seeing.”
“Why?” said Venn.
Austin said, “Because Dale wasn’t the kind of guy women usually went for like that. Sure, he wasn’t bad looking, I guess. And he was smart. But he didn’t have the gift of the gab. He came across as a little... distant. Like he didn’t really enjoy human contact. Especially when it was with somebody he didn’t know. But this girl just sat right down next to him and started coming on to him.”
“Describe her a little more,” said Teller. “How old was she?”
The men looked at each other. Nilssen said, “Thirties? Older than us. Maybe thirty-five. But she wore a lot of makeup, so she might have been older.”
“A lot of makeup,” said Teller. “You mean like, plastered on?”
“Uh uh,” said Austin. “It was classy, like I said. Not obvious. But it was there: lips like blood, dark eyes.”
“Brown eyes?”
“Yeah,” said Austin.
Craddock said, “No. I’m pretty sure they were green.”
Austin tilted his head to one side, unconvinced. “It was dark in the bar. The lights were low. Hard to tell, really. And none of us got all that close to her. Next thing we know, she’s taken Dale by the hand and is leading him away to the exit.”
“Did you go after him?” asked Venn.
“Hell, no,” said Craddock. “I mean, no sir. We just watched him go, elbowing each other in the ribs, you know, marveling at how he’d just got lucky.”
“And that was the last we saw of him,” added Austin.
“You didn’t try to call him later?” said Venn. “Ask him how it had gone? Stuff like that?”
“No. We just figured, let him enjoy himself,” said Nilssen. “We’d get all the juicy details the next day.”
Craddock: “And next day, we’re crashed out at Tommy’s place, nursing hangovers. I start texting and calling Dale, because we’re scheduled to head out to the football game at three that afternoon. He doesn’t answer. I leave voicemail messages, but he doesn’t call back. We got worried. Maybe he got so drunk he fell over or aspirated on his own vomit or something. Who knew? So we call base here.”
“Next thing we hear, he’s been found dead in a hotel.” Austin stared down at his hands, as if hearing it for the first time. “I just can’t believe it, man.”
Teller and Venn glanced at one another. Venn shrugged slightly. No more questions, he was saying.
Teller said, “Did Dale Fincher have a lot of girlfriends, gentlemen?”
This time the shift in the room’s tone was unmistakeable. The three soldiers all but looked at each other. Venn was aware of their legs shifting uncomfortably beneath the table.
“No, sir,” said Craddock and Nilsson, almost simultaneously.
Venn looked from one to the other. “You know this for sure?”
Craddock met his eyes. “Like I said, sir. Dale was a loner. Sure, he hung out with us, but he lacked confidence. If he had a girlfriend, he kept her quiet. Which is not the normal thing to do, when you spend a lot of your time living and working with a bunch of guys.”
Venn noted the reactions of the other two on the periphery of his vision. They appeared tense, as if waiting to hear what Craddock was going to say. As if he was about to reveal something awkward.
Teller placed his hands on the table. “You’ve been helpful, guys. Thanks.”
“You back on duty now?” said Venn.
“Yes, sir. We cut our leave short when... when we heard,” said Nilsson.
“We probably won’t need to talk to you again,” Venn said, before Teller could interject. “Thanks.”
When the three soldiers had filed out, Teller stared at the door for a long moment.
“What was that about?” he said.
Venn wasn’t sure what he was referring to. It could be one of a number of things.
Teller said, “That last remark of yours. ‘We probably won’t need to talk to you again’. What the hell?”
“Psychology,” said Venn.
He glanced round the room again.
No reason it should be wired for sound. Even so...
He stood up.
“Why?” said Venn.
Austin said, “Because Dale wasn’t the kind of guy women usually went for like that. Sure, he wasn’t bad looking, I guess. And he was smart. But he didn’t have the gift of the gab. He came across as a little... distant. Like he didn’t really enjoy human contact. Especially when it was with somebody he didn’t know. But this girl just sat right down next to him and started coming on to him.”
“Describe her a little more,” said Teller. “How old was she?”
The men looked at each other. Nilssen said, “Thirties? Older than us. Maybe thirty-five. But she wore a lot of makeup, so she might have been older.”
“A lot of makeup,” said Teller. “You mean like, plastered on?”
“Uh uh,” said Austin. “It was classy, like I said. Not obvious. But it was there: lips like blood, dark eyes.”
“Brown eyes?”
“Yeah,” said Austin.
Craddock said, “No. I’m pretty sure they were green.”
Austin tilted his head to one side, unconvinced. “It was dark in the bar. The lights were low. Hard to tell, really. And none of us got all that close to her. Next thing we know, she’s taken Dale by the hand and is leading him away to the exit.”
“Did you go after him?” asked Venn.
“Hell, no,” said Craddock. “I mean, no sir. We just watched him go, elbowing each other in the ribs, you know, marveling at how he’d just got lucky.”
“And that was the last we saw of him,” added Austin.
“You didn’t try to call him later?” said Venn. “Ask him how it had gone? Stuff like that?”
“No. We just figured, let him enjoy himself,” said Nilssen. “We’d get all the juicy details the next day.”
Craddock: “And next day, we’re crashed out at Tommy’s place, nursing hangovers. I start texting and calling Dale, because we’re scheduled to head out to the football game at three that afternoon. He doesn’t answer. I leave voicemail messages, but he doesn’t call back. We got worried. Maybe he got so drunk he fell over or aspirated on his own vomit or something. Who knew? So we call base here.”
“Next thing we hear, he’s been found dead in a hotel.” Austin stared down at his hands, as if hearing it for the first time. “I just can’t believe it, man.”
Teller and Venn glanced at one another. Venn shrugged slightly. No more questions, he was saying.
Teller said, “Did Dale Fincher have a lot of girlfriends, gentlemen?”
This time the shift in the room’s tone was unmistakeable. The three soldiers all but looked at each other. Venn was aware of their legs shifting uncomfortably beneath the table.
“No, sir,” said Craddock and Nilsson, almost simultaneously.
Venn looked from one to the other. “You know this for sure?”
Craddock met his eyes. “Like I said, sir. Dale was a loner. Sure, he hung out with us, but he lacked confidence. If he had a girlfriend, he kept her quiet. Which is not the normal thing to do, when you spend a lot of your time living and working with a bunch of guys.”
Venn noted the reactions of the other two on the periphery of his vision. They appeared tense, as if waiting to hear what Craddock was going to say. As if he was about to reveal something awkward.
Teller placed his hands on the table. “You’ve been helpful, guys. Thanks.”
“You back on duty now?” said Venn.
“Yes, sir. We cut our leave short when... when we heard,” said Nilsson.
“We probably won’t need to talk to you again,” Venn said, before Teller could interject. “Thanks.”
When the three soldiers had filed out, Teller stared at the door for a long moment.
“What was that about?” he said.
Venn wasn’t sure what he was referring to. It could be one of a number of things.
Teller said, “That last remark of yours. ‘We probably won’t need to talk to you again’. What the hell?”
“Psychology,” said Venn.
He glanced round the room again.
No reason it should be wired for sound. Even so...
He stood up.
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