Dangerous Ground

by Smith, Stephanie Jean

  Xavier didn’t move a muscle, he was aware of Schaffer’s scrutiny. Schaffer was sizing him up, trying to find a way to manipulate him. “Tell me about your problem, and I’ll let you know if I can help you.”

  General Schaffer sat down across from Xavier and crossed his legs. “I saw Leland in the hallway; I’m surprised he didn’t call you to find out what was going on. Leland might be interested in what I have to say, you should invite him to the meeting.” No sooner than the words seeped out of Schaffer’s mouth, Leland and Huey walked into Xavier’s office.

  “What in the hell do you want Schaffer?”

  General Schaffer’s gave Xavier’s a sly look before acknowledging Leland and Huey’s presence. “I have a little project for Xavier. He owes me for the little favor I did for him.”

  “I told you that you couldn’t trust this old bastard. Whatever plans you have for Xavier, you might as well forget about it.”

  Huey was stumped for a few minutes. “Xavier, please tell me that you didn’t go to Schaffer for help when Loretta was kidnapped.”

  Schaffer grinned like a Cheshire cat. “Not only did he come to me, but he got what he needed. Now that, I think about it, all of you might be interested in this project. We have a rogue agent that needs to be brought in for termination. I can’t think of three other men who would be qualified for the job.”

  “We haven’t been in the army for a long time, what makes you think we can still handle ourselves in the field.”

  “My sources say that you boys are more than qualified for the job. Come to think of it, you might actually want to pay me to go when you find out whom the agent is.”

  “Kyle Spinkter.”

  “Excellent guess Xavier, you always did have good instincts.”

  Huey grabbed General Schaffer by the throat and yanked him out of the chair. “How dare you come in here throwing you weight around you sanctimonious old faggot; Kyle Spinkter was court marshaled and executed by firing squad.”

  It took both Leland and Xavier to pull Huey off General Schaffer. “Huey get a hold of your anger Schaffer doesn’t deserve a quick death.” Huey abruptly let General Schaffer go.

  General Schaffer fell to his knees gasping, trying to catch his breath. “You guys always did behave as you were the damned ‘Three Musketeers’.” He got off the floor and straightened his tie. “My driver will pick you up tomorrow morning at six o’clock. Don’t disappoint me, I’m not a good enemy to have.”

  Xavier, Leland, and Huey stood there watching the door after General Schaffer left. Xavier knew that there was no way that he was backing out of this assignment. He had an old score to settle with Kyle Spinkter.

  “Xavier please tell me that you’re not seriously considering this little project of Schaffer’s.”

  “You two may not understand this, but this is something I have to do.”

  “What about Loretta? How are you going to explain this to her?” Leland refused to believe that Xavier was serious.

  “Loretta will understand.”

  “If you’re serious about going, I’m going with you.”

  “So am I.”

  “Leland I can’t let you go, you have a son to raise. Huey, you have to understand that this is something I need to finish this on my own.” Xavier gathered up his papers and put them in his briefcase. “By the way, Loretta and I have set a date for our wedding. It’s the Saturday before Christmas this will probably be the only wedding in history with three best men.”

  “What if you’re not back for the wedding?”

  “I wouldn’t miss my own wedding for the world. I’ve worked too hard to bring it about.”

  ***

  Loretta went to the grocery store on her way home from the King Center. If she was pregnant, she was going to have to start eating regular meals. She had her prescription filled as she shopped. Loretta loaded up on fruits and vegetables and cereal. By the time she got home, it was almost five o’clock.

  Loretta was putting away groceries when she heard Xavier coming through the front door. He came home early Loretta thought she would have a little time to herself to deal with the shock she received today. She walked into the living room to greet him. As much as she loved Xavier, he was the last person she wanted to see right now.

  “Hey baby,” Xavier said as he walked into the living room and kissed her.

  Loretta kissed him back as if her life depended on it. She tried to make polite conversation as she walked back into the kitchen to finish putting the groceries away. “How was your day?”

  “Sort of a mixed blessing,” Xavier said as he sat down at the kitchen table watching Loretta put away the groceries.

  Loretta looked at Xavier and laughed. “What happened today? Let me guess the, you received some good news from Chicago today.”

  “Someone from my past presented me with a project that I can’t turn down. The only unfortunate part is I might be out of town for a little while.”

  “How long will you be gone?” Loretta was taking eggs out of the sack before Xavier dropped his bomb shell.

  “Anywhere where from a couple of days to a week.”

  “Our wedding is in two weeks.” Loretta couldn’t believe this turn of events. What’s really going on?” Loretta knew something was wrong, he was behaving strangely as if he were trying to shut her out again.” Xavier got of the chair, walked over to Loretta, and put his arms around her. “Baby I leave tomorrow morning. I wish there was a better way to tell you about this project I have to do, but I can’t. You’ll just have to trust me.” Xavier left the kitchen and headed for his office.

  Loretta had never seen Xavier behave this way before he was so cold and detached. She had to get to the bottom of this. Loretta picked up the phone and called Vincent.

  “Hello.”

  “Vincent, this is Loretta, I need you to come over here as fast as you can. Something’s wrong with Xavier, and he won’t tell me what’s going on.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Vincent, he’s behaving strangely, he just came home and told me that he was leaving in the morning for who knows where.”

  “Is that all he said.”

  “He won’t talk to me Vincent. Please come over and find out what’s wrong with my baby.”

  Loretta was getting hysterical. The pitch of her voice seemed to climb higher and higher. “Loretta I’ll be over as soon as I can.”

  ***

  Vincent didn’t waste any time getting to Xavier’s house. Loretta must have been waiting at the door for him. As soon as he approached the house she opened the screen door to let him in. “Tell me exactly what Xavier told you.”

  “He came home, and told me that someone from his past presented an opportunity and that he was leaving tomorrow.”

  “Is that all he told you?”

  “When I asked him what was going on, and he told me to trust him. Then he walked into his office, and that’s where he’s been ever since.”

  “I’ll find out what’s going on.” Vincent brushed pass Loretta and went straight to Xavier’s office and opened the door. Xavier didn’t even acknowledge Vincent’s presence he just kept staring at his computer screen.

  “Xavier, what’s going on?”

  “Kyle Spinkter.”

  Vincent sat in the chair directly facing Xavier’s desk. “I thought he was dead.”

  “A part of me knew he was still alive. Kyle was good at what he did. Now that, the army can no longer use him, they want him terminated.”

  “What has that got to do with you? You haven’t been in the U.S. Army for over thirteen years.”

  “General Schaffer paid me a visit this afternoon; he knew I would jump at the chance to bring Kyle in.”

  “You’re getting married in two weeks. What if it takes longer to bring him in?”

  “That’s a chance I’ll have to take.”

  “I’m going with you someone has to make sure that you get back in one piece.”

  “I need you to stay here a
nd look after Loretta.”

  “You need to tell Loretta what’s going on. You’re my brother, and I love you deeply, but right now I would gladly beat the hell out of you for what you’re doing to Loretta. She deserves the whole truth, not bits and pieces. I hear that you’re going to leave tomorrow morning.”

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “Then I suggest that you use what little time you have to tell Loretta everything. I’m going back home, so you and Loretta can talk. If you need me for anything, I want you to call.”

  As soon as Vincent left, Loretta walked in. “Xavier tell me what’s going on. I know that you’re trying to protect me, but don’t shut me out.”

  “Come to me Loretta, I have a lot of things to tell you, and some of it may not be easy to hear.” Xavier sat there for a few minutes; he knew that what he had to say would put Loretta’s love for him on the line. He had to find a way to make her understand that, for them to have a future together he had to fight the demons from the past.

  “I learned some valuable lessons in the army and gained two lifelong friends. I met Leland in basic training, and we became fast friends. Leland was like the calm before the storm, he was so easy going that it took a lot to break that composure. Leland was picked for special duties because of his vast knowledge for weaponry. I never asked Leland, who was nineteen at the time, how he became a weapons expert. I just figured Leland had earned the title honestly.

  Huey James became a part of Xavier’s troop two years later. Huey didn’t trust anyone as far as he could spit. Which spelled disaster for the team; you had to be able to trust the people in your troop because your life depended on it. I was team leader, and that didn’t sit well with Huey. He didn’t like taking orders form a kid five years his junior. Needless to say, the time would come when I would have to fight to earn Huey’s respect.

  We were preparing for a mission in Panama. American civilians got caught in some cross fire between the Panamanian army and some rebels. I was briefing my team through a plan of action when Huey challenge the intelligence of the said plan. I’ve never been known for my tact; therefore, I promptly informed Huey that he shouldn’t knock things he was too stupid to understand.

  The fight was on the only thing that saved me was that Huey was bigger and slower. If Huey had gotten a hold of me, he would have beaten me to a pulp. Lieutenant Graison broke up the fight, he chastised both of us for our ignorance and stupidity. As punishment, Lieutenant Graison made us partners. Partners were responsible for each other’s lives, they watched each other’s back. Huey and I had to eat together, share the same quarters, and when we weren’t on a mission we were on duty together. It took some time, but gradually Huey came to trust me. I gained a friend and a self appointed older brother.

  The mission in Panama didn’t go as planned. The mission was later dubbed “mission hutch.” The rebels were expecting us, and my troop was left sitting like a bunch of rabbits in a hutch. A couple of my team members was killed in the process. I was shot trying to save Huey from enemy infiltration. The wound was bleeding profusely; Huey was determined that I was going to live. The bullet passed right through my side, missing all vital organs. Huey carried me back to the waiting chopper.

  It wasn’t until we got back to the base that we would learn what our true mission had been. We were sent to Panama to act as a decoy while another specialist team got the hostages out. Even the hostage story was a hoax it seems that there was only one hostage. Some senator’s son got caught trying to buy drugs in Panama. To make matters worse he wasn’t a hostage, but a prisoner.”

  Xavier thought about the men in his troop who died so that some preppy brat could make it home in time to start the fall semester at Harvard. “I was in the infirmary for two weeks, the more I thought about “mission hutch”, and the more I felt that Lieutenant Graison knew what was going down. Hindsight is always 20/20 Vision, the way Lieutenant Graison kept drilling the troop on the backup plan was probably the biggest clue. Colonel Schaffer was his commanding officer, sent him into a trap, and the only thing he could do was make sure as many men as possible made it back.

  When Lieutenant Graison came to visit me, my suspicions were confirmed by Graison’s eyes. A look of understanding passed between us that look told me everything he could not say. Graison was a military lifer, and this wasn’t the first time he had been betrayed by his commanding officer, and it wouldn’t be the last time.

  That was the last mission that my troop was sent on. After the fiasco in Panama, the troop was split up. Depending on how much time they had left in the Army, some team members were assigned to the military police division; others were sent to other troops. Military police were responsible for driving high ranking officials around base, breaking up fights amongst the unlisted men, and occasional standing on guard duty.

  Leland and Huey had less than six months left, so instead of sending them on another tour of duty they were assigned to the military police division. I had less than three months left, and I was assigned to the Crime Investigation Division, or the CID as it was often called. It was around this time that the murders on base started to occur. Unlisted women were murdered, and their bodies were found off base. At the time, it was believed that the murderer was someone from a nearby town. The CID was doing an in-depth investigation into the murders.

  The MO for all the murders were the same except for a little twist. All of the women were raped and stabbed to death; further investigation later ruled out the stabbing as the cause of death.

  As the investigation went on, all the clues led to the military police. At first, information regarding the investigation was running loose throughout the base. It was initially thought that the murderer was from a nearby town. The chief investigator, Lieutenant Downs felt that too much information was being let out amongst the unlisted men. In fact, he thought that the investigation was helping to aid the murderer, rather than capture him. It turned out that Lieutenant Downs was correct; he became one of the victims before he could depart with the information he’d found.

  I figured that if the murderer was an unlisted man, it had to be someone that Lieutenant Downs trusted enough to let his guard down. Military police were in a class by themselves, much like ordinary civilian police officers. Lieutenant Downs had two assistants, I was one of them, and the other assistant was Kyle Spinkter. Kyle helped the base coroner with lab reports while I was assisting Lieutenant Downs with the investigation.

  I didn’t trust Kyle, it wasn’t anything he said or did. There was something about him that scared me to death. Kyle’s troop was wiped out in a middle eastern skirmish, but Kyle was the only one who made it back. I was amazed that out of fifteen professional snipers and anti-terrorists that Kyle was the only member of his team who survived.

  I went to my CO, Colonel Asa Schaffer, and asked for permission to have Leland and Huey’s assignments changed from guard duty to special assignments. Schaffer was willing to give me whatever I needed for the investigation. The big brass was constantly on his back, and was in the process of sending a representative from Washington to conduct an investigation. As far as Colonel Schaffer was concerned, the faster these murders were solved the sooner things could go back to normal. I continued the investigation with the only people on base I totally trusted.

  The initial coroner’s report identified the stab wounds as the cause of death. Charlie Matthews’ was the coroner for the base and was simple minded. He was by no means a forensic expert; therefore, Kyle didn’t have to try too hard to convince him that the stab wounds were the cause of death. For Charlie, the murders were open and shut cases. After Lieutenant Downs’ death, I didn’t have to convince Charlie to look for another cause of death for the victims.

  Charlie was a good friend of Lieutenant Downs, and he knew his skills were limited. So, Charlie sent tissue samples of the victims to a friend of his who worked for the FBI in Virginia. Charlie’s friend found a trace of some type of hybrid from pure heroin in the samples. Evidently t
he killer injected his victims with an overdose of heroine, and raped them as they went into cardiac arrest, and the stab wounds done afterwards were used to throw investigators off the trail.

  Only one person would realize the benefit of adding the stab wounds. Military investigations were handled much differently than civilian ones. If the investigation had taken place in a civilian police department, the lab tests would have discovered the heroine in the victims systems right away. The military handles its own investigations all lab work was done on base without question. So, whatever results the lab technician came up with, the investigation ended with those results.

  I had an idea whom the murderer was, but I still had to prove it. I approached Kyle Spinkter and told him of my findings and how I didn’t trust anyone else on base. I saw the gleam in Kyle’s eyes, the murderer took the bait. For the first time in my life, I felt complete and total fear of the opposition. It was at that point that I knew Kyle wouldn’t wait to kill me later, he wanted me dead. Before I knew what was happening, Kyle shot me in the shoulder, I fell to the floor like dead weight. I wasn’t totally healed from his last gunshot wound I received.

  Kyle preened like a peacock during mating season. He bragged about the murders, like some mad scientist bragging about his killer potion on the late night horror shows. Kyle’s eyes were glazed; he kneeled in front of me with a hypodermic needle waving it back and forth in front of my face. I’ll never forget what Kyle said to me for long as I live. “Pity the monstrous, for it’s their oddities that turn them into hunters.”

  At that moment, Huey busted down the door, Leland came in behind him. Kyle didn’t have time to inject me with the needle, so he injected it into his own neck. The medic van was there on the spot. Kyle may have wanted to die that day; however, he would die two years later after he was found guilty of eight counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. Kyle was executed by fire squad.

  In the deep recesses of my mind, I felt sorry for Kyle. All of the evidence may have pointed to Kyle, but I didn’t truly believe that he committed the murders. Now is my chance to find out the truth about what happen, and Kyle Spinkter is the key.”