“More, I think,” Thorpe said, “but almost anyone in America will tell you the ones responsible for this are the people we’re hammering with drone attacks. So I guess DOD’s idea is that Beatty is allied with our enemies.”
Neither Venuti nor I touched that, and Thorpe asked me, “What do you know about Jeremy Beatty’s discharge?”
“Only what my brother-in-law and Beatty have told me, and they had differing accounts. Jim said Beatty developed what’s called ‘kill inhibition,’ which is not the same as PTSD. But he exhibited symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, so they went with that on the discharge.”
“After that many kills, Beatty developed kill inhibition?”
“Drone pilots get familiar with their targets, and the air force has learned the collateral kills work on them. It builds up. With Beatty they tried for a year to bring him around before medically discharging him. Think of what they had invested in him. You can bet they didn’t give up on him easily.” After a beat I added, “The air force has an ongoing retention problem with drone pilots.”
I paused and when no one said anything, I continued.
“A few times in the past two years Jeremy has alluded to an air strike that put him over the top. But last night was the first time I heard he was part of the Hakim Salter strike. Do you remember the controversy around that one?”
Thorpe nodded.
“Beatty also told me they were all under orders not to talk about Salter. My brother-in-law, Jim, confirmed that. I called him as I left Beatty’s trailer. A therapist Beatty met in a bar somewhere has convinced him to do otherwise. I don’t know whom all he’s told, but he’s talking. He wants the air force to apologize to Salter’s family.”
“Good luck with that,” Thorpe said and stared hard at me. I knew the look. I knew what was coming.
“For a couple of years, he alludes to a drone strike that put him over the top but doesn’t give you a name until last night. And that doesn’t raise red flags after the bombing?”
“I can’t make the jump DOD did.”
Thorpe turned to Venuti. “Can you get me a copy of those transcripts?”
“Sure.”
“I mean now.”
“I’ll have to go to my office.”
“We’ll still be here.”
As Venuti left, Thorpe said, “We’ve got a little bit of a situation with you, and this is my proposal to your supervisor. You’ll still report to Dan, of course, but if you’re up to it, I don’t want to lose your skills in this investigation. No one would fault you if you’re not able right now.”
“I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
“You’ll have full autonomy to choose where you put your investigative energies, as long as they’re within an area a terrorist sleeper cell or a homegrown bomber would work from.”
“Terrorist sleeper cell.”
“Washington is waiting to see if anyone claims it.”
So was everyone else. I nodded and asked, “I can follow a lead wherever it goes?”
“I want you to pick up the orphan leads and focus on the bomb material, and as you said, the bomb maker.”
“Dan won’t go for autonomy.”
“Well, you know what I mean by autonomy, and you know how to make it work your way better than anyone around here. I don’t see you chasing what the task force is swarming over. Play to your strengths. No one in this office is better on the street, but as you know, your supervisor doesn’t like street agents. You’ll need timely results.”
“Have you talked to Dan about this?”
“He’s against it, but he’ll do it. He’s actually worried about you. He said you were very close with your sister, and Captain Kern was your best friend.”
“That’s all true.”
Thorpe studied me before continuing. “If Beatty is as innocent as the baby Jesus, it still won’t matter to some of the officers on the task force. They’re going to hold you at a distance just to be safe. You and I know that. But I want you to do what you’re good at, so we’re going to try this.”
“I get to choose my leads, and I’ll have support.”
“As long as they’re of the character we just talked about.”
“What about the JTTF?”
“You’ll have full access to the Joint Terrorism Task Force and every file in the fusion center. You’re not getting shut out in any way at all. I don’t mean to say that. I think a mistake was made last night not leaving you out there. We need you.”
“I’ll need someone in the office working with me who can write FISA requests and—”
“Work out who writes the requests for surveillance against foreign spies with your supervisor. This starts now but before you go, tell me what you think Beatty’s root problem with the air force is, and I know what you just said, but put it in one sentence. I’ve got a meeting coming up and he’s on the list of subjects.”
“Beatty believes he was ordered to do something that was morally wrong and compromised the values of the US Air Force, and as a consequence compromised him. He’s still angry over it.”
I reached across Thorpe’s desk and tapped the photo of Beatty being circulated.
“Take a look at his haircut. He’d still be an air force pilot if he could be.”