"Yes, sir. Thank you."
"And I want to talk to the cop who was undercover in the mosque as soon as that can be arranged. Is that going to be a problem?"
"No, sir. Just as soon as he gets back to Washington, I'll have Miller set up a meeting."
"Good enough. Good luck with your source. Keep me posted."
Charley said, "Yes, sir," but suspected that Montvale had hung up before he had spoken the two words.
"White House. Are you through?"
"See if you can get Major Miller at Homeland Secur-at my office, please. On a secure line."
"Colonel Castillo's secure line," Miller said a moment later.
"Is it smart to say 'Colonel'?" Castillo greeted him.
"I don't know about smart, but, frankly, I find it a little humiliating. Anyway, it's hardly a secret. All kinds of people have called obviously hoping to hear you getting promoted was just a ridiculous rumor."
"Shit."
"What can I do for you, Colonel?"
"I just told Montvale that I would have you set up a meeting with Jack Britton the minute he got back to Washington. Therefore, get in touch with Jack and tell him he is to stay away from Washington until I get back."
"Got it. And when will that be?"
"The day after tomorrow-presuming Jake arrives tomorrow morning with the Gulfstream-I'm going to Buenos Aires. Get on the horn to Alex Darby at the embassy and tell him I will need a safe house-the one we used would be fine, but anything will do-to house an important witness. A safe house and people to keep it that way. I'll also need a black car. Actually, a couple of them."
"This important witness have a name?"
"Let me sit on that awhile. And tell Darby to find Yung and have him at the safe house."
"Yung tried to call you here."
"What did he want?"
"To tell you the ambassador in Montevideo thinks Lorimer was a drug dealer."
"Isn't that interesting?"
"Yeah. And not only that, the ambassador in Uruguay wants Yung to pass this on to the secretary of state. In confidence. What do I tell him about that?"
"Tell him it will hold until I see him there."
"Got it. Anything else?"
"As soon as I get things organized in Buenos Aires-maybe two days, tops-I'll come home."
"That's it?"
"Can't think of anything. How's the leg?"
"Improved. It only hurts now ninety percent of the time. Watch your back, buddy."
VIII
[ONE] Arlington National Cemetery Arlington, Virginia 1600 6 August 2005 There is an average of twenty burials every day at Arlington. There is a prescribed routine for enlisted men, one for warrant officers and officers, and one for general or flag officers.
Enlisted men being interred are provided with a casket team (pallbearers), a firing party to fire the traditional three-round salute, and a bugler to sound taps.
In addition to the basics, warrant and commissioned officers may be provided with an escort platoon, its size varying according to the rank of the deceased, and a military band.
Officers are entitled to the use of a horse-drawn artillery caisson to move the casket to the grave site. Army and Marine Corps colonels and above are entitled to have a caparisoned, riderless horse. General officers are also entitled to a cannon salute-seventeen guns for a four-star general, fifteen for a three-star, thirteen for a two-star, eleven for a one-star.
There is almost never a deviation from the prescribed rites and the late Sergeant First Class Seymour Kranz was entitled to the least of these prerogatives.
But from the moment the hearse bearing his casket arrived near the grave site, Sergeant Kranz's internment did not follow the standard protocol.
As the immaculately turned-out officer in charge reached for the door handle at the rear of the hearse, an immaculately turned-out Special Forces sergeant major stepped up and spoke to him.
"With your permission, sir, we'll take it from here," Sergeant Major John K. Davidson said.
"Excuse me?" the OIC, a first lieutenant, said.
It was the first time anyone had ever interrupted his procedure.
"The sergeant major said we'll take it from here," another voice said. "Do you have a problem with that, Lieutenant?"
The lieutenant turned and found himself facing another Green Beret, this one with three silver stars glistening on each of his epaulets.
"Sir…" the lieutenant began to protest.
"Good. I didn't think there would be a problem," Lieutenant General Bruce J. McNab said. "Carry on, Sergeant Major."
"Yes, sir," Sergeant Major Davidson said, then raised his voice slightly. "Casket detail, ten-hut. Execute!"
Seven Green Berets of varying ranks-including one lieutenant general plus one corporal, USMC-marched up to the rear of the hearse, halted, then did an about-face without orders. When Sergeant Major Davidson pulled open the hearse door, the casket was removed and raised onto the shoulders of the casket detail.
"Escort detail, ten-hut!" Sergeant Major Davidson barked softly, and very quickly twenty-odd Special Forces soldiers, mostly sergeants of one grade or another but including one full colonel, one lieutenant colonel, two majors, a captain, and two lieutenants, formed a column of twos and snapped to attention.
"Chaplain! Detail!" Sergeant Davidson barked. "At funeral pace, forward harch!"
The chaplain from the Military District of Washington, a captain, who now found himself standing beside a Green Beret major-whose lapels carried the silver cross of a Christian chaplain and whose breast bore the Combat Infantry Badge-looked around in some confusion until his brother of the clergy took his arm and gently prodded him forward.
The casket team and escort detail marched at funeral pace toward the open grave. As the last of them passed the hearse, a Special Forces major in a wheelchair, pushed by a Special Forces sergeant, joined the detail. Then several men in civilian clothing followed the wheelchair.
The rear was brought up, after a moment's indecision, by the Arlington National Cemetery's official casket team.
As the column made its way through the sea of crosses and Stars of David to the open grave, another detail of Special Forces soldiers, eight enlisted men under a captain, relieved the eight-man cemetery firing party of their weapons and ordered them to form a single rank behind the new firing party.
When the casket team reached the grave, the casket was lowered onto the green nylon tapes of the lowering device. All but two of them came to attention.
Sergeant Major Davidson then handed the national colors to Lieutenant General Bruce J. McNab, USA, and Corporal Lester Bradley, USMC, who placed them on the casket, making sure they were stretched out level and centered over the casket.
Then they assumed the position of attention, and when Sergeant Major Davidson gave the order the entire casket team took two steps back from the grave.
The Green Beret chaplain then led the graveside ritual prescribed for members of the Lutheran faith. Then he stepped back from the casket and grave.
The captain in charge of the new firing party barked, in rapid order, "Present, h'arms. Ready, aim, fire! Ready, aim, fire! Ready, aim, fire!" And then, a moment later, "Or-duh h'arms."
"Bugler, sound taps!" Sergeant Major Davidson barked.
When the bugler was done, Sergeant Major Davidson and Corporal Bradley began folding the colors. When they had finished, the flag, now folded into a crisp triangle of blue with white stars, was given to Lieutenant General McNab, who waited until the casket team had marched away from the grave and then presented it to Sergeant Kranz's sister.
General McNab spoke briefly with Sergeant Kranz's sister, then saluted her and respectfully backed away.
A middle-aged gray-haired woman-an "Arlington Lady," one of the wives of retired general officers who voluntarily appear at every funeral-then presented a card of condolence from the chief of staff of the United States Army to Sergeant Kranz's sister, offered her personal condolences, and kissed her on the cheek.