by Marvin Wolf
D’Angelo grinned. “And she’s the best damn analyst, interviewer, and investigator that I’ve ever met,” he said.
Chapter 14
The door to D’Angelo’s crowded office opened again and Katrina poked her head inside. “The general’s sedan just pulled up outside,” she said and withdrew.
Shapiro turned on her heel and hurried out of the office, followed by the others.
A moment later, the front door opened and Captain Johnstone entered and called the room to attention. On his heels came General Davis, followed by Colonel Moffett, who introduced D’Angelo and Chelmin.
The general looked at Spaulding and smiled.
Spaulding said, “Good morning, sir.”
D’Angelo led the group to a small conference room, with seats for eight. Davis took the front seat, facing a rear-projection screen. A compact, slender agent in civilian clothes entered from a side door and sat down at a small table in the back of the room, and at his nod, Colonel Moffett left his seat and stood in the front of the room. A chart appeared on the screen.
“General, as you can see, crime, and particularly violent crime is at or below all-time lows on Fort Rucker.”
A second chart appeared.
“We compared our statistics to Dale County: We have had zero murders and zero robberies over the last year. On the other hand, General, we have far too many rapes and aggravated assaults.”
Another chart replaced the previous one.
“With regard to property crimes—“
General Davis raised his left hand, his face a frozen mask of fury.
“Three airmen have been abducted. What are you doing about finding them, Colonel?”
Moffett nodded. “Special Agent Ash Shapiro is the lead investigator.”
Shapiro, who had been standing in the rear of the room, now came forward to stand beside Colonel Moffett. “Lieutenant Colonel Mark Slocum is the deputy commander of the 109th Aviation Brigade,” she said. “He is 42 years old, married, and has three children, all of whom are presently attending college out of state. Lieutenant Colonel Slocum is a proficient and highly decorated aviator who flew combat duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is a recent graduate of the Army Command and Staff College and has been at Fort Rucker, on this tour, for nearly two years. On the night of December 7, 2015, a Saturday evening, he and his wife, Roselyn, age 40, went bowling with two other couples at the Rucker Bowling Center. This was what the Slocum family usually did on Saturday evenings whenever he was off duty.
“At about 2130 hours, wearing bowling shoes and leaving his overcoat on a bench near where his wife sat, Slocum left the group to use the restroom, after promising to return with a round of soft drinks and beer for the group. The bartender at the bowling alley knew Slocum by sight. He does not recall seeing him that evening.
“When Slocum failed to return, another bowler, Major Ralph Lowenstein, went to the parking lot and found Slocum’s car where he had left it. At about 2200, his wife called the military police.
“Within seven minutes of receiving the initial call, two military policemen came to the bowling alley. Realizing that LTC Slocum might have been abducted, the senior of the two military policemen called for backup and for a CID agent, and then secured the scene, allowing no one to leave or enter.
“The MP desk sergeant notified all MP patrol units, as well as all guards on all gates. Unfortunately, as you know, General, while entry to the base is controlled, egress is not. Within ten minutes of receiving the initial call from Mrs. Slocum, MPs began stopping departing vehicles and searching them, including those with uniformed personnel. No trace of LTC Slocum was found.
“I was the CID agent on call that night. I proceeded to the bowling alley immediately and called for backup while en route. Three more CID agents, including Mister D’Angelo, the Special Agent-In-Charge, responded. Together we interviewed every person present in the bowling alley, including all employees. I should point out that most of the bowling alley employees, including the bartender, are off-duty military personnel.
“I interviewed Mrs. Slocum at great length and invited her to come to the office on the following morning, where I interviewed her for the second time. With her consent, I took two agents and we conducted a thorough search of the Slocum family’s quarters. Another team, led by Special Agent D’Angelo, conducted a search of his office and car, and of his wife’s car.
“We found nothing that might suggest a reason for his abduction. The Slocums did not have any obvious financial or marital problems, and we could find nothing in LTC Slocum’s recent past that might provide a clue as to the reason he was abducted or who might have done so.
“With respect to his official duties, as you know, the 109th Aviation Brigade is a training organization. Its subordinate units are engaged in various aspects of training Army aviators. While some of the equipment employed in this training is considered classified, Slocum had no direct connection to it. Nor did he have access to any operational documents. His duties centered on backstopping the Brigade Commander and serving as his roving troubleshooter. He also oversaw the maintenance and logistics functions within the brigade and was in charge of disciplinary matters for the brigade’s enlisted soldiers and warrant officers. Colonel Meachem, the Brigade Commander, handled disciplinary matters concerning commissioned officers.
“Lieutenant Colonel Slocum has not served on a court-martial during his time at Fort Rucker, although he did serve as the president of a court while in Afghanistan. He presided over three Article 15 disciplinary proceedings at Fort Rucker which resulted in one man being confined to the base stockade. This soldier is no longer in the Army. The other two proceedings resulted in fines and the loss of one pay grade in each case. Neither of those two individuals remains at Fort Rucker. We are presently attempting to learn if there might be anyone who appeared before the Afghanistan court-martial who could conceivably have reason to harm LTC Slocum.
“Sir, do you have any questions about our investigation into LTC Slocum’s disappearance,” said Shapiro.
General Davis shook his head. “Let’s hear about the others.”
Shapiro glanced at her notes. “Captain William McHugh is the adjutant of the Second Battalion, 111th Aviation Brigade. He is 29 years old, a Military Academy graduate, and single. He left his girlfriend’s apartment in Daleville at about 0600 on 28 December 2015. His girlfriend is Vanessa Saxon, 30, a civilian. She is president of Saxon Financial Solutions, a family-owned accounting firm in Dothan. She told Special Agent Alvin Landon of this office that she watched Captain McHugh get into his car and drive away.
“His car was found in the main Post Exchange parking lot. According to Captain McHugh’s immediate supervisor, Major Elaine Forester, the battalion executive officer, McHugh was an outstanding officer with an unblemished record. When he didn’t show up for duty by noon, Major Forester called his girlfriend at her office, and then this office. Captain McHugh’s car was equipped with LoJack, and we found it in less than ten minutes. The interior of the car had no usable fingerprints—evidently, it had been wiped clean. Captain’s McHugh’s briefcase, which contained no classified matter, was in the trunk. It was locked. We found nothing in it, in Captain McHugh’s quarters on base, or in Ms. Saxon’s apartment that would indicate or suggest any reason for his abduction.
“Chief Warrant Officer Four Samuel Lopez is 37, a senior flight instructor in Company A, Third Battalion, 111th Aviation Brigade. He is divorced, with three children who live with their mother in nearby Enterprise. On the evening of January 14, 2016, he had dinner with two other flight instructors in the officer’s club and was last seen leaving the club about 2140 hours by those instructors.
“With Special Agent Landon, I interviewed Mister Lopez’s former wife. She confirmed what several of Lopez’s fellow instructors told us, which is that she had remained on good terms with her former husband. She consented to a search of her home, which yielded nothing of value to our investigation. Special Agent D’Angelo
searched Mister Lopez’s quarters on base and found nothing that would suggest a reason for his abduction. His commanding officer told us that Lopez was his top-flight instructor,well-liked and admired by fellow instructors, and by his students. When a senior officer required a check ride, Lopez was usually chosen to perform that duty, both because of his skill as an aviator and because of his diplomatic manner of speaking to those who outranked him. I checked your records, sir, and five months ago, when you took your annual check ride, Mr. Lopez was the instructor pilot.”
Davis frowned. “I should have remembered that.” he said.”
“At this time, General Davis, we have obtained the financial and telephone records for all three missing officers, as well as their immediate associates, both civilian and military, and have spent approximately 280 investigative hours seeking leads on these missing men. Although there has been no ransom demand on any of the missing individuals, we continue to operate on the theory that they were kidnapped.
“Do you have any questions, General?”
Grim-faced, Davis nodded. “In your opinion, Special Agent Shapiro, is it likely that any of these men are still alive?”
Shapiro glanced at D’Angelo, who gave a tiny nod.
Shapiro looked directly into Davis’s eyes. “No, sir. I do not believe that any of these men are still alive.”
Chapter 15
Davis got to his feet and everyone else jumped to attention. Before leaving, Davis turned to Will.
“Do you have any questions for Special Agent...”
“Special Agent Shapiro,” said Will. “Not at this time, sir.”
“Mister Spaulding, you have your orders. Carry on.”
Davis moved toward the door. Moffett held it open for him, then, glanced around the room and followed him out of the room and then out of the office.
When the door shut behind Moffett, Shapiro turned to Will. “Who the hell are you, and what did he mean that you have your orders?”
Chelmin came over and put a hand on Will’s shoulder, then turned to Shapiro. “Let’s all go back to Nick’s office and have a little meeting, and then you’ll know everything.”
Two minutes later, seated in a rough circle around D’Angelo’s desk, the three waited until D’Angelo came in and sat down.
“Ash, this is Rudy Chelmin and Will Spaulding. Rudy’s a CID living legend. If you recall the Barstow Marine Logistics Center case, that was Rudy and Will who cracked it.”
Chelmin said, “It was mostly Will.”
Shapiro said, “So they’re here to take my case?”
D’Angelo said, “No, not exactly. Listen for two minutes, Ash, and you’ll get the full picture. But first: About two years ago, I put in for graduate forensics training. This morning I got orders. I’ll be here through the end of the week, and then I’m heading to London, where I’ll spend the next nine months at Scotland Yard. When I graduate, I’ll have a new assignment.
“Rudy is here TDY as my temporary replacement. When you guys wrap up the abduction cases, one way or another, Rudy will go back to Fort Fremont.”
Shapiro said, “What happens after that?”
Chelmin said, “Nick thinks that you’ve earned a promotion to SAC. General Goldzweig asked me to confirm Nick’s opinion. As far as I’m concerned, the job is yours to lose.”
Ash looked around the room at the three men, one at a time. She turned, finally to Will. “What did General Davis mean, ‘You have your orders’?”
Will frowned. “I met Davis yesterday for the first time. He told me that I was to take charge—“
Ash jumped to her feet, eyes flashing. “I knew it!”
Nick said, “Sit down, Ash, and let him finish.”
She perched on the edge of her chair, poised for flight.
Will said, “Davis ordered me to take charge of the investigation, with Rudy to provide support through this office. I told General Davis, flat out, that whoever had the case before I came into it would resent being taken off the case. He told me to handle it. So I decided that the best way to accomplish this, the best way to find our missing airmen is to partner with you. We’ll work together, and we’ll bring in any other agents or resources that we require. Davis promised to support the investigation with anything available to him, which means everything on Fort Rucker.”
Ash looked at Nick. “Who is the senior partner?”
Will said, “We’re equal partners. I will respect your abilities, experience, and authority, and you will reciprocate. If we should come to an impasse, and I’m confident that we will always be able to work things out between us, then Mr. Chelmin—Rudy—will resolve the matter.
“Look, Ash, I’m all about finding those men. I didn’t ask for this job. So let’s both just put all our personal issues on the back burner, and go find those guys.”
Ash looked at Will. She looked at Chelmin, then at Nick. “Not so fast,” she said.
Chapter 16
Shapiro said, “I want to speak to General Davis, and I also want to speak to General Goldzweig.”
Chelmin looked at D’Angelo, who shrugged.
Chelmin took out his cell phone, hit a few keys, and waited. A few seconds went by before Goldzweig answered. “What’s going on, Rudy?”
Chelmin put the phone on speaker.
“General, Special Agent Asher Shapiro of Fort Rucker CID is here. She asked to speak with you.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Chelmin saw that Shapiro’s mouth had fallen open.
“Put her on, Rudy.”
Silently, Chelmin extended the phone to Shapiro, who left her chair, moved to Chelmin, and took the phone.
“Special Agent Shapiro, sir.”
“Nick D’Angelo speaks very highly of you,” said Goldzweig.
“Excuse me, sir. Am I speaking to Brigadier General Morris Goldzweig?”
“Yes. I don’t blame you if you’re suspicious. I’m a voice on the line, and don’t know who I actually am.”
“Yes, sir, that is correct.”
“Then I suggest that you give Rudy’s phone back to him, and go find another line. At the moment I’m in the Pentagon, chatting with the Assistant Chief of Staff for Force Development. His secretary’s name is Corrine. I look forward to speaking with you.”
The line went dead in Shapiro’s ear.
She handed the phone back to Chelmin. “He wants me to call him back on another line,” she said. Do we have a Pentagon phone book?”
“See Katrina,” D’Angelo said.
Chapter 17
Twenty minutes later, Shapiro returned to D’Angelo’s office, her manner subdued.
D’Angelo was on the phone, while Chelmin and Spaulding had pushed their chairs together and were talking quietly. Will had a steno pad in his lap.
Shapiro said, “Spaulding I’m sorry if we got off on the wrong foot. I think that I might have a few things to learn from you.”
Smiling, Will shook his head. “I doubt that I could teach you much about investigations. If it wasn’t that I was given a direct order by a two-star general, I would gladly follow your lead.”
Chelmin got to his feet. “Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s go into the conference room. Can you bring your files?”
Shapiro said, “We should bring Landon in with us.”
Chapter 18
Will said, “Ash, the one thing that’s troubled me since I learned about these kidnappings, is, why these three guys? Did they know each other? Did they serve together someplace?”
Ash shook her head. “We went through their personnel records and pulled their phone logs. No contact. We interviewed their families, friends, and co-workers. Can’t find any connection.
Will said, “What about a mutual contact—someone that all three men knew?”
Ash shook her head. “Nothing from their phone records. We got their high school and college yearbooks. No love there. Lopez went to a community college in San Antonio. McHugh is a West Pointer. Slocum studied engineering at Tex
as A&M, deferred his entry onto active duty a year, and got a Master’s in Chemical Engineering from Rice University.”
Will said, “They must all belong to the Officer’s Club? Could they have met there even once, at a dinner or a poker game, even?”
Landon, tall and muscular with a long face and a thin mustache, laughed. “That would take a lot of legwork. We’d have to find who played poker there for the last six months and interview everybody.”
Chelmin said, “Maybe not. Most O-clubs—and even NCO clubs—have about a dozen guys at any given time who play regularly. They won’t be hard to find.”
Will said, “Maybe a way to do that, without stirring the pot too hard, would be for one of us, someone who knows how to play poker, to sit in on a few of those games. Any volunteers?”
Ash said, “We’d probably have more luck connecting with players if we didn’t take a lot of their money. But you can’t expect us to lose our own money.”
Will said, “Rudy, are there funds available for that?”
Chelmin shook his head. “I could find maybe a hundred bucks or so in petty cash. Not enough.”
Will said, “As it happens, I’ve had a little windfall in the last few days. I can kick in a thousand. That ought to be enough.”
Chelmin said, “Awfully generous of you, but you should know that this is a very long shot. Pretty much a Hail Mary.”
Will said, “I’ve got two other ideas. But I’m still willing to risk the grand if someone wants to pursue the poker angle.”
