“It was deep jungle so we made it to maybe seventy-five yards from the target. The shoulder-fire missile launchers were setting up when I tripped a net trap. Motherfucker fell on me and set off this gook gong-alarm. Gunfire came from all sides. They had me. I yelled for the rocket launchers to fire. I got hit in the right arm and left leg. Then something, someone fell on top of me and started shooting. He shot everywhere at once. He kept it up till one of the rockets hit the sweet spot in the VC arsenal. The explosion was like a goddamned blockbuster come with his sister the firebomb. When the explosion happened the shooting stopped and my rescuer cut me out of there.”

Christmas was sweating. This was something I’d never seen before.

“It was Larker,” the major said. “He called in an airstrike, then jumped on my back and opened fire, cut me free, bound my wounds, and dragged me back to the river.”

The stillness in the room held the reverberation of explosions and death, the scent of gunpowder with a hint of blood.

“A malingerer and liar, sneak thief, and cheat. Kirkland Larker is everything I despise, but he saved my life that night. His actions were . . . heroic.”

“So he told you that his friend needed somebody to find out what happened after a fight in the woods,” I concluded.

“Not even that, Easy. He said a friend needed to find someone, a black man. I asked him if it had anything to do with revenge and he said absolutely not. So I gave him your name.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“I wanted to give the man a chance. He hadn’t gotten in touch with me since I gave up my commission. Maybe he’d changed. Anyway, I knew you would see any trouble he represented for what it was.”

I sighed and stood.

Christmas Black looked up at me.

“Is this going to be a problem for you, Master Sergeant?”

“Probably, but problems are my meat and potatoes.”

“If you need anything, all you have to do is call.”

“Thank you,” I said and then let myself out.

10

10

I stopped at Edmund Lewis’s desk. He’d returned his attention to the slender file that engrossed him before I entered.

“Yes?” he asked.

“You mind if I use your phone?”

“This is a business line.”

“Okay. Then ask your boss if I can come back in his office and use his.”

I’m not quite sure why Lewis didn’t like me. It wasn’t a race thing because Christmas was black and Lewis idolized him. I’d fought in some of the biggest battles of World War II, so it couldn’t have been disdain for some ignorant civilian.

“Is it a local call?” he asked.

“Probably not.”

He snorted and I picked up the receiver, took a slip of paper from my pocket, and dialed the number.