Man In The Middle Part 53

"None of your business."

"Typical lawyer. All take, no give."

We did not seem to be bonding, so I took a swing in the dark that wasn't entirely from the dark. "The cell you referred to was an exploitation unit. She was on the receiving end of CIA messages that pinpointed Iranian movements and activities inside Iraq. Her job was to translate those tips into operational requirements and targets, to look for ways to exploit those insights."

He turned and stared at me a moment. He said, "Why did you ask?"

"Confirmation," I replied--and now I had confirmation. "Old trick. We often use throwaway questions to ascertain the veracity of our witness."

"How am I doing?"

"Not good, Kemp. Not good at all." I asked, "How long was she in that job?"

"Can't really say. She was already on the staff when I arrived."

Bulls.h.i.+t. "Colonel, I can just as easily obtain this information from her personnel file." "Colonel, I can just as easily obtain this information from her personnel file."

"Fine. Why don't you do just that?"

I ignored his suggestion and said, "Correct me if I'm wrong. She was the operations officer of an MP battalion during the invasion, then she remained in that a.s.signment a few months after Baghdad fell, then was rea.s.signed here, to G2."

"More like five months in her battalion. It was the G2 himself who pulled her up, if you're interested." He explained, "General Bent-son heard she was fluent in Arabic, had operational experience, and she had a great rep. She cleaned up a very violent section of Baghdad at a time when the rest of city was descending into chaos. Great credentials."

"But as an MP."

"And she had a secondary specialty in military intelligence. Look . . . frankly--I hope this doesn't alarm you--most of us full-time MI types, we don't know squat about this place, about these people, or about this kind of war." He continued, "Myself, I'm a satellite interpretation guy and this terrestrial stuff is a whole new world." He enjoyed his own bad pun and chuckled. He then added, "My first months in country, I felt like I was just dropped into Oz--just no happy, dancing little munchkins, and in this case, the Wizard's a homicidal a.s.shole." she had a secondary specialty in military intelligence. Look . . . frankly--I hope this doesn't alarm you--most of us full-time MI types, we don't know squat about this place, about these people, or about this kind of war." He continued, "Myself, I'm a satellite interpretation guy and this terrestrial stuff is a whole new world." He enjoyed his own bad pun and chuckled. He then added, "My first months in country, I felt like I was just dropped into Oz--just no happy, dancing little munchkins, and in this case, the Wizard's a homicidal a.s.shole."

This jogged something in my mind, and I asked, "So you would say the major was professionally competent?"

"I would say she was incredible . . . extraordinary . . . insert whatever superlative you like. She's a cop and she's military intelligence-- she was the perfect perfect combination." combination."

"And there's no personal bias in your a.s.sessment?"

"Maybe." He thought about it a few seconds, then said, "Terrorism, if you think about it, is closer to crime than war. Typical intel officers can talk for hours about how an Iraqi division arrays itself on the battlefield, and they stare blankly if asked to explain how an insurgent cell infiltrates a city, chooses its targets, and operates." He paused then added, with clear admiration, "Bian knew this stuff. She had . . . a sense . . . an intuition for situations. A hunter's instinct, I guess you'd call it. Every morning, a long line formed in front of her carrel, guys like me, seeking advice."

"Plus, she was hot."

"Well . . . yeah . . ." He laughed. "Get at the end of that line, though, and it could be ten, eleven o'clock before you got a minute with her."

We walked in silence for a few moments among the buildings of the Green Zone. Something wasn't adding up. Well, actually a lot wasn't adding up, but what exactly? Everything Kemp Chester said had confirmed my own high estimation of Bian Tran: an impressive officer, bright, resourceful, courageous, and . . . yes, hot. But if I looked back critically over the course of the investigation Bian and I had conducted, nothing she had said, done, or ever advised had been particularly insightful, illuminating, or to borrow Kemp Chester's more elevated adjective, intuitive intuitive. I had ascribed this to her professional limitations as an MP officer--more overseer than sleuth. But if Kemp was right, it was time to consider another cause. Because in those rare instances where the hunter also happens to be the hunted, there's a big conflict of interest.

I recalled as well, how eager, how insistent Bian was to come here, to Iraq, in pursuit of bin Pacha and Charabi. Well, this was her her war, I had reasoned. She was thinking with her heart instead of her head. In fact, that might still be on the mark, but I now had to consider that her motives were more complicated and darker than I had imagined. Because, not incidentally, coming here also diverted us from finding Clifford Daniels's murderer. war, I had reasoned. She was thinking with her heart instead of her head. In fact, that might still be on the mark, but I now had to consider that her motives were more complicated and darker than I had imagined. Because, not incidentally, coming here also diverted us from finding Clifford Daniels's murderer.

Nor, so far, had Kemp Chester contradicted anything Bian herself had told me. There were, however, those troubling things she hadn't said. Like having been part of the G2 exploitation cell. Possibly it was a matter of her secrecy vows. This might sound redundant, but military intelligence people and secrecy are like Donald Trump with narcissistic bulls.h.i.+t; you can't believe how far they take it. But no matter how much benefit of the doubt I gave her, even I had trouble with that one.

And, of course, there was Mark Kemble. Poor, dead Mark Kemble. Why had Bian lied about that? Why keep it hidden? Also, if her two days in Baghdad were not spent in Mark's company, what had she been doing? And more to the point, why lie about that?

I must've reflected too long, because Kemp Chester was engaged in his own reflections and asked, "Hey, what the h.e.l.l does this have to do with a 15-6? Isn't this supposed to be about an officer's credibility and judgment? What's going on here?"

I took a moment and sized him up, as I would any witness on the stand. A good guy, levelheaded, articulate, smart. But clearly he felt a strong affection for Bian, which I understood, because, like nearly any man who met her, I was at least half in love with her. He was trying to be protective, which raises the ever-provocative question of why he felt Bian needed needed protection. As they say, where there's smoke, there's fire. Not always, but when smoke's being blown up your b.u.t.t, you'd better be sure. protection. As they say, where there's smoke, there's fire. Not always, but when smoke's being blown up your b.u.t.t, you'd better be sure.

On one hand, I admired and appreciated his loyalty to Bian, and I liked him for it. The occasion, however, called for the other hand, and I gave him a hard stare and asked, "Have I told you how to do your job?"

"No, but--"

"Because I would really f.u.c.king appreciate it if you reciprocated that professional courtesy." I allowed him a moment to contemplate the s.h.i.+ft in the tenor of our conversation. I said, "Maybe I've made this too friendly, too informal. Maybe we should reconvene to an interrogation cell at the MP station."

"Okay, okay. Relax . . ."

I now knew what was really bothering me, and asked, "When Bian was rea.s.signed from her battalion to the corps staff, it was supposed to be for a full year--right?"

"I have no idea."

"You're really starting to p.i.s.s me off."

"Uh . . . okay, a full year. Her fiance had just begun his one-year tour in Iraq. Bian wanted to stay for the duration of his tour."

"But she rotated stateside after what . . . six, seven, eight months?"

"Yeah . . . maybe."

I offered him another cold stare and he quickly amended his statement. "About seven and a half months . . . She got an early drop. Why is this important?"

"Why was it curtailed?"

Kemp now looked restive and a little unhappy. He said, "Why don't you ask her former boss? Bian and I were friends, and . . . Look, you're making me very uncomfortable."

"And you well know that the personal comfort or discomfort of a professional officer is irrelevant. I asked you a question. Answer it."

"Because . . . well, because it was . . . a hards.h.i.+p transfer. Because her fiance, he died . . . here in Iraq. His death was very rough on her." He added after a moment, "The general was sympathetic. He personally intervened to arrange a transfer stateside."

I gave it a moment, then said, "Kemp, because this is the Army, I don't have to swear you in or read you your rights, or any of that nonsense. I'm an officer of the court pursuing an official investigation. Lying, quibbling, or misleading statements can and will result in charges. Don't make things any worse for yourself."

Kemp started to say something, and I cut him off. "We're now on the record. Are we clear?"

He stared at me a long time.

I said, "According to the manual, Army criteria for hards.h.i.+p transfers and discharges pertain only to deaths in the immediate immediate family. Reconsider your reply." family. Reconsider your reply."

It looked like he was giving himself a root ca.n.a.l, but he said, "It was . . . just a situational transfer. After her fiance's death . . . she . . . she went to pieces. She took it very, very hard."

This still didn't sound like the Army I know and love. Unhappy or mentally depressed soldiers, ordinarily, are sent to the unit chaplain, or in these more Zen-like times, to a unit counselor, they get their "give-a-s.h.i.+t" ticket punched, and are returned to duty. In extreme cases, the soldier can be awarded a thirty-day leave for mental convalescence--i.e., a month to drink and screw him/herself silly-- which typically fixes the mood rings of most soldiers. If neither of these tried-and-true methods fails to produce a mentally stable soldier who is willing and able to kill at the drop of a hat, next step is a discharge--not a transfer--and their issues become the problems of the VA--the Veterans Administration.

Clearly, my threats and cajolements weren't doing the trick. As somebody knowing once said, stupidity is trying the same thing over and over and watching it not work. What I needed was a new approach, i.e., a bigger lie. I informed him, "I don't understand why you're being antagonistic. Bian Tran is a witness for for the Army. I am not her enemy." the Army. I am not her enemy."

He seemed to weigh this.

I informed him, "On the stand, where she'll likely end up, she will be cross-examined by a vicious, mean-spirited defense attorney. The defense will of course access her personnel and medical records and, naturally, her mental stability will be at issue. Always is. And if, as you've led me to suspect, there is some damaging revelation, the defense attorney will exploit it to humiliate her in a courtroom before her fellow officers. You can't protect her, Kemp." I took his arm and warned, "Don't try."

He mulled this over. "All right."

"All right, I'll answer truthfully? Or all right, f.u.c.k you?"

"Both."

Now we were getting somewhere. I gave him a moment to settle his nerves before I asked, "What happened to Bian Tran? I'm guessing something traumatic."

"Yes, it was . . . very traumatic. Her transfer was psychiatric. Bian felt responsible. She was crushed. She couldn't stop crying. And she couldn't function, professionally or personally. A complete mental breakdown."

It still wasn't adding up. I said, "She lost a loved one. Sad, but this is war, and as a professional soldier, she surely was mentally prepared for this eventuality. A West Pointer, a battle-tested officer who led troops into combat and who suffered the loss of soldiers. Others have described her as tough, resilient, a cool customer. Why did she take it so hard, Kemp?"

"Guilt, Drummond. Plain guilt. So heavy, so overbearing, so painful, it simply shattered her into pieces." He looked away for a moment and said, "Imagine, if you will, how it must feel to be responsible for the death of the person you loved. What this would do to your insides?"

"Why did she feel responsible?"

"I didn't say she felt felt responsible. She responsible. She was was responsible." responsible."

"How? Why?"

"The CIA courier brought us a message that tipped us off to a large load of weapons and trainers coming from Iran into Karbala. This was during the midst of the s.h.i.+te uprising . . . you might remember . . . Sadr's s.h.i.+te militia had taken over the city, his people were killing our soldiers, and we all knew a major operation would have to be mounted to restore control. So preventing those weapons and trainers from linking up with Sadr's people . . . well, that would be a real coup. Less guns, less bombs, less American deaths."

"And Bian was in charge of this operation?"

"That's not how it worked."

"Okay. How did it work?"

"Bian was the a.n.a.lyst a.s.signed to shape a response. As I said, the CIA never told us how they knew, or about their sources, but they informed us that the Iranian s.h.i.+pment and trainers were going into the city of Karbala, in a sector a.s.signed to the First Armored Division. Bian provided the division operations shop with an order. A description of what was coming, when, and where to intercept it."

The lights were now coming on. I said, "And the division a.s.signed this mission to her fiance's . . . to Mark Kemble's battalion."

He stared at the ground a moment, and the man was clearly in pain. Finally, he mumbled, "It was the worst coincidence I've ever seen or heard."

"Because Mark Kemble, being the battalion operations officer, decided he would personally oversee this high-value operation."

He nodded. "Great officer, I was told. Real hoo-ah, lead-from-thefront type. Highly decorated, loved by his men . . . all-around great guy. But something went wrong, tragically wrong--the s.h.i.+t hit the fan, three soldiers were killed, and obviously, Mark was one."

"What went wrong?"

"If you ever learn that, be sure to let me know. Understand that the CIA, they kept our entire exploitation unit completely in the dark about the source of these intelligence insights. Every week or two, some lady courier flew over from D.C., she'd drop off some cryptic c.r.a.p, she'd leave, and we had to run with it." He added, "I have no idea."

I thought about this. It did not compute. After all, these were military intelligence people, and I said, "But you had suspicions, right?"

After a brief silence, he said, "Of course we had suspicions. Pretty obvious what the Agency had, right? A mole in Iranian intelligence or inside Sadr's movement. Somebody very high up."

Close, Kemp. But not close enough. I asked, "Is that what you thought? What Bian thought?"

"We all thought that. This stuff we were getting was dead-on. Priceless."

"Except this time."

"Yeah. There was no weapons s.h.i.+pment. No Iranian trainers either."

I paused to consider my next question, which was a big mistake. Because, suddenly, it all came together--Bian had literally been turned into the instrument for her lover's death. Kemp did not have the details just right, but he was close enough. Daniels had informed his pal Charabi about the compromised code, Charabi pa.s.sed it to his friends in Tehran, and they, in turn, decided to be vindictive, sending disinformation they knew was being intercepted, decoded, and read, offering the Americans a target that was too tempting to pa.s.s up; in effect, luring an American unit into a trap. Bian ended up near the end of that long chain, and her fiance ended up in a coffin.

War is filled with ugly twists and bitter ironies, but this cruelty was almost incomprehensible. And before I knew it, something heavy was stuck in the back of my throat. Poor Mark. Poor Bian. I swallowed a few times and tried to dislodge the lump, but it only moved higher until it lodged behind my eyes. Chester was looking at me strangely. "Hey . . . you okay?"

"I'm . . . uh . . . getting over a cold." I coughed a few times and, after a moment, said, "Last question. What do you you think went wrong?" think went wrong?"

"You know what? I've thought about that a lot. We all did. Mark's unit, what they ran into, that was a prepared kill zone, an ambush. I don't know, maybe the CIA's source was a double agent. Or maybe the Iranians caught on to him and used him to plant false information. Whichever . . . Sadr and the Iranians knew we were coming, and they decided to make us pay."

A knot of staff officers carrying briefing folders crossed paths with us and we both fell silent. After they were out of earshot Chester said to me, "There was an investigation. Afterward. But by the CIA, not us. We were even forced to take polygraph tests. But you know what? If there was a compromise, those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds never shared anything." He paused and then said, very unhappily, "A month after Bian left, the whole exploitation cell was disbanded."

"You're a smart guy, Kemp. What's your best guess?"

"My best guess?"--he stopped walking--"All right, sure." He turned and faced me. "You're not here about any d.a.m.ned 15-6 investigation."

I started to deny this, then thought better of it.

He said, "I have no idea why you're lying to me, Drummond, or what trouble Bian is in. But I promise you"--he looked me in the eye-- "if you hurt her, I'll find you, and I'll hurt you."

We stared at each other a long moment. I put out my hand and said, "It's not my intention to harm her, Kemp. That's a promise."

He stared at my hand, but never shook it. "Leave her alone. She's been through enough."

I did not say, "More than you'll ever know," though, in truth, I now knew more about Bian's problems than I wanted to. I felt a deep, deep sadness for her. At the same time, an alarm bell was making loud dings in the back of my head.

I left Kemp Chester standing in a courtyard, fuming. I walked back to the office of the G1, where I ordered the same clerk to find me a private office with a phone, which he did.

I called Phyllis's cell phone and didn't get an answer, so I chose the message option.

I left a brief and unexplained message to immediately place bodyguards around Hirschfield and Tigerman, or better yet, get them both out of town, or barring that, make arrangements for two funerals. I hung up and thought about my next move.

It was time to go home.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Jim Tirey kindly gave me a lift to the airport.

As I mentioned earlier, the route from the Green Zone to the airport includes Iraq's deadliest roadway--known with grim unaffection as Suicide Alley--so Jim's favor wasn't in the true spirit of generosity. He wanted to see me climb on the plane, and be 100 percent sure I ended up seven thousand miles out of his hair. Really, who could blame him?