"Alfredo. Sergeant Markham's body. What's going to happen to it?"
"When my people have finished doing their work at the Sante Fe Circle, it will be taken to the German Hospital for an autopsy."
"Is an autopsy necessary? We know what killed him. 'At least one gunshot wound to the cranium, causing severe trauma to the brain.' "
"We will need the bullets in his body as evidence when we catch the villains and bring them to trial," Munz said, matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, right," Castillo said, and put his finger back on the autodial key that would connect him with Ambassador Silvio. "Is that about it, Charley?" Silvio asked. "I'll go to San Isidro and ask Mrs. Masterson what she wants to do about the ceremony tomorrow and call you and let you know."
"One more thing, sir. I would-"
"Let me interrupt," Silvio said. "Forgive me. How do you want to handle telling Washington? Would you like to do that yourself? I'll have to call the State Department, obviously. Would you like to meet me at the embassy after I speak with Mrs. Masterson?"
"I'm going to call Washington as soon as I can, reporting what happened…"
"From the embassy?"
"On this phone."
"Not on a secure line?"
"If they want me on a secure line, I'll tell them I'll go to the embassy as soon as I can. Which will be after I learn Betty Schneider's condition."
"I understand how you feel," Silvio said. "But I really think they're going to want you on a secure line as soon as possible."
"And as soon as possible, I'll get on a secure line," Castillo said simply.
There was a perceptible hesitation before Silvio went on: "You said there was one more thing?"
"Two, now that I think about it. I would be personallygrateful if you could send one or more Marines right now to the Sante Fe Circle to be with, and stay with, Sergeant Markham's body. If it's gone when they get there, tell them to go to the German Hospital. The Marines take pride in never leaving anybody behind, and Roger was one hell of a Marine."
"I'll take care of that right away," Silvio said.
"And get a casket and a flag to the German Hospital. Roger will be on the Globemaster when it goes wheels-up tomorrow."
"I'll see that that's done."
"Thank you, sir."
"Let me know about Miss Schneider's condition as soon as you learn anything, will you, please?"
"Yes, sir. I will."
"We'll be talking, Charley."
"Yes, sir."
Castillo pressed the END key and then punched in a long series of numbers from memory. "Department of Homeland Security. How may I direct your call?"
"Five, please." "Secretary Hall's office. Mrs. Kensington."
"This is Charley, Mrs. K."
"Well, how are you?"
"Lousy. Is the boss there?"
"You just missed him, Charley."
"Good, I really didn't want to talk to him."
"Excuse me?"
"What about Dick Miller?"
"He's here. What's going on, Charley?"
"Get him on, please. Listen in. If you can, record it, so that you can play it back for the boss."
"Give me thirty seconds," Mrs. Kensington said.
Twenty-one seconds later Mrs. Kensington announced, "This telecon at five-ten P.M. Washington time July twenty-four, 2005, between C. G. Castillo, H. R. Miller, and Mary-Ellen Kensington, all of the Office of the Secretary of Homeland Security, is being recorded with the permission and knowledge of all parties thereto."
Major H. Richard Miller, Jr., came on the line. "What's going on, Charley?"
"You remember telling me not to do anything stupid with Betty Schneider?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Well, I exceeded your expectations. I'm in a SIDE car on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, on my way to the German Hospital, to which Betty was medevaced suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the head and body."
"Jesus H. Christ!" Major Miller said.
"Oh, my God!" Mrs. Kensington exclaimed.
"What the hell happened?" Miller asked.
"To spare Special Agent Schneider any possible embarrassment that might ensue from the hotshot in overall charge of this operation picking her up at work himself- people might get the idea she was emotionally involved with her boss, and we couldn't have that-her boss had himself dropped off at a bar, and sent his car and driver to pick up said Special Agent Schneider.
"As Sergeant Roger Markham, USMC, was navigating the Sante Fe traffic circle in San Isidro en route to the bar, where the hotshot in overall charge of this operation was sipping wine, the car was bushwhacked by parties unknown. The bastards managed to get a Madsen through Roger's window, and damned near emptied the magazine.
"Roger took several hits in the head, which just about exploded it, and the projectiles from the Madsen ricocheted off the bulletproof glass inside the car. At least three of them wound up in Betty."
"Jesus H. Christ!" Miller said.
"You already said that, Dick," Castillo said. "Now, while Mrs. K. is reporting this to the boss-tell him, please, Mrs. K., that Ambassador Silvio is going to get on a secure line to report this just as soon as he tells Mrs. Masterson about this, and sees what she wants to do about the medal ceremony tomorrow, and that I will do the same as soon as I can, which means after I find out about Betty."
"Of course," Mrs. Kensington said. "Oh, Charley, I'm so sorry-"
"You, Dick," Castillo interrupted her, "get on the horn to the police commissioner in Philadelphia. What's his name?"
"Kellogg," Miller furnished.
"Better yet, what was the name of the counterterrorismguy, the one that had been in the Tenth Special Forces Group? Fritz something?"
"Chief Inspector F. W. 'Fritz' Kramer," Miller furnished, softly.
"That's the guy. Call him. Give him a heads-up. Tell him you don't know much more than she has been hurt- don't tell him she was shot, just hurt-and that we're going to send her to Philadelphia just as soon as possible. Ask him to make the call whether to tell her family or not. Tell him as soon as you know more, you'll pass it on."
"Got it."
"And then get with Joel Isaacson and ask him what to do about Roger Markham…"
"He's the Marine driver who bought the farm?" Miller interrupted.
"Yeah. The ambassador's going to call the State Department, but I don't know what they'll do about notifying the Marine Corps, or the next of kin, and I don't want that fucked up… sorry, Mrs. K."
"I'll handle that, Charley," Mrs. Mary-Ellen Kensington said. "What about you? Are you all right? Safe?"
"I'm sitting next to the guy who runs SIDE. In Argentina, it don't get no safer than that."
"You will call when you know something about Betty?" Mrs. Kensington asked.
"I will. Now I have to break off. We're nearly at the hospital."
"Watch your back, buddy," Major H. Richard Miller said.
Castillo pushed the END key, slipped the telephone in his pocket, and looked at Munz.
"May I suggest, Karl, that before we enter the hospital, it might be a good idea to take the round out of the chamber of your pistol?"
"Jesus Christ, I forgot about that! How did you know?"
"I saw the pistol at Sante Fe Circle," Munz said.
When I looked in the window of the BMW.
Castillo took the Beretta from the small of his back, removed the magazine, ejected the round from its chamber, put the round in the magazine, and then put the magazine back in the pistol. [TWO] The German Hospital Avenida Pueyrredon Buenos Aires, Argentina 1920 24 July 2005 Castillo got to the intensive care unit of the hospital just as Special Agent Schneider was being wheeled on a gurney out of one of the glass-walled treatment units. There were so many hospital personnel around the gurney that Castillo had trouble getting a good look.
One of the medical people was pushing what looked like a clothes tree on wheels. There were three plastic bags hanging from it, with clear plastic tubing leading from them to under the blue sheets. One of the bags contained human blood.
Charley could only guess what the other two bags held.