Part 94 (1/2)

”A small town named Tekleh.”

”Never heard of it.”

”Nor had I until today. It's an unincorporated town ninety-four klicks from here, used mostly by smugglers. A few small buildings outside made to look like a sheep camp, and a few dozen furnished chambers built into a series of caves. The CIA is aware of it, and they've been working to get a man inside.The Israelis already have a man there, as do the Russians.”

”Can we pick up the guy Finn was talking to? What's his name? Aziz? Encourage him to tell us where Finn is?”

Mr. Church tapped the key again, and we were back to still images.The next picture showed the mouth of a small cave.There were equipment boxes around and the kind of gear you expect at archaeological digs. In front of the cave lay six bodies. You could tell they were men and that their clothing was typical of the fighters in the Taliban drug trade. But that was it.

”This is one of several archaeological sites that were hijacked by the Taliban and used as a base. It's one of several sites rich in artifacts of some of the oldest religious cults in the area. The lilitu, among others.”

The Taliban fighters had been torn to pieces.Their chests and stomachs were ripped apart. Pieces were clearly missing.

”In previous cases of a similar nature, all of the artifacts were missing from the site. Not one of them has turned up on any of the black markets the Taliban typically uses to peddle such materials. Not one piece.”

He tapped another key. ”This was taken an hour ago. It's a newly opened shrine.”

”So . . . ?”

”Reliable witnesses claim that Sergeant O'Leary was seen in the area moments before the Taliban team was. .h.i.t.”

I stared at him.

”Finn? But . . . why? I don't understand.Why would he . . . ?”

My question trailed off into the dust. I didn't want to finish it.

Mr. Church said nothing.

19 Last two things I want to say about this, and then I'm closing this report. I'm going to seal it and make sure that it gets buried someplace that sane people won't ever look. I'm sure as f.u.c.k never going to look at it again.

We buried Staff Sergeant Albert ”Cheech Wizard” Sandoval, Staff Sergeant William ”Bear” Pulaski, and Gunnery Sergeant Treyvon ”Jazzman” Walker back home in Arlington National Cemetery. Mr. Church fixed it so that they were given official military status again and it was noted that they'd died honorably in combat.All of the proper awards and flags were given to their families. Before they were buried, a team of forensics experts and pathologists from Mount Sinai did full autopsies on them. They confirmed without any doubt-based on the degree of tissue decomposition and other factors-that all three men had been dead at least thirteen days.

The autopsy was done three days after Echo Team brought their bodies home.That means that they had to have died during that ambush in the old town.

Explain that to me in a way that doesn't make me scream at night. Because that's what I do now. Maybe I will for a long time. I'm still drinking more than I should. Rudy's on me about that, but he knows what really happened, so he doesn't push too hard.

So that's the first thing.

The second thing is that we've started getting reports of hits on certain Taliban teams in the region around Tekleh. Not all of them, not most. The hits aren't interfering with those a.s.sholes fighting us and the Afghan regulars, and it sure as s.h.i.+t hasn't done much to slow down the opium caravans. But since that day in the hills near Haykal, every attempt by Taliban forces to occupy or desecrate the old shrines hidden in the mountains has been met with armed resistance.