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office, and surveyed the military camp’s surroundings, in which he served some
nine months already. There was nothing much he could do there, except breath some
fresh air whenever he could. The time was four twenty eight pm, about half an hour
before the daily briefing session with the local officeres under his command. It
was the third advanced infantry training course under his instruction, or for
accuracy’s sake the first course under his solitary instruction; since the sudden
death of major Donald Harvey his late supperior and commanding officer, and that
tragic event took place a short time after the end of the second course.
While he was watching absent mindedly the camp’s surroundings all, the local army
regulars that lived there with their families, the goats, the fowls that belonged
to those regulars; which kept picking the ground and filling the air with their
noisy clucking – a group of three senior officers popped up suddenly before his
amazed eyes, a full colonel and two lieutenant colonels on both his sides. They
were not locals but genuine representatives of his own army. As soon as they
stepped upon the cement square, Sinclair froze into a salute, a feat he performed
perfectly for the locals’ sake, who kept watching every movement he did.
After a short ceremony of handshakes, greetings and a few words about their
visit’s aim, the excited Sinclair invited them to his office, showed them to their
seats; while he himself with a certain feeling of embarrassment and amusement at
the same time, sat at the head of the table.
His guests did not seem to mind the somewhat strange situation, and the senior
among them had no intention to waste their time. ‘We’ve come to have a look at the
positive work that is being done here, and to invetigate the circumstances of
major’s Harvey death – your commanding officer.’
‘I see sir, Sinclair replied clearing his throat and coughing slightly. ‘I’ll do
my best to assist you sir.’ Sinclair added obediently, trying to overcome his
slight uneasiness.
‘Right now we’ll do with short review of what’s being done here.’ The colonel went
on. ‘You’ve a briefing session in half an hour I understand.’
‘In about twenty minutes…’ Sinclair smiled to him relieved, and turned his eyes to
his two escorts with a quick curious look.
The atmosphere turned gradually into a pleasant one. They tried their best to
weigh him up no doubt, and watched his reactions – but their impression as much as
Sinclair could perceive was positive. The tragic incident in which his commanding
officer died, had no influence what’s so ever on the training’s continuence; and
that essential fact the three of them have must have learned from the delegation’s
head in the capital much earlier, before they reached that forlorn camp.
After a short and concise review that dealt with the major issues without any
unnecessary deviations, Sinclair ended up his short monologue and waited for his
guests’ comments.
‘Fine, that will do for the time being.’ The colonel remarked, summing up the
professional issue. ‘Well then, you’ll have to assist us with your testimony
rather soon. We stay at the Continental…’ He added with a wry smile, which he
could not refrain from. The other two expressed their feelings concerning that
certain hotel, with a short laugh. ‘Okay, we’ll meet you tomorrow at ten am at the
hotel’s lobby.’
Sinclair accompanied them to the square outside his office, and repeated the
formal salute ceremony, in front of a little mixed audience of locals, including
their wives and children.
The daily briefing with the local officers, dealt almost entirely with the
suprising visit, Sinclair had with his three senior colleagues. Some two hours
later, after having toured the company three platoons at their night training;
incognito almost, without adding a word or intervening as he was instructed and
supposed to; Sinclair returned on foot to the base, entered his car and crossed
the forty miles back to Aagadam, to his apartment and his waiting wife. While
driving through the mountainous road with its many windings, which took the life
of his cammander – thoughts about the coming meeting with his three senior
comrades busied his mind. Niether his own spouse nor his late commander’s widow
had any idea what happened that day, except the tragic message that was summed up
in a few words – and he could not know of course how things will turn up.
About five minutes to ten am on Saturday morning, Sinclair was sitting in the
pityfull lobby of the only hotel in town, waiting to his senior comrades; who were
supposed to clarify formally that mysterious affair. There were a few more joints
in that dreary town, but these joints were off limits, and served the locals, or
bizzare adventures’ seekers.
The lobby was deserted of course as his comrades were he hotels’s only guests, and
besides, it was rather early. A few moments passed and the hotel’s VIP guests came
down to meet him.
Sinclair rose to his feet, shook their hands, without a formal salute exchange.
They joined his table, and the four of them sat round it – far from the reception
counter
‘What can one have here?’ The colonel asked.
‘Burbon, whiskey, whatever booze one could ask for…’
‘At that early hour?’ The colonel wondered aloud, while the two others knitted
their brows, watching Sinclair with quizzical eyes.
‘Well yes, or beer,’ Sinclair answered amused. ‘Here one drinks whenever he wants
to.’ Despite the short update of the locals’ drinking habits, there were no
comments, and Sinclair raised his arm and summoned the lonly local behind the
reception counter, to come and take their order.
The beer was brought and poured and they drank together in silence, for a few
moments. Having quenched their thirst, the colonel turned to Sinclair without any
preliminaries: ‘What kind of working relationship you had with Harvey? Do it in a
few words, just the main things.’
I was part of another crew in the northern town of Maduru; and about nine months
ago I was assigned to replace Harvey’s second in command. You know his name I
assume and the problems he had with Harvey.’ Sinclair made a short pause and
caughed slightly. ‘Harvey wasn’t an easy type to work with…That’s what I can say
in spite of my limited experience.’ Sinclair added with some apprehension,
watching their faces intently, trying to perceive how his few words on this
sensitive matter are accepted.
‘You didn’t have any professional disputes as it happened with your predecessor?’
‘I didn’t like him that’s true. He was a detestful person and had a genuine talent
to get on one nerves; but I’ve never disobeyed him, neither his orders nor his
opinions, even if it had nothing to do with our mutual work here.’
Once again a short pause fell, but at this stage Sinclair was quite relaxed,
having overcome the slight excitement that ruled him up to these few moments. He
could think now and conclude with reason, that his three interrogators knew even
before they have met him, that he was chosen to replacce Harvey second in command
due to his exceptional forbearance.
‘Tell us about the chain of events of that day.’ The colonel asked him, putting a
sudden end to the silence that started to opress the four of them. One of the
leitenant colonels was writing every word uttered down in a pad, the other one was
scrutinizing Sinclair’s features all along he session.
He must be the headshrinker of that special inquest crew… Sinclair thought with a
feeling of some unpleasantness. ‘It was at the of a prelininary discussion before
the opening of the third advanced infantry training course. We were about to leave
and the locals demanded their share of fuel coupons, which he received every month
from the division headquarters. So he said to me you may move, I’ll settle it with
them. After hardly a mile he overtook me with his landrover. That’s by the way was
a habitual custom of his. He used to send me off in order to overtake me after a
few moments.’ At that point like a torrent of words, or a dam that crushed down
under the water pressure, Sinclair went on to explain: ‘To me it looked completely
childish, I was driving an old jeep with an engine that needed an overhaul badly;
and even if I had a better car, I would have let him get past me. Anyhow it was
just like the end of any other day of work, I saw him up to the first series of
windings and then he disappeared...’
‘You mean he always disappeared after he overtook you, that’s exactly what you
want to say, isn’t it?’
‘That’s right, I reached home after some forty five minutes, when his wife called
and asked what had happened, telling us he didn’t get home yet. Well, I didn’t
know what to tell her.’
‘How come you passed the place where his car rolled down into the gorge, and you
haven’t seen it? There was enough daylight yet on that day. You should have seen
him at the bottom of the gorge.’
‘I was close to the rock face, and even if someone would have sat beside me, he
wouldn’t have seen him.’ Sinclair remarked and waited a second or two for more
questions, but his three senior comrades sat watching him withour a word. ‘After
some inquiries with the local police and some searches in town, his wife called
the division and they turned to me – and I was asked to set out with a small group
of locals to find him, the next morning. We travelled on the opposite side of the
road, and thus we were able to see the car, it took us some time to find his
body.’
‘I see,’ the colonel muttered after another short pause. ‘This tragic affair is
closed, we’re leaving. Thank you and keep on the good job you’re doing here.’