Word of Honor (76 page)

Colonel Moore replied, "The board has questions, your honor. "

Corva leaned toward Tyson. "There are times when I like the idea of a jury who may ask questions. There are other times when I don't. Let's see if I like this bunch or not."

Colonel Sproule was instructing the court. "The format that I have decided is proper for these questions has already been explained to you in pretrial instructions. You may ask your questions individually or through the president of the board, Colonel Moore. I remind you, however, that your questions to the witnesses must not be misleading, must not show bias, must relate to the testimony, must serve to clarify WORD OF HONOR * 589

a point in your mind, and should be short and succinct. If you have any doubts as to the admissibility of your questions, you may reduce them to writing and show them to me. If you ask a question that I think is improper, I will not allow the witness to respond. Colonel Moore?"

Moore referred to his notes and said, "Major Sindel would like to put the first question to the witness."

Pierce stood and said to Farley, "Mr. Farley, you are reminded that you are still under oath."

Farley answered from his wheelchair, "Yes, sir."

Tyson had the distinct impression that Farley, after nearly two decades, was still intimidated by the trappings of military authority. Tyson had the urge to shake him and remind him that he was a civilian.

Major Virginia Sindel leaned in Farley's direction and asked, "Mr. Farley, you indicated you fired a couple of shots at people who were trying to get away. Did you hit anyone?"

Farley chewed on his lower lip a moment, then replied, "No, ma'am. "

"Thank you. I have one further question. You stated several times that Lieutenant Tyson did nothing and said nothing in response to a variety of events that occurred. You also stated that he was frightened. What was he frightened of.?"

Farley thought for some time, then replied, "He was frightened of us."

"Thank you. I I

Tyson looked at Major Sindel. She was about forty years old, with dark blond hair and blue eyes. The eyes were intelligent, and her voice had a touch of the South. She had beautiful hands that played with a pencil in an almost sensual way. She wasn't attractive, but Tyson thought she had enough going for her to be desirable.

Lieutenant Colonel McGregor asked, "Mr. Farley, you stated that Lieutenant Tyson gave an order to shoot any enemy sick and wounded that were in the hospital. I realize a great deal of time has elapsed, but could you recall the words he used?"

Farley tapped the fingers of both hands on the armrests 590 0 NELSON DEMILLE

of the wheelchair. Finally he replied, "Something like ... 'go find the gooks' . . . no, he said, 'NVA' and maybe 'VC' . . . 'Go find them and waste them.' "

"He meant the NVA and VC in the beds?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Did he say that?"

"I think so."

"How do you know he meant the NVA and the VC in the beds?"

"There was no other NVA and VC around."

"There were no armed enemy troops in or around the hospital?"

"No, Sir. They ran off."

"Thank you."

Captain Morelli, the Adjutant General's Corps officer, asked, "Mr. Farley, just a point to clarify language. The word 'gooks.' Does this mean the enemy? Or civilians? Or both?"

Farley seemed glad someone posed an easy question. "Gooks could be both.

Slants and slopes were civilians. Dinks could be both. It depended a lot on where you were and what you was doing. Charlie was always the enemy."

"Charlie was always a gook? But a gook wasn't always Charlie?"

Farley smiled for the first time. "You never knew when a gook was Charlie."

"I see. Thank you."

Colonel Moore asked, "In the hospital, did Lieutenant Tyson ever give you a direct order of any sort?"

Farley shook his head. "No, Sir. He only gave the one order. To kill the sick and wounded. He shouted it to everybody. "

"He did not personally supervise the carrying out of this order?"

"No, Sir. He stayed in the operating room."

"Did you personally see his order carried out?"

"No, Sir. I was in the operating room."

"But there were two wounded enemy soldiers in the operating room whom you did see get shot."

"'Right. I saw that."

"What came first, Mr. Farley, the shooting of the two WORD OF HONOR 0 591

doctors in the operating room or Lieutenant Tyson's order to kill sick and wounded enemy soldiers?"

Farley replied, "I think the shooting of the two doctors. I can't remember. It was too long ago."

"How could you or the men of the platoon identify who of the patients were enemy soldiers?"

Farley thought about that for some time, then replied, "I don't know."

"Did Lieutenant Tyson instruct the men on methods of identification?"

"No, sir." Farley seemed to sense an opportunity. He said, "That's why the order was crazy. Once he gave it, you could shoot anybody. Women were VC, too. Old men were VC. "

"But the women and babies in the maternity ward were not VC. "

"I guess not."

"And the hospital staff were not VC or North Vietnamese Army. I I

"No, sir. But they were taking care of them."

"Did you ever observe anyone in your platoon trying to stop the shooting?"

"No, sir. But some guys didn't shoot. At least I never saw them shoot."

"Can you name anyone who didn't shoot?"

"Only one I know for sure was Doc Brandt. He never fired his rifle."

"Thank you." Colonel Moore said to Colonel Sproule, "The board has no further questions."

Colonel Sproule looked down at Richard Farley. "The witness is excused, subject to recall." Sproule looked at his watch and said to Pierce, "Do you wish to call your next witness?"

Pierce stood. "No, your honor. The next witness's testimony may be lengthy. I would prefer to begin tomorrow morning. "

Sproule said, "The court will adjourn until ten hundred hours tomorrow."

Everyone stood as Colonel Sproule left the pulpit and exited the court.

Corva said to Tyson, "Bunch of amateurs."

592 0 NELSON DEMILLE

"I thought they asked pretty good questions. Could you tell anything by their questions?"

"Yes. They've bought the story of a massacre. Nobody as stupid as Farley could make up over an hour of testimony about something that never happened. Tomorrow, Brandt will fine-tune the story. All the board wants to discover is your precise role, if any, in the massacre. They do not want to hear about firefights and room-to-room fighting. " Corva picked up his briefcase. "I had a feeling this would happen. And as soon as Farley got into it, I felt that everyone in this place knew that what he had read in Picard's book was basically true. "

"Well," said Tyson, "it was."

Corva watched the pews emptying and noticed that Marcy hadn't stayed behind. He turned back to Tyson. "Where do you want to go now?"

"Paris."

"My BOQ or your quarters?"

"Your place." Tyson looked around the chapel, empty now except for a few MPs waiting for him, and Colonel Pierce obsessively putting his papers in order. Tyson walked over to him, and Pierce looked up from his chair.

Pierce said, "Yes?"

Tyson said, "Yes, indeed."

"Can I help you?"

"Yes. You can. You can tell Richard Farley for me that I bear ".im no W

will. Will you do that?"

"Yes. "

"And tell Dr. Brandt that it's payback time. Will you do that?"

Pierce, still in his chair, replied, "I think Dr. Brandt knows that. "

Corva put his arm on Tyson's shoulder and moved him away. Corva said to Pierce, "You've improved quite a lot, Graham. I'm very impressed."

Pierce smiled tightly. "The best is yet to come."

"I think you should spend the night holding Dr. Brandt's hand," Corva said.

"Two aspirins, see him in the morning. Good day." Corva turned and walked with Tyson out the side door into the corridor.

M If one were walking from Building 209, also known as Gre-CHAPTER sham Hall or the bach-

elor officers' quarters,

and one were going

to the officer family

housing quarters, one

might choose Pence

Street, a quiet lane with

few buildings, cutting

45 through more of the flat

treeless terrain of Fort

Hamilton. And if one were coming from the Officers' Club and walking to the guest house, one might also use Pence Street, heading the other way. So, it was not completely fate, Tyson thought, that put him on the same street with Steven Brandt.

Tyson spotted him long before Brandt spotted Tyson, though they were the only two.people walking on the grass that edged the narrow street. And, oddly, he knew it was Brandt long before he could clearly discern his features in the widely spaced street lighting.

593

594 * NELSON DEMILLE

It was a few minutes after 10 P.m., and he'd just left Corva's accommodations at the BOQ where the main topic of conversation had been the man who was less than fifty feet from him now. Tyson was still in his uniform, not having gone home to change. He saw that Brandt was wearing a bulky overcoat against the chill night air and had his hands thrust deeply in his pockets, his chin resting on the front of his coat, which was probably why he didn't see Tyson approaching him.

Tyson looked around but didn't see his usual MP escort. Tyson was within fifteen feet of Brandt now, and Brandt, sensing someone approaching, veered a few more feet onto the grass to allow room for the man coming toward him.

Tyson saw that not only was the overcoat bulky, but so too was the body it covered. Brandt had puffed out Re a biscuit, and his face seemed to have the same appearance and complexion of flour and buttermilk. And he was quite bald except for a fringe of ludicrously long hair that fell on the collar of the dark blue overcoat. Tyson wondered how he'd recognized him from that distance; he barely recognized him now.

"Hello, Doc.

Brandt stopped, though ftoze might be a better word, Tyson thought. They were less than five feet apart, handshaking distance if anyone had the inclination.

Brandt didn't seem surprised, nor did he seem uncomfortable. If anything, he looked as if he'd just run into a dimly remembered patient, and he regarded Tyson with a cool clinical detachment, actually looking him up and down. Tyson had the urge to break the man's neck right then and there.

Literally grab him as they'd taught him in hand-tohand class and snap the neck at the third and fourth cervical vertebrae. "Out for a walk?" inquired Tyson.

Brandt nodded. " Yup. "

"Coming from the club?"

"Yeah. I I

"Small post," observed Tyson.

Brandt remained in the position in which he'd frozen, one foot in front of the other, body slightly turned toward Tyson. "I'm not allowed to talk to you."

WORD OF HONOR 0 595

"On the contrary, Doctor, a witness may talk to the accused. If you don't want to talk to me, that's another matter. "

"I have nothing to say."

"Save your voice for tomorrow."

Brandt neither moved nor responded. He seemed to sense that this chance meeting had to have a resolution.

"Hey, when's the last time we saw each other, Doc?" said Tyson as though the response should be, "The party after the Princeton game. " In case Brandt thought the question was rhetorical, Tyson said, "When?"

"The ditch at the Strawberry Patch. "

"Right. Right. What a day that was. What happened later?"

Brandt shrugged. "Don't remember."

"You did a nice job on me in the ditch."

"Thanks," said Brandt.

"The surgeons on the hospital ship said it was a professional wrap job."

"There's not much I could have done right or wrong with a wound like that.

I'm glad to see you're walking well."

"Gives me a little pain in this damp weather."

"It'll always do that."

"Really? I thought I'd grow out of it."

Brandt straightened up and looked around.

Tyson said, "You're married now."

Brandt nodded.

"Children?"

"Two. Boy and a girl. Sixteen and twelve."

"Perfect family."

" Yes. I I

Tyson said, "Hey, I saw some of the old crew about a month ago. Beltran, Scorello, Sadowski, Walker, and Kalane. They asked about you."

For the first time Brandt smiled, but it was more of a grimace. "Did they?"

"Yes. They inquired about your future health."

Brandt didn't respond.

"See much of Farley?"

"Now and then. " Brandt yanked his hand from his pocket and looked at his watch. "I have to go."

596 0 NELSON DEMILLE

Tyson didn't acknowledge the statement. "What happened to the pictures?"

"What pictures?"

"The pictures, Doc. Your field study in female anatomy."

Brandt took a step, and Tyson took a step to intercept him. They were closer now, about three feet, swinging distance if anyone wanted to. Tyson said, "It's not even safe to hide them. You could die or something, and they'll turn up in your possessions. Maybe one of your children will get Daddy's war souvenir trunk and open it ten years from now. Bad for your posthumous reputation. Better to bum them, no matter how painful it may be to do so."

Brandt replied, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Tyson continued, "The ones I saw you take are classics, though. Hard to part with. You remember the one with the net hammock? That was clever of the National Police tying her in the hammock like a sausage. Every,time they gave her a jolt of juice to the vagina, that hammock jumped, didn't it? Hard to capture that with snapshots."

Brandt looked around, but the long flat road was deserted.

Tyson said, "Look, Doc, everybody is a little kinky, but those people in the villages that we cordoned were in pain. Do you remember that woman who aborted after the National Police nearly drowned her in the well? And what was really disgusting was that you showed your corruption in front of the Vietnamese. It was one thing for us all to be crazy, but you compromised us and yourself with those people. "