His mind raced back to his debriefing at the base. The more he thought about it, the more it felt like an interrogation than a debriefing under the guise of an investigation. Wade continued to be perplexed. They did a good job of acting surprised by everything. Did Jarvis and Miller just want to find out what I knew? Was Jarvis trying to profile me during the debriefing? If so, for what purpose?
Wade kept the ever-growing list of questions to himself. He needed to find out if his friend, Louisiana detective Jake Pisano, knew this detective Gabe Morrison.
Chapter 11
Two days later, Wade was anxiously awaiting the return call from Pisano, so when the phone rang he rushed to grab it. But it wasn’t Pisano. It was Yari calling again.
“I’ve just learned more about the jurisdictional issue over who controls Lockhart’s body. The State contends he died on county property — outside of the base property. The base, on the other hand, contends Lockhart was on an undisclosed mission for the Army when he died, and therefore the body belongs to them.”
“Why is the location of the body so important?”
“It seems Gabe Morrison suspects foul play in Lockhart’s death. He wants to run further tests, including toxicology tests. If the Army gets the body, he believes evidence could disappear.”
“Really? Were you able to determine what kind of mission Lockhart was supposed to be on?”
“No. The Army’s position is that the mission was covert and irrelevant to his death. They’re insisting his death was pure and simple suicide, and they don’t want further tests run. Right now the body remains in the County’s possession, and there’s a scheduled court hearing in a couple of days.”
“You’re looking at all the communication. What do you think is going on?”
“It’s all too convenient for the Army if they get control of the body. They don’t want any tests run. Morrison thinks Lockhart may have been drugged before he died. If the body goes back to the Army, they control how the whole story comes out. There’s also another part of this that I’m still chasing.”
“What’s that?”
“The CID’s undercover agent involved goes by the name of David Mashburn. Apparently he was undercover on their team the whole time we were there. The records show he was shipped out right after training ended — on assignment to an undisclosed foreign county to do top secret covert work. They’re not at liberty to discuss his whereabouts because his mission is classified. How’s that for coincidence?”
“Very convenient.”
Both men paused to think about the new information, especially the perfect timing of David Mashburn’s disappearance.
“Good work on Mashburn. See what else you can find out about him and where he is.”
“I’m digging, partner. Will let you know as soon as I get something new.”
Within seconds of hanging up from Yari’s call, the phone rang again. This time it was Jake Pisano returning Wade’s call, asking if he knew anyone by the name of Gabriel Morrison.
Pisano replied with certainty. “In your message you asked if I know Gabe Morrison. Of course I know Gabe. Everyone in southern law enforcement knows Gabe. I worked with him on the Coletta investigation. He was one of my key liaisons with the FBI for Coletta’s operation in Atlanta. He’s very good. He knows his stuff, but he’s old school. Why do you want to know?”
“It’s a long story. I’m going to be in New Orleans to see my father. Can we meet to discuss this? I may need your help.”
“Sure. When would you like to meet?”
After discussing alternative dates, they settled on 2:00 p.m. on Thursday at the Old Grille. Same table, nothing changed.
Wade found out from his father that he’d loaned out the camp to their cousins for the month, so the swamp spirit would have someone else to entertain. He hoped the spirit didn’t mind his absence on this trip. Wade was also off the hook for repairs; his cousins would take care of those chores.
As Wade sat waiting, he mused that The Old Grille looked the same. It wasn’t long before Jake arrived, and they got right to the point, foregoing small talk.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been four years since you were on submarine duty.”
“I really lucked out that the Agency position came in just before they were going to ship us out. My unit got activated three months after I left.”
“So what brings you in contact with Gabe Morrison?”
“I don’t really know Morrison, but here’s how he’s involved.”
Wade began to tell Jake the details of the Lockhart story and what had happened at Fort Benning.
“That’s serious stuff. You may not be implicated directly, but I would recommend that you certainly tell your side of the story to Gabe. If I were handling that case, I would want to know how your story fits in. Gabe’s a straight shooter, so you can trust him.”
“That’s pretty much how I see it. I don’t have anything to hide, except that I may be under some obligation not to reveal information that either the Army or my Agency considers classified.”
“If you want, I can give Gabe a call and set up an introduction for you.”
“That would be great. I think I’d like to meet him in person. I want to keep everything with him confidential. Right now, I don’t know who to trust at Fort Benning — or in the Agency, for that matter.”
“Stay alert to what your instincts are telling you. I believe Gabe will honor your confidentiality request. I’ll give him a heads-up.”
The New Orleans house where Wade grew up had been sold after his mother died, and his father was now getting ready to move into a condo. Wade helped his father put together a list of household items and decide what had to go before he moved.
They spoke at dinner that evening. The shrimp and crabmeat remoulade followed by stuffed flounder and a bananas Foster dessert at Monroe’s capped off a wonderful visit. He drove back to Alabama the next day, carefully checking the rear view mirror out of habit.
A message from Jake was waiting on the answering machine when he arrived home. It was already pretty late in the evening, so Wade decided to return the call the next morning.
“Hi, Jake, it’s Wade. I’m returning your call from last evening. I assume it’s about Gabe Morrison.”
“I spoke with Gabe. He would very much like to speak with you. I gave him a little background but told him it would be best coming from you. Gabe asked about you, and I told him you could be relied upon. He was fine with keeping everything confidential.”
“Thanks for the referral. I’ll give Gabe a call.”
“Keep me posted on how things turn out.”
“I sure will.”
Wade couldn’t get the Lockhart matter off his mind. The next day he placed a call to Yari for an update on the results of the Lockhart hearing.
“I read the pleadings and the judge’s order. The Army’s attorney argued that Fort Benning should have jurisdiction because they claimed Lockhart was still on a classified mission under government supervision, and therefore Lockhart’s body was still under Army jurisdiction. They also argued that there was no urgency for an autopsy since suicide was the most probable cause of death. They claim Lockhart had serious psychological problems, of the sort which often resulted in suicide.”