Page 25 of Alistair

“None of this tells us why someone is out to kill these Marines,” said Alistair.

“It doesn’t,” said Suzette, “but maybe show them the picture of the doctor. If he was out there, they would know it.”

“You’re pretty smart, Aunt Suzette,” smirked Luke.

“I will kick your ass,” she frowned, leaving them to their work. After talking to the three Marines on the island and to Clark, none of them recognized the face of the doctor.

“We’re headed to speak with Juarez’s chief. If he missed him in the count, I need to know if it was intentional or truly an accident,” said Alistair.

Springfield, Virginia, was the home of the DEA headquarters. The sprawling campus of buildings, offices, and training facilities were relatively new as D.C. went. Andy Brashear was on the second floor in a cubicle more befitting a junior agent than a team leader or chief.

“Agent Brashear?” asked Alistair.

“Yes,” he said quietly. “That’s me.”

“Sir, we’d like to speak with you about Juarez.” The man eyed them and nodded, walking toward an open conference room. He took the seat along the side of the table and folded his hands like a child.

“Am I fired?” he asked.

“Sir, we’re not with the DEA. We’re investigating why Juarez was killed and why someone wants the Marines dead, including the pilot.”

“God, will this never end,” he said, shaking his head. “Juarez is my fault. I thought everyone was on board, and I gave the order to leave. I-I was forgetful that night. I’ve been that way on and off the last year. My wife had been driving me crazy to retire, and I think I’m going to be forced to do so.”

“Have you seen someone for a full work-up?” asked Kev.

“Yesterday,” he nodded, looking away from the men. “They did a brain scan, all sorts of tests. I have early onset dementia.”

“I’m so damn sorry, sir,” said Matt. The man just shook his head.

“I should have resigned last year. I did this. Had I been thinking clearly, I would have noticed that kid not on the chopper.”

“There are things that can help, sir,” said Garr. “Maybe if you retired, you’d have more time to focus on those things and improve your cognitive abilities.”

“Maybe.”

“If you don’t mind, would you try to think back to that night? Was there anyone there that stood out to you? Maybe someone who didn’t fit? Someone who shouldn’t have been there?” asked Alistair.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Marines and DEA agents. That’s it. The men we were arresting were fairly cooperative. There were three that took off into the forest, but I told the guys not to follow. I was worried it was a trap, and they weren’t as familiar with the woods as the dealers.”

“Did you see the faces of the three that took off?” he stared at Garr, confusion filling his face.

“Took off? Who took off where?” he said quietly. Garr swallowed and looked at the other men.

“Sir,” said Sor, gripping his hand. “You just said that three men took off into the woods. We were wondering if you saw their faces.”

“Oh. Oh, that. No. Not really. It was dark, and they appeared dark. I mean, dark hair and dark clothes.”

“I see. That’s helpful,” said Sor. “Are some of your agents here to speak with? The men who were there that night?”

“Yes. I’ll take you to them.” Sor looked at the others, nodding in their direction.

“I’m going to talk to his agents. I think you guys need to find his chief and have a conversation about him being here.”

“I’m going with you,” said Alistair. Matt, Garr, and Kev had Andy lead them to his chief and leave them alone to speak with the man. They weren’t experts, but his mind was placing men in danger.

“This is the team that was there that night,” said Andy, pointing to a group of men seated in a pod of desks and chairs.

“What’s up, Andy?” asked one of the men.

---