by Debby Giusti
She collapsed onto the hardwood floor, thinking of the women of old who had washed the floors by hand.
She’d never finished reading the journal or learned what happened to her ancestors. Before she could think anything more about the past, darkness swept over her, wiping out the pain and the memories.
* * *
Before he got to CID headquarters, Tyler’s phone rang. “Zimmerman.”
“Sir, this is First Sergeant Baker with the engineer battalion. I remember the name of Oliver’s brother-in-law. It’s Ulmer.”
Tyler’s gut tightened. “You’re sure?”
“Yes, sir.”
Tyler thanked the first sergeant and tried Carrie’s phone, but it went to voice mail. As he headed off post, he called Everett and quickly filled him in. “Put out a BOLO for Sergeant Frank Oliver. Supposedly he’s heading to Florida on a three-day pass, but that could just be a cover. I’m driving back to Amish Road to warn Carrie.”
Next he contacted Phillips. “See what Ulmer has to say about his brother-in-law. I need to warn Carrie. She’s at the house alone.”
“I’ll send one of our men to check on her,” Phillips assured him.
Tyler arrived at the house before the police. He pounded on the door and then circled to the rear and broke through the French doors, just as the intruder had done.
“Carrie,” he screamed.
The house was empty, but he found her cell phone on the rug and spattered blood on the kitchen floor. Heart in his throat, he retraced his steps.
Joseph was in the backyard.
“Go inside, Joseph. Tell your dad that a soldier from post may have taken Carrie into the woods. Stay with your mother. Tell her to lock the doors.”
Fear clouded the boy’s face. Tyler hated to scare him, but the boy needed to be kept safe.
Tyler raced toward the woods. He had to get to Carrie. He had to get to her in time.
* * *
“Tell me where the treasure is buried,” Oliver insisted. His voice was low and menacing.
He had brought her to a dark, dank cave on the side of the hill where her father must have fallen to his death. Fallen or been pushed.
She squared her shoulders, looking defiantly at the sergeant. “I don’t know anything about treasure.”
“I heard one of the new volunteer firefighters in town was reprimanded for talking about a journal that mentioned buried treasure.”
She shook her head. “The clues provided in the little book have long since disappeared. One was a twisted oak, the other a hedge of blackberry bushes. Both are gone.”
He raised his brow. “A twisted oak. There’s one not far from here. Two trees have grown together. The trunks wrapped one around the other.”
“Then maybe that’s where you should look,” she suggested, hoping to turn his thoughts to anything except her.
He grabbed her arm. “You’re going with me.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I can’t help you.”
“Of course you can. You can dig, and then when the treasure is unearthed, you can crawl into the hole and I’ll bury you.”
Fingers of fear clutched at her throat. “No,” she whimpered.
He grabbed a shovel and pushed her toward the mouth of the cave.
She screamed. The sound was chilling, but who would hear her?
Not Tyler. He was at Fort Rickman tying up the loose ends of the investigation.
Oliver slapped her face. She grimaced with pain but remained upright, determined to appear strong and in control.
“I know about the cabin,” she said, hoping to focus the sergeant on anything except killing her. “It belongs to Karl Ulmer.”
Oliver sneered. “Karl’s my brother-in-law. He had big plans for developing your father’s land.”
“With a shopping mall.”
“That’s right. Until the sergeant major found out he was related to me. Then your father decided to keep his land. Karl blamed me when the deal went south. I had to prove that I could take care of myself, and I wanted my sister to be proud of me.”
“By stealing what belongs to someone else? Fellows found a buried coin, and you thought it was part of the treasure. Is that why you killed him?”
“Fellows found a coin when he was planting shrubbery. He’d seen the light on in the big house and was headed there to tell you about his find.”
“So you did kill him.”
“I had to,” Oliver insisted. “Fellows planned to tell you about my search for the treasure. He knew I’d argued with your father. He thought I’d killed the sergeant major even though I told him it was an accident.”
“But you did kill him,” Carrie insisted.
Oliver smirked. “I wanted him to die after what he did to me. I shoved him, knowing he wouldn’t be able to stop his fall.”
“You’re a murderer.”
With a shake of his head, the sergeant added boastfully, “I’m a man trying to provide for my future.”
“By killing two innocent people.”
He slapped her again. She fell to the ground.
“Drop the gun, Oliver.”
The sergeant turned at the sound of his name.
Tyler stood in the clearing, his weapon raised.
The sergeant grabbed Carrie and shoved the gun to her head. “I’ll kill her if you take one step closer.”
Tyler’s gaze narrowed. “You won’t succeed.”
“Try me,” the sergeant taunted.
Carrie struggled to free herself.
“Bailey.” Joseph’s voice.
Ice chilled her veins. Out of the corner of her eye, Carrie spied the boy standing wide-eyed, openmouthed.
“Joseph, run home. Fast.” Tyler’s warning.
Bailey growled and raced forward. He nipped at Oliver’s leg.
Carrie jabbed her elbow into the soldier’s gut and shoved him hard.
He fired.
The bullet hit the ground just inches from her foot.
She kneed his leg, throwing him off balance. He pulled her down under him. She grabbed his wrist, unable to gain control of the weapon.
Tyler clamped his hand down on the sergeant’s shoulder, lifted him off Carrie and kicked the weapon out of Oliver’s hand.
“Augh!” the guy screamed, his hand limp.
Picking him up by the collar, Tyler jammed his fist in his gut.
Air rushed from the soldier’s lungs. Oliver collapsed on the ground, holding his stomach and moaning in pain.
Raising his weapon, Tyler took aim. “You move, Oliver, and you die. Understand?”
The sergeant nodded.
Tyler reached out a hand of support for Carrie. “Are you all right?”
She steadied herself against his sturdy frame. She hurt all over, but she was alive and so was Tyler.
“Where’s Joseph?” She searched the bushes, worried about the boy.
“I am here,” he said, waving at both of them.
“Joseph?” Isaac’s sharp call came from the path.
The Amish man stepped into the clearing and opened his arms for his son. “You were to stay home.”
“Bailey got out. I had to follow him. He knew Carrie was in danger.”
The police were right behind Isaac and quickly took Oliver into custody.
Tyler holstered his weapon and wrapped both arms around Carrie. “Are you sure you’re not hurt?”
“I’m fine now,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder.
The fear that had surrounded her eased. In Tyler’s arms, she was safe.
Officer Phillips approached. “When my patrolman found the Harris home deserted and the French doors standing wide-open, he called for backup. Sorry it took so long to find you.” He glanced at Joseph with his arms around Bailey. “If not for those two, we might have gone in the wrong direction.”
“Oliver pushed my father to his death,” Carrie told them. “He also killed Corporal Fellows.”
“The sergeant had a reputation of being a
hothead,” Tyler shared. “Even without your father getting involved, I doubt he would have been promoted.”
Officer Phillips nodded in agreement. “Your father had declined the offer Ulmer made, Ms. York, but not because of Oliver. Your dad wanted to hand the property on to you, his only child. When Oliver learned the deal wouldn’t go through, he became irate. Ulmer feared that he’d sought out the sergeant major and pushed him down the steep incline to his death.”
“Matthew had witnessed the fight and went back later to check on your father,” Tyler mentioned. “Oliver hadn’t seen him.”
“Unfortunately Ulmer didn’t go to the authorities with the information about his brother-in-law,” Phillips added. “That won’t bode well for him when he comes up on tax evasion charges. Plus, he took part in Oliver’s payday loan schemes.”
“What about his wife?” Carrie asked.
“The two of them were probably working together,” Tyler said. “I’m not sure what the judge will decide, but I am sure of one thing. He’ll throw the book at Oliver. The sergeant won’t have to worry about what he’ll do after retirement from the military, because he’ll be doing time.”
Phillips lifted his phone. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to notify the chief.”
He stepped away, leaving Tyler and Carrie to themselves.
“Seems we were interrupted a bit earlier.” He smiled.
“Interrupted?” she asked.
“That’s right. Officer Phillips interrupted us. You were in my arms, and I was planning to kiss you.”
“I wouldn’t want to spoil your plans,” she whispered, moving closer and lifting her lips to his.
His kiss was warm and lingering and took her breath away. When he pulled back, her knees went weak, and she grabbed his arms to keep from falling.
“You’re not okay.”
“I’m fine, just light-headed, but it doesn’t have anything to do with my injuries.”
“Then what caused the problem?” His lips curved into a knowing smile that showed his dimple and warmed her even more.
“It must have been your kiss.”
“I know of only one solution for that problem, ma’am.”
“Oh?” she asked, feigning innocence. “What’s that?”
“Another kiss.” He lowered his mouth to hers and they melted together in a long and luxurious embrace that made the world stand still and everything else fade into the background.
Why had she thought of leaving Freemont? She’d found her home. She was at home in Tyler’s arms.
EIGHTEEN
Tyler paced in front of the War Memorial. He was part of the contingent of military police and CID special agents waiting for the ceremony honoring Freemont veterans to begin.
He checked his watch and searched for Carrie. “Have you seen her?” he asked Everett.
“Be patient, my friend. She won’t miss this occasion.”
Tyler couldn’t help being nervous. He’d been tied up on post yesterday and returned home too late to call Carrie last night. The large, stately home had been dark, and at the time, he thought she was already in bed asleep.
This morning, he’d driven to post early to coordinate the military police presence at the ceremony that would honor the local veterans. General Cameron and CID Chief Wilson wanted to ensure that nothing, no matter how seemingly insignificant, detracted from the solemnity of the day.
When Tyler had called Carrie earlier, her phone had gone to voice mail. Now he was frustrated that he hadn’t knocked on her door last night to ensure that she was all right.
She still wasn’t sure about whether to return to Washington, especially because of the senator’s important speech. Carrie had spent the last few days fine-tuning the talk. Hopefully she hadn’t been forced back to DC at the behest of her boss.
The army band stood at parade rest near the grandstand. The bandleader tapped his baton and called them to attention. On the count of three, they began to play a jaunty military march that had the people gathered in the seating area tapping their feet in time to the music.
Again he glanced at his watch.
Everett beckoned him forward to help with the video screen. “Let’s adjust this a bit higher so everyone can see the slide program. Didn’t you say they were planning to honor Carrie’s dad?”
“That was the plan, but with Oliver in jail, no telling what the photos will highlight.”
“The first sergeant said he’s got it covered,” Everett assured him.
“I hope so.”
The clip-clop of horse hooves sounded. Tyler turned toward the main street. What he saw made him smile.
Joseph waved from the buggy and sat next to his father in the front. Bailey was tucked in at the boy’s feet.
Behind them sat Ruth and next to her was Carrie.
Tyler hurried to help Isaac harness the horse to a post, and then he helped Carrie down. His hands lingered on her waist as he lifted her effortlessly to the ground. “I didn’t know if you were still in town.”
“I wouldn’t miss this,” she said with a smile. “Ruth and Isaac asked if I wanted to accompany them. After all they’ve done for me, I thought it would be fitting.”
“There are seats reserved for you and enough for the Lapps, as well.”
Tyler escorted them to the front of the VIP area.
Bailey sat between Carrie and Joseph. “You’ll join us, Tyler?” she asked.
Everett overhead her question and smiled at Tyler. “You’re on the guest list, my friend. Your place is next to Carrie. You don’t want to disappoint the lady.”
Carrie handed him a sealed envelope when he sat down.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“A letter from Senator Kingsley. I got one too. Open it. You have time to read it before the ceremony begins.”
Unsure of what the letter would contain, Tyler tore open the envelope. The handwritten letter expressed the senator’s sorrow at the accident so long ago that had taken Tyler’s father’s life. The senator claimed full responsibility for the accident. He had gone to rehab and was trying to restore the brokenness he had caused. Knowing that nothing could replace Tyler’s father, the senator had decided to step down from public office and donate a sizable contribution to the creation of a program to help kids at risk. He had been a kid without a father to guide him, and he had taken Tyler’s father from him. He wanted to help other young men overcome the anger that could lead to a life of addiction, anger and dependency.
He planned to name the organization the Zimmerman Alternative in honor of Tyler’s father. In the closing paragraph, the senator asked Tyler’s forgiveness.
The anger Tyler had felt for so long disappeared.
He turned to Carrie. “I never expected this.”
“Neither did I. This morning he gave the speech I wrote—a patriotic and pro-military speech. At the end, he included a special statement and texted me the video.”
She pushed a few prompts on her phone. Senator Kingsley stood on a podium with an American flag at his back and concluded the speech Carrie had written for him. The applause was instant and heartfelt.
“I have something to add,” the senator said to the audience. “I need to ask forgiveness for my actions years ago.” He went on to talk about his condition that night, and the accident that had taken an innocent man’s life. “What I did was wrong. That I didn’t turn myself in was wrong, as well. That’s why I’m turning myself in today and asking the state to try my case so that justice can be served. I am stepping down from my senatorial seat. I am not worthy to follow in the footsteps of honorable men who have served before me, and I ask your forgiveness. Whatever the verdict, I pray that no one will suffer like the Zimmerman family, and especially Special Agent Tyler Zimmerman, who lost his father years ago.”
Carrie’s smile was wide as she reached for Tyler’s hand and held it tight throughout the ceremony honoring the local veterans and especially commemorating her father, Sergeant Major Harris.
When the slide show concluded, Carrie turned to Tyler. “I know my father was a good and honorable man who loved the Lord and worked to help others whether through the military or civilian life. He did his family proud, and I’m proud of him.”
She squeezed Tyler’s hand. “I’m proud of you, as well.”
George Gates approached them. “Mind if I interrupt?”
“Not at all,” Carrie said as she and Tyler stood.
“Did you check out the safe-deposit box?” the lawyer asked.
Carrie nodded. “And the savings account at the bank. My father had done well with his investments as you mentioned.”
“All the paperwork has been filed, and the rest of the estate should go through probate soon. You won’t have long to wait until everything belongs to you. I presume you’re keeping the house and property.”
“That’s right.” She glanced at Tyler and smiled. “I’m staying in Freemont for a long time.”
* * *
Back at the house following the event, Carrie prepared a lovely lunch and invited the Lapps to join them. The neighbors recounted heartwarming stories about the sergeant major that brought more than a tear to Carrie’s eyes. By midafternoon, the neighbors had said their goodbyes. Tyler helped Carrie with the dishes and then told her to change into walking shoes so they could go for a hike in the woods.
“But why?”
“Trust me.”
Which she did.
Hand in hand, they crossed the field where Corporal Fellows’s body had been found and entered the wooded area.
“We’re going back to the twisted tree?” she said.
Tyler smiled. “That’s where Oliver thought the treasure was buried. But I read the journal found in the kitchen house, and with the help of the old plat realized the twisted oak wasn’t the end of the treasure hunt but the beginning.”
“If we’re going to dig for treasure, we should have brought a shovel,” Carrie said, wondering what Tyler had planned.
“I don’t think we’ll need one.”
Finding the twisted oak, Tyler pointed west. “What do you see?”
“The steep hill that we’re going to climb?”
“Exactly.” Tyler ushered her to a side path that led almost to the top.
“What do you see now?” he asked once they stopped to rest.
