Decker's Dilemma

by Jack Ambraw

  Decker glanced at Mo and shrugged. “Sure, why not? Pull up a chair. Let me warn you, though, it’s going to take a while to get a beer tonight.”

  “In that case, I’m heading to the bar. Be right back.”

  “Take your time,” Mo said out of earshot of Pinto.

  Two minutes later, Hack returned to the table, visibly worried. “Lee didn’t answer. I called three times. Maybe I should go see her.”

  “She’s a big girl,” Decker said. “I’m sure whatever it is can wait.”

  “Maybe so, but I’d feel better if I went there. She never calls me like this. I want to make sure she’s okay and then I’ll meet up with you guys later. I’ll be back before you finish your beer.”

  “Why not stick with us tonight,” Decker argued. “You can see her when she gets off work. Besides, do you even know where she’s working? The depot’s a big place to be running around at night.”

  “I know her duty building,” Hack said as he chugged the last third of his beer and scurried out of the bar.

  Decker shrugged and returned to reading from his Book of Dates and the requisition lists. “This is weird.”

  “What do you mean ‘weird’?” asked Mo. “It’s your writing.”

  Decker looked up with a quizzical expression. “There’s something about the dates of a few of these entries. I include in my Book of Dates when certain people go on vacation or are away from the ship.”

  “That is weird,” said Mo. “Strange that you would write that in your book. Who do you keep track of?”

  “My supervisors. Chief and the commander. It’s always a banner day when they’re off the ship.”

  “Agreed,” said Mo. “When my chief’s gone, it’s like a vacation day.”

  “Thank you, sir” Decker said. “I’m glad you agree with my methodology.”

  “But what do vacations have to do with anything?”

  “Saturday, December 28,” Decker repeated. “You remember that date?”

  “Not off the top of my head.”

  Decker held his notebook in front of Mo, pointing to an entry. “That’s the day I went to Mrs. Doerr’s house. I believe you’ll find that entry right here.”

  “Why did you go to her house?” asked Vega, visibly annoyed.

  “The boxes, remember,” Decker said, refusing to meet Vega’s eyes. “I just helped her move some stuff to her garage.” He put the book in his lap and grabbed the copies of the requisition lists. For the next couple of minutes, he spread the papers on the table and began comparing the papers with entries in the book.

  “I knew it,” Decker said, continuing to leaf through the papers.

  “Knew what?” asked Mo. “Don’t tell me you’re going to be like this all night?”

  “December 28,” Decker said once again. “That’s the date I went to Piper’s house.”

  “You told us that already,” Vega said, sounding exasperated. She held up her hands. “Now don’t bother me. I’m trying to do long division. I wish I’d paid more attention in math class.”

  “That’s not the only important event of December 28,” said Decker, holding the book open to the entry for Mo to read. “Chief went on leave to Baguio City the following week.”

  Mo shrugged. “No big deal about that. He takes time off now and then like we all do.”

  Decker paused, collecting his thoughts before he spoke again. “That’s not the only thing that happened that week. There was a requisition placed on January 2 the week Chief was out of town.”

  “Maybe Pinto placed the order,” Mo said. “Ask him when he comes back.”

  Decker took hold of Mo’s arm. “Don’t say anything about it to him.”

  “Why not?”

  “Hack did an inventory of these requisition lists. Three of the orders were fake. The items were never delivered to the ship.” Decker picked up the papers. “One of the bogus orders was placed January 2.”

  “So Chief Fray had help,” Mo said. “Or you were wrong about him like I’ve been saying all along.”

  Decker took a quick look behind him. “Where’d Pinto go anyway?

  “I have no idea,” Vega said. “I watched him take off as soon as Hack left. Maybe he—”

  “Here is your order,” Pong interrupted. “I am so sorry for the delay.”

  “No problem at all,” Mo said, smiling at the extra portions of lumpia piled on the plate.

  Pong leaned over the table next to Decker. “Let me show you something,” he said. “I bought it in Manila the other day. An M1917 Enfield.”

  “A what?” asked Decker.

  “A rifle, pare. It was used by the Philippine army at the start of the war. I bought one in very nice condition. They told me it still works. I would bring it out to show you, but I do not want to scare people.”

  “This I’ve got to see,” Decker said. He turned to Mo and Vega. “Be right back. Don’t drink my beer.”

  “I’ll take good care of it,” Mo smiled, winking at Vega.

  “I’ll bet,” Decker said with a laugh and followed Pong through the club to a door behind the bar that led to a narrow hallway. Pong, obviously excited, talked about the rifle until Decker suddenly stopped in front of a set of double doors at the entrance to the kitchen. “What’s that sign say? The one on the left.”

  “Use other door,” Pong said. “Some of my employees do not know English too well. They come from the provinces. So I make all signs in Tagalog.”

  Decker turned to Pong. “My friend, I have to go. I’ll be back to look at the rifle later. I promise.” Decker ran down the hall and across the club to Mo and Vega’s table.

  “Mo!” Decker yelled over the noise of the band.

  “We have to go!” Decker and Vega said in unison.

  Decker cocked his head. “How did you know what I was going to say?”

  “You surprised me,” Vega said. “The numbers adds up. We need to find Hack before he gets to the depot.”

  “Now?” Mo asked. “My food just got here.”

  “No time for that.” Vega grabbed him by the arm. “We’ve got to move fast.”

  Mo stood, threw his napkin on the table, downed his beer, and belched. “Great.”

  CHAPTER FORTY

  2035, Saturday, March 1

  Hack jostled his way through the throng of sailors, street walkers, food vendors, and unfortunate Olongapo residents who had to fight their way through similar crowds each day. He walked briskly, wondering what it could be that was so important. Maybe she just misses me, he smiled to himself.

  Hack thought about taking a trike the short trip to the gate, but decided against it. He knew he didn’t have anything smaller than a one hundred peso bill on him. He crossed the bridge and slowed to show his ID to the Marine guard who smartly waved him through. He made a left past the gate and walked towards the taxi stand where Filipino drivers stood in a circle next to their vehicles, talking and smoking and laughing. One man, the driver of the lead car, noticed Hack and threw his cigarette to the ground, stepped on it, and climbed in the driver’s side.

  Hack was ten feet from the taxi when he first noticed them. “What the hell do you guys want?” he said, showing his irritation.

  “We don’t want anything,” Biff said. “Where you headed?”

  “Nowhere,” Hack replied, nervously.

  “We need a taxi, too,” Dave said.

  Hack pointed to the line of cars. “There’s plenty of them here tonight.”

  “Maybe we can share one,” said Biff.

  Hack looked at Biff, standing directly in front of him. Dave was to his right, blocking his path to the taxi. “I don’t know who you guys are or what you want with me, but I’m in a hurry. Now get out of my way.”

  “Come on,” Dave said. “It’ll be on us.”

  “No thanks,” Hack said
as politely as he could under the circumstances. He took two steps toward to the taxis. Biff and Dave closed ranks.

  “Let’s share a taxi,” Dave said. “We want to have a talk.”

  Hack slumped his shoulders and nodded. “Okay,” he said. “But hang on a minute. I need to check how much money I have on me.”

  Hack reached for his wallet as Biff and Dave relaxed their postures. In one swift motion Hack lunged at Biff, pushing him with all his might. Biff stumbled and fell backwards on the sidewalk, cursing as he hit the pavement. Before Dave could react, Hack turned and kneed him in the ribs, sending him tumbling backwards off the curb against the trunk of a car.

  Hack jumped into the waiting taxi. “Suppy depot as quickly as you can!”

  “Sure thing, boss,” the driver said, stepping on the gas and racing down the street. The taxi arrived at the depot’s main entrance in under two minutes.

  “Three dollars, forty-eight cents,” the driver said.

  Hack took out his wallet and thumbed through his bills. Twenty-eight dollars and a few pesos.

  “Here you go,” Hack said, handing the driver all of his money. “Don’t tell anyone about my little incident back there. Say you didn’t see anything, okay?”

  “See what?” the driver said, smiling as Hack closed the door and ran for the entrance of the depot.

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  2040, Saturday, march 1

  “What the hell’s the rush?” Mo panted, as he lagged behind Decker and Vega jogging towards base. “We’ll never catch up with Hack. Let’s wait for him to get back from the depot.”

  “I’ll fill you in later,” Decker said, urgently.

  A half block from the nightclub, Mo grabbed Decker’s shoulder to slow his stride. “You’re walking too fast,” Mo huffed. “Let’s get a ride.”

  “It’s only a couple more blocks,” said Vega, pointing to the main gate in the distance.

  “Then I’ll catch up with you,” Mo said, struggling to catch his breath.

  Decker looked at the night sky, slowly exhaling. “Alright, let’s get a trike.”

  The trio turned left at the corner of Gordon and spotted Rusty standing next to his bike, mingling with the other drivers. He saw Decker and Mo as they approached. “Need a ride, fellas?” he asked, moving to get on his bike.

  “Yes, and we’re in a hurry,” Decker said.

  “Sure thing, pare” Rusty said, kick starting his bike.

  Decker climbed in the sidecar. Vega sat on his lap. “Get on back,” he said, motioning to Mo who sighed and found a spot behind Rusty.

  “Where we going?” Rusty asked.

  “The base,” said Decker.

  “It’s only a block,” Rusty said, nodding in the direction of the gate.

  Decker pointed to Mo. “I know, but we had trouble walking fast.”

  Rusty smiled and put the bike in gear, speeding towards the Shit River Bridge.

  Mo leaned into the side car. “Hey, let’s stop and get something to eat along the way.”

  “You just left your dinner at Cal Jam,” Decker said, annoyed. “Can this thing going any faster?” he yelled to Rusty.

  “Sorry. Malaki puwet,” Rusty said, tilting his head backwards to point at Mo sitting behind him.

  “What did he say?” Mo asked.

  “He said you’re a fat ass,” Vega giggled.

  “Great,” Mo grunted.

  Rusty dropped them off a hundred yards from base. They jogged across the bridge to the main gate, passed through security as quickly as they could, and headed for the taxi stand.

  “We still have time to catch up with him,” Decker said. “I’m assuming he walked to base.”

  “I hope so,” Mo said, trying desperately to catch his breath as they hurried down the sidewalk. “You sure we can’t—”

  “Hold up,” Decker said, stopping in his tracks at the sight of the taxi stand. “I don’t believe it.”

  “They’re taxis,” Mo said. “What’s not to believe?,” He bent over, hands on his knees and breathing heavily. “I don’t see Hack anywhere so let’s slow down.”

  “I know those guys,” Decker whispered, pointing to two men in front of them. One was kneeling, cursing. The other was leaning against a car holding the kneeling man’s shoulder.

  The man standing turned towards the sailors and Vega. “Hey, what’s up with your friend?”

  “You’re Biff and Dave,” Decker said.

  “Who?”

  “Biff and Dave,” Decker repeated.

  “Who are you talking about?” the younger man said. “We tried to talk to your friend. But he took us by surprise and got us pretty good. Do you know where…?”

  “First of all, who are you guys?” Decker interrupted. “If you want anything from us, you’d better tell me who you are and what you want right now.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  2052, Saturday, March 1

  Hack sprinted to the main entrance of Lee’s building and tried the door. Locked. He ran to a side entrance on the west side of the building, the door sailors and Filipino workers used as a shortcut to the mess hall and coffee shop. He hesitated at the doorway and turned the knob. It opened effortlessly. The office Lee worked in was located at the south end. A faint light appeared through the windows even with the shades drawn. He made his way cautiously through the dark warehouse to the office door. He knocked loudly, calling her name.

  “Hack? Is that you?” asked Lee.

  A wave of relief rushed over him as he recognized her voice. He opened the door and Lee came over and hugged him. “Thanks for coming out here. You could’ve just called.”

  “I tried,” Hack said. “Three times. You said it was important and I got worried.”

  Lee held him tightly. “It’s just something I discovered a little while ago. It got me a little worried. He promised me he’d end it.”

  “What’s wrong?” Hack asked. “And who are you talking about?”

  She handed him a computer printout. “Look at this.”

  Hack studied the document for a moment. “It’s a requisition list from my ship. What’s the big deal?”

  Lee pointed to the date and time. “It’s from today, early this afternoon.”

  “I still don’t see what the big deal is,” Hack said, puzzled.

  Lee handed Hack a folder with previous Harvey requisitions. “You asked me to print out Harvey requisitions, but I didn’t want to help Decker. And I didn’t want him to drag you into anything dangerous.”

  “I remember,” Hack nodded.

  “But I did it a few hours ago out of curiosity. That’s when I saw two requisitions from earlier today and I noticed these parts,” Lee said, pointing to several high-priced items listed on the sheet of paper.”

  “What about them?”

  “They were the exact same parts he’s, I mean someone on the Harvey has ordered over the past few months. They aren’t parts we typically keep in stock. I had to call the manufacturer directly. And they’re important enough that the navy tracks who, when, and how many of them are ordered.”

  “You mean they’re classified?”

  “Not exactly,” Lee said. “But they’re sensitive enough that the navy wants to know when they’re being used. They’re called ‘depot level repairable’ items. You should know what that means.”

  “I vaguely remember learning about that in supply school. So what are you saying? We know Chief was probably involved in the black market. I’m sure he placed these orders.”

  Lee grabbed hold of Hack’s arm. “Don’t you get it? Chief didn’t place the ones today. He died Thursday.”

  Hack sat back in his chair and looked at the ceiling. “Maybe it was Pinto.”

  “Pinto?” Lee laughed. “Why do you think that?”

  “One of Agana’s men said his n
ame when Decker and me went there. Or we think we heard him say Pinto. And that’s not all.”

  Lee looked at Hack, worried. “What else?”

  “I saw Biff and Dave on my way here. They tried to stop me at the taxi stand by the main gate.”

  “Who?”

  “I don’t who they are. Just two guys who I’ve seen following me before. I call them Biff and Dave.”

  “Filipinos?”

  Hack shook his head. “No, Americans. I should’ve told you about them, but I didn’t want you to worry.”

  “Well, I know it wasn’t Pinto,” Lee said.

  “How do you know that?”

  “I just do.”

  “He must be the one,” Hack urged. “I have to go tell Decker.”

  “Hold on,” Lee said. “I know it’s not Pinto. Trust me.”

  “You keep saying that. What’s going on?”

  Lee breathed deeply and let her eyes drift to the floor. “Look, there’s nothing going on anymore between Pinto and me. Not that there was ever anything serious. Like I told you, we went out a couple times and that was that. It’s not like we hate each other, though. He just wasn’t my type. Anyway, he came out here today.”

  “To see you?” asked Hack.

  “Yeah, and I don’t know why. He just showed up around 1300. I was going to eat so he had lunch with me in the cafeteria. He stayed about an hour and then left.”

  “Why did he come here to see you if nothing’s going on?”

  Lee shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t think he has many friends. He just showed up and I had no idea he was coming here until I saw him. Honest.”

  Hack reached over and took hold of her hands. “I believe you. I don’t like that he did that, but I believe you. But why does that rule out Pinto?”

  Lee gave him a peck on the cheek and squeezed his hand, then.let go and picked up the Harvey requisitions. “See, this first requisition was sent at 0514 Zulu. Then the second one five minutes later at 0519 Zulu.”

  “I don’t know Zulu time,” Hack said. “I have no idea what time that is.”