Lieutenant Jay Anthony, already extremely fatigued from the trip to and from Tokyo, sat in a jeep with three other men, all of them eager to end this so-called adventure of theirs. Another jeep was behind him with room to spare for the three prisoners they were about to pick up themselves. One person was in for murder and the other two had charges including hiding and tampering with evidence, accomplices in murder, etc. The list was long from General Pyle, who had kept everyone busy for so long. And Anthony, for once, was going to be happy when the investigations into Major Leon Floyd were over.
Anthony was just mere minutes from the 4077th M*A*S*H. Immediately receiving orders to drop off the camp members from the 4077th that were in Tokyo, General Pyle then literally pushed him into a jeep and sent him to arrest Major Floyd and his two men. The fact that stronger men than he were with him did not make the lieutenant any less apprehensive. Indeed, he was more worried about the so-called criminals at the 4077th. He had no idea what Floyd was capable of, but murder was on top of that list.
Of that, Anthony was sure of.
His driver, Private Henry Weston, leaned forward in his seat, pushing the jeep as fast as he could to the camp at forty miles an hour. He too was anxious for this to be over. The last to be recruited for the investigation into Major Floyd about a year ago, Weston soon grew bored with the great intrigue and mysteries of the man. He, as well as the rest of the crew, wanted to get on with their lives and move on with their careers.
When Weston heard something about less than a mile away, he almost stopped the jeep, but instead turned his inquiry into a question for Anthony. "Sir, what was that?"
"What was what, Weston?" Anthony had no patience for guessing games at this time.
"I heard something that sounded like a shot, Sir. Like a gunshot."
Anthony's blood turned cold, scared of what the possibilities were, even if they were about three miles from the front lines. He too heard it again and knew that it was a gunshot.
"Can you speed this thing up a little?" Anthony then asked Weston, worried about what the gunshot might really mean.
"No, Sir," Weston replied, also just as nervous as his superior. "The radiator will blow if I try. I'm already going as fast as this thing will let me."
Anthony then sighed, realizing how useless he felt. Falling back into his seat, he realized that he was only five minutes away from the camp. Already, he could see the "Best Care Anywhere" sign from a distance, but heard a third gunshot coming from the same direction. He shuddered, hoping that this did not turn out to be another massacre of any sort. There had been enough in the war already, he thought, as he directed Weston to take a slight turn towards Rosie's Bar.
One more minute…one more minute and we're going to see what's going on.
Anthony, though, was not prepared for what he was about to see.
~00~
Margaret heard the shot immediately behind her and ducked to cover her head as best as she could with what she had, sliding right into the door to the office. She hit her head against the door, but had grabbed someone's attention in the office and was immediately dragged right in. However, when she realized that the shots were not meant for her, she dared herself to look up as her savior (Colonel Potter) held her closely and see what had transpired.
As she and Colonel Potter watched though the window (the latter with his service pistol in one hand, ready for defense), Wellington had stood over where Major Floyd had been. Holding a smoking gun in his hands as he looked down at Floyd, he shot again at his head, sprouting another bloody hole where he had put the first one. A third shot to the head ended it all, once and for all, and Colonel Potter groaned to see it.
The camp, who had been gathering around Floyd as he tried to shoot Margaret, had backed away slowly and then scattered as Wellington looked around and then headed in another direction, disappearing altogether. They all knew that gunmen could turn on anyone else in an instant after raging for another. Their survival instinct carried them into tents and buildings to defend themselves or to hide.
After Margaret was dragged in by Colonel Potter, Gaines suddenly appeared into the office with Father Mulcahy, almost getting himself shot when he scared Colonel Potter. The latter was still in handcuffs, but Gaines, huffing and trying to catch his breath, held up a key as the door was shut and locked.
Unlocking the handcuffs off of Margaret and Father Mulcahy as fast as he could, Gaines said to Colonel Potter, "They should be here soon. I don't know where they are, but they should be here soon."
Colonel Potter, still on lockdown mode and quite nervous (almost shooting his own made it worse), stood guard at the door and continuously watched the window. He then motioned that Gaines move aside and that he stand in front of everyone else, not saying a word. Something had happened out there and Gaines could not tell if it was good or not.
"Sir, you don't –" Gaines started before Colonel Potter interrupted him with unlocking and then opening and closing the door quickly, allowing four men to come in.
"Where are they?" someone asked, obviously the person in charge. When Gaines looked again, he saw that it was Anthony, soon introducing himself and his men quickly to everyone else.
Gaines was not on good terms with Anthony. Both had been at odds since Gaines was recruited to General Pyle's investigation into Major Floyd about three years previously, just before the war in Korea broke out. Gaines did not know Anthony's problems with him, but figured that, because of his age and closeness to the general himself, he was a target. Now, with war almost behind them and an investigation almost finished, both eyed each other with suspicion and then apathy. None were eager to get into another argument at the moment, but more concerned about the safety of the camp.
"It appears that Major Floyd is dead," Margaret stated plainly from behind Gaines.
"Who are the others you talking about, Lieutenant?" Colonel Potter immediately asked Anthony. "We've got nobody else you want unless you want to get our friendly sniper out there for us."
"Is that who's out there dead?" a private asked, introduced as Weston.
"Ready for Grave Registry," Colonel Potter confirmed without compassion. He had no love lost for Major Floyd.
"Listen, Colonel, we have no time," Anthony quickly stated when he realized the gravity of the situation now. "We need to capture and arrest three men. Since one of them is dead, I agree, we will have Grave Registry pick him up. And he was one that we were eager to nail too."
"Wh-what are you talking about?" Margaret almost stuttered, not quite understand who else was involved.
"We've been tracking Major Leon Floyd for years, Major," Anthony explained, as if he was in a hurry. "We knew that his father was convicted of treason and the family name changed, but some criminal activity was suspected to be done by him and some friends of his. Now, we're also looking for Corporal Taylor Wright and Sergeant O'Neill Wellington. Are they in the camp?"
"The shooter seems to have been Wellington," Colonel Potter replied, pointing outside with his service pistol to where Floyd's body was laying. "I can't tell from here. Wright, I don't know where he is."
"I was supposed to be ordered to get the rest of the accused with Wright," Gaines revealed. "I don't know where he could be. I didn't search for him. Pyle and I went in opposite directions when Floyd left with Major Houlihan here. I was more concerned about Father Mulcahy."
"Where could Sergeant Pyle be?" Anthony asked Gaines urgently.
"He could be in the kitchen with the cook as ordered, but I don't know," Gaines replied. "You're gonna have to look."
Anthony regarded Gaines carefully before deciding that he was telling the truth. Distrustful as he was of Pyle's friend, he still trusted his word over that of Major Floyd, who all of them were pretending to work under for so long now, but were looking into. He nodded his head, satisfied, and motioned to Weston and the others to go out into the camp and gather the conspirators in the murder of Nurse Winifred Curtis, the disappearance of Sergeant Aaron Church and other charges. Anthony added that Wellington was now going to be charged in Major Floyd's murder. Why it was committed in plain sight, they could find out later.
To Gaines, Anthony only said before leaving with his men, "You stand as the protector here and guard them with your life. When I get back, I want you and Pyle, when we find him, to come back with us to Seoul."
"Why, Sir?" Gaines asked, confused.
"To be a witness to this shameful mess," Anthony only replied before going out with his men.