of my questions at first because he could see what I was getting at, but I reminded him that this was an official investigation and he would be obstructing that investigation if he didn’t cooperate in every reasonable way.
I borrowed paper and pencil from the mama-san and wrote furiously, trying at the same time to keep one finger in my ear todrown out the insane rock music. I seriously considered asking Ernie to hold his finger in my ear, but he was busy flirting with a couple of the girls.
Besides, there are limits to a partnership, even for crimebusters.
I had what I needed. Ernie looked at the sheet. A bunch of names, ranks, and times scribbled across the wrinkled paper.
“What’s that?”
“No time to explain. Let’s go.”
The girls pouted on our way out.
The MP jeep that held the central position on Texas Street was cruising slowly down the crowded block. I waved them down, and they came to a halt. I looked at my notes and read off thee names to them.
“Have you seen any of these guys? Tonight? In civilian clothes?”
I’m not too good a judge of whether someone is telling the truth or lying, but this time I had an edge. The young buck sergeant on the passenger side let the muscles beneath his cheek flutter a couple of times. Then he blinked and said, “No.”
I thanked him for the information. He’d given me more than he knew.
We walked off into the darkness away from the men, heading from the center of Texas Street toward the place a few blocks away where I had seen the two big Americans turn down a dark alley and disappear. We wandered around for a while, and in order to cover more ground we split up, agreeing on our routes and where to meet in fifteen minutes.
A couple of blocks later I saw the big guy I had seen before, standing at the mouth of an alley. He looked into the alley at something and then back at me, as if undecided what to do.
I shouted, “Hey!” and started running toward him.
He hesitated for a second and then ran. I let him go and turned down the alley he had been protecting. It was dark. Icould see nothing. Then I tripped, sprawled, and something hit me from behind.
When I came to, Ernie was looking down at me, surrounded by some sailors in their dress whites and Shore Patrol armbands. I was never so happy to see squids.
They got me into their van and took me somewhere. Ernie told me, but it didn’t register. Nothing much did. On the way there, I passed out again.
The next morning when I woke up I waited for a while and then asked the medic when he walked into the room.
“Where am I?”
“The dispensary. On Hialeah Compound. Had a pretty nasty bump on the noggin last night.”
“What’s my condition?”
“Hold on.”
The medic left the room, and after a few minutes a doctor came in. He looked at my head, checked some X-rays up against a lightboard, and then pronounced me fit for duty.
No shirkers in this man’s army. I could’ve used a few days off.
While I was getting dressed, Ernie showed up. He consoled me by reminding me about the Happy Hour at the Hialeah NCO Club tonight.
“Exotic dancers, too,” he said.
I smiled but it hurt the back of my head.
The bright sun of southern Korea was out. In force.
“Personnel? Why personnel?”
“I want to check something out. Leonard Budusky.”
“Who?”
“An MP who I think is an acquaintance of mine.”
After we showed him our identification, the personnel clerk got Budusky’s folder. “He came to Korea over six months ago,” I said.
The bespectacled clerk ran his finger down a column of typed entries.
“Seven,” he said.
“What state is he from?”
“Virginia.”
I held up my hand. “Wait a minute. Let me guess. Norfolk.”
The clerk looked up at me, his eyes almost as wide as his mouth. “How the hell did you know that?”
Ernie tried to pretend that he was in on the whole thing, but when we got to the Main Post Snack Bar, he bought me some coffee and threatened me with
I borrowed paper and pencil from the mama-san and wrote furiously, trying at the same time to keep one finger in my ear todrown out the insane rock music. I seriously considered asking Ernie to hold his finger in my ear, but he was busy flirting with a couple of the girls.
Besides, there are limits to a partnership, even for crimebusters.
I had what I needed. Ernie looked at the sheet. A bunch of names, ranks, and times scribbled across the wrinkled paper.
“What’s that?”
“No time to explain. Let’s go.”
The girls pouted on our way out.
The MP jeep that held the central position on Texas Street was cruising slowly down the crowded block. I waved them down, and they came to a halt. I looked at my notes and read off thee names to them.
“Have you seen any of these guys? Tonight? In civilian clothes?”
I’m not too good a judge of whether someone is telling the truth or lying, but this time I had an edge. The young buck sergeant on the passenger side let the muscles beneath his cheek flutter a couple of times. Then he blinked and said, “No.”
I thanked him for the information. He’d given me more than he knew.
We walked off into the darkness away from the men, heading from the center of Texas Street toward the place a few blocks away where I had seen the two big Americans turn down a dark alley and disappear. We wandered around for a while, and in order to cover more ground we split up, agreeing on our routes and where to meet in fifteen minutes.
A couple of blocks later I saw the big guy I had seen before, standing at the mouth of an alley. He looked into the alley at something and then back at me, as if undecided what to do.
I shouted, “Hey!” and started running toward him.
He hesitated for a second and then ran. I let him go and turned down the alley he had been protecting. It was dark. Icould see nothing. Then I tripped, sprawled, and something hit me from behind.
When I came to, Ernie was looking down at me, surrounded by some sailors in their dress whites and Shore Patrol armbands. I was never so happy to see squids.
They got me into their van and took me somewhere. Ernie told me, but it didn’t register. Nothing much did. On the way there, I passed out again.
The next morning when I woke up I waited for a while and then asked the medic when he walked into the room.
“Where am I?”
“The dispensary. On Hialeah Compound. Had a pretty nasty bump on the noggin last night.”
“What’s my condition?”
“Hold on.”
The medic left the room, and after a few minutes a doctor came in. He looked at my head, checked some X-rays up against a lightboard, and then pronounced me fit for duty.
No shirkers in this man’s army. I could’ve used a few days off.
While I was getting dressed, Ernie showed up. He consoled me by reminding me about the Happy Hour at the Hialeah NCO Club tonight.
“Exotic dancers, too,” he said.
I smiled but it hurt the back of my head.
The bright sun of southern Korea was out. In force.
“Personnel? Why personnel?”
“I want to check something out. Leonard Budusky.”
“Who?”
“An MP who I think is an acquaintance of mine.”
After we showed him our identification, the personnel clerk got Budusky’s folder. “He came to Korea over six months ago,” I said.
The bespectacled clerk ran his finger down a column of typed entries.
“Seven,” he said.
“What state is he from?”
“Virginia.”
I held up my hand. “Wait a minute. Let me guess. Norfolk.”
The clerk looked up at me, his eyes almost as wide as his mouth. “How the hell did you know that?”
Ernie tried to pretend that he was in on the whole thing, but when we got to the Main Post Snack Bar, he bought me some coffee and threatened me with
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