demille.thegeneralsdaughter-第37部分

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　〃He　doesn't　even　know　where　I　am　now。　Are　you　worried？〃
　〃No。　I　just　need　to　know　what　I'm　dealing　with。　Basic　intelligence　gathering。〃
　〃What　are　you　dealing　with？〃
　〃The　past；　the　present；　and　the　future。　Same　old　stuff。〃
　〃Can　we　be　friends　without　being　lovers？〃
　〃Of　course。　I'll　ask　Colonel　Moore　where　he　got　himself　neutered。〃
　〃You're　so　basic。〃　She　thought　a　moment；　then　said；　〃I　don't　want　another　jealous　crazy。〃
　〃Let's　talk　about　this　tomorrow；　or　next　week。〃
　〃Fine。〃
　After　a　minute　or　two；　I　asked；　〃Are　you　seeing　anyone　else？〃
　〃Is　it　next　week　already？〃
　〃I　just　don't　want　to　get　shot。　You　know？〃
　〃No；　I'm　not　seeing　anyone。〃
　〃Good。　Because　I　don't　want　to　get　shot。〃
　She　said；　〃Paul；　shut　up　or　I'll　shoot　you。　God；　you　bug　me。〃
　〃Don't　shoot。〃
　She　laughed。　〃Stop　it。〃
　We　rode　the　last　mile　in　silence；　then　I　said；　〃Pull　over　here　and　kill　the　lights　and　the　engine。〃
　The　sky　was　a　clear　moonlit　blue；　and　the　temperature　had　dropped；　but　it　was　still　fortable　despite　the　humidity。　It　was　a　nice　evening；　the　kind　of　night　made　for　romantic　trysts　out　in　the　countryside。　I　listened　to　the　nightbirds　and　the　breeze　in　the　pines。　I　said；　〃Not　only　have　I　thought　about　you；　but　I've　missed　you。〃
　〃I　know。　Me；　too。〃
　I　nodded。　〃So　what　did　we　do　wrong？　Why　did　we　go　our　own　ways？〃
　She　shrugged。　〃Maybe　we　just　blew　it。〃　She　added；　〃I　wanted　you　to　。。。　well；　but　that's　past。〃
　〃What　did　you　want　me　to　do？〃
　〃I　wanted　you　not　to　accept　my　decision　to　break　it　off。　I　wanted　you　to　take　me　away　from　him。〃
　〃That's　not　my　style；　Cynthia。　You　made　a　decision。　I　respected　it。〃
　〃Oh；　God；　Paul；　you're　such　a　goddamned　sharp　detective；　aren't　you？　You　can　read　a　killer's　heart　at　a　hundred　yards；　and　spot　a　liar　in　the　blink　of　an　eye。　But　you　don't　know　how　to　read　yourself；　and　you　damned　sure　don't　know　much　about　women。〃
　So　I　sat　there；　like　the　idiot　I　am；　realizing　she　was　right；　and　at　a　loss　for　words；　knowing　what　I　felt　in　my　heart；　but　unable　to　express　it　or　unwilling　actually　to　mit　my　feelings　to　words。　I　wanted　to　say；　〃Cynthia；　I　love　you；　I've　always　loved　you。　I　will　continue　to　love　you。　Run　away　with　me。〃　But　I　couldn't；　so　I　said；　slowly　and　deliberately；　〃I　know　what　you're　saying；　I　agree　with　you；　I'm　working　on　it；　and　we'll　work　it　out。〃
　She　took　my　hand　and　held　it　awhile；　then　said；　〃Poor　Paul。　Do　I　make　you　nervous？〃
　〃Yes。〃
　〃You　don't　like　that　feeling；　do　you？〃
　〃No。〃
　She　squeezed　my　hand。　〃But　I　see　some　improvement　since　last　year　in　Brussels。〃
　〃I'm　trying。〃
　〃You're　trying　my　patience。〃
　〃We're　going　to　be　okay。〃
　〃Good。〃　She　leaned　over　and　kissed　me　lightly；　then　released　my　hand。　〃What　now？〃
　〃Well；　let's　get　to　work。〃　I　opened　my　door。
　〃This　is　not　rifle　range　six；〃　she　pointed　out。
　〃No；　this　is　five。〃
　〃Why　are　we　getting　out　here？〃
　〃Take　the　flashlight。〃　I　got　out　of　the　car　and　she　followed。
　
　CHAPTER　SIXTEEN
　
　We　stood　a　few　feet　apart　listening　for　a　while；　adjusting　to　the　darkness　and　the　nuances　of　the　night；　the　way　we　were　taught　in　school。
　Finally　I　said；　〃I　have　this　nagging　thought　that　the　headlights　that　PFC　Robbins　saw　at　0217　hours　were　not　from　Ann　Campbell's　humvee。　That；　indeed；　as　you　suggested；　she　drove　to　rifle　range　six　without　her　headlights。　She　knew　where　the　guard　was　posted；　of　course；　and　didn't　want　to　attract　attention。　She　turned　off　her　lights　about　here　and　went　the　rest　of　the　way　in　the　dark；　which　is　no　problem　with　this　moonlight。　She　had　e　directly　here　to　meet　someone　after　she　left　Sergeant　St。　John　at　headquarters　at　0100　hours。　That's　why　no　other　guard　post　saw　her。　Logical？〃
　〃If　you're　assuming　that　this　was　a　preplanned　rendezvous；　then；　yes；　it's　logical　so　far。〃
　〃Let's　assume　that。　She　could　have　gotten　here　as　early　as　0115　hours。〃
　〃Possible。〃
　〃Okay；〃　I　said；　trying　to　think　this　out；　〃the　person　she　was　supposed　to　meet　probably　got　here　first。〃
　〃Why？〃
　〃Because　she　told　him　to。　She　knew　she　could　be　held　up　by　something　at　headquarters。　She　calls　this　person　from　Post　Headquarters　and　says；　'Be　there　no　later　than　half　past　midnight。　Wait　for　me。'　〃
　〃Okay。〃
　〃So　this　person　she　was　supposed　to　meet　may　have　had　no　business　or　reason　to　be　out　here；　and　he　may　have　been　driving　a　POV。　So　as　not　to　attract　attention　from　the　guard　post；　which　he　also　knows　is　up　the　road；　he　goes　as　far　as　here；　range　five；　and　turns　off　the　road　to　the　left。〃　We　walked　off　the　road　into　a　graveled　parking　area。
　I　said　to　Cynthia；　〃This　graveled　field　also　serves　ranges　four　and　six。　The　troop　carriers　stop　here；　leave　off　the　men　for　all　three　ranges；　turn　around　and　leave；　and　the　men　walk　to　their　assigned　ranges。　I　remember　that　from　my　days　here。〃
　〃Except　they　don't　use　muskets　anymore。〃
　〃Right。　So　the　guy　who　was　supposed　to　meet　her　here　knows　to　pull　off　on　the　gravel　so　as　not　to　leave　tire　marks。　Follow　me。〃　We　walked　across　the　gravel；　which　was　crisscrossed　with　the　impressions　of　dozens　of　tires；　none　of　them　distinct　enough　in　the　crushed　stone　to　be　worth　photographing　or　trying　to　get　a　cast　of。　But　as　we　got　past　the　bleachers　of　rifle　range　five；　the　gravel　thinned；　and　with　the　flashlight　we　could　make　out　tire　marks　where　no　truck　or　car　should　have　been。　The　tire　marks　continued　toward　a　stand　of　scrub　pine；　then　stopped。　I　said；　〃Any　vehicle　parked　here　would　not　be　seen　from　the　road；　but　he　did　leave　his　tire　marks。〃
　〃Paul；　this　is　incredible。　These　could　be　the　tire　marks　of　the　perpetrator。〃
　〃These　are　probably　the　tire　marks　of　the　person　who　met　her　here。　The　person　did　not　want　his　vehicle　seen　by　a　passing　MP　patrol　or　by　the　guard　truck　that　would　have　e　by　this　way　at　about　0100　hours　to　relieve　the　guard　at　the　ammo　shed　a　kilometer　up　the　road；　and　to　post　PFC　Robbins　at　that　shed。　This　person　was　already　here　before　that　time　and　parked　here；　then　walked　on　the　back　trail　to　rifle　range　six　and　went　into　the　latrine　to　wait。　While　there；　he　may　have　used　the　latrine　and　may　have　washed　his　face　and　hands；　leaving　water　spots　and　a　hair　behind。　Logical　so　far？〃
　〃So　far。〃
　〃Let's　walk。〃　We　found　the　back　trail；　made　from　small　logs　laid　side　by　side　to　form　an　all…weather　road　or　path；　what　the　Army　calls　a　corduroy　surface。　This　surface　left　no　footprints。　We　followed　it　for　about　a　hundred　meters　through　the　brush　until　it　came　out　into　the　area　behind　the　latrines　of　rifle　range　six。　〃Okay；　the　guy　waits　here；　in　or　around　the　latrines。　The　first　thing　he　sees　is　the　guard　truck　going　up　the　road　to　the　ammo　shed；　then；　a　while　later；　the　truck　returns　after　having　relieved　the　original　guard　and　posting　Robbins。　The　truck　does　not　go　all　the　way　to　main　post；　where　it　may　have　met　Ann　Campbell　ing　the　other　way。　It　turns　off　toward　Jordan　Field　to　post　and　relieve　guards　at　the　hangars；　which　takes　a　while。　I　recall　that　from　when　I　was　stationed　here。　So　Ann　Campbell　probably　did　not　cross　the　path　of　the　guard　truck　and　proceeded　directly　to　range　six。　She　extinguished　her　headlights　at　some　point　and　parked　the　humvee　where　we　found　it　on　the　road。　Okay？〃
　〃So　far。　But　it's　all　speculation。〃
　〃Right。　That's　what　reenactment　mostly　is。　You're　here　to　find　holes；　not　tell　me　I'm　making　it　up。〃
　〃All　right。　Go　on。〃
　〃Okay。　The　person　waiting　here　near　the　latrines　sees　her　stop　her　humvee　on　the　road；　and　he　walks　across　this　open　area…〃　I　began　to　walk　toward　the　road；　and　Cynthia　followed。　〃He　approaches　Ann　Campbell；　who　is　in　or　near　her　humvee；　and　tells　her　that　the　guard　truck　has　e　and　gone；　as　it　should　have　by　this　time；　and　there's　nothing　to　worry　about　now；　except　perhaps　a　random　MP　patrol。　But　that's　not　likely　out　here。　This　road　dead…ends　at　range　ten；　and　there　will　be　no　through　traffic。　The　only　other　people　who　might　e　by　are　the　officer　of　the　guard　or　the　sergeant　of　the　guard；　but　they　would　not　e　out　this　way　so　soon　after　the　changing　of　the　guard；　and；　most　likely；　they　wouldn't　bother　at　all。　The　only　other　person　who　would　conceivably　e　out　here　is　the　post　duty　officer；　and　on　this　night；　the　duty　officer　is　Captain　Ann　Campbell。　Follow？〃
　〃Up