CHAPTER
33
THE NEXT MORNING they descended into an overcast D.C. and landed a few minutes early. Before they’d left Puller had taken AWOL to Fort Leavenworth and left the cat in the care of a vet who maintained a kennel there. Puller had arranged for an Army car to be waiting for him at the airport in D.C. They loaded their bags into it and drove off from the airport.
“Two witnesses,” Puller said.
“Two witnesses,” Knox repeated.
“You got anything?” he asked.
“I checked into the INSCOM database on the drive to the airport. Susan Reynolds has worked at Fort Belvoir for about four months. At the time your brother was arrested she worked at STRATCOM in Kansas City.”
“Where she worked with my brother, or at least knew him by sight,” commented Puller.
Knox pulled a notebook from her bag and flipped through the pages. “Shireen Kirk said that Reynolds testified that your brother copied something from a computer onto a DVD.”
“I guess that’s a no-no at STRATCOM.”
“It’s a no-no in most secure facilities. But Reynolds said she saw your brother do it, and then he pocketed the DVD and left the facility with it.”
“I wonder if they ever determined what files he accessed and downloaded? Or allegedly did?” added Puller.
“I suppose they would have had to check that if they introduced it into evidence against him at the court-martial.”
“And I wonder what happened to the DVD? If it ever existed?”
“It really would be helpful to get a transcript of the court-martial proceedings,” said Knox.
“Shireen said it would take a court order. And it would have to trump national security, which was the reason the file was sealed in the first place.”
“Well, your brother has escaped from prison. So if we accept the prevailing argument that he is in fact guilty, then his being on the loose with all the secrets he has in his head constitutes a national security problem. We could argue that if we are going to help catch him, we need to know about the crimes he was convicted of. In detail. For instance, this Iranian agent that he allegedly met with. If we can get a lead on him, it might bring us to your brother.”
“He’s not guilty, Knox!”
“I understand that. But the point is we need a way to get the files, Puller. And if we have to play the national security angle, well, hell, let’s play it.”
Puller flashed her an admiring look. “That’s pretty clever, actually. How can they argue against that, right? They need to give us whatever they have, to allow us to apprehend him before he hurts this country.”
“Maybe Kirk can file a motion?”
“No, that would take too long. We need a shortcut.”
“How?”
Puller pulled out his phone. The man answered on the second ring. James Schindler from the National Security Council said, “Hello?”
“Mr. Schindler, John Puller. I need your help, sir. And I really need it right now.”