AME SQUAD,” said Blue Man.

He and Robie were sitting in Blue Man’s office.

“They fought together for the entire campaign, along with other assignments post–Gulf One.”

“It was no wonder Julie didn’t know about it,” remarked Robie. “She wasn’t even born yet.”

“And her father was tight-lipped about his service,” said Blue Man. “Maybe he didn’t even tell his wife.”

“I know some soldiers don’t talk about their time on the battlefield, but they don’t usually keep the fact that they actually served secret. Anything in his records to warrant such secrecy?”

“Maybe.”

Blue Man pulled out another manila folder from a stack he had on his desk. “As you know, during Gulf One allied forces never actually went into Baghdad. The mission was to drive Saddam Hussein from Kuwait, and that mission was accomplished.”

“Hundred days,” said Robie. “I remember.”

“Right. Now, the Iraqis had reportedly looted much of Kuwait, which is one of the richest Gulf states. Cash, gold, precious jewels, that sort of thing.”

“Is this going where I think it is?”

“Nothing could be proven, but Getty, Wind, and Broome might have had sticky fingers when they were in Kuwait. They were each given general discharges Under Honorable Conditions.”

“You told Julie that her dad got an honorable discharge based on medical reasons.”

“That’s right. I did.”

“If they were involved in the thefts, do you think they were able to get their loot back to the States? None of the three showed any signs of wealth,” pointed out Robie. “The Gettys worked at crap jobs and lived in a crappy duplex. The Winds weren’t wealthy. And I saw the Broomes’ apartment. Nothing special.”

“Curtis Getty probably put most of it up his nose. Rick Wind’s finances showed that he never earned much money, but he owned a home and had the pawnbroker’s business. Again, we could find no record of how he was able to buy the business.”

“But he stayed in for the full ride. How would that be possible if he was believed to be a thief?’

“ ‘Believed to be’ is the operative phrase. Lack of evidence, I suppose. But the general discharge he did receive speaks volumes, because there was nothing else in his service record that would have warranted anything other than an honorable discharge.”

“So they got him in the end?”

“And he apparently didn’t contest it. Again, speaks volumes. If he did steal the stuff and still got his full ride and pension and no jail time, and the fruits of his larceny, Wind probably thought he got a great deal.”

“And if he was rich from the thefts, why stay in?”

“We don’t know how much they might have gotten away with. Maybe he saw it as his nest egg and decided to keep drawing his government check.”

“And Leo Broome?”

“Hit the jackpot there. His apartment in D.C. wasn’t much to look at, but they had an oceanfront home in Boca Raton and we tracked down an investment portfolio he’d hidden under another name. Had about four million in it.”

“Okay, at least it seems he stole from the Kuwaitis. So you think someone’s coming for them after all this time? And why stick me in the middle of it?”

“You’re the worrisome piece, Robie. The three ex-soldiers maybe fit a pattern. You don’t.” Blue Man closed the file and looked across the desk at him. “You went back over your recent missions?”

“Five of them. They’re cookie-cutters. No clear reason why someone would want to come after me. And no clear reason why they wouldn’t. So I wasn’t able to narrow down the possible suspects.” He brooded for a few moments. “Julie said her mother told her killer that Julie didn’t know anything.”

“What of it?”

“Didn’t know what? About her dad’s military service? I can tell you right now that that guy on the bus going after Julie was not Middle Eastern.”

“Means nothing. You’re not Middle Eastern either, and yet you’ve worked on their behalf before. They could have hired local talent to do the job. Makes it easier than trying to slip one of their own into the country, especially these days.”

Robie glanced up at him. “So why didn’t you tell Julie about these allegations of theft?”

“I decided to focus on the medals. And nothing was ever proven against Curtis Getty. He might be innocent.”

“But still?”

“What would have been the point?”

“Why?” Robie asked again.

“I have granddaughters.”

“Okay,” said Robie. “I can understand that.”

“But we don’t seem to be any closer to the right answers,” said Blue Man.

“No, maybe we are.”

“How so?”

Robie stood. “They want me involved in this somehow, whatever it is.”

“Granted, but how does that help us?”

“I need to make them try a little harder to engage my attention.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m going to make them push harder. When people push harder they make mistakes.”

“Well, make certain you don’t push them so hard that you end up dead.”

“No, I want them to focus on me. There’s been way too much collateral damage on this already.”

Robie turned and walked out of the room.

He was going to see Julie. He had nothing really to tell her. And like Blue Man had said, no good could come from informing her of things her father might have done in the past. Robie was convinced that whatever the three soldiers had done more than twenty years ago was irrelevant to the present situation. They were just convenient pieces on the chessboard.

This is about me, thought Robie. It started with me and it has to somehow end with me.