“Yes, sir. Roger, wilco. And we’ll sweep the camp. No activity at the gates, so he can’t have gone far. Over.”
“Thank you, Sergeant. Over and out.”
Taylor looked out the window. “Why the hell would he do that?”
“Fear,” said Brodie. “Or guilt.”
“Bucky didn’t shoot him. Why? Was it something about Bucky, or something about Greer?”
“No clue. So let’s get one.” He walked to the door.
“Where?”
“Bucky’s scrap metal and Greer’s AWOL. That leaves Miller.”
CHAPTER 31
CAMP HAYDEN’S BRIG, AN ACTIVEcrime scene only hours ago, appeared to be back to regular operation. The MP team could not afford the manpower to station someone at the front door, which was unguarded and unlocked. Brodie and Taylor entered the room with the drop ceiling where they had first encountered Bucky. A young female MP specialist named Caldwell stood outside the cell door, holding an M4 with live ammo.
The specialist stood at attention. “Sir, ma’am.”
Taylor said, “We are here to see Sergeant Miller.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Caldwell unlocked the cell door and swung it open.
Brodie and Taylor entered the small holding cell, where Miller sat on the cot in his camo pants and a tan undershirt. He stood as they entered.
“As you were, Sergeant,” said Brodie.
Miller settled back on the cot. Caldwell brought in a couple of chairs from the main room and the agents sat across from him.
Brodie eyed the wall to his right, where the large, cracked depression in the concrete remained. Someone had done a thorough job of removing any loose debris and cleaning up the blood, but for a small dark-red stain in the broken concrete.
Miller followed Brodie’s gaze. “How are my guys?”
“Under lock and key in the barracks,” said Brodie. “Except one. Tom Greer is missing.”
“Shit.”
“The MPs are looking for him. You have any ideas why he’d do this?”
Miller sighed. “Like I said, this place screws us all up, but it screwed up Tom more. He’s sensitive. So I’m not totally surprised. First Ames, then that MP, Kemp. He probably thinks he’s next.” He got a worried look on his face. “He might try to get his hands on a weapon.”
“The MPs are guarding the armory.”
“Yeah? While also watching the barracks, and this brig, and the gates? There’s, like, five of them.”
“Seven,” said Taylor.
He shook his head. “Howe’s an idiot.”
“She’s not taking any chances,” said Brodie.
“Actually, she’s takinga lotof chances.”
Brodie said, “We know about what happened on March twenty-first. What Greer almost did. We saw the footage.”
Miller didn’t say anything for a moment. Then he asked, “Who told you about that?”
