“I’m going to ask you to think about that answer again, Brother Jaleel. Because things are not looking too good for you right now. The navy’s plan from here ends up with you behind bars for a long time. Have you heard of Fort Leavenworth?”
He mumbled something. “Excuse me?” she said. “I didn’t hear that.”
“Said, I heard of it.”
“It’s the federal penitentiary for service members convicted of major crimes of violence and theft. Leavenworth, Kansas. A long way from Detroit, Michigan.” He nodded, swallowed. “Do you want me to keep going?” she asked again. Thinking, maybe this isn’t so hard after all. Feeling some guilt, too, about using Islam to gain his confidence. But she was telling the truth: The only way he was going to save himself was by cooperating.
“All right, Brother. I’ll tell you what they have. And what we have to do. It took a couple of days, but the senior agent got permission for a room search over in the BEQ. Not on your room. We figured it wouldn’t be there. So we searched the rooms of some of the guys you hang with. And guess what. Palmer — you hang with Palmer?”
He murmured unwillingly, “I know Palmer. Yeah.”
“Well, guess what he had under his mattress. A nine-millimeter Beretta 92F Are you with me so far?”
Childers stared at the gun.
“Okay, we could send this weapon by air to Norfolk. To a forensic lab with certified fingerprint examiners. But we don’t need your fingerprints on it. Because Seaman Palmer has given you up. Confronted with federal charges, he decided to help us solve the case. Two hundred dollars. That’s what he paid you for it. Do you think that was enough?”
He didn’t answer and she made a mistake; let her voice go.
He was shaking his head, she knew the tone was wrong even before the words were out of her mouth. The big Hershey-slab arms came up again and locked. “I ain’t saying nothing. I ain’t giving you nothing. I want a lawyer.”
This was the worst possible moment for an interruption, so of course that was when Diehl chose to lean in. “Doing okay in here?” he said, glancing at the enlisted man. “Need a hand?”
She frowned at him. “We’re doing just fine. Brother Jaleel’s going to help us out.”
“That’s good,” Diehl said, but his voice was saying, Is he really? Doesn’t look like it. But he closed the door anyway. Aisha breathed out.
“All right,” she told him. “You don’t have to say anything. Just let me talk.”
Over the next hour, as the room grew hotter, she showed Childers there was no way he could avoid being convicted of multiple charges of theft of explosives and small arms. The violation was UCMJ Article 108: Military property, property of the United States, sale, loss, damage, destruction, or wrongful disposition. He could also be charged under Article 121, larceny of property. The recommended sentences were dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for ten years.
But it might be possible to overlook what he’d done. In fact, she had a paper with her that guaranteed that he would not go to prison. In black and white, signed by the base commander. The reason for their being willing to forego prosecution was that the navy wanted to recover the other pistols, the grenades, and most of all, the explosives, more than it wanted to fry Petty Officer Lyman S. Childers. He’d be discharged under “other than honorable” conditions. But he wouldn’t have to stand trial or forfeit his pay. He’d go back to the States and be discharged there, a free man.
All he had to do was tell them where he’d disposed of the other materials, and who had them now.
She leaned back feeling sick, sweat trickling under her armpits. Now or never.
But Childers sat there without responding.
“What’s the matter?” she asked at last. He still didn’t say anything. But he was sweating now, too, beads prickling out on his forehead.
He cleared his throat, began to speak.
A tap at the door. The beefy red face of a white man who’d spent too much time in the sun. “Getting late. Read him his rights and let’s get him over to the brig.”
“Just one more minute, Bob.” She was furious. Was he trying to be the bad cop, keeping the pressure on? Whatever he intended, it just made this guy upset, and when he got upset, he stopped cooperating. She said, “Will you excuse me a minute?”
“Huh? Oh, sure.”
“Want anything? A soda or anything?” Childers-Jaleel didn’t answer and she said, “I’ll get you a Coke while I’m up,” and let herself out into the corridor and closed the door.
Diehl stood there grinning. “Will you
“Just wanted to let you know, it’s quitting time. I think you’re right. If any of them know anything, he’s the one. But he’s not gonna give it up.”
“I had him ready to sign twice.”
“What happened?”
“You. Both times.”
