before ten o’clock.’
‘Nobody left and came back?’
‘No, sir, they were under our eye throughout.’
‘All the time?’
‘We paid close attention to them, sir. It was a question of the
general’s rank, really.’
I hung up. Then I called the main gate. Asked who had
actually eyeballed Vassell and Coomer in and out. They gave
me a sergeant’s name. I told them to find the guy and have him
call me back.
I waited.
The guy from the gate was the first to get back to me.
He confirmed he had been on duty all through the previous
evening, and he confirmed he had personally witnessed Vassell
and Coomer arrive at six forty-five and leave again at ten.
‘Car?’ I asked.
‘Big black sedan, sir,’ he said. ‘A Pentagon staff car.’
‘Grand Marquis?’ I asked.
‘I’m pretty sure, sir.’
‘Was there a driver?’
‘The colonel was driving,’ the guy said. ‘Colonel Coomer, that
is. General Vassell was in the front passenger seat.’
‘Just the two of them in the car?’
‘Affirmative, sir.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘That’s definite, sir. No question about it. At night we use
flashlights. Black sedan, DoD plates, two officers in the front,
proper IDs displayed, rear seat vacant.’
‘OK, thanks,’ I said, and hung up. The phone rang again
immediately. It was Calvin Franz, in California.
‘Reacher?’ he said. ‘What the hell are you doing there?’
‘I could ask you the exact same question.’
The phone went quiet for a beat:
‘No idea what the hell I’m doing here,’ he said. ‘Irwin’s all
quiet. It usually is, they tell me. Weather’s nice, though.’
146
‘Did you check your orders?’
‘Sure,’ he said. ‘Didn’t you? Most fun I’ve had since Grenada,
and now I’m staring at the sands of the Mojave? Seems to have
been Garber’s personal brainwave. I thought I must have upset
him. Now I’m not so sure what’s going on. Unlikely that we
both upset him.’
What exactly were your orders?’ I said.
‘Temporary XO for the Provost Marshal.’
‘Is he there right now?’
‘No, actually. He got a temporary detachment the same day I
got in.’
‘So you’re acting COP’
‘Looks that way,’ he said. The too.’
‘What’s going on?’
‘No idea,’ I said. ‘If I ever find out, I’ll tell you. But first I need
to ask you a question. I came across a bird colonel and a
one-star over here, supposed to be heading out to you for an
Armored conference on New Year’s Day. Vassell and Coomer.
Did they ever show?’
‘That conference was cancelled,’ Franz said. ‘We heard
their two-star bought the farm somewhere. Guy called Kramer.
They seemed to think there was no point going ahead without
him. Either that, or they can’t think at all without him.
Or they’re all too busy fighting over who’s going to get his
command.’
‘So Vassell and Coomer never came to California?’
‘They never came to Irwin,’ Franz said. ‘That’s for sure. Can’t
speak for California. It’s a big state.’
‘Who else was supposed to attend?’
‘Armored’s inner circle. Some are based here. Some showed
and went away again. Some never showed at all.’
‘Did you hear anything about the agenda?’
‘I wouldn’t expect to. Was it important?’
‘I don’t know. Vassell and Coomer said there wasn’t one.’
‘There’s always an agenda.’
‘That’s what I figured.’
‘I’ll keep my ears open.’
‘Happy New Year,’ I said. Then I put the phone down and sat
147
quiet. Thought hard. Calvin Franz was one of the good guys.
Actually, he was one of the best guys. Tough, fair, as competent
as the day was long. Nothing ever knocked him off his stride. I
had been happy enough to leave Panama, knowing that he was
still there. But he wasn’t still there. I wasn’t there, and he wasn’t
there. So who the hell was?
I finished my coffee and carried my mug outside and put it
back next to the machine. My sergeant was on the phone. She
had a page of scribbled notes in front of her. She held up a
finger like she had big news. Then she went back to writing. I
went back to my desk. She came in five minutes later with her