A drawer slammed. No doubt the colonel had shut down his computer and started to pack up his gear. Horwith exited a few minutes later, wheeling his bicycle. A rucksack hung on his shoulders, and he had replaced his MTPs with biking gear. Outside, through the windows, a group of junior officers and a few enlisted stood chatting beside their bicycles, obviously waiting for the colonel.

This type of pandering to commanding officers was nothing new; Harry had witnessed soldiers vying for promotions on numerous duty stations during his military career. Power and politics were everywhere. SIS was no different.

“Night, Captain Benson.” Colonel Horwith wheeled his bike out the exit with a final wave.

“See you tomorrow, sir.” Harry shut down his computer.

Just as he had before lunch, Harry reconnoitered the other workstations. The building stood empty, ready for the night watch. He waited at his desk a while longer until the colonel and his posse rode off toward the guard station.

Rising from his chair, Harry slipped back inside Colonel Horwith’s office, swiftly planting bugs throughout the room. He stopped to check the neatly stacked pile on Horwith’s desk. Nothing of any consequence reared its head, but a printed memo lay on top with today’s date—it had posted an hour past.

Harry picked it up.

Training at Fort Monkton has been reassigned to Glenkinnon Base. Contractors will arrive in the next two weeks to erect temporary barracks and a mess for one thousand soldiers and personnel. Expected stay of twelve months until repairs can be completed on facilities at Fort Monkton.

Harry snapped a picture of the memo, then scoured the rest of the office. Nothing else of value turned up.

He shut off the light and let himself out. Colonel Horwith didn’t appear to be the munitions thief, but everyone remained a suspect until the person responsible was apprehended. Harry needed to meet those three men under his command on the night rotation. With such a skeletal crew on base, their duty stations barely overlapped.

He frowned as he went out to his new car hire. He’d exchanged the Fiesta for a 4x4 Land Rover after he’d banged his head on the ceiling one too many times. Climbing behind the wheel, he fired up the engine.

What did the soldiers here do for extracurricular activities besides bicycling? Hopefully, the night-shift boys hung out at the local pub during their off-duty hours. If not, he needed to get creative, because Glenkinnon was about to be invaded by an extra thousand soldiers and their accompanying equipment.

Locating the arms dealer would be considerably easier if he found the person or persons responsible for the thefts before the first wave of soldiers arrived on base.