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Back Angels of Vengeance
Chapters (68)
  1. Blurb
  2. CONTENTS
  3. Dedication
  4. CHARACTER LIST
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. TWO MONTHS LATER
  60. ONE YEAR LATER
  61. TWO YEARS LATER
  62. FOUR YEARS LATER
  63. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  64. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  65. Also by John Birmingham
  66. ALSO BY JOHN BIRMINGHAM
  67. Copyright
  68. Cover

By the time she got to Texas she was entirely someone else. Colonel Katherine Murdoch, United States Air Force – ‘Kate’ to her friends, of whom she had none in Fort Hood. Colvin had almost caught her off guard at the hotel in KC, exhausted as she was, but the flight south allowed Caitlin the chance to properly assume the role and persona of her cover. The travel requisition that got her on the C-130 flight from KC to Robert Gray Army Airfield, south-west of Fort Hood, put her on the passenger manifest in her ‘jacket’. To the flight crew, she was a USAF officer, seconded to the White House Chief of Staff in an advisory role. As she was to the feds and Texas state authorities. As she had been to Colvin and everyone she met in KC. There was only one man down here who knew she wasn’t some sort of military liaison officer for Jed Culver, and he surprised her by turning up personally to collect her from the airport.

General Tusk Musso, United States Marine Corps (retired), the President’s ‘special representative’ in Texas, was Seattle’s ambassador in all but name. He was waiting for Caitlin at baggage collection, which for federal officers in the Hood meant a large, unventilated tin shed at the northern end of the airfield. The day was cool and overcast, but she couldn’t help wondering what this place would be like in high summer. Unbearable, probably.

‘They know how to make you feel special from the get-go down here, don’t they, sir?’ she said as Musso shook her hand.

He smiled. Shaven headed, slab shouldered, clad in Hugo Boss khakis and a windbreaker, he managed to maintain a military bearing even in civilian garb. ‘Colonel Murdoch, nice to meet you,’ he replied. ‘And yes, Southern hospitality is not what it used to be.’

The general took her large suitcase and wheeled it out of the shed.

‘Did you ever see that old British movie Khartoum?’ he asked as they walked out to his forest-green camouflaged, soft-top Hummer. ‘That was a damn fine movie. But some days I feel like Charlton Heston, waiting for the barbarians to swarm through the gates and stick a spear in my ass.’