Once they were aboard, Taylor asked, “Where next, sir?”
Grant replied, “Take us back to St. Mawgan, Lieutenant.”
“Aye, aye sir.” Taylor returned to the cockpit.
Adler took off his face mask, then pushed his hood back. “So, what now?”
Grant laid his swim fins behind him. “Quick call to Torrinson first. Then… well, then we’ve gotta find that bastard Webb.”
“You think he went the way of that other guy, what’s his name? Carter?”
Grant put his foot up on the deck and rubbed his leg. “Wouldn’t surprise me, Joe, but I sure as hell hope not. We need to run our own form of G2 (interrogation) on him. Some serious shit is about to happen and we can’t find the players.” He picked up the piece of wood, running his finger over what was left of the number five. “Can’t screw around anymore. How are those nimble fingers of yours?”
Adler held up his hands, wiggling all his fingers. “Just say the word and these little digits will perform more than admirably!”
The chopper touched down on the field behind the EOD building. While Norris shut down the engine, Taylor rushed from the cockpit. He stopped near the door, just as Adler and Grant jumped out. “Everything okay, sirs?”
“We’re good, Lieutenant, and thanks for the help!” Adler responded.
“Any time, sir!” Taylor replied.
“You’re not off the hook, yet,” Grant laughed, as he grabbed his swim fins from the deck. “We may need your services again real soon, so I’d like you to remain on base. Contact your C.O. and give him a heads-up. If he needs further authorization, ask him to contact Admiral Torrinson at NIS in D.C.”
“Yes, sir. Where should we contact you?”
“Just call EOD.” It dawned on him how much he’d said that lately. He gave a quick “thank you” salute. He and Adler ran across a field of damp grass, heading for EOD.
Henley came running around the side of the building, stopping short when he saw the two men. “Did you find anything?” he asked anxiously.
Grant caught his breath and answered, “Not much. Look, we’ve gotta get out of these wetsuits. Meet you in your office in twenty.” Not waiting for a response, he headed to the barracks with Adler running alongside him.
Henley was sitting behind his desk, swiveling back and forth, puffing on a cigarette and drinking Coke. He swallowed the last mouthful, then threw the can in the trash. Looking at his watch, he reached for the phone to call his wife, when a knock at his door interrupted him. “Come!”
Grant came in ahead of Adler. “Did you get any word from RAF search and rescue, Jack?”
Henley smashed the cigarette in the ashtray. “No bodies had been spotted. They patrolled along the coast but still hadn’t seen any.”
Adler had posted himself next to the door, just waiting for Grant to say something, to come up with their next move. He watched silently as Grant paced back and forth. Finally, he decided to offer his own opinion. “I’m thinking those two got a ride back to the beach. You, too?”
Grant stopped and slapped him on the shoulder. “Two great minds, my friend!”
Then he turned to Henley. “Jack, what’s that brother-in-law of yours look like? Describe him.”
“About five eight, light brown hair, kinda long but not quite to his shoulders. It doesn’t look anything like it did when he was in the RAF. He’s got brown eyes. Part of his right eyebrow is missing from an accident when he was a kid, apparently. Wait a minute.” He reached into the middle drawer of his desk, pulling out a photograph. “Here’s a picture of him and Victoria. It’s not too recent, but he looks about the same.”
Grant examined the color photo, memorizing facial features. The two didn’t look much alike. Victoria had blue eyes, straight blond hair just to her shoulder, and was about five inches shorter than her brother. There was something about the look on her face. She was smiling, but it seemed like a forced smile.
He handed the photo to Adler before asking Henley, “Anybody check out his house or flat? I think you said he lived in St. Columb Major.”
“It’s a flat, and no, none of us have checked it.”
“And the last time you saw or talked with him?”
“The night you and I met at Sailor’s. I don’t know if Vicky’s called him, but they usually don’t talk every day.”
Grant sat on the corner of the desk. “Something else to put on the list,” he said under his breath. “Does he usually just take off?”
“Maybe just during this past year. Every once in awhile we wouldn’t hear from him for a couple of days at a time.”
“Any explanation from him?”
Henley shook his head. “He’s a grown man. None of our business, although we suspected he took off for some party-time away from here. And since it’s the weekend, I wouldn’t be surprised if he already left town.”
“With anybody in particular?”
“Don’t know.”
Grant’s eyes narrowed. “Seems you know very little about your own brother-in-law, Jack.”
Henley started to respond when he heard Becker from the outer office. “Commander!”
“Come on in, Chief.”
Becker poked his head in the doorway. “Sir, a call just came in from the Brit CID office downtown. They want Captain Stevens to pay them a visit… today, sir.”
Henley shot a glance at Grant before saying, “Okay, Chief. That’ll be all.”
“Yes, sir.” Becker closed the door.
Grant decided the situation was getting out of hand, especially when it came to Henley and his wife, because Colin Webb was a major suspect.
“Jack, I think Victoria needs to be protected. We’ve got to get her away from here.”
Henley looked at him. Part of him couldn’t believe what was happening, and the other part was angry as hell. “And where the fuck do you suggest she go, Grant? Where?!”
Grant didn’t hesitate. “We’ll put her on a chopper to Mildenhall and make sure she’s guarded twenty-four seven. Think she’ll be safe there, Jack?”
Henley could only stare at Grant. “Christ! Jesus Christ, Grant!” He slammed both fists on the desk. “How the hell did it come to this?! I know one thing. When this shit’s over, I’m resigning.”
“Knee-jerk reaction, Jack, and you know it.” He started to reach for the phone. “Look, I’m gonna need one of the vehicles.”
Henley swung his chair around toward the window, flicking a hand over his shoulder. “Sure. Anything you want.”
Grant stared at Henley’s back as he said to Adler, “Joe, check with Chief Becker. Have him get a vehicle ready for us.”
“Are we gonna need any gear?” Adler pointed with two fingers and a thumb up, meaning weapons.
Grant nodded. “And bring a couple of radios.” Adler left. “Jack, call your wife. Tell her you’ll be home late and for her to be ready to leave when you get there.”
Henley spun his chair around. “What the hell am I…?”
“Come up with any excuse that works, Jack… but she’s gonna be on that chopper to Mildenhall. I’ll contact the pilots. They should’ve gotten authorization by now.” He walked over to the door. “I’ll use the phone in the outer office. Call her now, Jack.”
As Grant closed the door behind him, Adler stepped closer. “Skipper, got a vehicle fueled and ‘froggy’ and the gear’s on board. Chief Becker and I coordinated the radio frequencies.”
“Thanks, Joe.” One short call and Grant got confirmation from the chopper pilots. They’d be ready for passengers.
He decided to put off the visit to Brit CID. Marine Lieutenant Colonel Donaldson was more important. Security for the nukes had to be stepped up.