"So that means two things, baby. First, there will be two more for supper tonight. And Hor-hay's parents are coming in tomorrow.
"Yes, really. Young Castillo called them just now. Can you do a really nice lunch for them? And dinner, too?
"No, I thought they'd be more comfortable in the VIP house.
"We'll be there shortly.
"Is Randy there?"
General Wilson looked at Miller and asked, "What's your class?"
"Ninety, sir," Miller said.
General Wilson said into the receiver, "Tell Randy he'll have another classmate there tonight. Lieutenant H. Richard Miller, Jr.
"Yeah. His son.
"That's about it, sweetheart. We'll be over there shortly."
He put the receiver in its base and pointed to the telephone.
"Your turn, Tom," he ordered. "First, call protocol and reserve one of the VIP houses for a Mr. and Mrs. Castillo for tomorrow night and the next night. If there's someone already in there, have them moved, and then call Cairns and clear Mr. Castillo's airplane to land there tomorrow."
"Yes, sir," Captain Prentiss said.
"While he's doing that," General Wilson said, "may I help myself to another little taste?"
"Yes, sir, of course," Miller said.
Castillo thought: He's getting plastered. Does he have a problem with the sauce?
"Tonight," General Wilson said, "my daughter's broiling steaks for her fiance, Randy-Randolph-Richardson, and some other of his-your-classmates. I presume you know him?"
"Yes, sir, I know Lieutenant Richardson," Miller said.
"Righteous Randolph," Castillo said, and shook his head.
"I somehow suspect that my announcement that you're about to get together with some of your classmates is not being met with the smiles of pleasure I anticipated."
"Sir, with all respect," Castillo said carefully, "I don't think our having supper with Lieutenant Richardson is a very good idea. Could we pass, with thanks, sir?"
"I've already told my wife you're coming."
"Yes, sir, I understand," Castillo said. "Nevertheless, sir, I think it would be best if we did that some other time."
General Wilson stared at Castillo for a long moment. There was no longer a question in Castillo's mind that the general was feeling the drinks.
"Okay," Wilson said, "what happened between you?"
Neither Castillo nor Miller replied.
"That question is in the nature of an order, gentlemen," General Wilson said, and now there was a cold tone in his voice.
"A book fell off a shelf, sir," Miller said. "Striking Cadet First Sergeant Richardson on the face. He alleged that his broken nose had actually been caused by Cadet Private Castillo having punched him. An inquiry was held. I was called as a witness and confirmed Cadet Private Castillo's version. Richardson then brought us before a Court of Honor."
"For violating the honor code? 'A cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those who do'?"
"Yes, sir."
"And?"
"We were acquitted, sir."
"As a purely hypothetical question," Wilson said, "why would a cadet private take a punch at a cadet first sergeant?"
Neither replied.
"Your turn, Castillo," General Wilson said.
"Sir, in the hypothetical situation the general describes, I could imagine that a cadet private might lose his temper upon learning that a cadet first sergeant had gone to his tactical officer and reported his suspicions that a cadet lieutenant had arranged for a car to pick him up at the Hotel Thayer with the intention of going to New York for the weekend."
"Had the cadet lieutenant done so?"
"Yes, sir."
"Who was he? A friend?"
"Me, sir. When my tac officer called me on it, I admitted it, and he had no choice but to bust me, sir."
"For just sneaking into the city on a weekend? I did that routinely."
"I was on academic restriction at the time, sir," Castillo said.
"Oh, God, you are your father's son," General Wilson said.
"Sir?"
"We had a captain who had the unpleasant habit of grabbing the nearest soldier and having him clean his bird. I'm not talking about shining it up for an IG inspection. I'm talking about getting rid of the vomit and blood and excreta with which they were too often fouled. Your father told the captain that the next time he grabbed our crew chief to do his dirty work, he was going to shove him headfirst into a honey bucket. You know what a honey bucket is, presumably?"
"Yes, sir."
"The captain did, and your father did, and the captain had him brought up on charges of assault upon a senior officer. The company commander-a wise, senior major-just about told your father that if he would take an Article 15, he could expect no worse punishment than being restricted to the company area for two weeks. That was meaningless, actually, as we were in the boonies, and there was nowhere to go.
"Your father demanded trial by court-martial. And he exercised his right to defense counsel of his choice. Me. He could not be dissuaded from that, either. He told me when they put his accuser on the stand, I was to get into great detail about his shoving the captain's head in the honey bucket.
"I was convinced your father was going to go to the Long Bihn stockade. But-your dad was one of those natural leaders who are able to get people to do whatever they are asked to do, even if it sounds insane-I did what he asked."
He stopped when Miller handed him his fresh drink.
"I'm not at all sure I need this," General Wilson said. "But thank you."
And then he laughed.
"Well, as I said," he went on, smiling, "I did my best to carry out my client's instructions. I asked the captain over and over about the details of the assault upon him. Finally, the president of the court had enough. 'Wind it up, Lieutenant, you've been over and over this. One more question.' So I said, 'Yes, sir.' And I tried to think of a good final question. I came up with a doozy. Not on purpose. It just came out of my mouth. 'Captain,' I said, 'please tell the court what you found in the honey bucket when you allege Mr. Castillo shoved your head in it.'"
"Jesus Christ!" Miller said, and laughed delightedly.
"That caused some coughing on the part of the members of the court," General Wilson went on. "Then the captain replied, very angrily, 'Shit is what I found in the honey bucket. I damned near drowned in it.' "Well, the court broke up, literally became hysterical. The president banged his gavel and fled the room. The other members followed him. The trial was held in a Quonset hut, and we could hear them laughing in the other end of the building for a long time.
"Finally, they came back in. I announced that the defense rested. The lieutenant prosecuting gave his closing argument, which was of course devastating, and I gave mine, which was ludicrous. Then the court retired. They were out thirty minutes, and then they came back and found your father not guilty of all charges and specifications."
"That's a great story," Castillo said, smiling.
"Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to savor his victory. Two weeks later, he was dead."
General Wilson took a sip of his scotch, then went on: "I had a purpose in telling that story. For one thing, it has been my experience that there is more justice in the Army than people are usually willing to recognize. We are supposed to be judged by our peers. In the Army, we really are. Soldiers who understand soldiering judge their fellow soldiers. They almost always return verdicts that are just, even if they sort of stray from legal niceties. I would suggest that court of honor which found you two not guilty and the court which found Charley's father not guilty based their decision on the circumstances rather than on the cold facts.
"I suspect your fellow cadets liked Cadet Lieutenant Castillo and thought Randy had gotten what he deserved from him. And I suspect that the officers on the court liked your father, admired his sticking up for our crew chief, and that the captain got what he deserved, too, and that it would serve neither justice nor good order and discipline to make things any worse than they were.