SEALs of Honor: Axel

by Dale Mayer

  Carl looked at his wife, the two of them frowning at each other, then he turned back to Axel and said, “Yes, I believe so.”

  Axel kept quiet for a moment.

  “Why? What happened?” Carl asked.

  “I’m afraid that’s classified,” he said smoothly.

  “And why would you come here?” Mary asked. “What’s this got to do with Carl?”

  “Well, ma’am, his animosity toward Ally in the past has made him a suspect in this case,” Axel said. “His court case and his method of revenge led us back to check him out to make sure he wasn’t involved in this.”

  “That was a long time ago,” Carl said quickly.

  “Four years ago,” he said. “Yet you served only thirty days.”

  “Yes, but that was a trumped-up charge,” Mary protested.

  “Trumped-up?” Axel looked at her with interest. “You are aware that he took nude photos of his fiancée and posted them all over the internet in revenge, right?”

  She gasped and stepped back slowly.

  “Revenge porn is what they call it.”

  She looked at her husband, clearly stunned.

  “Look,” Carl said, holding up his hands. “That’s who I was back then. That’s not who I am now. I was really angry.” Mary stared, her gaze going between the two men. “You did what?”

  Carl took a slow, deep breath. “Mary, calm down.”

  “Me, calm down?” she said. “You did that to Ally?”

  He took a deep breath, and then he slowly nodded. “I did. I was really, really, really angry.”

  “Why did you break up?” she asked suddenly. Carl was silent. “Do you know why they broke up?” she asked, looking at Axel.

  He turned to Carl and said, “Carl, why don’t you just tell her the truth and be done with it.”

  With obvious reluctance, he spoke. “I had an affair, and she found out,” he said heavily. It was easy to see from the look on his face that he thought his whole world would come crashing down.

  “You had an affair. She broke up with you, so you got revenge by posting private photos of her on the internet?” Mary’s voice rose higher. She took several steps back, looked at him, and said, “Do I even know who you are?”

  “Mary, I’m a different man,” he said. “I went through hell over that. I made a mistake, and I paid for it.”

  “You paid for it, yes,” she said, “but Ally is still paying for it. Every day. Those photos will never be gone,” she said, her hand over her mouth, as she stared at her husband, shell-shocked. “God, Carl,” she said. “That is an action that goes on forever.”

  “I know,” he said. “And, as you can see, I’ll be hounded forever because of it too,” and he pointed at Axel. Then he turned to Axel and said, “Thank you very much for destroying my marriage,” he said. “I had nothing to do with whatever’s going on with Ally now.”

  “Maybe not,” Axel said, “but I hardly think it’s fair that your wife doesn’t know what you’re capable of. After all, she’s now got to know that the nude pictures you have of Mary are likely to end up on the internet too,” he said. He turned to Mary and said, “I’m sorry, Mary. That’s not how I would want you to find out such a thing. But you’re much better off understanding what your husband is capable of.” He turned back to Carl. “And the bottom line is this—if you have any connection to this attack on Ally, you won’t be walking on a thirty-day sentence.” And, with that, Axel turned and walked away.

  He could hear Mary behind him, screaming at her husband. With grim satisfaction, Axel realized life would not be quite the same for this man who had tried to hide from what he did. Maybe there was a point in time where Carl had paid his price to society for what he’d done.

  But for Ally? That invasion would never go away. Mary had called it when she had said that it was a life sentence for Ally. Back in his Jeep, Axel wrote off Carl as being a suspect.

  Chapter 7

  Stuck in her hospital room, it seemed like Ally could do absolutely nothing. She had her phone, and she spent her waking hours researching all the members of the team that she had gone into the sub with. At least when her mind was clearer of drugs she could do this. There had to be a connection somewhere. She’d given the list to Axel, though surely somebody else was around who could have given it to him.

  Knowing Axel, he probably had it five times over from different people. He seemed to be thorough and was always double-checking and cross-checking. But every time somebody walked past the window to her hospital room or her door, she glanced up, and, of course, it was always too late to see who it was.

  She was becoming paranoid now that she’d had the one visitor. That it looked like her brother’s friend didn’t mean that it was. She knew her brother Rory and his friend had to be dead. And there was no reason to suspect that same body frame meant that it was actually the same man. They say there are like thirteen archetypes of people in the world. But it was just too damn easy every time she saw that slight angle to his head and, in her mind, to replace it with her brother’s friend Thomas. But how was that even possible? Because Thomas really died. And his body had been cremated, right? The fact is, her brother’s friend also had another sibling.

  It all just made her sick to her stomach. But why would anybody go to the sub and kill everybody? And that was the point she kept coming back to. If it was revenge, why didn’t they take them out one at a time, each in a different way? Then there would be no outright connection for the police or the navy to follow, right? Surely a major killing spree event like that on the sub took a lot of planning all at once. And, sure, the shock of multiple killings would then completely stymie most people as they tried to figure out what was going on, but the investigators would get to the bottom of it eventually.

  She just didn’t know when that would happen. The sooner, the better, but it felt like it was her against the rest of the world. Yet she needed to heal. She needed to get that “good” leg capable of holding her weight so she could at least be mobile. She didn’t want to stay in the hospital. And the guards? Well, the guards were a whole different story.

  Axel had come with his diagram of the sub, wanting to verify the position of all the men. She kept going over and over it in her head, wondering if she could have seen something differently, if she could have done something differently, but it was just so hard to remember.

  As she lay here, fighting the frustration, she could hear footsteps, multiple heavy footsteps coming down the hallway. And she knew the navy was coming to her. She froze in the bed, wondering if she could pretend to be asleep. When the door was pushed open, she knew there was no hope of that either. Two men, both MPs, stepped forward, and another man followed them. A colonel but she didn’t know which one. She saluted from the bed.

  “I understand that you were a part of this submarine mess,” he said, his voice clear and hard. “I have some questions for you.”

  “If, when you say, I was part of it, you mean that I was there as assigned and attacked at the same time as the others were killed, then, yes, that is correct, sir,” she said, her voice clear and her diction concise. “However, if you are implying that I was part of the murder of my fellow crew members,” she said, “then that is an absolute and clear no.”

  “In that case, you won’t mind us asking you some questions, will you?” he said smoothly.

  In the same tone she responded, “Of course not, sir. Please proceed.”

  And there followed one of the most grueling hour-long sessions that she’d ever endured. And it only broke off when the doctor stepped into the room.

  “That’s enough,” he said. “She’s exhausted. And look at her. She’s clearly traumatized, and now she’s looking feverish again from all this,” he said. He walked over, checked her temperature and pulse, glaring at the colonel. “I can’t have a decline in her healing,” he snapped. “She was very seriously injured. If she should have a setback, she’s at risk …” and, with that, he let his voice trail off.

/>   The colonel shrugged. “If she’s a traitor to our country, her death won’t matter anyway,” he said, as he shot her a hard glance. “If you’re lying, it will be much worse for you.”

  “I’m not lying,” she said with some heat but desperate to not degenerate into a weeping female. “My record stands for itself. I’m not prone to fits of hysteria or imagination. Someone else did this. You need to find him.”

  “And why should we, when you look good for this from where I stand.” And, with that, he turned and the three men walked out.

  She laid here, gasping for breath, feeling the heat overwhelming her. “I don’t feel so good,” she whispered. And almost instantly, her lunch came up and out of her mouth. She was shuddering and shaking by the time everything in her stomach had emptied. She hadn’t even managed to lean over, so it was all over her and the sheets and blankets on her bed.

  The doctor swore lightly at her side even as he called for a nurse to help clean her up. “This is exactly why I don’t like anybody being questioned too early,” he said. “That’s just ridiculous.”

  The nurse arrived and took charge. Trying to follow the woma’s requests as she wiped and mopped up her face before shifting to changing her bedding.

  “I don’t think he really cared,” she said when she could wishing her stomach would calm down. It was roiling even now. “It’s pretty obvious he thinks I’m guilty. He wants me to confess, whether it’s the truth or not.”

  “If you had something to do with it,” the doctor said, “then I’m sorry for your soul. But, if I had to decide, considering only your wounds,” he said, “they need to find another suspect.”

  “Wouldn’t that be nice,” she said. “I don’t think he’s even bothering to look at actual facts like that.”

  The doctor stopped momentarily and then nodded. “I may need to send him the x-rays of your injuries then.”

  “What good would that do?” she asked.

  “It might help him to understand how you got hurt.”

  “I don’t think he cares,” she said. “Somebody else is trying to help me prove my innocence, and I did a diagram of the submarine with all the bodies and where they found them,” she said. “The trouble is, I blacked out after I got up into the HVAC shaft,” she said. “So I’m not even sure it’s possible for me confirm or deny where he found the bodies.”

  The doctor looked casually over at the side table, where she had the large piece of paper. “Come on. Even this adds to your stress, and that is the last thing you need to be doing.”

  “But I can’t just lie here, doing nothing,” she whispered. “You saw the colonel. I’ll get court-martialed for the murder of eleven of my fellow crew members,” she said. “Not to mention the sinking of a really expensive sub. But I didn’t do it.”

  “Then we have to trust in the process,” he said. “Help is out there. We just have to make sure that you get it.”

  “I’m glad you believe me,” she said. “Obviously nobody else does.”

  “Hey, I saw your leg,” he said. “You weren’t doing any moving with that.”

  “I’m pretty sure they think I did everything before that happened,” she said.

  “But you couldn’t have,” he said. “The gunshot that shattered your leg so badly came earlier than the other two bullets.”

  She stopped and stared at him. “It did?”

  He nodded. “Yes. The bullet holes clearly occurred at least an hour apart.”

  She continued to stare at him. “Maybe you could tell him that too,” she said hopefully.

  “That’s what I was wondering,” he said. “Obviously they’re under a delusion as to what your role was in all this. Any of those bullet wounds would have incapacitated you. It’s a wonder the blood loss alone didn’t kill you.”

  Just then the colonel slammed back into the room. “You’re the one I’ve been looking for.” He glared at her as if she were the one responsible for keeping the doctor from him.

  “Good, I was about to track you down. She couldn’t have done what you think she did. Her injuries wouldn’t allow for it.” He held up the x-rays and showed the colonel exactly what had happened, what the damage to her system had been at the time.

  The colonel huffed and asked a few questions, obviously not ready to listen. He pointed at the file. “I want an independent medical team to look this over. I can’t have her getting away with treason because you think she couldn’t have done this.” He snorted at that.

  Her doctor stiffened. “Of course. That is your prerogative.” He glared at the colonel. “In the meantime, you’re adding to my patient’s stress. So I’m asking you to leave now.”

  The two men stood glaring at each other before the colonel spun stiffly on his heels and left, his temper obviously brewing as he slammed the door behind him.

  “He does have it in for you,” the doctor said thoughtfully. “I wonder why?”

  “I’m an easy answer. He’s looking to close this and to get a few more accolades to decorate his uniform. He doesn’t care about getting to the truth or catching the real traitor.”

  “Well, any doctor will see what I see, so not to worry. He can get all the professionals on his side that he wants. It’s still a miracle the blood loss alone didn’t kill you.”

  “And yet I was laying up in the ceiling shaft, bleeding to death, while my oxygen supply depleted,” she said. “Even in the air venting system, I couldn’t avoid the bullets. Thank heavens I was rescued when I was.”

  “That just means you were thinking on your own,” he said. “Surviving is not something you should be penalized for. This whole thing is ridiculous.”

  “I’m glad you think so.” And she did feel marginally better. “If you could show him that much, maybe he would at least start considering other options.”

  “I will,” he said. “But now I want you to take some medicine and get some sleep,” he said. “No more visitors.”

  “Except I need to see the guy who is helping me when he comes,” she said, motioning toward the drawing. “I couldn’t confirm or deny anything when he was here earlier. I was so tired that I couldn’t do much.”

  “No,” the doctor said. “It’ll just add to your stress. You need to heal first and foremost.”

  “I need to get out of here,” she said. “Can I walk on this leg?”

  “No, and it needs to be elevated almost all the time, or you’ll be in a real mess.”

  “I could get home and put it up,” she said hopefully.

  “Nope, not happening,” he said. “At least not for a while.”

  “And what’s not for a while?”

  “At least a few days. You are still more fragile than you realize. You saw it for yourself with the colonel’s visit.”

  “Fine,” she said, giving in. “It’s just not what I want to hear.”

  “Of course not,” he said with a gentle smile. “That’s why I’m the doctor, and you’re not.”

  “I don’t like that those guards are posted out there,” she said. “Are they protecting me or just keeping me here?”

  He looked at her, surprised, then thought about it and shrugged.

  “And that’s only one of the questions that keep rattling around in my head and making me sick,” she muttered.

  “Well, you’ve been injured enough without getting sick and stressed out more,” he said.

  She winced. “I’m really sorry about that.”

  “Don’t be,” the nurse said. “Being sick isn’t something any of us want. Our bodily functions take over, and, for whatever reason, that needed to get out of you.”

  She nodded quietly. “I’m gonna need a new gown too.”

  “We can take care of that too,” she said, and she quickly reached into the cupboard in the corner. The orderlies grabbed up the dirty bedding, made up the bed with fresh linens. Once only the two female nurses were with Ally, they exchanged her soiled hospital gown for a clean one. The other nurse helping Ally to stay upright helped her ba
ck onto the bed, and they hooked her leg back up so it was suspended. “Here, just rest,” she said.

  And, with that, Ally lay down, and, moments later, she collapsed back onto the bed. “Now I’m exhausted,” she said.

  “And, if nothing else,” one of the nurses said, “that should tell you just what kind of shape you’re really in right now.”

  “Meaning, it’s shitty,” Ally said bitterly. “I can’t go anywhere, and I’m a sitting duck while I’m here.”

  “You’re where you need to be,” the other nurse said. “So just relax, and let us do what we need to do.” Then gathering up their things, the two nurses left.

  Ally pulled the blanket under her chin, willing the pain meds to hurry up and kick in. She didn’t know what her stomach was up to, but she figured it was stress from the colonel. As she lay here, her mind kept going back to the bodies and to Axel. Did he understand that the brass had been here to question her? She’d so hoped to avoid having to deal with them. But, like any huge corporation, there were always bosses. And, in this case, those bosses were pretty scary. Curled up in a ball, at least on one side, as best she could with her leg suspended, she closed her eyes and let sleep overtake her.

  *

  Axel had to get back to the hospital and go over the diagram he had left with her. She hadn’t talked about it very long or with any detail when he’d been there before. It seemed like, with the combination of the painkillers and her other medications, she was either too sleepy or in too much pain to have much comfort or clarity for a detailed discussion. He quickly sent her a text, asking her if she was up for a visit. When there was no answer, he called her. He didn’t even stop to think until he heard her sleepy voice. “Oh, God,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry. Go back to sleep.”

  “No,” she said, yawning. “It’s okay.”

  But he could immediately tell from her voice that something was up. “What happened?” His voice was sharper than he intended.

  “Colonel someone or other showed up,” she said. “He came with two MPs to ask questions. There was absolutely no doubt from his attitude and his questions that he believes I had something to do with it.”