Chapter 49 Chapter Forty-Nine

That afternoon, Puller boarded a commercial airliner in Charleston and headed east.He landed at Washington Dulles Airport within an hour.He rented a car to report to CID headquarters in Quantico and reported to Don White in person.Puller then went back to his apartment to free the kitten, and while the cat enjoyed the fresh air, he fed it new food, refilled the bucket, and cleaned out the litter from the cardboard box. Puller made an appointment with Matthews Reynolds's DIA boss for the next afternoon.He slept for a solid six hours, woke up, ate breakfast, ran an eight-mile run, and lifted weights at Quantico's gym.Then he took a shower, made a few phone calls, and finished some accumulated desk work.

He donned a camouflage uniform, got into the rented car, and drove north toward the Pentagon.A DIA Countersecret Service agent met him at the exit of the Pentagon subway station and led him into the Pentagon.Both men showed security officers their credentials and reported their weapons.They were allowed to enter the building unaccompanied by guards. The Defense Intelligence Agency agent was named Ruan Bolling.He was about 1.75m tall, stocky, a former Marine and a decade in the Defense Intelligence Agency.Like everyone else in DIA's Countersecret Service, he's now a civilian. On the way in, Puller said to him, "I thought you guys would be a little bit more enthusiastic about this case than you are. It's a little lonely with me alone."

"I don't count. I can only do what I'm ordered to do, Puller." They walked down Corridor 10 to the A Ring, continued through the Pentagon's labyrinthine internal passage system, and finally reached the headquarters of the Joint Staff Intelligence Division, or J2.Administrative assistants and various secretarial staff are busy in the spacious reception area.The wall behind the reception area has a door leading to the J2 director's office.There was an American flag on the door, and a flag representing the director himself, red with two white stars.Puller visited this office once a few years ago.The furnishing inside is very elegant, as usual, there is a wall that expresses strong narcissism, which is common in this type of office, and it is full of photos of the owner of the office with many of his famous friends.The supervisor is out of the country.The office of his second in command, the J2 deputy director, is on the left, with only a single star on the red flag over the door.To the right of the supervisor's office is a meeting room.This is where the director himself or the deputy director calls meetings of intelligence personnel when he is away. The J2 director came to this conference room at five every morning to pre-review the military intelligence report he would present to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff later in the day.

Upon approval, Puller will meet with the Deputy Director.The deputy director was a woman, Army officer, brigadier general, Julie Carson.She is also the direct supervisor of Matthews Reynolds. Before walking into the woman's office, Puller asked Bolling, "What do you do when you're dealing with Carson?" "You'll have to find out for yourself. I've never seen this woman before." After a while, Puller sat directly across from Commodore Carson, and Bolling took a chair on the other side.Carson was tall, tidy, and quiet.She had blond hair cut short and was wearing a blue military uniform.

"We could have just talked on the phone," Carson began. "I don't have much to say to you." "I prefer to talk in person," Puller replied. She shrugged. "You guys in CID probably have more time than us guys," she said, looking at Boleyn. "I'm sure you'll find it interesting to take care of a guy like that." Boleyn shrugged too. "I do as I'm told, ma'am." Puller said, "A field officer was murdered. This guy was in charge of J2's Intelligence Operations. He's doing daily military updates for your supervisor and reports to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His body has been identified. , all kinds of reports and requests were sent to you like a layered snowflake, ma'am, and then your supervisor, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Then continue to send it up, and even the Secretary of the Army is very concerned about it."

Carson leaned forward. "What do you mean by that?" Puller leaned forward, too. "With all due respect, I find it difficult to understand your casual attitude." "I'm not being casual. I just don't feel like I have anything in my hands that would help the investigation." "Well, let me judge whether this opinion of yours can be changed. What can you tell me about Colonel Reynolds?" "We crossed paths from time to time in our careers in the military. We were both at the same rank up until a few years ago, only then I got into the fast lane. People didn't expect me to be a general but he No. But he himself would like to leave the army, and I want the star more. He's a good guy and a good soldier."

"When was the last time you saw him?" "Friday, early in the morning of the day he was killed. He was leaving for West Virginia. We had a meeting about a job he was in charge of. After the meeting he left. To be precise, we It was a meeting together in the conference room down the corridor." "Does he seem restless or anxious about something?" "No, he looks fine." "From what you mean, have you and him served together in other places?" "Yes. Fort Benning, for example." "I know it well." "I know you are familiar. I checked your resume. How is your father now?"

"Good." "I've heard that's not the case." Puller was silent.He glanced at Boleyn.The other party didn't seem to understand what they were talking about. It was obvious that Puller would not react to this, and Carson changed the subject again. "How did a soldier with your battlefield experience and leadership quality end up in the Criminal Investigation Department?" "Why can't you go?" "The ablest and brightest soldiers mean the best, Puller. They're made for a commander." "Does the best and brightest of men sometimes commit crimes?"

She seemed confused, but replied, "I guess so." "So, how are we going to catch these criminals? If the best and brightest don't go to CID?" "I'm not kidding, Puller. If you've gone the way of West Point, you'll be sitting here one day with a star on your shoulder, and maybe more stars waiting for you." "Those stars are too heavy, General. I don't want to carry such heavy things." She pursed her lips together. "Perhaps you were not born to be a commander, and you only care about your smooth tongue." "Perhaps so," said Puller, "but we're not meeting to take a military shortcut for me, and I don't want to take up any more of your time than is absolutely necessary. As you pointed out, you have a busy schedule." .Is there anything else you can tell me about Reynolds?"

"He did a great job, and the people in Intelligence Operations worked under him like a well-oiled machine. The military briefings were weighty and convincing, and behind them was the tacit understanding of their intelligence analysts. Cooperation and good judgment. Reynolds is preparing to retire to a private agency, which is a loss for the military. He was not involved in anything in the Department of Defense that would lead to him being killed in West Virginia. I say this, and you should Is that enough?" "It is he who is responsible for the comprehensive collection of military information, so he can grasp some highly confidential information with great potential value."

"Many of us here qualify for your assessment. We've never had any trouble with the reliability of intelligence personnel. I don't think Reynolds will be the first to have problems." "Money? Private life? Was there any motive for betraying information to the enemy?" "Leaking information is not easy, Puller. Our people are subject to constant security checks of all kinds. Reynolds is not in financial trouble. He is a patriot as always. He is happily married. .His kids are growing up normally and well educated.He is a deacon in the church.He is looking forward to starting a new career in the private sector after retiring.Can't find any of the problems you mentioned in him .” Puller looked at Bolling and asked, "Did you guys in charge of counter-information ever investigate Reynolds for any reason?" Bolling shook his head and said, "I checked his situation before I came here today. He is clean, and there is nothing wrong with him. There is nothing that can be used by others to blackmail and blackmail." Puller turned to Carson again. "So you know he's going to West Virginia?" "Yes, he told me. His father-in-law and mother-in-law are sick, and he spends his weekends going back and forth between the two places. Since his work has never been affected, I have no objection to that." "Did he mention to you that anything unusual was found there?" "In one word, he never asked me about West Virginia. It's a personal family matter, so I didn't ask him. It's not something I should ask about." "But someone killed him and his whole family there." "Yes, someone did. It's your job to find and catch them." "I'm working on it." "Well, I think the answer lies in West Virginia, not the Pentagon." "Do you know his wife?" Carson glanced at her watch, then at the phone on the desk. "I'm going to hold a conference call soon. The supervisor is out of the country, and I will report relevant information to the chairman on his behalf tomorrow morning." "I'll hurry," Pooler said, continuing to look at her expecting an answer. "I just met Stacy Reynolds through Matthews. I met her at some occasional party. We were friends, but not close friends. That's it." "Colonel Reynolds never mentioned anything unusual in West Virginia?" "I think I've answered that question." Puller sat watching her patiently. "No, he didn't mention it," was all she had to say, and Pooler wrote her words down in his notebook. "When I took on the assignment, I was told it was an unusual case. I understood it was unusual because the person who was killed was a colonel officer in the Ministry of Defense who handled some highly classified information." "Thankfully, it doesn't happen very often that officers of this level are murdered, so I guess it's unusual in that sense." "No, I take that phrase to mean that we're going to do whatever it takes to solve the case. If Reynolds's job in the Department of Defense is just a non-issue, if, as you say, his killing is the same as his It has nothing to do with work, so why was it described to me as an unusual case? Then it was just an ordinary homicide." "Since I'm not the one who described you like that, I can't answer these questions." She glanced at her watch again. "Can you think of anything else that might be helpful in my investigation?" "I can't think of anything." "I need to make some inquiries with Reynolds' colleagues." "Hey Puller, do we really need to do this? I've told you everything. My guys are busy, they're keeping this country safe. The last thing they need is to be distracted by something like this, It has nothing to do with them." Puller closed the notebook and straightened further. "It was your friend and colleague, General Carson, who was murdered. I have been tasked with solving this case. I am determined to get the job done. I need to speak to his colleagues. I will do so in an efficient and professional manner This, but I have to do it. I have to do it now." The two men met each other's eyes, and in the end Puller was victorious. Carson picked up the phone and made arrangements. When Puller got up to leave, she said, "Maybe I wasn't right about you." "How do you say that?" "Maybe you actually have what it takes to be a commander." "Maybe," Pooler said.