Cody told them.
Hawkins chuckled. “Then grab it and pull like hell, eh, Sarge?”
“You’ve got it.” Cody nodded. “What’s the story on this Valera, General? Is he a handle?”
“He just could be,” said Simmons. “He owns controlling interest in a club in Manila. The government’s had it under surveillance
but not much more.”
“Are we sure about that?”
“They haven’t got anything on him they can use or I’d have heard about his place being slammed shut.”
“Get me a complete BG on Valera,” Cody instructed the general. “We’ll—”
He was interrupted by a commotion from outside the closed doors.
The double doors flew inward a moment later and Louise Jeffers burst into the room, wearing a more terrified expression than
she had during those final moments on the ground two hours earlier at that hot LZ near Colonel Locsin’s camp.
“Cal… Cal, oh, my God, Cal,” Mrs. Jeffers shrieked, “She’s gone! Ann’s
gone!
”
CHAPTER
NINE
T his sector of Clark Air Force Base was one of the tightest security perimeters in the Philippines. The only trouble was that
security was on the lookout for all manner of things suspicious.
They had not been prepared for an innocent nineteen-year-old kid bopping along, whom they of course knew was the Jeffers kid,
just brought in… but she had said she was going, and through some mix-up she slipped away.
“You know how she was behaving on the helicopter, and after we landed,” said Mrs. Jeffers, later. “Well, when she realized
I wanted someone, a psychiatrist or someone, to look at her, the way you suggested, Mr. Cody, well, she started acting just
as natural as you please, warming up and everything, like everything was all right. Then I turned around… and she was gone.”
Jeffers looked around from face to face of the men at that table.
“I’m… sorry, gentlemen. My child… Ann is an impulsive young woman.”
“What happened during those three weeks of your captivity, Mr. Jeffers?” Cody asked.
“Imagine the worst thing, short of death, and that happened,” said Jeffers. “Locsin turned Ann against her mother and me.
She told Locsin about my CIA identity.”
Ann Jeffers had not shown up.
A confused, abused, rebellious young woman had somehow disappeared off the base, off the face of the Philippines, the instant
she set foot off that military installation.
Mrs. Jeffers needed a strong sedative from the paramedics to calm her once it was established beyond a doubt that her daughter’s
present whereabouts were unknown, and Cal Jeffers had not been in much better shape when he accompanied his wife, leaving
Cody’s Army alone again in the briefing room with General Simmons.
Cody respected Mr. and Mrs. Jeffers for having fought the good fight, but he was a damn sight pissed off at Ann Jeffers for
flaking out the way she had on two occasions, and he was pissed at himself for not having read the signals more clearly in
the chopper. He should have insisted, and supervised, the turning over of the kid to proper medical hands.
“Well, Cody,” said General Simmons, “where do you think your men should take it from here? We were supposed to ensure that
kid’s safety, and we haven’t. She’s gone.”
Hawkeye Hawkins snarled, “Who gives a rat’s ass? Lamebrain brat gets what she deserves, screwing up like that, falling for
that Locsin’s bullshit, and now this.”
Caine eyed the Texan sternly.
“That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think? Locsin took advantage of, and essentially raped, a confused young person. Ann is a victim.”
Murphy growled, “Whatever she is, she’s gone, but without a damn thing to go on, what can we do?”
Cody said, “We keep on Javier. We keep our ear to the ground. The first time we pick up anything regarding the Jeffers kid,
we move on that. It’s all tied in.”
“We’re covered on one angle, at least,” Simmons said. “I got word from our Filipino government
Hawkins chuckled. “Then grab it and pull like hell, eh, Sarge?”
“You’ve got it.” Cody nodded. “What’s the story on this Valera, General? Is he a handle?”
“He just could be,” said Simmons. “He owns controlling interest in a club in Manila. The government’s had it under surveillance
but not much more.”
“Are we sure about that?”
“They haven’t got anything on him they can use or I’d have heard about his place being slammed shut.”
“Get me a complete BG on Valera,” Cody instructed the general. “We’ll—”
He was interrupted by a commotion from outside the closed doors.
The double doors flew inward a moment later and Louise Jeffers burst into the room, wearing a more terrified expression than
she had during those final moments on the ground two hours earlier at that hot LZ near Colonel Locsin’s camp.
“Cal… Cal, oh, my God, Cal,” Mrs. Jeffers shrieked, “She’s gone! Ann’s
gone!
”
CHAPTER
NINE
T his sector of Clark Air Force Base was one of the tightest security perimeters in the Philippines. The only trouble was that
security was on the lookout for all manner of things suspicious.
They had not been prepared for an innocent nineteen-year-old kid bopping along, whom they of course knew was the Jeffers kid,
just brought in… but she had said she was going, and through some mix-up she slipped away.
“You know how she was behaving on the helicopter, and after we landed,” said Mrs. Jeffers, later. “Well, when she realized
I wanted someone, a psychiatrist or someone, to look at her, the way you suggested, Mr. Cody, well, she started acting just
as natural as you please, warming up and everything, like everything was all right. Then I turned around… and she was gone.”
Jeffers looked around from face to face of the men at that table.
“I’m… sorry, gentlemen. My child… Ann is an impulsive young woman.”
“What happened during those three weeks of your captivity, Mr. Jeffers?” Cody asked.
“Imagine the worst thing, short of death, and that happened,” said Jeffers. “Locsin turned Ann against her mother and me.
She told Locsin about my CIA identity.”
Ann Jeffers had not shown up.
A confused, abused, rebellious young woman had somehow disappeared off the base, off the face of the Philippines, the instant
she set foot off that military installation.
Mrs. Jeffers needed a strong sedative from the paramedics to calm her once it was established beyond a doubt that her daughter’s
present whereabouts were unknown, and Cal Jeffers had not been in much better shape when he accompanied his wife, leaving
Cody’s Army alone again in the briefing room with General Simmons.
Cody respected Mr. and Mrs. Jeffers for having fought the good fight, but he was a damn sight pissed off at Ann Jeffers for
flaking out the way she had on two occasions, and he was pissed at himself for not having read the signals more clearly in
the chopper. He should have insisted, and supervised, the turning over of the kid to proper medical hands.
“Well, Cody,” said General Simmons, “where do you think your men should take it from here? We were supposed to ensure that
kid’s safety, and we haven’t. She’s gone.”
Hawkeye Hawkins snarled, “Who gives a rat’s ass? Lamebrain brat gets what she deserves, screwing up like that, falling for
that Locsin’s bullshit, and now this.”
Caine eyed the Texan sternly.
“That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think? Locsin took advantage of, and essentially raped, a confused young person. Ann is a victim.”
Murphy growled, “Whatever she is, she’s gone, but without a damn thing to go on, what can we do?”
Cody said, “We keep on Javier. We keep our ear to the ground. The first time we pick up anything regarding the Jeffers kid,
we move on that. It’s all tied in.”
“We’re covered on one angle, at least,” Simmons said. “I got word from our Filipino government
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