Decker's Dilemma

by Jack Ambraw

  “Don’t forget, Chief Fray was also researching these ship names,” Decker said, pointing to the list. “We have no proof that Pinto was doing the same.”

  “Why would Chief do the research?” Mo asked. “If he’s involved, then why worry about it?”

  “Maybe he initially had no idea where the parts were going,” Decker said. “I assume, and, mind you, I’m no expert in the black market, he probably got involved without knowing the details. Just an easy way to make a few bucks selling navy material, stuff that didn’t seem valuable to him. Then he got curious.”

  “Maybe he was having second thoughts about it,” Hack added.

  “Perhaps,” Decker agreed. “Maybe he found out where the parts are going and decided that he no longer wanted to be a part of it. Especially if the parts are going to Iran, which I suspect is where most of the stolen material ends up. That’s why I want to tell someone.”

  “Why don’t you follow Pinto like you did Chief?” asked Mo. “Or did you ever think about the possibility that there’s more than one person involved?”

  “A conspiracy?” Hack said.

  Decker leaned back in his chair. “Whatever it is, I think we’re in over our heads.”

  “No kidding,” Mo said. “I knew that from day one.”

  “I have to agree with you,” Decker added. “Two people are dead and I came close to being shot. It’s getting hot around here, and I’m not talking about the weather.”

  Hack suddenly held up his hand. “Hang on, guys. Check this out,” he said, pointing to a ship in the book.

  “The USS Mansfield,” Mo said. “DD-718. So?

  Hack grinned at Decker. “See, I was right. Chief didn’t write Lee’s name in his list. It was a ship’s name. An Allen B. Sumner class destroyer.”

  “Ah, but it doesn’t explain the cash you found in her drawer,” Decker said. “How do you explain that?”

  “What cash?’ asked Mo.

  Decker pointed to Hack. “Our friend here found cash in Lee’s dresser. A few hundred dollars. It seems odd to me. And we know someone’s involved at the Supply Depot.”

  Mo and Decker stared at Hack. “Hey, she said it was for rent and to pay bills. And she doesn’t stay in touch with Pinto.”

  Decker glanced at Mo. “But who pays bills in cash?”

  “I do,” Mo grunted. “I don’t write many checks for things. It’s hard for some Filipinos to cash them so they’d rather have cash. U.S. dollars. Hell, I have cash stashed at my place most of the time, but I’d better not catch you guys snooping around in my dresser.”

  Decker put a hand on Mo’s shoulder. “That’s one thing you don’t have to worry about, my friend. After all, as our official locksmith, we’d need you to break in.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  1320, Saturday, March 1

  Decker stepped aboard the Harvey and had second thoughts. The confidence that he had the past two days had suddenly vanished. Instead of heading to the commander’s stateroom, he decided to take a detour to Supply Support to collect his thoughts.

  He walked through the ship ignoring everyone who asked him what he was doing on board on a Saturday with no duty, his mind on the task in front of him. At the door to Supply Support, he hesitated, slowly inserting the key and turning the knob. He took one step into the office and didn’t know who was more startled: himself or Ensign Limpert.

  The ensign jumped in his chair and quickly tried to cover the computer screen.

  “Sorry to scare you, sir,” said Decker. “I didn’t expect to run into anyone down here.”

  “Petty Officer Decker,” Ensign Limpert said. “What are you doing, um, do you have duty? No you don’t. I know that.”

  “That’s what everybody’s asking me today,” Decker said. “No, sir, no duty today. I came on board to talk with Suppo about something.”

  “Here’s been here since, um, I think he came early this morning. He told me, well, I have to go.”

  “No need to leave,” Decker said. “I can let you get back to whatever you were doing.”

  Ensign Limpert smiled and nervously fumbled with the keyboard. “I, um, it was just … well, I was just playing a game.”

  “A game?”

  “Yes, well, a video game. I don’t usually spend my time, you know, I just thought I’d play a while. It’s golf.”

  “I didn’t know you play golf, sir. Never have taken up the game myself.”

  “I don’t really play, but, um, I just like to, well, it’s just a computer game.”

  Decker felt the ensign’s uneasiness and decided it was time to accomplish the task at hand. “You know what, sir? I’ll let you get back to the computer. I want to catch Suppo before he leaves.”

  Decker walked out of Supply Support and laughed as he remembered Olivia Fortuno’s nickname for Limpert, “Ensign Malata.” He walked forward and up one level to Officer Country. A few paces aft of the wardroom, he stood in front of Commander Doerr’s stateroom and put his ear to the grey metal door. He could hear the supply officer busily typing on a keyboard, the sound echoing in the tiny room. He thought about walking away, but forced himself to knock. “Sir, do you have a minute? It’s Petty Officer Decker.”

  “Just a sec,” said the commander. “I’ll be right there.”

  Decker waited for two minutes as he heard the commander shuffling papers and tidying his room.

  Commander Doerr opened the door a moment later. “Come on in, Petty Officer Decker. Do you have duty today?”

  “No sir,” said Decker, looking around the stateroom. The commander was out of uniform, wearing jeans and a dark green polo shirt. Paperwork lay strewn across the floor. The computer, Decker noted, was turned off.

  “Well, what brings you to the ship today? It’s a weekend. You should be out doing something. Anything but walking around here.”

  “I plan to, sir. I just wanted to talk with you about something.”

  “You sound serious. Shut the door and come in and sit down.”

  Commander Doerr got up and removed books from his bunk. The supply officer sat on the mattress and offered Decker his chair, the only seat in the tiny stateroom. Decker spent the next twenty minutes telling the supply officer about his conversation with Kippen, what he knew about the missing inventory, his suspicions about Chief Fray and possibly Pinto, the black market business in town, and what he had learned about Agana and how it tied together with the missing parts from the Harvey.

  When Decker finished, the commander stood and paced around the small room.

  “This is serious news, Decker,” the supply officer said. “Have you or Wilson told anyone else?”

  “No, sir,” said Decker. “I’m not sure what we have so I wanted to tell you first. The investigator gave me his card and told me to call if I had anything further to tell him. I was thinking about doing that.”

  “I would advise against that, Decker. Not yet anyway. Why have you and Wilson been doing this?”

  “I became convinced Kippen’s death wasn’t an accident or suicide.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because of my conversation with him the night be went overboard Looking back on it, Kippen was worried about missing parts.”

  Commander Doerr nodded. “Did you tell the investigator about this?”

  “I mentioned it, but he apparently didn’t think it was a problem.”

  “Well, I’m glad you came to me,” said the commander. “In fact, I know about the missing inventory. The investigator mentioned it to me before he left the ship. It was the first I had heard about it.”

  “Did you talk to Chief Fray about it?”

  “I did and I’ve been waiting on a report from him. I guess now I won’t be receiving that. I’ve spent the morning gathering Chief’s personal effects. It’s a difficult part of my job. I’ve had to do it twice
now in a month and it doesn’t get easier.”

  “I’m sure it doesn’t, sir.”

  “Even if he was involved in something like a black market business, it’s tough to talk to the wife and children. Between you and me, though, I believe you’re right about Chief.”

  “What about Pinto?” asked Decker.

  “I don’t think Pinto’s involved. Seems unlikely to me. Chief Fray, though, is a different story.”

  “Why’s that, sir?”

  “This is top secret, Decker. Got that?”

  “Yes, sir. Of course.”

  “Did you know he was planning to retire in another year?”

  Decker shook his head. “No, sir. He never mentioned that to me, but he never really talked about his future plans. It was always about the navy and the ship.”

  “He used to talk to me about it,” the commander said. “He was worried about money. He knew that he had his retirement pension, but he also knew it wouldn’t be enough. Especially when he moved back to the States. His kid is still young and he was worried about college and things like that.”

  “He could always find another career,” Decker reasoned.

  “That’s what I told him. He had enough experience and knew enough people. I told him he’d be able to find a government job, maybe even with the navy, and he’d be fine. I just hope now he had enough insurance.”

  “I hope so, too, sir.” Decker said, standing to leave. “That’s all I wanted to talk with you about. I’ll let you get back to your work.”

  “I’m glad you stopped by, Decker. I need to know these things.”

  “No problem, sir.”

  “By the way, do you have the business card from the investigator on you? I’ve misplaced the one he gave me.”

  “No, sir. I’m not sure where it is. I think I might have it at my friend’s place in town. Why?”

  “I should be the one to report this. It’ll look better coming from the department head. Chain-of-command type of thing.”

  “I understand, sir. I can bring it in on Monday.”

  “I tell you what. If you don’t mind, can you meet me tomorrow? I know it’s a Sunday, but we can get together on base somewhere. Not on the ship. I need at least one day away from this place.”

  “Sure, I can meet, sir.”

  “Okay then, how about we rendezvous at the Spanish Gate, say, around 1100? If you have the time, we’ll drive to the navy golf course and have lunch at the club restaurant. I’d do it today but I have to finish inventorying Chief’s personal effects. Then I have to go to the supply depot tonight. They just called me. We have some shipments coming in from Clark Air Base that I need to deal with. There are several high priority parts that should be arriving. If they don’t show up, I need to be there to expedite them.”

  “Tomorrow sounds fine, sir,” Decker said.

  “Great. See you tomorrow at 1100. And don’t forget to bring the card. I’ll call the investigator tomorrow afternoon.”

  “I’ll bring it, sir,” Decker said, exiting the stateroom. He walked forward several frames, emerging from the superstructure on the port side near the torpedo tubes. He leaned over the railing and exhaled, relieved that he had finally told someone about his investigation, but still uneasy about something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

  He studied the brown water lapping against the hull, racking his brain for several minutes. Nothing. A quick perusal of his Book of Dates. Zilch. Satisfied that whatever was bothering him was inconsequential, Decker turned and walked to the starboard side, crossing the quarterdeck and leaving the Harvey and its problems behind him.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  2015, Saturday, March 1

  Mo scanned the room, spotted a waitress, and tried valiantly to catch her attention. No luck. He returned to reading his newspaper. “It’s going to be a few minutes. Cal Jam’s busy tonight.”

  Decker didn’t stop writing in his Book of Dates. “I can wait,” he said rather glumly.

  “What’s with you?” asked Hack.

  “Just bothered by something.”

  “He’s been like this all night,” said Vega. “Tried to cheer him up, get him to talk, but he keeps writing in his book.”

  “Something doesn’t make sense,” Decker said.

  “What doesn’t?” asked Hack. “Did you talk to the supply officer?”

  “I’ve been trying to get him to tell me for an hour,” Mo said, still waving frantically at a waitress across the bar. “They need more wait staff in this place. Now I know why I don’t like coming here anymore.”

  “I talked with Commander Doerr earlier today,” Decker finally admitted. “I filled him in on everything we’ve done.”

  “Did you mention my name?” asked Hack.

  “I may have.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome,” Decker said. “He was busy, though. He said he has to go to the supply depot tonight to check on parts, and he wants to meet me for lunch tomorrow.”

  “On a Sunday? Lucky you,” Hack said. He reached into his back pocket and grabbed a wad of folded papers, placing them on the table for everyone to see. “You know what I have here?”

  “Please enlighten us,” Decker said.

  “These papers are copies of the requisition orders and notes from Chief’s safe. I no longer need them or want to ever see them or think of them again.”

  Vega mimicked Hack and removed a copy of the paper she’d picked up at Agana’s warehouse in Manila. She waved it in front of her. “Same with me. I obtained this piece of evidence illegally so I haven’t been able to show it to Inspector Navarro.”

  Decker leaned forward and reached for his Book of Dates. Opening it to a blank page, he began to write.

  “Here we go again,” Hack said.

  “I don’t want to miss anything,” said Decker. “I realized I forgot one important entry for today. I have to note that the four of us went to Cal Jam.”

  “That’s important?” Mo asked.

  “Of course it’s important.”

  “If you say so,” said Mo. “As for me, all I want to remember is what I do from this point forward tonight.”

  “I’m with you,” Hack said, announcing that he needed to hit the head.

  Vega watched Hack make his way to the restroom. She turned her attention to Decker and his Book of Dates. “What’s this?” she asked, grabbing for a slip of paper in the notebook.

  Decker stopped her hand as soon as she touched it. “It’s nothing, just a list of cities and times.”

  “Where did you get it?”

  “I picked it up from the commander. It’s a long story.”

  “Why’d you keep it?

  “Curiosity.”

  “Let me see,” she pleaded, twisting her arm to free herself from his grip. Finally, Decker relented and let go of her hand.

  Vega grinned and studied the sheet of paper. A second later, her smile disappeared. Her eyes widened. “It’s a gambling sheet. I recognize this from stuff my brother used to keep. Looks like winnings and losings on games.”

  “Could be basketball,” Mo added, taking a peek at the note. “Those are all NBA cities.”

  “Suppo’s not a gambler,” Decker said firmly.

  “And there’s L2-50% on the back,” Vega said. “Must be fifty percent of something.” She quickly added the numbers on the front. “He won $1,800 on December 27.”

  “He didn’t win anything,” Decker countered. “I think it’s a list of military times.”

  Vega picked up her sheet of paper she had grabbed from Agana’s filing cabinet in Manila. “Let’s see, on December 27 someone by the initial ‘P’ paid ‘L2’ an amount of 18,450 pesos.”

  “Suppo’s not a ‘P’,” said Decker. “He’s a ‘D’ for Doerr. And are you sure it’s Agana who was paid? He�
��s an ‘A’ no matter which name you use.”

  “Forget the names for now,” Vega said. “Step One is to do the math.” She fished a pen out of her purse as Pong ambled towards their table.

  “Lady and gentlemen, I hope you are enjoying your evening,” Pong said. “We’re very busy tonight. Let me take your order.”

  “Pong, you are a lifesaver,” said Decker. “My friend here is becoming very impatient.”

  “Another round of San Miguels,” Mo said, “And a hamburger and a large order of lumpia.”

  “I will have them out immediately,” Pong said. “And I have a note for your friend, Mr. Hack. I saw him here earlier.”

  Pong handed Decker the note and scurried to take orders at a neighboring table. Decker focused his attention on the copies of the requisition lists. He turned to his notebook and found the date. “Saturday, December 28 - Spent time with Piper Doerr at her house. Moved boxes, etc.”

  Vega shot Decker a surprised look. “You didn’t tell me about that?”

  “That’s part of the long story,” Decker mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

  Something about that date gave him pause. He couldn’t quite figure out why, but the date stuck in his mind.

  “Enjoying the reading?” Hack asked as he returned to the table.

  “Something’s weird here,” Decker said. “Oh, and here’s a note for you. Pong came by and handed it to me.”

  Hack took the piece of paper from Decker and slowly opened it. “It’s from Lee. She wants me to call her at work. She says it’s important.”

  “There’s a phone behind the bar,” Decker said, never looking up from his reading.

  “Be right back,” Hack said. “And just in time. Look who’s here.”

  Petty Officer Pinto stood in front of the table, smiling broadly. “Where’s he going?” he said, pointing to Hack.

  “Has to make a phone call,” Decker replied. “Don’t tell me it’s time for your monthly beer?”

  “I think it might be,” Pinto said, folding his arms and flexing his muscles. “If you don’t mind me joining you.”