by Marvin Wolf
Roundy relaxed in his chair and winked at Will. “Whatever I can do.”
Will said, “First, this is a classified, need-to-know investigation. You are not to discuss this conversation with anyone. Clear?”
Roundy nodded. “Got it. Hey, Spaulding, that was some Sierra Hotel flying down in Pensacola. They ground you for that?”
Will smiled. “No. The powers that be decided that a pilot might help find missing aviators. I’ve still got my ticket, and that’s all I’ll say about Pensacola.”
Roundy said, “He probably didn’t tell you, Agent Shapiro, but I was his first flight instructor. A natural flier—best student I ever had.”
Ash smiled. “We’re here to talk about Mr. Lopez.”
Roundy smiled again. “What can I tell you?
Will said, “We’d like to know if there were any particular parts of the base, or off the base, where Lopez liked to take his check rides? Any pad or clearing that he favored over others for landings or autorotation?
Roundy shook his head. “We had to stay out of each other’s way,” he said. “So, we rotated quadrants. You know this—the Rucker sky is usually full of helicopters, so we tried to schedule check rides during lunch, when it was a bit less populated.”
Ash said, “Is there a record of who got which quadrant on any particular day?”
Roundy shook his head. “It was informal. There were only four or five of us who gave check rides to people outside our battalion. Mostly we worked with student pilots. When someone who doesn’t fly every day, like a battalion commander or a senior staff officer, needed their annual, our C.O. wanted the very best, most senior instructors on the job. So it was me, Sam Lopez, Ed Braun, Mike Hunter, and sometimes Don Siegel.”
Will said, “What about cross-country? Or an instrument check ride?”
“We usually take those kinds of jaunts to other military bases—Anniston Army Depot, Fort Benning, Redstone Arsenal, Ft. Stewart—like that.”
Ash said, “So he could have gone anywhere.”
Roundy shook his head. “Not that day. Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, we were overscheduled, had to fit in a couple of extra pilots. We cut each pilot to forty minutes stick time.”
Will said, “Is there anything else you can tell us about Lopez that day?”
Roundy shook his head again. “Only that he said he had the shits and his hemorrhoids were killing him. Excuse my French, Agent Shapiro.”
Chapter 65
Ash, Will, Alvie and Chelmin sat around the CID conference room table, in turn reporting on what they knew or suspected. When it was Will’s turn, he cleared his throat—and then hesitated.
“Don’t be bashful,” said Chelmin. “Spit it out.”
“This is off the reservation, not to say outside the box.”
Ash said, “Tell us.”
“Well. If our missing airmen are dead, and they’re not in a hog wallow, then chances are their bodies are somewhere on this base. That’s number one.”
Ash said, “Why are the bodies on the base? Why couldn’t they be someplace else?”
Will grunted. “For the convenience and safety of their killers. We suspect that their abductors have unhindered access to Fort Rucker. We think, but do not know, that their victims include Sharon Coe. We suspect that they are somehow mixed up with the counterfeiting guys…”
The door to the conference room opened a crack and the milky face and flaming locks of Katrina appeared. “Rudy,” she crooned, “There’s an Agent Bourassa here to see Agent Spaulding.”
Chelmin said, “Bring him here.”
The door closed; half a minute later Bourassa pushed it open and stopped.
Will said, “Come on in, Frank.”
Bourassa advanced into the room. “Can I talk to you for a minute, Spaulding?”
Will said, “If it’s about the counterfeiting operation. whatever you need to say concerns everyone in this room.”
“Sit down,” Chelmin said.
The only vacant chair was between Will and Ash, and Bourassa hesitated.
Ash said, “I don’t bite. Have a seat.”
He sat. “I have news about your casino,” he said.
“Spill,” said Will.
“Well, we surveilled the houses with drones, and last night we set up an infrared camera in a structure across the street. Zero activity in all three houses for the last 48 hours. Nothing bigger than a flea alive in the complex.”
Will said, “So no point to a raid. How ‘bout a search warrant?”
“In the works, but very low key. If no one responds to the front door, we’ll have a locksmith on hand to let us in.”
“Thanks for the update,” Chelmin said, “Anything else?”
“Mrs. Richardson and her maid are in Davos, skiing,”
“How convenient,” Will said. “Anything else?”
“Yup. Agent Regan drove up from Mobile, and we audited the cash in both banks on this base and the four federally chartered banks in Dale County. About eighteen percent of their century notes are counterfeit. Very high-quality counterfeit, just like the ones you brought us,”
“What does that come to, Bourassa?” said Chelmin,
“A little over half a million. Those bankers will scream to high heaven when we tell them. But we’re not gonna tell them until we audit the rest of Dale County’s banks, along with all banks in Coffee, Pike, Barbour, Henry, Geneva, and Houston Counties. And that’s tomorrow morning when every Secret Service agent in the Southeast will be here.”
Ash said, “Are the banks insured for this kind of a loss?”
Bourassa said, “Likely a $1,000 deductible and $10,000 cap per bank.”
Will said, “Will you guys fingerprint the seized notes?”
“Already in progress,” Bourassa said.
“Anything we can do to help?” said Chelmin.
“That’s why I’m here. I need lodging for 252 men and eleven women, tonight.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” said Chelmin. “We might have to put up tents.”
“I have an idea about that,” Will said. “Frank, come with me.”
Ash said, “We’re in a meeting. Can this wait?”
Will shook his head. “I’ll be back in twenty minutes.”
Chelmin got to his feet. “I’ve got to brief Colonel Moffett about this. We’ll reconvene in an hour. Agent Bourassa—where is Agent Regan right now?”
“She’s outside, in a red Mustang.”
“Ask her to meet me in the Provost Marshall’s office right away. It’s right next door.”
Chapter 66
Will found Captain Johnstone in his office and introduced him to Bourassa.
Bourassa said, “Captain, do you have a secure room available?”
Johnstone looked interested. “How secure?”
“Swept for bugs, and with heavy enough doors and windows so as to preclude electronic eavesdropping.”
“Is that really necessary?”
Bourassa said, “It is, Captain, and it’s Secret Service protocol.”
“General Davis is in the air for the next hour or so. We’ll use his office.”
Inside, with the door locked behind a puzzled secretary, Bourassa spelled out his audit plans.
Johnstone said, “Will, what has this to do with Ft. Rucker?”
“Recall, sir, that I briefed you on the murder of Sharon Coe. Because of the similarities between her abduction and our other case, we think they are linked. Uh, Agent Bourassa has not been briefed on our case.”
Johnstone nodded. “And?”
“Until recently, Sharon Coe was an Army dependent. Her child was fathered by the late Captain J.J. Richardson—”
“The son of General J.J. Richardson?”
“Yes, sir—J.J. Richardson IV. And the general’s widow, Idelle Richardson, lives in one of the houses that served as a secret casino. I believe, as does my CID team and Agent Chelmin, that the casino is closely linked to our investigation. We put one of our ag
ents into that casino, an expert poker player, and he walked away with more than $7,000 in counterfeit hundreds. That’s why we brought in the Secret Service.”
Johnstone dropped his head and for several seconds appeared to be in deep thought. He straightened up and looked at Will.
“I’ll brief General Davis when he returns. How can I help the Secret Service?”
Bourassa said, “Every Secret Service agent between Houston and Richmond will be here tonight. They’re coming on buses and in cars. I need a place to park their vehicles, and quarters for eleven women and 252 men, for one to three nights.”
Johnstone shook his head. “There are plenty of hotels in Dothan, Enterprise, and Ozark.”
Bourassa said, “We’re planning to raid dozens of banks simultaneously. We can’t just lay our government credit cards on a bunch of hotel counters without giving ourselves away,”
Will said, “Sir, there are two empty flight school barracks in the 111th Brigade. The new basic flight class starts next week, and those buildings were just painted, inside and out. I imagine there are blankets and linens in the unit supply room.”
Again Johnstone tipped his head forward and disappeared into himself. After several seconds he straightened up. “I’ll call Colonel Meacham and ask him to make the rooms available.”
Bourassa said, “Thank you. There’s paperwork involved, but I will get the Secret Service to reimburse the Army at our standard per diem rate.”
Johnstone grinned. “We might even turn a profit,” he said. “Will, anything else?”
“Yes, sir. I’d like to meet with General Davis on something else related to my case, at his early convenience tomorrow.”
“Is it something I could help you with?”
“I want to spend some money. A lot of it, actually.”
“I’ll let you know,” said Johnstone.
Chapter 67
Special Agent Tami Regan of the Secret Service climbed out of her red Mustang, showing Rudy Chelmin a lot of long, shapely leg, which nicely complemented the rest of the package: Naturally curly, shoulder-length blond hair; a blue Fendi dress restraining an ample bosom that set off her wasp waist; tanned, nearly flawless skin; and large, piercing, blue eyes with just a hint of mascara.
Chelmin stifled a laugh; he found especially good-looking law-enforcement officers hilarious. He stuck out his right hand. “Rudy Chelmin, CID.”
“Charmed,” she cooed, her voice was wild honey with a hint of distant temple bells.
“Likewise. Inside that door is Colonel Moffett, the Provost Marshall. No-nonsense type. I’d like you to brief him on your upcoming operation. Ask him if he wants to take part.”
“I think the Secret Service is perfectly capable of conducting bank audits.”
“I agree. And so will Colonel Moffett. But he likes to be invited to parties that he has no intention of attending.”
“Then your job, Agent Chelmin, is to make sure that everyone plays nice and shares?”
“It makes the rest of the job much easier.”
‘I’ll keep that in mind, Agent Chelmin.”
Chapter 68
“I did some computer research—”
“Wait,” said Alvie. “It’s been a while. Go back to why you think our abductees are on the base.”
Will nodded. “Well, we have to assume that whoever is behind the abductions has easy access to the base—possibly with counterfeit base stickers. Then, it’s easier to dispose of a body on the base, much of which is forested, then to do so off-base where there are more people around. There is also the problem of transporting a body. Exhibit A: Sharon Coe. Her body was dumped in a farmer’s pond and found a few days later. Also, it simplifies the process—two of our three aviators were last seen on the base, and the third’s car was found on the base. Sharon Coe was last seen at Walmart and her car was found just up the road, very close to an unguarded entrance to the post. The Thomson brothers disappeared in the same general area as Sharon Coe, and their cars were found nearby.
“So I think that whatever is going on is happening on this base. And that simply as a matter of convenience, the bodies are somewhere on or near the base.”
Ash said, “Even if we turned out the whole MP battalion, we don’t have enough people to search the entire base.”
With a smile, Chelmin said, “Maybe the Secret Service could pitch in when they finish their bank audits.”
Everyone except Ash laughed. “I’d love to see Agent Regan in her thousand-dollar Walter Steiger heels, stumbling through the bush looking for bodies,” she said.
Will shook his head. “Give her a break, Ash. She dressed to audit a bank, not prowl the forest.”
Ash snorted. “That dress is not for auditing a bank. It’s for attracting the attention of whatever men happen to be around.”
Chelmin said, “Not our concern, people. She’s got her brief, we have ours. What was Will saying?”
Will said, “I agree with Ash that our abductees are dead. I also believe that their remains are somewhere on this base. And I have a wild idea about how to find them.”
Chelmin said, “Then let’s hear it.”
“Satellite imaging. There are both government and commercial satellites that can discern dead or damaged foliage, subsurface mineral concentrations, and underground voids—old mines, for example, or gravesites—from space.”
Chelmin nodded his head. “That sounds helpful. Pursue that and find out more.”
Ash said, “It must be very expensive, Will.”
Will nodded. “You’re probably right about that. I’ll see General Davis tomorrow, and ask for his guidance.”
Chapter 69
“About $5 million from a civilian agency,” Will said.
General Davis stroked his mustache and said nothing.
“But maybe NASA, NOAA or the NSA would let us use a satellite for an hour.”
Davis shook his head. “The problem with asking a federal agency, Will, isn’t the money. It’s that we’d have to tell them what we’re looking for, and why, and at that point, I’m pretty sure that the FBI will step in and take the case over.”
“And why is that a problem, sir?”
“It’s a problem because, in hindsight, I should have called them in after Slocum disappeared. If I bring them in now, and I tell you this in confidence, Will, it would appear as though I was somehow complicit or, worse, incompetent.”
Will tried his best to look surprised.
“You already knew that, didn’t you, Will?” said Davis.
“It was discussed in the CID office,” Will replied.
“And?”
“Colonel Moffett has so far persuaded the wives of the missing men to wait a little longer before they—the wives—call the FBI.”
“Then the clock is ticking.”
“Yes, sir. Sir, if I can’t get a satellite picture of the whole base, I might be able to get pictures of smaller areas. If I had a few drones with high-resolution infrared cameras for a night or two, we could scan some of the more likely places on the base.”
“And what are you looking for?”
“Graves. Abandoned mines or caves. Or anything or anyone that isn’t where it should be.”
“Why not use helicopters?”
Will frowned. “I thought about this. Our working supposition is that there is some sort of organization, maybe only three or four people, behind the abductions. From the way our three aviators vanished, we have to suspect that their abductors have some help from one or more people on this base. If that is so, then outfitting even one chopper with special equipment invites unwanted attention,
“Drones, General, could come from anywhere in the country. The Air Force has a bunch of them at Maxwell Air Force Base.”
“What do we tell the Air Force?”
“That we’re looking for the remains of the Thompson brothers.”
General Davis smiled. “I like this. I’ll have Johnstone make some calls.”
“Time is of
the essence, sir,” Will said.
“When isn’t it?” replied the general, and rose to shake Will’s hand and return his salute.
Chapter 70
“You’re just in time,” said Ash, as Will got out of his truck.
“In time for…?”
“In the conference room,” she said, smiling.
Will held the door as Ash, followed by Colonel Moffett and two uniformed MPs entered the room. Chelmin got to his feet and nodded to Moffett, who took a seat at the head of the table.
“Tell them what you found,” growled Moffett. The shorter of the two MPs said, “A cave, or maybe an abandoned mine, along Four Mile Creek, sir.”
Moffett said, “It’s an abandoned lead mine. There are others all over this area.”
Will said, “Anything in the mine?”
The second MP held up a plastic evidence bag. “We found this in a pile of trash just inside the entrance.”
“Actually, a little boy playing there found it, sir,” said the first MP. “Brought it home to his dad, a chief warrant officer, and he called us. The boy showed us the mine entrance, and we went inside. It was empty except for a pile of trash near the entrance.”
Will said, “Good work, men.”
Ash said, “How big is this mine?”
The taller MP said, “The part that I saw is big enough to park two or three SUVs. But the entrance is very small.”
Will said, “What did the boy find?”
Alvie spoke up. “Looks like my belt-buckle tracking device.”
The tall MP brought the bag to Alvie, who peered at it. “We’ll run this for fingerprints, inside and out,” he said, looking at Colonel Moffett.
“We did that,” Moffett said. “Prints have been sent to IAFIS.”
Ash said, “With any luck, the FBI supercomputer will trawl its database and get back to us with any hits by lunchtime.”
Chelmin said, “Thank you, Colonel Moffett.”
Moffett got to his feet, and everybody else followed. He looked at Will.
“I expect you and Agent Shapiro will go back for a second look?”
