then he called over to the Pentagon to see if a Sergeant Kane really works there. He discovered that there is a Sergeant Marion Kane in personnel—but that’s Marion spelled M-a-r-i-o-n, and Sergeant Kane is a male. Whoever called Gilmore screwed up.”
“I don’t understand,” Bradford said. “Why would anyone be asking about those two soldiers?”
“I did some backtracking after Gilmore called me. I discovered that after Sergeant Witherspoon—uh, died, that—”
“Witherspoon?” Bradford asked.
Levy didn’t speak for a moment and Bradford could sense Levy’s disapproval. “Sergeant Witherspoon,” Levy said, “was the soldier driving the ambulance, the man who was—”
“Oh, yes,” Bradford said. “I’m sorry, John,” he added, and he truly was. He was embarrassed he’d forgotten Witherspoon’s name, a man who died in the service of his country.
“I found out that someone claiming to be from the Arlington Police Department took Witherspoon’s fingerprints before his body was taken from the hospital,” Levy said.
“So what?” Bradford said. “He was a John Doe and the police wanted to identify him.”
“That’s possible. But if the cops had taken his fingerprints, they would have drawn a blank. Witherspoon’s fingerprints are not in any criminal database, and if Arlington tried to access military fingerprint files, they still would have come up empty. As you know, Witherspoon’s prints are flagged, I would have been contacted, and his name wouldn’t have been released to the police without my approval.”
“John, I’m confused,” Bradford said. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying the only way the Arlington cops could have identified Witherspoon through his fingerprints was if they had contacts at the Pentagon or the ability to hack into a military data base and override the don’t-release tag on Witherspoon’s name. The detective who was assigned to the case before Hopper took it away from him is ex-military, but he was just a grunt in the marines more than twenty years ago. I think it’s highly unlikely, sir, that this detective or anyone associated with him could have identified Witherspoon. So the big question is this: How did they make the leap?”
“The leap?”
“Yes, sir. What caused them to take the next step? What made them start asking questions about the cadre at Fort Myer after they identified Witherspoon?”
“Maybe they were just checking to see if Witherspoon had accomplices. Looking at other men in his unit would be a logical step.”
“I don’t think so,” Levy said. “The ambulance he stole was recovered when it was wrecked, it wasn’t involved in any crime the police know of, and I doubt there’s some big auto-theft ring in the area dealing in stolen ambulances. No, sir. The cops just wouldn’t have dug this hard for one stolen ambulance.
“General, I don’t know what’s going on here. All I know is that Witherspoon and the two men I used for the operation have been identified and someone is asking questions.”
Bradford could feel a bubble of panic began to form in his chest, which he quickly suppressed—he had never panicked in his life—but there was reason for concern. In the past, there had never been a direct connection between him and Levy’s operations—other than Levy himself, of course, and Levy would never talk. But this thing with Russo was different. He couldn’t separate himself from Russo’s death if the reason for his death were to become known. He started to rise from his chair to … to what? To tell Levy what was at stake? He didn’t need to tell John Levy that.
But before he could say anything, Levy said, “I’m pursuing a lead, sir. I think I can find out who took Witherspoon’s fingerprints.”
“Pursue it fast, John,” Bradford said. “Find out what the hell’s going on.”
10
The lady in charge of the hospice where Paul Russo had worked was a plain-faced middle-aged woman with short gray
“I don’t understand,” Bradford said. “Why would anyone be asking about those two soldiers?”
“I did some backtracking after Gilmore called me. I discovered that after Sergeant Witherspoon—uh, died, that—”
“Witherspoon?” Bradford asked.
Levy didn’t speak for a moment and Bradford could sense Levy’s disapproval. “Sergeant Witherspoon,” Levy said, “was the soldier driving the ambulance, the man who was—”
“Oh, yes,” Bradford said. “I’m sorry, John,” he added, and he truly was. He was embarrassed he’d forgotten Witherspoon’s name, a man who died in the service of his country.
“I found out that someone claiming to be from the Arlington Police Department took Witherspoon’s fingerprints before his body was taken from the hospital,” Levy said.
“So what?” Bradford said. “He was a John Doe and the police wanted to identify him.”
“That’s possible. But if the cops had taken his fingerprints, they would have drawn a blank. Witherspoon’s fingerprints are not in any criminal database, and if Arlington tried to access military fingerprint files, they still would have come up empty. As you know, Witherspoon’s prints are flagged, I would have been contacted, and his name wouldn’t have been released to the police without my approval.”
“John, I’m confused,” Bradford said. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying the only way the Arlington cops could have identified Witherspoon through his fingerprints was if they had contacts at the Pentagon or the ability to hack into a military data base and override the don’t-release tag on Witherspoon’s name. The detective who was assigned to the case before Hopper took it away from him is ex-military, but he was just a grunt in the marines more than twenty years ago. I think it’s highly unlikely, sir, that this detective or anyone associated with him could have identified Witherspoon. So the big question is this: How did they make the leap?”
“The leap?”
“Yes, sir. What caused them to take the next step? What made them start asking questions about the cadre at Fort Myer after they identified Witherspoon?”
“Maybe they were just checking to see if Witherspoon had accomplices. Looking at other men in his unit would be a logical step.”
“I don’t think so,” Levy said. “The ambulance he stole was recovered when it was wrecked, it wasn’t involved in any crime the police know of, and I doubt there’s some big auto-theft ring in the area dealing in stolen ambulances. No, sir. The cops just wouldn’t have dug this hard for one stolen ambulance.
“General, I don’t know what’s going on here. All I know is that Witherspoon and the two men I used for the operation have been identified and someone is asking questions.”
Bradford could feel a bubble of panic began to form in his chest, which he quickly suppressed—he had never panicked in his life—but there was reason for concern. In the past, there had never been a direct connection between him and Levy’s operations—other than Levy himself, of course, and Levy would never talk. But this thing with Russo was different. He couldn’t separate himself from Russo’s death if the reason for his death were to become known. He started to rise from his chair to … to what? To tell Levy what was at stake? He didn’t need to tell John Levy that.
But before he could say anything, Levy said, “I’m pursuing a lead, sir. I think I can find out who took Witherspoon’s fingerprints.”
“Pursue it fast, John,” Bradford said. “Find out what the hell’s going on.”
10
The lady in charge of the hospice where Paul Russo had worked was a plain-faced middle-aged woman with short gray
Similar Books
