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Part V : Ancient history

It was almost 1:00 pm when John came back from his interview of Carol Johnson's ex-future employers. He first checked the command center but found nobody there. He went up to Bailey's office. Grace, George and Bailey were in. They had ordered chinese food and where having a quick lunch while still working. George had taken his computer with him and was completing his inquiry on the Johnson family. Grace was typing her autopsy report and Bailey was sitting at his desk, reading a bulky file.

Nobody raised his head when they heard John come in. But Bailey asked :

" How was your morning ?
- Nothing exciting." John answered. "I met Marvin Coopers - Clay Brandston is out of town.
- Since when ?
- He left last Saturday for Toronto. He'll come back next week.
- Did he tell you anything interesting ?
- Not really. He actually met Carol only three times.
- George, you take notes." Bailey interrupted.

George nodded without a word. John took a box of rice from the table and went on :

" They started their practice three years ago. Their business is getting well and they needed another lawyer. So, they got the main law universities listing and selected a few possible candidates. Carol Johnson was one of them. They had a few interviews and finally focussed on Carol. I guess Sam would say she had the right profile : good results, but not in the top 20 of her class, native of Atlanta, a well balanced young woman, ambitious and motivated ...

- When was the last time they saw her ?" George asked.
" Six days ago. She came to office to sign her contract. Their assistant, Michelle Brown, called her two days ago 'cause she needed additional information for her administrative files. She did not note anything particular. She sounded very happy to start working.
- Thanks John." Bailey said.
" Anything new from your side ?" John asked.

Grace and George updated him with their findings of the morning. It lasted less than ten minutes.

" How is Sam doing ?". No answer came to John's question. After a few seconds, the three VCTF agents' eyes converged at their boss. Bailey was still looking at the file in front of him, but his face was livid.
" Bail ?" Grace asked but got no answer. The three of them stood up at the same time. The noise finally took Bailey out from his torpor. He looked at them, puzzled.
" What ?" he asked. "What did you say, John ?
- Bailey, what's on ?" Grace asked. Bailey looked at them a few seconds, then started :

" I think I've got it ... the link." The three agents were staring at him, waiting. " March 1970, in VietNam. I ... This has to stay between us. I can't give you much detail, but I was part of a special unit. We were sent behind the lines to sabotage the enemy's infrastructure, or what was left of it : trains, vehicles, weapons and ammunition warehouses ... this kind of stuff." Bailey stood up and helped himself a coffee. " One night, I was supposed to blow up a boathouse the VC used to store riffles and pieces of artillery. These kinds of missions were never well prepared, because we never knew what conditions we would find. We were mostly improvising. We were two that night. The other guy was eighteen. It was his first mission on the field."

Bailey stopped for a moment and sipped his coffee. Then he went back and sat on his desk.

" His name was Michael. I never knew his last name. He messed up with the timer. The explosives blew up twenty minutes too soon. We had not left yet. Michael was killed outright. I had shrapnel wounds all over. I managed escaping the scene, but I did not go very far. I had been lying in the jungle for a few hours, preparing to die, when a trooper found me. I was covered with blood and I couldn't walk. He carried me out of this inferno. He was talking to me all the time.".

" That explains the scars ..." Grace said. Bailey nodded.

" His name was Chuck. When I started to recover at the hospital, I asked about the man who had brought me there. The nurses told me they had found me at the entrance, unconscious, but that they had not seen anybody else. I tried to find him when I got out. The closest I got was with an infantry lieutenant, who seemed to know about my story. He told me Chuck was gone without the permission of the army, and that if I really cared for him, I should stop my investigation. Which I did."
" All that happened in Na Trang ... about thirty years ago. Carol Johnson's father, Charles Johnson, was in Na Trang in March 1970, in the infantry, 31st division. He was reported missing during three months, between March 14th and June 1970. He was in the 17th company. The officer in command of this company was Lieutenant James Bourner, the man I talked to after I got out of the hospital. Johnson was the only guy named Charles or Chuck in this company."

Everybody kept silent for a while. " Of course, it's not 100% stuff but ..." Bailey added. He gave a look at each of his colleague and understood none of them believed in coincidences. John was the first one to talk :

" Who knew about this story ?" he asked.
" Nobody. All this is classified. We were not authorized to talk to our families or friends about what we were doing.
- Johnson knew. Bourner knew." Grace said.
" Johnson died two years ago." George answered. "What about people at the hospital, the doctors, the nurses, ...
- They never knew my name." Bailey paused, then explained : " We were not part of a regular unit of the army. Our identities were protected. We were carrying false ids, in case we would be caught or injured ... or killed. I was registered in the hospital as Tom Meroni, Lieutenant, US Marine Corps. That's also the Id I gave to Bourner.

- What about your own unit men ?" John asked.
" We were franc-tireurs, working alone most of the time. We sometimes had a partner, but the only information we could give or get was the first name. We could not talk about our lives, our families, the places we came from, ...
- So no one knew you in your own group ?" George asked, incredulous.
" We were young, George. We were patriots, that's why they chose us. We thought we were serving our countries. We obeyed the orders, whatever they were ... and whatever the cost was."

" So, that leaves us with Bourner, but even him didn't know your name." Grace said.
" George, could you trace him ?" Bailey asked.
" Sure.
- What about your boss ?" John asked. " The guy who gave you your orders ?
- Like after each mission, I had a debriefing with him. But he is above suspicion."

Everyone could see Bailey was not at ease. He hated concealing things to his colleagues, but he had no choice.

" I cannot give you his name. But I will try to contact him." He just said. No one asked further.
" James David Bourner. I've got him !" George said. " He stayed with the army after the Viet Nam. He retired in 1989. His last known address is ... the Veteran's military hospital of Carrollton, Texas.
- What for ?" John asked.
" Multiple trauma. He was brought there two months ago. There are not much details, but I could try to get more."

Bailey stood up.

" Grace, could you call them and try to find out ?" he said. "John, I guess we're going to Texas. George, please call the pilot and tell him to join us at the airport."
The two agents left the room.



To be continued ... R&R, Thanks.
Absolut.