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Robie eyed the phone. “Those are the facts. Do with them what you think is best.” He rose from the chair, a bit stiffly.
This was not missed by Decker. “I take it the nonclean exit was also painful?”
“They almost always are.”
Robie was at the door when Decker said, “I know getting this wasn’t easy. Thanks.”
Robie turned back long enough to say, “It’s my job. Now do yours.”
“THAT’S THE GUY,” said Baker.
He, Decker, and Jamison were having coffee the next morning at a café down the street from their hotel. Decker had shown him the picture of Ben Purdy that Robie had sent him.
“You’re sure?”
“Oh, yeah. That’s him. He still around? Haven’t seen him since that night.”
“All the military guys are gone except for the man who runs the place, Colonel Sumter. The rest are private contractors.”
Baker shook his head. “Never liked those guys. They were paid three times what us grunts got and did a quarter of the work we did.” He eyed Decker. “Where’d you get that picture?”
Jamison glanced at her partner. Decker had already told her about the encounter with Robie.
“Just good, old-fashioned police work, Stan,” said Decker, taking his phone with the photo on it back as Jamison hiked her eyebrows at this comment.
“If he’s gone, how are you gonna talk to him?”
“Have to think of a way. Did he say anything else to you? Talk about his family? Friends? Anything that might help us track him down?”
“Well, he said his family was from Montana. Just over the border.”
Decker sat up. “Did he mention a town?”
“No. Just that it was small and rural. I guess most of Montana is rural.” He checked his watch. “I got to get going. I’m normally at work by now, but we had some repairs to make and we don’t start staging for another two hours.”
“Thanks, Stan, see you later.”
“Hey, um, Caroline wanted me to ask if you two wanted to join us for dinner tonight.”
“Dinner?” said Decker. “I don’t—”
But Jamison interjected, “That would be great, Stan.”
Baker grinned. “I’ll email you with the details. You’ll love the restaurant. It’s a pretty special place.”
Before they could comment on this, Baker hurried off.
Decker whirled on Jamison, who put up her hand.
“He’s your brother-in-law.”
“Soon to be ex.”
“Is he your friend? Do you like him?”
“Well, yes. He’s a nice guy, solid as a rock.”
“And didn’t you two just fight off a bunch of guys together?”
