EXFIL by Anthony Patton (best books to read non fiction TXT) 📗

been publicized, but he clearly wasn’t responding to their repeated attempts to contact him. “That’s not exactly what we had in mind. We were thinking details for the next cyberattack.”

After a mental calculation with closed eyes, he removed a notepad from his suit coat pocket, jotted a note, and slid the piece of paper across the table.

I grabbed it to read the technical details.

“We will use this tool to attack this IP address in the Pentagon tomorrow,” he said and finished his drink. “Please make your defensive posture discreet.”

I folded the piece of paper. “Of course.” We discussed more details, including the time and place of our next meeting, which I planned in advance with Brett and Nguyen.

The significance of his information couldn’t be overstated.

He had just provided what we in the business called incompatible information—information that the Chinese government would want to protect at all costs. If we could use this information to prevent or disrupt a cyberattack, it would be an intelligence coup and make me a hero in the halls of three letter agencies around the Washington beltway.

Outside, Li and I shook hands without words. As he walked away, he began to transform into my first work of art. It’s really happening. Across the street, two clean-shaven men in an unmarked sedan looked my way once, twice, followed by confusion. I reached inside my breast pocket, removed a cigar, lit it, and blew a celebratory cloud of smoke. The passenger gave me a thumbs-up and spoke into a radio as the driver hit the gas—let the fireworks begin.

SIXTEEN

A few years would pass after the events in this story before I would learn what transpired in Bangkok after my departure. Special Agent Johnson tracked me down through a social media friend request and wove an interesting yarn over beers. To the best of my recollection, it went something as follows, in two parts.

◆◆◆

Leaving a foreign post was always hectic because it required us to complete a burdensome checklist filled with administrative minutiae and prepare the way for our replacement to assume our duties. There’d be a series of farewell events, but you knew full well that you’d most likely see many of these friends and colleagues again in future assignments.

The process was often bittersweet, a mixture of anxiety and relief, but the most difficult part was knowing that you had to take all your accumulated knowledge with you and that your replacement would arrive with a virtual blank slate. You did your best to share what you knew, but it required at least six months for your replacement to operate effectively.

During my departure from Bangkok, I learned that my replacement had been delayed, so I never got a chance to share my knowledge. Part of me believed that the Defense Attaché Office would grind to a halt, but this obviously wasn’t the case. The local security guards at the main gate and the Marines at Post One might have missed me for a few days, and the other military attachés no doubt continued their dinner parties and events, but the show had to go on.

The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok was one of the largest in Southeast Asia, with scores of visitors coming and going, but one in particular made ripples with his investigation of Captain Howard: Special Agent Johnson of the Army Criminal Investigation Command.

Johnson entered the DAO conference room, sat down, and opened a folder, impressed by the solid wood décor and the four walls lined with plaques and memorabilia.

He checked his watch, drummed his fingers on the table, then flipped a notebook open to the first blank page, clicked his pen, and jotted down a reminder to call the airline.

The DAO had all the military services represented, but the Army was keeping this investigation under wraps. Sergeant First Class Sullivan, a southern boy who always had my six, entered the conference room with a mug of hot coffee and a plastic water bottle into which to spit his tobacco. He wore the short-sleeve green uniform shirt covering rock solid abs, odd for someone who drank so much beer. Twice divorced, he had no shame about indulging in everything Bangkok had to offer.

Johnson offered a nod as Sullivan opened a newspaper and flipped the pages. Brigadier General Williams, the defense attaché and my former boss, entered wearing a Class A uniform and sat at the head of the table, still not focused on the matter at hand.

Williams had made all the right choices to advance his career, as evidenced by his recent promotion to brigadier general and my non-selection, but his grasp of the art and science of HUMINT was limited. He came across as bureaucratic and uninspiring, which was why Beth and I consistently received more invitations to diplomatic events than he did.

“Good morning, General,” Johnson said and clicked his pen. “Sorry for all the secrecy, but we’re investigating Captain Howard.”

Williams checked his appointment calendar and nodded, finally on the right page. “He was called back in a hurry and we haven’t heard from him since. Is everything fine?”

Sullivan leaned forward, folded his newspaper, and grabbed the water bottle to spit. “He and his wife haven’t responded to our calls.”

Johnson nodded. “We’ll provide more details as appropriate, but we would ask for now that you maintain strict secrecy in this matter. If it’s OK with you, General, I’d like to begin with his office—personal items, computer, and so forth.”

Williams leaned back. “I’d like to keep this investigation, or whatever this is, as low profile as possible. Could you investigate these items back in the States?”

“General, our investigation is partially focused on his activities here in Thailand.”

Williams turned to Sullivan, who shrugged.

“General,” Johnson continued, “one aspect of the investigation is Captain Howard’s alleged intimate relationship with a local nightclub dancer.”

“Captain Howard with a dancer?” Williams asked.

He looked with misplaced shock at Sullivan, who offered another shrug.

Captain Howard would hardly have been the first military officer to dabble in the local talent.

Johnson flipped a