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volve　them　in　a　conspiracy　to　conceal　the　true　nature　of　the　crime；　and　no　right　to　involve　your　wife　in　the　conspiracy　as　well。　And　no　right；　sir；　to　make　my　job　and　Ms。　Sunhill's　job　more　difficult　by　sending　us　up　false　trails。〃
　He　nodded。　〃You're　absolutely　correct。　I　take　full　responsibility。〃
　I　took　a　deep　breath　and　informed　him；　〃I　must　tell　you；　sir；　that　your　actions　are　offenses　that　are　punishable　under　the　Uniform　Code　of　Military　Justice。〃
　He　nodded　again；　slowly。　〃Yes；　I'm　aware　of　that。〃　He　looked　at　me；　then　at　Cynthia。　〃I　would　ask　one　favor　of　you。〃
　〃Yes；　sir？〃
　〃I　would　ask　that　you　do　everything　you　can　to　keep　the　Fowlers'　name　out　of　this。〃
　I　was　prepared　for　that　request；　and　I'd　wrestled　with　the　answer　long　before　General　Campbell　asked。　I　looked　at　Cynthia；　then　at　the　general；　and　replied；　〃I　can't　pound　this　crime　with　a　crime　of　my　own。〃　In　fact；　I'd　already　done　that　by　striking　a　deal　with　Burt　Yardley。　But　that　was　off…post　stuff。　This　was　not。　I　said；　〃The　Fowlers　found　the　body；　General。　They　did　not　report　it。〃
　〃They　did。　To　me。〃
　Cynthia　said；　〃General；　my　position　is　somewhat　different　from　Mr。　Brenner's；　and　though　detectives　are　never　to　disagree　in　public；　I　think　we　can　keep　the　Fowlers　out　of　this。　In　fact；　Colonel　Fowler　did　report　the　crime　to　you；　and　you　told　him　you　would　call　Colonel　Kent。　But　in　your　shock　and　grief；　and　Mrs。　Campbell's　grief；　the　body　was　discovered　before　you　could　call　the　provost　marshal。　There　are　more　details　to　work　out；　but　I　don't　think　justice　would　be　served　any　better　by　dragging　the　Fowlers　into　this。〃
　General　Campbell　looked　at　Cynthia　for　a　long　time；　then　nodded。
　I　was　not　happy；　but　I　was　relieved。　Colonel　Fowler；　after　all；　was　perhaps　the　only　officer　who'd　shown　some　degree　of　honor　and　integrity　throughout；　including　not　screwing　the　general's　daughter。　In　truth；　I　did　not　possess　that　kind　of　willpower　myself；　and　I　was　in　awe　of　a　man　who　did。　Still；　you　don't　give　something　for　nothing；　and　Cynthia　understood　that；　because　she　said　to　the　general；　〃But　I　would　like　you；　sir；　to　tell　us　what　actually　happened　out　there；　and　why　it　happened。〃
　General　Campbell　sat　back　in　his　chair　and　nodded。　He　said；　〃All　right；　then。　The　story　actually　begins　ten　years　ago　。。。　ten　years　ago　this　month　at　West　Point。〃
　
　CHAPTER　TWENTY…EIGHT
　
　General　Campbell　related　to　us　what　had　happened　at　Camp　Buckner；　West　Point's　field　training　area。　In　regard　to　the　actual　rape；　he　knew　not　much　more　than　we　did；　or；　probably；　the　authorities　did。　What　he　did　know　was　that；　when　he　saw　his　daughter　at　Keller　Army　Hospital；　she　was　traumatized；　hysterical；　and　humiliated　by　what　had　happened　to　her。　He　told　us　that　Ann　clung　to　him；　cried；　and　begged　him　to　take　her　home。
　He　offered　the　information　that　his　daughter　told　him　she　was　a　virgin；　and　that　the　men　who　raped　her　made　fun　of　this。　She　told　him　that　the　men　had　pulled　off　her　clothes　and　staked　her　on　the　ground　with　tent　pegs。　One　of　the　men　had　choked　her　with　a　rope　while　he　was　raping　her；　and　told　her　he'd　strangle　her　to　death　if　she　reported　the　assault。
　Neither　I　nor　Cynthia；　I'm　sure；　expected　the　general　to　provide　these　small；　intimate　details。　He　knew　that　this　incident　was　only　related　to　the　murder　in　a　peripheral　way；　and　there　was　no　clue　there　regarding　her　murderer。　Yet；　he　wanted　to　talk；　and　we　let　him　talk。
　I　got　the　impression；　though　he　didn't　address　the　issue　directly；　that　his　daughter　expected　him　to　see　to　it　that　justice　was　done；　that　there　was　no　question　that　she'd　been　brutally　raped；　and　that　the　men　who'd　done　it　were　to　be　expelled　from　the　military　academy　and　prosecuted。
　These；　of　course；　were　reasonable　expectations　for　a　young　woman　who'd　been　trying　her　damnedest　to　live　up　to　Daddy's　expectations；　who　had　put　up　with　all　the　hardships　that　were　part　of　life　at　West　Point；　and　who　had　been　criminally　assaulted。
　But　there　were　some　problems；　it　seemed。　First；　there　was　the　question　of　Cadet　Campbell　being　alone　with　five　men　in　the　woods　at　night。　How　did　she　get　separated　from　the　forty…person　patrol？　By　accident？　On　purpose？　Second；　Cadet　Campbell　could　not　identify　the　men。　They　not　only　wore　camouflage　paint；　but　they　had　mosquito　nets　over　their　faces。　It　was　so　dark；　she　couldn't　even　identify　the　uniforms　and　could　not　say　for　certain　if　the　men　were　other　cadets；　West　Point　cadre；　or　soldiers　from　the　82nd　Airborne　Division。　In　all；　there　were　close　to　a　thousand　men　and　women　on　training　exercises　that　night；　and　the　chance　of　her　identifying　her　five　attackers　was　almost　nil；　according　to　what　General　Campbell　had　been　told。
　But　this　was　not　precisely　true；　as　Cynthia　and　I　knew。　By　process　of　elimination；　you　could　begin　to　narrow　the　field。　And　as　you　got　closer　to　the　perpetrators；　it　was　inevitable　that　one　of　them　would　crack　to　save　himself　from　long　jail　time。　And　also　you　had　semen　tests；　saliva　tests；　hair　tests；　fingerprints；　and　all　the　other　magic　of　forensic　science。　In　fact；　gang　rapes　were　easier　to　solve　than　solitary　rapes；　and　I　knew　that；　Cynthia　certainly　knew　it；　and　I　strongly　suspected　that　General　Campbell　knew　it。
　The　real　problem　was　not　identifying　who　did　it；　the　problem　was　that　the　rapists　were　either　cadets；　cadre；　or　soldiers。　The　problem　was　not　in　the　area　of　police　science；　but　in　the　area　of　public　relations。
　Basically；　it　came　down　to　the　fact　that　five　erect　penises　penetrated　one　vagina；　and　the　entire　United　States　Army　Military　Academy　at　West　Point　could　be　torn　apart　in　the　same　act　that　had　torn　Ann　Campbell's　hymen　imperforatus。　These　were　the　times　that　we　lived　in；　rape　was　not　an　act　of　sex…consensual　sex　is　easily　available。　Rape　was　an　act　of　violence；　a　breach　of　military　order　and　discipline；　an　affront　to　the　West　Point　code　of　honor；　a　definitive　no　vote　against　a　co…ed　academy；　against　women　in　the　Army；　against　female　officers；　and　against　the　notion　that　women　could　coexist　with　men　in　the　dark　woods　of　Camp　Buckner；　or　the　hostile　environment　of　the　battlefield。
　The　exclusive　male　domain　of　West　Point　had　been　infiltrated　by　people　who　squatted　to　piss　in　the　woods；　as　that　colonel　at　the　O　Club　bar　would　put　it。　During　the　academic　year；　in　the　classroom；　it　wasn't　intolerable。　But　out　in　the　woods；　in　the　hot　summer　night；　in　the　dark；　men　will　revert　to　ancient　modes　of　behavior。
　The　entire　field　training　experience；　as　I　remember　too　well；　was　a　call　to　arms；　a　call　to　war；　a　call　to　bravery；　and　an　intentional　imitation　of　a　primitive　rite　of　passage　for　young　men。　There　were　no　women　in　the　woods　when　I　took　my　training；　and　if　there　had　been；　I　would　have　felt　sorry　for　them　and　been　frightened　for　them。
　But　the　people　in　Washington　and　the　Pentagon　had　heard　and　heeded　the　call　to　equality。　It　was　a　good　call；　a　necessary　call；　a　long…overdue　call。　And　certainly　attitudes　and　perceptions　had　changed　since　I　was　a　young　man　training　for　Vietnam。　But　not　everyone's　attitudes　changed；　and　the　move　to　equality　proceeded　at　different　paces　in　different　sections　of　the　national　life。　There　are　glitches　in　the　system；　little　pockets　of　resistance；　situational　behavior；　primitive　stirrings　in　the　loins。　This　is　what　happened　on　a　night　in　August　ten　years　before。　The　mandant　of　West　Point　did　not　announce　that　a　hundred　women　in　the　woods　with　a　thousand　men　did　not　get　raped　during　recondo　training。　And　he　wasn't　about　to　announce　that　one　did。
　So　the　people　in　Washington；　in　the　Pentagon；　at　the　Academy；　had　reasoned　with　General　Joseph　Campbell。　And；　as　he　related　it　to　Cynthia　and　me；　it　certainly　sounded　reasonable。　Better　to　have　one　unreported　and　unvindicated　rape　than　to　rock　the　very　foundations　of　West　Point；　to　cause　doubts　about　a　co…ed　academy；　to　cast　suspicion　on　a　thousand　innocent　men　who　did　not　gang…rape　a　woman　that　night。　All　the　general　had　to　do　was　to　convince　his　daughter　that　she…as　well　as　the　Academy；　the　Army；　the　nation；　and　the　cause　of　equality…would　best　be　served　if　she　just　forgot　about　the　whole　thing。
　Ann　Campbell　was　given　a　drug　to　prevent　pregnancy；　she　was　tested　and　retested　for　sexually