by Dale Mayer
Her priorities were all about keeping George safe, which was admirable. And she also wanted to know who was doing this so they would be caught. She was right in the sense that it was the only way she could walk away from this and not look over her shoulder for the rest of her life.
As they headed toward the barracks, he looked at her and asked, “My room or yours?”
“It has to be your room. I’ve got a single bed. You’ve got bunks.”
He nodded and didn’t say anything. “Do you have anything in your room?”
“No, we moved it all last night, such as it is,” she said. “I went to my old room today for a nap, and that’s where Parsons found me.” Colton opened the room and let her in. As soon as he got in, he sent Troy a text.
On my way, Troy replied. Colton motioned to the top bunk. “Troy is coming.”
“Good,” she said, as she stretched out on the bed. “If I fall asleep, don’t wake me.”
“Do you need a trip to the bathroom first?”
She could feel the heaviness washing over her. She groaned. “Yes, dammit.” She made her way down off the bunk and headed to the bathroom. Since it was only a couple doors away, Colton stood in his doorway and watched. At a distance he could see Troy coming down the hall toward him. They stood close enough to have a private conversation in the hallway, the two of them talking as Troy brought him up to date. “I have a list of everybody who was off the base today.”
“Was it hard to get?”
“I went straight to the commander and explained why we needed it.”
“I bet that pissed him off.”
“He was more pissed at the idea that somebody on his base, under his command, might have done something like this. He still doesn’t believe it, and he is also interested in proving his men and women were solid and honest.”
“That’s an angle that works too,” he said. “If all his people are clear, then it’s not his fault.”
“And it doesn’t necessarily have to be anybody here either,” Troy said. “There are way too many options.”
“Not that many, surely,” Colton said.
“I have about thirty-four names here, plus he added four names of men who used to work on the base but no longer do.”
“No longer military?”
“One is on medical leave. Two are on dishonorable discharge. Another is off pending the outcome of an investigation.”
“But not on the base?”
“No. Looks like they live in town.”
“Interesting,” Colton said. “I guess we have some work to do tonight.”
Just then the bathroom door opened, and Kate walked out. She had scrubbed her face, the tendrils of hair around her forehead had curled with the damp water.
He motioned at her and said, “Come on. Time for you to get some sleep.”
She smiled at Troy. “You missed the fun in town.”
“Nope,” he said, “I was having my own bit of fun.”
She rolled her eyes at that. “Can’t wait to hear.”
“Unfortunately I didn’t find anything,” he said.
“What about people who were off base?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said, “I’ve just brought a list. We’ll split it up and start investigating.”
“Perfect,” she said. “You guys do that and let me know what you find.”
At that, Colton chuckled. “As long as we keep you in the loop, right?”
“Absolutely,” she said with a smile. “And, if I fall asleep, you can tell me when I wake up.”
“Done deal,” he said. Colton sat down, and he and Troy divvied up the work. Above, Colton could hear Kate’s steady breathing settle out.
Troy stood and checked on her, then sat back down again and nodded, indicating she was asleep.
“Good,” Colton said. “It’s the best thing for her.”
“Let’s make good use of the next couple hours,” Troy said.
“Seems like all we’re doing is running down names,” Colton said, after he accepted a sheath of papers from Troy.
“Yeah, in this instance, the commander also wants us to keep it very quiet.”
“Of course he does,” Colton said, and he opened up his laptop and started with the first name.
Chapter 11
When Kate woke, it was bright in the bedroom. She rolled over to see Colton lying on the bunk below her, his laptop at his side, with sheets of paper beside him with scratches and notes all over it. His eyes were closed, and his chest rose and fell in a deep relaxed rhythm. She saw no sign of Troy. She slid off her bunk to the floor and opened the door.
“Where are you going?” came his sleepy voice.
“Bathroom,” she whispered. “Just sleep.”
“No way,” he said. “Twenty-four-hour watch is twenty-four-hour watch.”
She groaned. “I’ll just go to the bathroom real quick.” She stepped out, closing the door behind her. She made her way to the bathroom, used the facilities and then gave her face a good scrub. Oh, what she wouldn’t do for some face cream and a good brush for her hair, not to mention her own favorite shampoo. As she made her way back, she saw Colton leaning against the doorjamb. She gave him a quick frown. “You didn’t have to get up.”
“Of course I did,” he said with a smile. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she said, “but I could really use a shower.”
“That’s easy enough to do,” he said. “We do have a couple towels here.”
Taking one, she headed back to the shower, not bothering to tell him not to wait for her because obviously he would anyway. He was such a sweetheart. She understood it was also his sense of duty, but she also really did appreciate it. When she was done, she came back out and could feel her body trembling.
“You don’t realize,” she said, “just how much effort it takes to shower until your body is knocked down with hypothermia.”
“Pretty typical when you’re exhausted,” he said with a nod. He led her back into the bedroom, where she crawled up onto the top bunk. “Any chance of a change of clothes?”
“A bag should be coming in for you, with any luck.”
“How can flights come in,” she said, “if we can’t get out?”
“I believe they landed in another city where the weather had already passed,” he said, “then are driving it here.”
“So, in theory, I could leave the same way.”
He shook his head. “Not until you’re given permission.”
Cross, because he was right, she said, “Well, that flight better not be just for some of my clothing.”
“No, it also brought some of the replacement supplies for those that got deep-sixed into the ocean.”
She winced at that. “I don’t even know what was on that load.”
“It’s kind of an interesting topic.”
“Why?” She rolled over to look down at him. He was sitting up and leaned his back against the wall with the laptop on his lap.
“Just wondering if those supplies were part of this deal.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” she said.
“What if he was trying to take them somewhere else?”
“George?”
Colton nodded.
“You’re back to that him-being-blackmailed thing.”
“Maybe,” he said. “Grasping at straws, I know. But one theory has to work. There is an answer behind all this. It’s up to us to find it.”
“Maybe,” she said. “Talking to George would be the easiest.”
“Maybe we can do that today too,” he said.
“What time is it?”
“It’s 0730.”
“Breakfast?” she asked hopefully.
He let out a barking laugh. “All you’re doing is eating.”
“I know,” she said. “I wonder if I should see the doctor about it.”
“No. It’s stress, boredom, and you’re still cold,” he said. “I have to go to the bathroom myself, so I’ll lock the door beh
ind me.”
“I think I’ll be fine,” she called out.
“It doesn’t matter what you think.” He closed the door behind him, and she heard a hard click. She groaned and hopped down. Loose papers were everywhere. She picked them up, studying the notes. Most of the men’s names had been crossed off, but Colton had circled three with question marks. When he came back, she held up the papers and asked, “Did you find anything?”
“Hopefully today we will talk to two of the men who no longer work here. And we still have to talk to every one of these guys and get their whereabouts at the time the hospital security cameras went down.”
She nodded. “I guess you couldn’t do that overnight, could you?”
“Nope,” he said cheerfully. “We were able to do background checks to see if anything suspicious turned up or if any connection was found to you or George.”
“And was there?”
“No, nothing at all,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean they weren’t paid to sabotage the plane for money, not caring who ended up hurt.”
“Money does talk, doesn’t it?” she said sadly.
“It does, but so does food.” He looked at her smile and said, “Let’s go and get you tanked up again.”
She followed him down the hallway and said, “Where’s Troy?”
“He’ll meet us at the cafeteria.” As they walked into the mess hall, Troy was already sitting in the far corner at a table, and he raised a hand in greeting. Kate smiled at him and grabbed a tray and a plate and looked at the selection. Everything from carbs in the form of waffles, pancakes and potatoes to eggs and all kinds of breakfast sausages were here. She looked at it and said, “Very American, huh?”
“A few traditional items from are also offered,” Colton said, “but I definitely want an American breakfast this morning.” He proceeded to load up on potatoes, sausages and eggs. Then he added hot buttered toast and walked toward Troy. She followed suit and then went back and got orange juice and coffee. Troy looked at their plates in approval. “Particularly when you’re shut in for the weather,” he said, “everybody eats so much more.”
“I feel like, as soon as I eat,” Kate said, “I’m hungry again.”
“It just means your body is burning it up, and that’s a good thing, from a healing standpoint.”
Kate took a quick bite, then said, “I’d love to go back into town and see about visiting with George today.”
“It’s on the agenda,” Troy said. “As soon as we’re done eating, we’re going in with Petty Officer Parsons. He’ll drive us around as we need it.”
“Good,” she said. “That would be nice. The idea of being confined to the barracks, the cafeteria and sick bay was kind of freaking me out.” As they went through breakfast, the conversation remained quiet and neutral. Enough noise surrounded them; they couldn’t really talk without shouting to be heard. Kate just wanted to leave. When they were finally ready, they headed toward the front parking lot of the base, where they waited for Petty Officer Parsons to arrive.
When he arrived, he smiled, held up his briefcase and said, “I have a few errands myself, if that’s okay with you guys.”
“It’s fine,” Colton said. “Even better would be if we could have our own set of wheels.”
“No can do,” Parsons said. “The commander wants to know where you guys are every step of the way.”
“Of course he does,” Kate said with a smile.
Parsons looked at her with a questioning expression.
She just smiled and said, “It’s only natural because he’s responsible for everything that happens on the base.”
“Exactly,” he said. “There is good news in that a shipment with some of your stuff is coming in tonight.”
“That would be great. What are the plans for today?”
“I’ll drop you guys off at the corner by the park,” Parsons said. “After my errands are finished, I’ll pick you back up. These guys have all your stops for interviews mapped out.”
Hearing that, she looked at Colton in surprise. “No MPs to follow us?”
He just shrugged.
“It’s not a very big area. Can we just wander around and talk to people?”
“Yep, pretty much,” Colton said. He didn’t explain how they got clearance to walk around alone though.
“And attract all kinds of attention?”
“We would be in a military vehicle otherwise, so what’s the difference?” he said.
At that, she acknowledged the point. “Fine,” she said, and, sure enough, they were dropped off at a small park. She looked around and smiled. The weather was crappy, and it would obviously only get worse, but she could still appreciate being outside and being in the location they were in and how very unique it was. The place wasn’t so much desolated as it had been a hard-fought battle to establish a civilization here. But once that battle was won, the people were a hearty lot. Parsons drove away, and she looked at the two men. “Where do we start?”
Troy pointed at Colton, who pointed at the closest house. “This one.”
He walked up and opened a conversation, saying they were involved in an investigation on the base. Where had so-and-so been at such-and-such time. Did they know or have any connection to George and/or Kate. But never did they refer to her as being Kate. She found that interesting, as was their technique. The questioned men inevitably shook their heads, said they knew nothing, had been home or shopping or otherwise had alibis. The alibis were written down to be checked later.
Colton and Troy looked from one to the other and then at her, but, as nobody volunteered any information, there wasn’t a whole lot they could say. When the questioning was done, Colton looked each man hard in the eye and said, “Any discussion regarding this matter will require an immediate visit to the commander. You are to tell no one we were here.”
Each man investigated nodded. “Understood.” Each man saluted, and Colton nudged Kate down the stairs again.
“Do you really expect them to say anything different?” she asked, after they were heading down several more blocks.
“No, but if we catch someone in a lie,” Troy said, “it’s a completely different story.”
She wondered about that and said, “You mean, after you check the alibis?”
“Yes,” he said, “and I’ve been checking as we walk along.” She’d heard him on the phone a lot but hadn’t realized what he was doing.
“Do you think they’ve contacted their alibis already?”
“Checking their phone records afterward will be the next thing,” he said.
“Ah,” she said, “right. And, if they have disobeyed an order, not to let anybody know about our visit—”
“Exactly, and the commander will be very interested to have a personal talk with them. It doesn’t mean they’re involved in any of this, but it does mean their behavior is questionable.” Colton smiled at her. “See? You’re getting the hang of this.”
She shook her head and said, “You’re certainly wearing off my breakfast. So, where to next?”
“To see one of the men who lives in town who no longer works at the base.”
“Why not?”
“He’s pending an inquiry, and he married a local girl.”
“Interesting,” she said. When they got to the house though, nobody was there. As in nobody. No wife, no one. They went around to the back of the house, and no sign of life was there either. When they came back around to the front, a neighbor stood glaring at them. “Who are you, and what are you doing snooping around Andy’s place?”
“We’re from the base,” Colton said, his voice hard and authoritative. “When did you last see him?”
The man stepped back, flustered. “Um, not yesterday.” He shook his head. “I’m not exactly sure. A couple days ago maybe.”
“Do you look after his place when he goes away?”
“He hasn’t been going away,” he said.
“So do you have any idea where he is now?”
“An official military investigation,” Troy said, not allowing for any further talk or argument. He picked up the phone and made a call, while Colton thanked the neighbor and said, “Now please, go inside and close the door.”
But instead the man turned belligerent. “If something is wrong in this town, I want to know about it.”
“Interesting,” Colton said, pulling out his pad of paper. “What is your name and phone number? And where do you work?”
The man hesitated but finally answered the questions.
“Thank you,” Colton said. “We’ll be in touch.” He turned and looked at Troy, who nodded, and they walked back up to Andy’s front door. Opening the screen door, they checked the front door. Finding it unlocked, they stepped inside. Immediately Colton stepped back out and turned toward Kate. “I want you to stay right here.”
“Why?” she asked. He just gave her a hard look. She nodded. Seeing a chair on the front porch, she sat down.
“I’ll be just inside the door,” he said.
She nodded, the neighbor still standing there, his arms across his chest, now more curious than anything. She sat and waited. It took them ten minutes, though they did come to check on her several times. She didn’t imagine anybody would be there. But before the men came back outside, the local police pulled up front. They got out and headed up the stairs. Kate opened the door to notify Colton, and her nose was assailed by a smell. She called out, “Colton, the police are here.”
The neighbor took one look at the police and backed up to his property. The police shot him a look and made a motion for him to back up even farther. At that, he went up to his property and sat on the porch to watch. When the police came up the steps to Andy’s house, Kate smiled at them and said, “Hi.”
“And you are?”
She identified herself and then said, “Troy and Colton are inside.”
“They better not be,” the second officer said.
The wooden door opened, and Colton said, “Of course we are, but we haven’t left this room.”
“You reported a body?”
