Rodriguez.”
“We’re doing some more checking on them,” Glover said. His frown
deepened. “But Admiral, there’s something more. It maybe nothing.”
“Spit it out.”
“One of the men is a radarman working in CATCC. Another’s an RD striker
… also in CATCC. And this kid Howard was assigned as CATCC message
runner.”
Magruder understood what Glover was saying. “Three out of four of these
guys from CATCC,” he said, rubbing his chin. “Doesn’t necessarily mean
it was deliberate. Three buddies, all from the same department, all hit
the beach together. Get into trouble together …”
“Yes, sir. But we can’t ignore the possibility that there was more to
it than that.”
Magruder sighed. “Agreed.” He looked at Fitzgerald. “What do you
think, Captain?”
Fitzgerald shrugged. “Could just be a case of grabbing three guys off
the street at random. They could’ve gotten rolled and be laying in an
alley someplace.”
“But …?” Magruder prompted.
“We ought to proceed dead slow, Admiral. There have been anti-American
demonstrations … and according to our That sources, the communists
have been cheering the downing of our Tomcat yesterday. I’d say we
should treat this seriously.”
Magruder sighed. “Agreed.” He was worried, more worried than he wanted
to show.
When addressing the men of his carrier battle group, the admiral liked
to stress the fact that no man’s job on board the Jefferson was less
important than any other, that everyone had a part to play. In the
sense that the ship was a seagoing city with each department supporting
all of the rest that was true.
But he would have felt a lot less worried had the missing men been from
the ship’s laundry. Men assigned to CATCC knew a hell of a lot about
how things worked on a carrier, about call signs and radio frequencies
for regular air traffic, about daily schedules for carrier ops and
exercises.
“It’s probably nothing,” he said again. “Nothing worse than some of our
boys getting rolled, that is. But we won’t take the chance. Vince, put
out the word through the SPs. Liberty is cancelled for all personnel.”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
“Have Intel debrief Howard. Maybe he can tell us something more,
something we’ve missed.”
“Yes, sir.” The Exec paused, then scowled. “Damn.”
“What is it, Mr. Glover?”
“I just remembered, Admiral. CAG just showed me a list of senior
personnel ashore. Your nephew … uh … Commander Magruder, sir. He’s
on it.”
“Tombstone? Why?”
“CAG said he was under some stress, and he’d told him to take some time
off.”
“We have any other squadron COs ashore?”
“Yes, sir. Bayerly, VF-97.”
“Thank you for telling me.” He felt a sharp disquiet. Three men from
CATCC missing … and now both Tomcat skippers were ashore as well.
Bayerly had been temporarily replaced as squadron CO, of course, but it
still didn’t seem to be a good idea to have both men off the ship now.
Fitzgerald interrupted his bleak thoughts. “Do you really think there’s
a connection, Admiral? Between the kidnapping and the attack at U
Feng, I mean.”
“Hell, I don’t know. We can’t know. But if we wait until we get the
facts straight, it may be too late.”
Fitzgerald nodded. “Agreed. Problem is, if I don’t have the facts I
get to feeling a bit paranoid.”
“Sometimes, Captain,” Magruder said evenly, “that’s the best way to be.”
1250 hours, 18 January
Warehouse District, Kiong Toey
The unconscious man’s hands had been shackled together, then slung over
a meat-hook suspended from the warehouse ceiling. His head lolled
forward against his bare chest. Silently Hsiao went through papers and
iDs found in the man’s wallet. “A third class petty officer,” he said.
“Not a man of high rank.”
“They were not wearing uniforms,” Phreng said. They were gathered at
the edge of the harsh circle of light which illuminated the naked
prisoner. His personal effects, together with certain tools, were
spread out on a nearby table.
“Never mind, Phreng,” Hsiao said. “You did well. If these men work in
air traffic control, as you say, they will have information we can use.”
“Thank you, General!”
“You know what we are looking for.” Hsiao nodded at a bucket of water