Read Online Tularosa: A Kevin Kerney Novel (Kevin Kerney Novels) by Michael McGarrity - Free Book Online
Book: Tularosa: A Kevin Kerney Novel (Kevin Kerney Novels) by Michael McGarrity
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Authors: Michael McGarrity
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confused here, Lieutenant. Is Specialist Yazzi wanted by the civilian authorities?"
"No. Sammy's parents are worried about their son. They asked Sheriff Baca to make inquiries. He sent me." Meehan shook his head and smiled.
"I don't see how I can help you. You've talked with my first sergeant. I share his opinion that Sammy was a good soldier. Right now he faces company punishment: loss of rank, confinement to barracks. He can still salvage an honorable discharge if he gets his butt back here soon and doesn't fuck up again." Meehan smiled.
"Let the Army sort it out, Lieutenant."
"That's good advice," Kerney replied. "Have you been informed that Sammy's roommate died in an auto accident early this morning?" Meehan nodded, a grave look crossing his face.
"Yes, I have. Tragic."
"Did Jaeger have a drinking problem?" Meehan bent forward, arms resting on the desk, his expression filled with candor.
"Look, Lieutenant, I can bend the rules a bit and talk to you about Specialist Yazzi, but I'm really in no position to talk about PFC Jaeger. I wish I could be more helpful, but you'll have to speak with
Captain Brannon about the matter." Meehan's telephone rang, and Kerney used the interruption as his cue to leave.
At the main gate he turned in his visitor's badge and headed for Las Cruces, hoping for better luck in the city. So far, he had fragments of information that added up to a big fat zero. *** James Meehan sat in Sara's office, looking at her eyes, which, at the moment, were filled with indignation.
"I don't work for you, Jim," Sara said in response to his comment that letting a civilian cop conduct an investigation on the base wasn't very wise.
"It was my call to make."
"All I'm saying is I wish you had told me about it before he showed up in my office. Do you have any background on this Lieutenant Kerney?"
Sara pushed a thin file to the far edge of her desk. Meehan collected it and started reading. Aside from his regular duties as a company commander, Meehan ran a covert intelligence operation that was completely separate from Army intelligence. Meehan and his people-whoever they were, Sara thought sullenly-watched everything and everybody, and reported directly to the Pentagon. Sara was one of a few officers at the missile range who knew what Meehan really did. When necessary, he used her resources. It might consist of detaining a suspect, conducting a search, or arranging for a traffic stop. Most of the time, Sara had no idea why, but she had standing orders from the highest authority to cooperate. With A.W.O.L. cases, however, the cooperation was supposed to be mutual, up to a point.
Meehan laughed when he finished reading Kerney's biography.
"This is ludicrous," he said, replacing the folder on the desk.
"It serves no purpose to have him on the base. He's just a loose cannon."
"He may well be," Sara replied, "but it was my decision to make."
"I thought we were cooperating on the A.W.O.L. cases, Sara."
"Are we? As far as I can tell, it's a pretty one-sided arrangement. My team does all the grunt work while you stonewall me with need-to-know bullshit. Is Yazzi a security risk or isn't he? Do you have anything to suggest he may have compromised national security?"
"That's not fair, Sara. You know the conditions I have to work under. I'll answer those questions if and when I can. If your people could find Yazzi, things would go a lot faster." Sara wrinkled her nose.
"Right."
"I'm not criticizing. I realize it's a tough case." Meehan stood up.
"I do have some good news for you. You can close the Benton file." Sara arched an eyebrow. Benton was the missing civilian employee.
"Really? Tell me about it."
"That's all you get," Meehan responded.
"That stinks."
"All right, I'll tell you this. We have Benton in custody, but the situation involves a possible security breach at another research installation. It should be cleared up in a week." Sara gave Meehan a sour look.
"That's better than nothing, I
"No. Sammy's parents are worried about their son. They asked Sheriff Baca to make inquiries. He sent me." Meehan shook his head and smiled.
"I don't see how I can help you. You've talked with my first sergeant. I share his opinion that Sammy was a good soldier. Right now he faces company punishment: loss of rank, confinement to barracks. He can still salvage an honorable discharge if he gets his butt back here soon and doesn't fuck up again." Meehan smiled.
"Let the Army sort it out, Lieutenant."
"That's good advice," Kerney replied. "Have you been informed that Sammy's roommate died in an auto accident early this morning?" Meehan nodded, a grave look crossing his face.
"Yes, I have. Tragic."
"Did Jaeger have a drinking problem?" Meehan bent forward, arms resting on the desk, his expression filled with candor.
"Look, Lieutenant, I can bend the rules a bit and talk to you about Specialist Yazzi, but I'm really in no position to talk about PFC Jaeger. I wish I could be more helpful, but you'll have to speak with
Captain Brannon about the matter." Meehan's telephone rang, and Kerney used the interruption as his cue to leave.
At the main gate he turned in his visitor's badge and headed for Las Cruces, hoping for better luck in the city. So far, he had fragments of information that added up to a big fat zero. *** James Meehan sat in Sara's office, looking at her eyes, which, at the moment, were filled with indignation.
"I don't work for you, Jim," Sara said in response to his comment that letting a civilian cop conduct an investigation on the base wasn't very wise.
"It was my call to make."
"All I'm saying is I wish you had told me about it before he showed up in my office. Do you have any background on this Lieutenant Kerney?"
Sara pushed a thin file to the far edge of her desk. Meehan collected it and started reading. Aside from his regular duties as a company commander, Meehan ran a covert intelligence operation that was completely separate from Army intelligence. Meehan and his people-whoever they were, Sara thought sullenly-watched everything and everybody, and reported directly to the Pentagon. Sara was one of a few officers at the missile range who knew what Meehan really did. When necessary, he used her resources. It might consist of detaining a suspect, conducting a search, or arranging for a traffic stop. Most of the time, Sara had no idea why, but she had standing orders from the highest authority to cooperate. With A.W.O.L. cases, however, the cooperation was supposed to be mutual, up to a point.
Meehan laughed when he finished reading Kerney's biography.
"This is ludicrous," he said, replacing the folder on the desk.
"It serves no purpose to have him on the base. He's just a loose cannon."
"He may well be," Sara replied, "but it was my decision to make."
"I thought we were cooperating on the A.W.O.L. cases, Sara."
"Are we? As far as I can tell, it's a pretty one-sided arrangement. My team does all the grunt work while you stonewall me with need-to-know bullshit. Is Yazzi a security risk or isn't he? Do you have anything to suggest he may have compromised national security?"
"That's not fair, Sara. You know the conditions I have to work under. I'll answer those questions if and when I can. If your people could find Yazzi, things would go a lot faster." Sara wrinkled her nose.
"Right."
"I'm not criticizing. I realize it's a tough case." Meehan stood up.
"I do have some good news for you. You can close the Benton file." Sara arched an eyebrow. Benton was the missing civilian employee.
"Really? Tell me about it."
"That's all you get," Meehan responded.
"That stinks."
"All right, I'll tell you this. We have Benton in custody, but the situation involves a possible security breach at another research installation. It should be cleared up in a week." Sara gave Meehan a sour look.
"That's better than nothing, I
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