‘Anyway, I heard Cody was officially dead.’
‘That’s correct.’
‘Then what the hell. .
‘What it is, there are one or two things we need to clarify.’
‘I can’t remember that far back, man,’ Simmons said. ‘That’s fifteen years ago. I saw a lot of people die in Nam. They all just kind of run together.’
‘This was the wing leader, Cody. His father was commanding general of the whole theater. I’m sure you remember that one, Simmons.’
Simmons started to get angry, but it was a defensive kind of anger. ‘Look, Mr. whatever-your-name-is,’ Simmons snapped. ‘I don’t remember. I don’t want to remember. I’ve spent fifteen
‘All what?’
‘Everything that happened over there. Twelve months in my life that I want to . . . try to make believe never happened. It’s hard enough. . . . Anyway, they all looked alike that far away.’
‘Who?’
‘The flyboys that went down.’
‘How far away?’
‘Across the river. You know, we were flying Hueys in Sea-Air Rescue. When you’re doin’ SAR, you’re never just . . . right on top of them.’
‘Yeah, that’s one of the things I wanted to run by you,’ Hatcher said, taking a file folder oat of his briefcase and flipping through it. He let the comment hang, watching Simmons get edgier. A lot of guilt here, he thought, this guy is fragile, he’s broken and the pieces haven’t fallen yet. He waited a little longer, then whispered, ‘What it is, we got a little discrepancy in the reports.’
‘Discrepancy?’
‘Yeah, just a little thing. In your debriefing just after the incident you said that the plane hit the trees and blew up immediately. Wait a minute, here it is. “We were about half a mile away and he went in upside down and the whole forest seemed to explode. I don’t see how anybody could have survived.”
Simmons nodded. ‘That’s right,’ he said.
‘But in this transcription of the review-board tape in 1981 you say you were close enough to feel the heat when it blew and you could
‘Happened all the time. So?’
‘So which is right? Were you do se enough to feel the heat or half a mile away when he augured in?’
He turned away from Hatcher arid started toward the door. ‘I gotta get going. Deer to feed_’
‘You’ve still got fifteen minutes,.’ Hatcher whispered softly. He decided to fire long shot. Look, Simmons,’ his voice rasped, ‘I don’t give a damn whether you lied to the review board. I just want to know the truth now. You tell me, it stops right here.’
Simmons turned abruptly, his face reddening with anger. ‘What the hell would I have t lie about?’
‘The debriefing officer noted in his report back in ‘72 that you were scared. In fact, he wrote that you were stuttering. It was all over and you were back on the ground, but you were still that scared.’
‘I was three weeks in-country, man,’ Simmons said brusquely. ‘That was only my third trip out. Sure, I was scared. I was scared the last day I was over there, too. I was nineteen. I was scared all the time.’
‘Being scared isn’t being a coward,’ Hatcher said softly.
‘Coward? That what you think?’
Hatcher shook his head. ‘That’s not what I think. But maybe it’s what you think.’
Simmons kneaded his wool cap in his hands and shook his head. ‘You just never get away from it. Damn Vietnam,
‘You swear to me you didn’t see anyone coming away from that plane, and I’m gone,’ Hatcher whispered. ‘But if you lie, I’ll know it.’
‘Such a long time ago . .
‘You weren’t under oath, Simmons. So maybe you made a mistake . .
‘I’m not under oath now.’
‘Simmons, is it possible that Cody escaped from that plane?’
‘Anything’s possible.’
‘What do you think?’
A voice from outside yelled, ‘Five minutes, Simmons.’
‘Right away,’ Simmons yelled back. He looked back at Hatcher. ‘Why are they checking into this again, anyhow. It’s all over?’
