Warranted Desires

by Shannon Nemechek

  “Oh, about that. I gotta run to the post exchange to get a haircut when we are done here, but I am gonna drop you off at the hotel and meet you at the Twisted Kitty for dinner and to hang out with the crew. Is that okay?”

  Samantha smiled and said, “Of course, we don’t have to be together twenty-four-seven, only twenty-two-seven.” Then she winked and started toward the break area when she turned back around and said, “We have a lifetime to spend together. Besides, I wanna surprise you with something I bought anyway. So it works out. We will both get something we want. Let’s get in there, get some coffee, and get started, or neither of us is gonna get anything tonight.”

  “I’ll be ready, darlin’. Then I gotta pack to fly to Bama to break the news to Jared’s daddy. It will be a quick trip there and back,” Raleigh replied as he poured them each a cup of coffee.

  Samantha took a sip then asked, “Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you? I don’t mind.”

  “I know, and I want you to, but I need you back here. I will only be gone until Friday, twenty-four hours, darlin’. And besides, I think Matty is gonna pick you up at the hotel and drive you over to the Twisted Kitty to meet up with the guys and me. I will have a surprise for ya when you get there.”

  ***

  When Raleigh and Samantha entered the waiting area, it was filled with at least twenty soldiers all waiting to be interviewed. Raleigh turned to Matt. “Are these all the soldiers on duty that night, or does this clusterfuck also include the visitors?” Before Matt could even answer the question, Raleigh had his answer. He recognized one of the soldiers waiting, and it was one of his guys from the 9th, Staff Sergeant Zackary Adams. They had served together for years, and Raleigh hadn’t seen his friend in over a year. When the two of them made eye contact, it was as if the time had never passed.

  “Adams!” Raleigh yelled, and he jumped from his chair and bolted over to Raleigh, shaking hands and exchanging courtesies.

  “Chief, how the hell have you been? Haven’t seen you in quite some time. Where ya been hidin’?” Adams asked.

  “I’ve been working in Birmingham with General Winfield. You remember him, don’cha?” he replied.

  “I think so. Was he your buddy from back home?”

  “One and the same. Whatcha doin’ here?” Raleigh asked, almost puzzled to see him.

  “Oh, I got called in, not sure exactly why. Was told to report here, that I was on a list to be interviewed.”

  “Gotcha, well we have had some crazy stuff happening the last several months, and we are just doing some routine interviews. Hang out, and I will try to get you in quickly so you can get back to work. Y’all are getting ready to leave soon, aren’t ya?”

  “Yep, next week they say. Jenny is getting ready to pop any day now,” Adams replied.

  “How many does that make now, man?” Raleigh asked.

  “This one will make number three.”

  “Do you know which it is?” Raleigh said, smiling over at Samantha, who was standing behind Adams getting a list of everyone’s names.

  “Yeah, another girl. I don’t mind. Jenny, though, she might, but I will just keep trying till we get a boy,” Adams replied, smiling.

  Raleigh laughed and said, “I bet. But I think Jenny might, once you get close to an offensive starting line-up.”

  Adams let out a roar of laughter and replied, “Chief, yeah, I think you’re right. You are better with women than I ever was.”

  Raleigh put his hand on his old friend’s shoulder. “Well, that’s true!” Raleigh laughed. “We will chat in a little while. I gotta go get set up. I will let Sergeant O’Hara know to get you in first. You got better things to do than to hang out in a waiting area all day.”

  “Thanks, Chief, I appreciate that, but if you don’t mind can I wait and be last, so we can catch up some? Besides, if I go back now that means I will have to find something to do, and if I am here then I can just hang out and watch a little television. I wanna talk to you about maybe pulling some strings with the Colonel too. I really wanna stay here for Jenny when she goes into labor,” Adams said as Raleigh started to walk out into the hallway.

  “I’ll see what I can do now that I’m back.”

  “You’re back?” Adams said with pure excitement in his voice.

  Raleigh stopped for a moment and told Adams all about it. “Yes, I’m back for good. I will be running missions soon, so be ready cause I am gonna run the shit out of y’all slackers.”

  Adams laughed. “Bring it on, Chief. We’ve missed ya. Have you told anyone else?”

  “Nope, brother, you are the first. I figure I will let the guys know tonight at the Twisted Kitty. You and Jenny are coming, right?”

  “Chief, we wouldn’t miss this for the world,” Adams said as he sat back down in the waiting area.

  “Great! I’ll see you in a few minutes. Let me head on back and get started,” Raleigh said as he headed down the hallway.

  ***

  “We have a couple of officers we should probably talk to first then go from there,” Samantha told Raleigh as he walked into the interrogation room. “I have all your stuff laid out, and I have my note pad. The statement forms are on your right with some extra pens, and I put out your note pad and your favorite pen,” she explained as Raleigh got settled behind the table. Matt came in and sat next to him along with Captain Lance Bishop, one of the general’s JAG officers as witnesses.

  The men exchanged pleasantries, then Raleigh asked Samantha, “Go ahead and bring in the first victim.” The men laughed, but with an air of caution. They didn’t want anyone to get the wrong impression, that they weren’t taking the investigation into the two murders seriously. It was also a welcomed laugh as Jared and Raleigh had been close. Some thought that Raleigh should recuse himself from the inquiry, but he had decided he could be open-minded, especially after he had spoken with JAG and got the okay to stay on the case.

  Samantha called, “First Lieutenant John Nelson, are you still here, sir?”

  “Yes, Sergeant, right here,” the lieutenant answered.

  “Are you ready to go back, sir? The Chief and Major are waiting,” Samantha said as the lieutenant got up and followed her to the interview room.

  “Wait right here, sir. I will let them know you are here,” Samantha explained as she knocked on the door and waited for Raleigh to call her in. When she entered the room, she told the men their first interview was a First Lieutenant John Nelson.

  “Shall I have him come in now, Chief?” Samantha asked.

  “Yes, Sergeant, show him in. Then be seated so you can take notes,” Raleigh requested.

  Samantha peeked out the door and called to the lieutenant, “Come on in, sir.”

  The lieutenant opened the door and stood in front of the two men seated, rendered his salute to the major, and reported in. “First Lieutenant John Nelson reporting as ordered, sir.”

  Matt quickly replied, “Yes, yes. Lieutenant, please be seated, we’ll get started, and we’ll try to make this short and sweet.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Lieutenant Nelson replied.

  Matt looked to Raleigh and said, “Chief, why don’t you get started first?”

  “All right, sir. Lieutenant, I will get right to the point. Why were you at the jail the other day? And why were you there in the middle of the night?”

  He paused for a moment and replied, “Chief, well the reason I was there at three a.m. was because I had two of my enlisted soldiers get picked up for fighting at the NCO club, and I had to come bail their dumb asses out of jail. I will tell you one thing, those two idiots are still doing extra duty.”

  “Ah, okay. That makes sense. Can you tell me, sir, did you see anything weird or hear anything that might be of interest to our investigation?” Raleigh sat waiting, anxiously hoping that he might have seen anything.

  “Nope. Chief, didn’t see or hear a thing except my two soldiers bitching, then I had to tie a knot in their asses. I paid the bail and drove them to the b
arracks. I was there maybe twenty minutes. Most of it was spent in the waiting area for my two idiots to get processed.”

  “Oh, all right, sir. I think that is all we need. If you can complete a sworn statement for us, we would appreciate it.”

  “Sure, no problem, Chief.”

  Raleigh handed the form over to the lieutenant and waited as he filled out the statement. When he was done, he gave it back to Raleigh and Matt to sign as witnesses, and Raleigh placed the statement in a file folder.

  “Sir, thank you for your cooperation. We will be in contact if we have any more questions. Here’s my card. If you think of anything else, just give me a call.” The lieutenant shook Raleigh’s hand, and he left.

  Raleigh looked over at Matt, his face grimaced, then he said, “First one down, twenty more to go.”

  “Ah, fuck, Fitz! You had to go and say that shit. This is gonna be the longest fuckin’ day ever,” Matt complained then grabbed a piece of gum from his front pocket.

  Samantha sat, still taking down notes, one leg crossed over the other and using her knee as a desk.

  “Sergeant O’Hara, can you call in the next one, please?” Raleigh asked, leaning back in his chair and stretching as a twinge in his shoulder ached, and he let out a wince of pain.

  “Do you need a Tylenol, Chief?” Samantha asked. She knew he was in pain, so she made sure she kept some in her backpack.

  “Yes, Sergeant, that would be amazing.”

  “No problem, Chief. When I grab the next soldier, I will grab you a cup of water and a couple of Tylenol.”

  “Sergeant, can you make that six Tylenol please?” Raleigh requested.

  She got up and handed him the bottle. “Here ya go, Chief. Here’s the bottle, take what you need, and I’ll grab your water,” Samantha said as she turned and walked out the door.

  Chapter 17

  “How many do we have left? I am fucking tired. And the stories are all the same. No one saw or heard a fucking thing. Someone knows something. Jared and Sameana didn’t hang themselves, that much is clear from the coroner’s report. We gotta be missing something,” Raleigh commented as he tapped his pen on the table.

  “Well, Chief, there is your friend Sergeant First Class Zackary Adams. He said he wanted to be the last one to go in. He said you and he had discussed it already,” Samantha replied. “I can go get him now if you like?”

  “Yeah, that would be great, Sergeant. Then we can get outta here before seventeen hundred hours. I still gotta get a haircut and run a few errands.”

  “No problem, Chief. I will go get him now. Do you need anything else? Water? Coffee?”

  “Come to think of it, can you grab us both a cup of coffee? It might wake us all up.”

  Samantha walked out into the waiting area and called for the last interviewee. “Sergeant First Class Zackary Adams—Chief Fitzgerald and Major Chambers are ready for you. Let me show you in.”

  Samantha led the sergeant down the hallway then told him, “Report in and then wait for them to call you in. You know the deal.” She laughed as she headed down the hallway and looked back at him. “I have to do my secretary duties and grab the Chief and the Major some coffee. I will be right back. You can go ahead.”

  Knocking on the door, the sergeant waited for Raleigh or Matt to answer, then reported in.

  “Sit down, sergeant. We just have a few questions for you then we will need you to do your sworn statement. Is that acceptable?” Raleigh asked as Adams shifted in his chair.

  “Yes, sir,” Adams replied.

  Samantha knocked on the door. “Come on in, Sergeant,” Matt replied.

  “Ah, would I be able to get someone to open the door? My hands are full,” Samantha said, standing at the door, balancing three coffees in her hands and trying not to burn herself.

  “I can, sir.” Adams got up and opened the door then grabbed one of the coffees from Samantha’s hands to help her and keep her from getting burned. “Here, let me help you, Sergeant,” Adams said as he set the coffee down on the table, and Samantha handed one to Raleigh.

  “The other one belongs to Major Chambers. Thank you, Sergeant Adams.”

  “Oh, no problem,” Adams replied then sat back down in front of Raleigh and Matt.

  Raleigh sipped on his coffee then leaned back into his seat, shuffling his papers around as he attempted to gather the right words to ask his friend. He thought for a moment as he watched Samantha settle into her seat and grab her notepad to begin retaking notes. Raleigh took in a deep breath then began.

  “So, Adams, I am gonna get down to the meat and potatoes. Can you tell me why you were visiting the jail a few nights ago?”

  Adams sat for a moment then leaned forward in his seat. “The jail? I wasn’t at the jail.”

  “Really? Your name is on the visitor list. Can you tell me why your name would be on the visitor list?” Raleigh replied as he thumbed through some papers that lay in front of him, pulling out the visitor log and sliding it in front of Adams.

  Adams picked up the paper, skimmed over it, then slid it back. “Am I going to need a lawyer or something? That’s not my handwriting, and I wasn’t at the jail. I haven’t been to the jail. I got no reason to go there. I sure as hell wouldn’t go see Thompson, that mother fucker.”

  Adams paused for a moment then recalled that Raleigh and Thompson were close. “Sorry Chief, I know y’all were buddies and all, but I can’t ever forgive him for getting some of our other buddies killed. Hell, he almost got Jackson killed. No way I would go see him.”

  Raleigh sat back in his chair then looked over at Matt, who was also puzzled, then they all looked over at Captain Bishop, who had mostly stayed silent the entire day, interjecting a question here and there. “Captain, you are a JAG officer. What, in your opinion, should Sergeant Adams do? Should we have a JAG officer assigned to him before we go any further?”

  Captain Bishop paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts, then said, “Sergeant Adams, it is my professional opinion that we help you seek legal advice before we move any further with this line of questioning. Do you agree, Sergeant?”

  Adams didn’t take long to answer. “If you think I should, sir, I will, but I did nothing wrong. I wasn’t at the jail, and I haven’t been to the jail.”

  Raleigh stopped Adams before he went any further. “Sergeant Adams, I have known you a long time, and I think we should stop for tonight and meet back here on Monday. That will give you tomorrow and the weekend to get with JAG, and we can have you and your counsel back here Monday at ten hundred hours. Sound good to you, Adams?”

  “Yeah, Chief. No problem.” Adams stopped for a moment and looked at Raleigh eye-to-eye and said, “Chief, I swear on my life I wasn’t here. I can prove it, but I will meet with JAG and see you here Monday. May I be dismissed now, sir?”

  “Yes, Sergeant Adams. You are dismissed. We will see you here at ten hundred hours Monday morning,” Raleigh said.

  Adams stood up, rendered his salute, and did an about face before heading out the door. Raleigh still sat in his chair, puzzled. “Matty, can you get the tapes for that night? I will be back Saturday. I think we need to review them and do some more interviews afterward. If what Adams is saying is true, then someone is trying to frame him, and someone is lying. The only evidence we have right now is the tapes. See if they were secured and who has them. Can you do that for me?”

  “Of course, Fitz. What are you thinking?” Matt asked.

  “I’m not sure yet, but I got a few ideas. Best I keep them to myself right now. I don’t want to influence you or anyone else,” Raleigh replied as he gathered up the papers and tossed them in his bag. “You gonna pick up Sammie at nineteen hundred hours and give her a lift to the Twisted Kitty?”

  “Yep, that’s the plan,” Matt responded, tossing his bag over his shoulder.

  “Perfect,” Samantha replied. “I will be ready.”

  Raleigh grabbed his bag and headed out the door, Samantha close behind. He held the passenger do
or open to help her in then drove Samantha to the hotel. “I will meet you there tonight. I have a surprise for you,” Raleigh said as he pulled Samantha over to him and kissed her.

  “I have something for you, too,” Samantha replied as she got out of the truck. Raleigh unrolled the window, and Samantha stuck her head through. “I think you are really gonna like what I have for you.” She winked then skipped to the entrance.

  Raleigh watched her and laughed at her. “You are silly. I love it. I will see you later, baby.”

  Samantha waved and blew him a kiss as he drove away.

  ***

  When Raleigh pulled in front of the jewelry store, he sat for a minute to clear his head and think about what the last six months had been like. He had never been so happy in his entire life, and he wanted nothing more than to ask Samantha to be his wife. He was just worried that if he pushed her too much, she would run. She had only used the word love a few times, and that only recently. Maybe he should wait on asking her until all of the investigation was over and they could relax. Well, it didn’t matter much now. He was there and he was going to buy a ring. He would just keep it in a safe place until the time was right.

  Walking into the store, he looked around, passing the counters full of rings and necklaces, stopping when he came upon a keyring. It was a teddy bear holding a heart covered in little crystals. Raleigh called the saleswoman over and asked to see the keyring. She handed it to him, and an idea struck him. I will give it to her tonight with a note that says we will fill it with a key to our house—let’s go house hunting.

  “I’ll take it. I’d also like to look at some rings, and I passed a bracelet back there that I would like to see also. Can you show me some rings first?” Raleigh asked as he followed her over to another glass-encased counter. He watched as the young woman pulled out the first tray of rings; they sparkled and were huge. “I think these might be a little too big for Samantha. Do you have anything that isn’t as large? Maybe a princess-cut diamond with smaller ones on both sides?