“Thanks, Officer, good night.”
Rogers walked off and the cruiser pulled through the alley, following the other men just in case.
Roger got to his van and drove off.
His plan tonight was fairly simple.
The Grunt was closed tomorrow night.
So tomorrow night he was going to have a chat with Chris Ballard.
Chapter
32
PULLER PACKED THE last of his things in the duffel and zipped it closed. It was like he had just zipped up the end of his life as well.
He had left AWOL with a family living in the same apartment complex. His cat did fine with long separations, but this time Puller had no idea how long he’d be gone. He didn’t even know if he’d be coming back.
He looked down at the email he had received ten minutes ago. It had come from a two-star he had never met or even heard of. The message had been terse but to the point:
The investigation into allegations regarding the disappearance of your mother and culpability of your father has been concluded. No further action will be taken against any party.
Against any party.
That was telling him that his father was safe. The investigation was over.
But that was all bullshit, because there had never really been an investigation. Nothing had been discovered. The truth was still out there but no one was looking for it.
Well, one person is. Me.
He had already written his letter of resignation. He was leaving the Army and the only career he’d ever known.
The United States Army had done something Puller never thought it would do.
It let me down.
Still, as he had typed out the words, “I, Chief Warrant Officer John Puller Jr., 701st Military Police Group (CID), do hereby resign…” a knot had formed in his throat and a piercing pain had erupted in his gut.
He couldn’t believe he was actually doing it.
But he had no choice. They had left him boxed in a corner with only one conceivable way out.
He had sent in the letter.
He was not waiting for a reply.
It didn’t matter what they said to him. If they wanted to try to hold him for some reason, they would have to find him first.
So he was not going to Germany and his next assignment. He was going to continue to investigate this case whether the Army chose to or not.
His goal was simple. His goal was always simple.
It was how he had approached every case he’d ever undertaken.
Finding the truth.
He opened the door to his apartment.
Two men in suits stared back at him.
Five minutes later Puller sat in the back of a Tahoe and kept his gaze pointed out the window. The two men sat in front.
Their credentials had given Puller no choice but to accompany them. His sidearm had been confiscated for the time being. His cell phone had also been taken. He was uneasy about all of this, but he had to see it play out. He had no other option.
The SUV pulled through the guard entrance where the men in naval uniforms checked IDs, scrutinized Puller, and then motioned them on.
Puller knew there was another wall of defense around the place that included men in suits with comm wires in their ears, like the pair in front of him.
The imposing house loomed up in front of them.
Puller had never been here. Most people had never been here.
The truck stopped in front of the house and they all got out. Puller was escorted inside, down a hall, and into a large room outfitted as an office and library. The men left him there.
He didn’t sit. He had no idea what was about to happen, but he would take it standing.
He tensed when the door opened.
He came immediately to attention.
The man wasn’t in uniform, but he once had been.
And more importantly, he was one beating heart removed from being the commander in chief of all the armed forces of the United States. That fact alone required Puller to treat him with military respect.
He was the vice president of the United States, Richard Hall.
Before that he’d been a U.S. senator from Virginia. And before that he’d been a one-star under Puller’s father’s command.
Puller knew all this. And he’d also met the man once, over twenty years ago, before Hall had traded in his uniform for a suit and the life of a politician.
Hall was about five-ten, and still retained much of the muscular build he’d had as a soldier. His hair was white and thinning, but his handshake was firm and his voice deep.
“Sit down, Puller. You look very stiff standing there.”
Puller sat.
Hall went over to a table that held a decanter of whiskey and several glasses.
“Drink?”
“No thank you, sir.”
“I’m pouring you one anyway. You look like you could use it.”
Hall brought the drinks over and handed one to Puller. Then he sat down behind his desk.
“I heard that you resigned from the Army today.”
“News travels fast.”
“Certain news travels fast in certain channels.”
Hall held up his glass and took a sip of his drink. Puller followed suit.
“And why did you do it?” asked Hall. “From all accounts you’re one of the best investigators CID has ever had.”
“I didn’t think you’d been following my career.”
“Your father was a good friend and a terrific mentor. So, yes, I have been following your career. And I know what you did in West Virginia. And in connection with your brother being unfairly imprisoned. You have done your country exemplary service both on and off the field of combat.” He took another sip of his drink, set the glass down, and added, “Which is why you are here tonight.”
“And why exactly am I here, sir?”
Hall leaned back in his chair. “There is something going on out there, Puller, that I’m not sure about.”
“You’re the VP, sir, what can you not be sure about?”
Hall gave a dry laugh. “You’d be surprised. This is a complicated country and a complex government, with many tentacles around the globe. No one can know everything about it. Not even the president himself, and certainly not his second in command.”
“And how do I fit into the equation?”
“I’m going out on a limb, Puller. But in this instance, I’m glad to do it. Your father changed the direction of my life. I know his current circumstances, and I know of the letter with the allegation against him. I don’t believe it for one moment. I know that your parents had their differences, but your father would have given his life to protect his wife. And his sons. I was deployed with him around the world. As a junior officer I had his confidences. There was not a day that went by when he did not speak to me about his family.”