During the flight, Takayasu, Karen Dyer and the others studied all the e-mailed Montana reports and photos. With the fragments of a salt lick, a bucket, the incident seemed premeditated, planned.
Like a test.
Takayasu’s unit also kept in mind Montana’s history of domestic acts, such as the Unabomber and the armed antigovernment extremists who forced a standoff with the FBI near Jordan.
After their jet landed at Malmstrom they were taken to the site in a school bus. On the way, they were briefed by FBI Special Agent David Groller, an intense man who let it be known he’d lost friends in the towers.
“We know this can’t be attributed to kids from the uni versity playing a prank,” Groller said. “And we don’t think the animals stepped on any unexploded devices, or that someone local is testing a new method for culling a herd.”
Groller underscored the fact Malmstrom controlled missiles with nuclear warheads.
“And,” he continued, “the pope is due to arrive in Montana within some seventy-two hours, so the heat’s on us to identify the substance ASAP, assess whether or not it is a threat, who’s the target, who’s behind it, then hunt the mothers down.”
Takayasu’s elite team suited up and worked flat out.
As they did in Pysht, they collected samples, analyzed residue, tested the air, the soil, measured and took readings and photographs.
Analysis showed that recovered pieces of fabric seemed to originate from a U.S. flag. The material seemed to be a cotton weave common in East Africa. So maybe a Third World sweatshop had manufactured the flag.
Nothing unusual.
However, the residue taken from the parts of the dis membered deer exhibited troubling characteristics as the team conducted a number of examinations.
Karen Dyer applied an advance test involving a mi croscopic silica film treated with nitrogen-containing macrocyclic molecules known as porphyrins. Then she scoped it with fluorescent light. Sensors picked up minute traces of triacetone triperoxide that seemed to have been mixed with pentaerythritol tetranitrate. All in visible to the naked eye.
“What do you think, Tony?”
“I don’t know how this was done.” Takayasu pointed to his laptop screen. “Look at these animal parts. Appears to have been an adult and two young deer. Look at the average weight for the species common here.”
“I know.”
“Whatever exploded was something vastly more powerful in proportion to its volume. Thirty, forty times, maybe more. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“But what’s the vehicle for delivery? We’ve found no components.”
“I don’t know. It’s like it doesn’t exist.”
Takayasu conducted one last analysis before packing up-the early results unnerved him.
“Karen, once again, we’ve got to get back to the lab for more testing, to break this down.”
“I’ll alert our pilots.”
54
Cold Butte, Montana
Watching from the window, Jake placed his beer on the TV, then went to the driveway to meet Samara. He was at her van door before she could get out.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Where were you?”
“Great Falls. It was a meeting for medical staff for the visit. Why?”
“No one at the school or clinic knew about it.”
“Few people did. It was about security. Why did you call them? I left you a note.”
“Tell me what’s going on, Samara.”
“What’re you talking about?”
“You’re always working on that damn computer. Or whispering to someone on your cell phone. You force us to go to Seattle, then you disappear to Great Falls. What’s going on?”
Any warmth in Samara’s face evaporated.
“Get away from the door,” she said.
Jake took half a step back.
“What the hell’s going on, Samara?”
“Lower your voice.”
She collected her things, tried to go around him but he grabbed her arm.
“Let me go.”
“I asked you a question. Why are you sneaking around?”
“Have you been drinking?”
“Did you hook up with that guy from Seattle? That it?”
“What? I don’t believe this!”
“Dammit, Samara! We left everything for you! Gave up everything! And you act like we’re not even here!”
Her eyes burned with icy fury as they pulled Jake’s attention to Logan standing at the doorway behind him.
“Release me now and get hold of yourself.”
A tense moment passed before Jake surrendered her arm.
“I’ve told you,” she said. “I am taking advanced cor respondence nursing courses online. I also talk to my friends in London and Baghdad. I had a life before we met. You know all this, Jake. And, I went to Great Falls today to prepare for the visit.”
Staring at her, he realized that they were strangers to each other. He dragged the back of his hand across his mouth then walked off down their lane.
“Dad!”
Logan started after him but Samara held up her hand to stop him.
“Let him go. He needs to cool off.”
“Dad!”
Jake cut a lonely figure as he walked off to the end of their long lane. He stood there searching the empty land. As the afternoon faded he made his way back to the house but remained outside, perched on the picnic table, contemplating the setting sun.
Samara watched him from the kitchen window while she prepared dinner.
She and Logan ate without him.
Afterward, she came out and set a plate next to him: a big chicken sandwich, baked beans and coleslaw. She also brought him a black coffee in a large ceramic Mariners mug.
Jake had to leave soon for a job that would take him away for a couple of days.
“Are you good to drive?” she asked.
“I barely touched that beer.”
Jake said nothing more and Samara returned to the house.
After he ate, he sat there wrestling with his situation until darkness fell. Iraq had messed him up, no question about it. And Samara had saved his life. That was a fact. But he’d lost himself over there.
Maggie had been right all along. His experience over there, all the crap he faced, had changed him.
Jake covered his face with his hands then peered over his fingertips, feeling a fog lifting from his mind as he realized that he might have made a huge mistake.
“Dad?”
Logan was standing beside him.
