“Who were they? Military investigators?”

“No. Some Washington stuffed shirts. FBI agents or something. They wouldn’t say. You should have seen how badly they treated us. They took us all into this disgusting prison cell. Asked us if we took anything from the crash site. If we knew anyone who was hiding anything they might have found. I feel like suing them.

“Now they’re saying we’re all quarantined due to some virus going around. But that’s bullshit. None of us are sick. But that doesn’t matter. We have to find Steve. Everybody came back except for him. They claim he’s really sick and is being treated at a hospital nearby. It’s complete shit. It’s all lies. He’s been secretly arrested or something.”

“C’mon,” Ruby said. “For real? Is this a joke?”

“I wish. Shit, wait! Someone’s coming,” the deck ape said quickly. “I have to go. Listen, there’s a guy in New York you need to contact for us. An independent investigative reporter. We told him what’s going on, but he needs corroboration, more info from a credible source. Here, take down this number. You got a pen?”

“Wait. No. Listen. You don’t want me. I’m actually off this,” Ruby said. “I’m on leave now. You need to contact my coworker down there. His name is Mark Thanh. He’s in charge now. He relieved me yesterday. Are you in contact with him?”

“What are you talking about? There’s nobody here except us. It’s just our crew.”

Ruby took a deep breath, trying not to lose her patience.

“You need to talk to Mark Thanh. I know he’s there. I saw him myself. He drove me to the airport. He’s a wiseass Asian guy from New York?”

“I don’t have a damn clue who you’re talking about,” the deck ape said in a kind of plea, emotional now. “Please. We haven’t seen him. We haven’t seen anyone. There’s nobody else down here. Please take down this number quick. I don’t know if they’re listening.”

Ruby rifled through her glove box.

“Okay. Shoot.”

“The reporter’s name is Eric Wheldon,” he said after she had taken the number down. “You can see him on YouTube. He has a channel.”

“An internet reporter? You mean like some conspiracy guy or something?”

“He’s the real deal, Lieutenant. He works with a lot of whistle-blowers, especially military. One of the guys here had a brother in the merchant marines, and he was screwed until he told Wheldon, who got the story in the Washington Post.”

“I don’t know if I can do that,” Ruby said.

“You need to talk to him and verify everything you know about the crash and how they got us stuck here on the base and especially that Steve is missing, okay? Contact him, please. I have to go.”

“I really don’t think I can help you,” Ruby said.

“You have to. You’re the only one who can,” the deck ape said.

Then the line went dead.

27

“Hey, Wally,” Ruby said into her phone as she pulled from the parking lot out onto the Dixie Highway.