Decker said, “Well, maybe the government might want to consider earning that faith.”
“I’m utterly in agreement with you. But now we must move on.”
Decker gave him an appraising look. “This case is closed, but this was not the ticking time bomb. Purdy was gone before the prison became active. And I’m convinced this has to do with something that happened a long time ago.”
“Which is why I requested your presence here, in addition to wanting to fill you in on what had happened here. How can we assist you?”
“I’m surprised that you’re not packing up to go home,” said Decker.
“Let me explain it this way. If an international presence exists on American soil for a purpose to do harm to America and its citizens, then we can very clearly justify our continued presence in this matter. I don’t know about you, but I do not want a second 9/11 to happen because we got caught up in a bureaucratic tussle.”
“Okay, I need to see Ben Purdy’s service record.”
“What do you hope to find in it?”
“A lead, because right now we don’t have one.”
* * *
Decker put down his third cup of coffee, glanced at the remains of a largely uneaten meal, and settled back in his chair in the hotel restaurant. He opened the email he’d just gotten on his phone and did likewise with the email’s attachment.
It was Ben Purdy’s service record. He had joined the Air Force straight out of high school and had spent the next dozen years in uniform. Decker went methodically through screen after screen. Purdy had covered a lot of ground in his career and had sought a great many educational and training opportunities that the Air Force had offered. He’d even attended conferences overseas in England, Germany, Qatar, and India. By all accounts he was a brilliant techie, though he had grown up in modest circumstances and had not been able to afford to go to college. He had risen to the rank of technical sergeant, which the document said was a very difficult rank to achieve, and Purdy had done it in record time. He had been on pace to make master sergeant when he had disappeared.
Decker sipped his coffee and then focused on actions that Purdy had taken in the last sixteen months, figuring that whatever ticking time bomb he had come across would have dated from more recent times. Purdy had briefly left London AFS during that time to take a class offered in DC on the latest types of communication technology available, and also what might be coming in the future. That made sense for a specialist like Purdy. After that, he had taken other offered courses in a variety of specialties, none of which could reasonably lead Decker to a ticking time bomb.
His phone buzzed. It was Bogart.
“Hey, Ross.”
“Decker, I’ve heard about London AFS. Something big is going down and the Bureau is involved.”
“I know. But it doesn’t explain our case.”
“Well, I dug up what I could on the military record of Bradley Unger Daniels.”
“Anything of interest?”
“He served at London AFS from 1955 until 1987.”
“I guess that makes sense. He had been an aviation navigator in the war, and he was into radar.”
“Right, but the most interesting thing I found was that parts of his record were redacted and marked classified.”
Decker sat up straighter. “He told us he couldn’t talk about his time at London because it was classified. I thought he was just messing with us. But why would it be classified? Just because it was about looking for nukes during the Cold War?”
“I don’t know, Decker. I can’t get a straight answer from anyone.”
“So a dead end?”
“I’m afraid so, unless you can think of another path forward.”
“Well, that’s my job.”
Decker clicked off and stared down at Purdy’s service record while he thought about Bogart’s words.
He could see only one way forward.
He phoned Jamison.
“It’s time we cracked ‘BUD,’ ” he said.
JAMISON AND DECKER ARRIVED at Green Hills Nursing Home and were once more taken to the supervisor’s office. Her face turned red when she saw them.
“You upset him greatly. I can’t believe you’re back.”
Decker stared her down. “We’re back because Brad Daniels is a key witness in a case that has national security interests. Now, if you won’t let us see him, a whole army of Feds is going to come down on you and this facility like a ton of bricks. Your call.”
The woman’s hostile look quickly faded. “Are you serious?”
“We would not be here otherwise.”
“All right, but please don’t upset him again.”
“All I can do is ask the questions I have to ask. If he gets upset, that’s an answer in itself.”
She led them to Daniels’s room. The old man was sitting in the corner in his wheelchair, the cane clutched in his hands.
“Who is it?” he snapped as he heard them come in.
“Mr. Daniels, you have some visitors,” said the woman.
“What visitors? It’s not Christmas, is it?”
“I’ll let them explain,” she said sweetly. Then she fled the room.
Decker and Jamison came forward.
“Mr. Daniels?” he said.
The old man started. “It’s you! I recognize your voice. Can’t see no more, but I recognize voices. Get the hell out of here.”
“You can either answer our questions, or other people will come here and ask them.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass. Get out!”
“Part of your military service record was redacted. Classified.”
“Well, hell, I told you that.”
“But you didn’t say why.”
“I can’t, dumbass. That’s sort of the point of it being classified.”
“More people have been killed,” said Decker. “Several more. Something big is being planned. We need you to help us understand what that could be.”
“I only have your word for that and I don’t believe you. You’re not pulling the wool over my eyes. For all I know, you’re spies.”
“We can show you our credentials,” offered Jamison.
“Can’t see ’em. I told you that.”
Decker sat on the edge of the bed. “Is there anything you can tell us about your time at London AFS?”
“No.”
“We’ve been there. We’ve seen the radar array.”
“So?”
“It’s funny.”
“What is?”
“They have an identical facility near Grand Forks, North Dakota.”
A hint of a smile crept across Daniels’s features. “Is that right?”
“But you knew that, didn’t you?”
The smile vanished. “Who says?”
“It was discovered that the facility was being used for another purpose just recently. Not an eye in the sky, but something totally different.”
“Who cares?”
“Your help could be vital to the national security interests of this country.”
“Again, says you. You’re not tricking me. I gave an oath.”