twenty-minute break twice per day.”

  “Is it standard practice to send a sniper out alone with no coverage?”

  “No, but not unheard of, depends on many variables.”

  “Who determined not to use one for this mission?”

  “Major Plouffe.”

  “Is that normal?”

  “No, sir. The unit CO, after conferring with the designated sniper, ordinarily makes the decision when planning the mission.”

  “Did the major or sergeant ask for your input or give you an opportunity to speak during the planning session?”

  “No, on both accounts, sir.”

  Speaking to Dan, but observing the tribunal members for reactions, Leroux said, “So if I understand correctly, after being isolated for three days in a substandard location which provided no cover or defensible exit route, with no food, no water, and essentially no sleep, Murphy and Travis arrive, assault you, and run off laughing, leaving you completely vulnerable to attack?”