Stanton said, "Are you pro--Viet Cong?"

Guery said, "No."

Flatline.

Stanton said, "Have you ever stolen from the kadre?"

Guery said, "No."

The needle dipped two inches. The needle laid swerve lines. Stanton pumped the cuff. Stanton read the dial.

Not okay--140/110--non-normal signs.

Guery squirmed. Pete eyeballed him. Pete read his signs: Chills/goose bumps/sweat.

Stanton said, "Have you ever stolen from kadre-adjunct personnel?"

Guery said, "No."

The needle dipped three inches. The needle laid swerve lines.

Stanton hit the intercom switch. Stanton talked gook: "Quon, Minh. Mau len. Di, thi, di."

Two gooks ran in--one Marv and one Cong doubletime. Guery squirmed. Pete read signs: Wet hands/wet armpits/crotch leaking sweat.

Stanton nodded. The gooks flanked Guery. The gooks pulled batons.

Stanton said, "Do you have knowledge of such thefts?"

Guery said, "No."

The needle dipped six inches. The needle laid swerve lines.

Stanton said, "Do you have knowledge that Pete Bondurant perpetrated such thefts?"

Guery said, "No."

Needle bump. Flatline.

Stanton said, "Do you have knowledge that Jean Philippe Mesplede perpetrated such thefts?"

Guery said, "No."

Needle bump. Flatline.

Stanton said, "Do you have knowledge that Wayne Tedrow Junior perpetrated such thefts?"

Guery said, "No."

Needle bump. Flatline.

Stanton said, "Do you have knowledge that Chuck Rogers perpetrated such thefts?"

Guery said, "No."

The needle dipped eight inches. The needle laid swerve lines.

Guery squirmed. Stanton cued the gooks. They grabbed ropes. They looped them. They tied Guery to the chair.

Stanton pulled his piece. Stanton cocked it. Pete grabbed the field phone. Pete patched the lab.

Chuck was gone. Chuck split to Saigon. Chuck split four days back. Chuck bunked with Guery now. Chuck hassled Guery. Chuck drove Guery nuts.

Pete got a dial tone. Pete got line fuzz. Pete got a click.

Wayne picked up. "Yeah?"

"It's me. Have you seen Chuck?"

"No. Was he supposed--"

"He was supposed to go through Bao Loc and Saigon and pick up some guns."

"I haven't seen him at all. He always comes by the Go-Go when he's--"

Pete hung up. Stanton cued him--go check the hooch.

Pete ran over. Pete popped the door. Pete tripped on the mat. He caught himself. He eyeball-walked. He quadrant-scanned.

Four walls/two fart sacks/two nightstands/two lockers/one shitter/ one sink.

Pete dumped the nightstands. Pete combed debris. Toothpaste/ rubbers/stroke books/hate tracts/Ring magazines.

Two passports--both Guery's--CIA/French.

Pete dumped the lockers. Pete combed debris. Hate tracts/bug spray/beaver pix/gun oil/Swank magazines.

No Chuck passports. No Chuck ID.

Pete grabbed the field phone. Pete patched Saigon direct. He got Ops South. They repatched him. He got Tan Son Nhut. They repatched him. He got static. He got Customs.

He got a gook. He spoke French. The gook spoke strict Viet. The gook repatched him. He got static. He got a white man.

"Customs, Agent Lierz."

"This is Sergeant Peters, CID. I'm checking on a civilian who might've cleared Customs within the past four days."

Lierz coughed. The line coughed. Static brizzed.

"You got a name?"

"Rogers. First name Charles."

Lierz coughed. "I've got my log here. Hold on . . . Rice, Ridgeway, Rippert . . . yeah, Rogers. He flew out four days ago. He showed manifest docs, loaded explosive material and caught a transport to the National Guard strip in Houston, Tex--"

Pete hung up. Pete got it: Thefts/fake docs/explosives.

Guery screamed. Pete heard it loud. It carried from forty yards up.

He ran back. He smelled smoke and piss. He cracked the door and saw it.

There's Guery.

He's tied up. He's pantless. He's scared. Stanton's got the hot box. Stanton's got the switch. Stanton's got the clamps on his balls.

The gooks watched. The gooks smoked bootjack Kools. The gooks slurped gook wine.

Stanton said, "What did Chuck Rogers steal?"

Guery shook his head. Stanton hit the switch. Stanton tossed volts. Guery buckled and screamed.

Stanton said, "If the theft is kadre-adjunct and you didn't participate or report it, I'd be inclined to go easy."

Guery shook his head. Stanton hit the switch. Stanton tossed volts. Guery buckled and screamed.

Stanton said, "Where's Rogers now? What did he steal and who did he steal it from?"

Guery shook his head. Stanton hit the switch. Stanton tossed volts. Guery buckled and screamed.

Pete got it--for real now.

Chuck and Guery worked Dallas. Stanton's got no clue. Guery won't talk. Guery won't rat Chuck for anything.

Stanton said, "Is Rogers in-country? Did he fly back to the States?"

Guery shook his head. Stanton hit the switch. Stanton tossed volts. Guery buckled and screamed.

The gooks laughed--he claaazy--he dinky dau.

Stanton hit the switch. Stanton tossed volts. Guery buckled. Guery screamed. Guery yelled, "Assez!"

Stanton cued the gooks. The gooks pulled the clamps. The gooks untied Guery. The gooks sprayed his balls with baby oil. The gooks fed him gook wine.

He slurped it. He stood up. He teetered. He fell back in his chair.

Stanton leaned in. "If I said it hurt me more than it hurt you, I'd be a fucking liar."

Pete sneezed--the hut smelled--fried ball hair and sweat.

Guery said, "The ammo dump . . . Bao Loc . . . Chuck, qu'est-ce que c'est, burglarized bomb material . . . from Francois."

Stanton shook his head. "Did he tell you what he had in mind?"

Pete leaned in. "Chuck flew to the States. If you let me talk to him alone, I'll get the rest of it."

Stanton nodded. Stanton stood up. Stanton cued the gooks--venez, venez.

They walked out together. Pete grabbed the bottle. Guery snatched it. Guery drained it. Guery hitched his pants up.

"I will never have children now."

"It's not like you want them."

"No. The world has become too communistic."

"I think I know why you held back."

Guery wiped his nose. "I did not betray the kadre."

"I know you didn't."

Guery rubbed his balls. "Chuck. . . qu'est-ce . . . received a letter from his parents. I think they are not sane."

Pete lit two cigarettes. Gudry snatched one.

"Chuck lives at their house. They said they found his . . . journal?"

"Journal, right."

"Which described our operation in Dallas . . . for which . . . they demanded an explanation . . . which . . . Chuck said he would fly home and . . . qu'est-ce . . . take care of it."

Pete kicked a doorpost. "He stole bomb ordnance for that?"

Guery coughed. "No. For something else. He would not tell me."

Pete walked outside. Slaves double-timed past him. Guards popped rubber rounds.

Stanton straddled a fence rail. "How bad?"

Pete shrugged. "You tell me. Laurent said it's a family grudge, and Chuck flew out with explosives."

Stanton chewed a hangnail. "There's a courier flight leaving for Fort Sam Houston. You and Wayne go find him and kill him."

73.