The Officer's Secret

by Giusti, Debby

  “If you’ll excuse me,” she said in parting. “I need to freshen my makeup.” Instead of the ladies’ restroom, she headed for the side door and quickly made her way outside.

  Packing the few things she had at Kelly’s BOQ wouldn’t take long and then she would head back to Alabama, much as she regretted the way she was leaving post. Her sister’s murder hadn’t been resolved, but Maggie couldn’t remain at Fort Rickman any longer.

  At some point in the last seventy-two hours, she had started to believe everything would end differently. In fact, she’d even thought that something ongoing could continue with Nate. Now she knew he wasn’t interested in making their relationship more lasting.

  “Good riddance,” she grumbled. Then she thought about his warm gaze and the way her heart fluttered whenever he was near. The realization of her true feelings shook her to the core. Despite everything that had happened and even though he was leaving her behind, Maggie had to admit the truth. She had fallen in love with Nate Patterson.

  Nate watched Maggie head to the ladies’ room. All morning, she had been quiet and withdrawn as he had expected she would be during her sister’s funeral. Silly to think Maggie would have been affected by the magnetism that had drawn him to her right from the start. She had closed all doors to her inner world and hung a “Do Not Disturb” sign on her heart. Would this evening be different or would she still be hiding behind the permanent divider she refused to tear down?

  Someone tapped his shoulder. Nate turned to see an older gentleman, probably early seventies, who held out his hand. “Mr. Patterson, my name is Glen Rogers.”

  The provost marshal at Fort Rickman when Maggie’s father had died. Nate shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, sir.”

  “I’ve been out of town, visiting my daughter and grandchildren and drove back in time for the service today. I found your voice mail on my phone but didn’t have an opportunity to call you prior to the funeral. You wanted information?”

  “That’s correct.” Classrooms surrounded the main fellowship hall, and Nate motioned the retired colonel into the closest empty space and shut the door behind them. “We should be able to talk privately in here, sir.”

  “Your message mentioned Dan Bennett’s death.”

  “Yes, sir. The case file was rather sketchy. I’m investigating his daughter Major Bennett’s death, and the circumstances are similar.”

  “From what I’ve heard, she copied her father in many ways.” The retired colonel shook his head. “Such a shame.”

  “Do you recall any information about the circumstances of the lieutenant colonel’s suicide? Anything that might have bearing on the daughter’s death.”

  “How could I forget? Dan’s wife had cancer and needed a costly treatment the army refused to cover. He was the head of comptroller’s shop on post at that time, which, as you know, handles funding. Dan uncovered two noncommissioned officers who were altering the books for their own gain.”

  “Embezzling money from Uncle Sam?”

  “Regrettably, yes. Dan was worried about his wife, so he took a bribe to remain quiet and to help pay for the treatment she needed. At least that’s what he confessed when one of the NCO’s pilfering came to light. In deference to Dan’s long career and because of the situation, the commanding general accepted his resignation in return for exposing the second man in the operation. Dan planned to retire quietly. Major General Able, the post CG, ordered me to wipe the record clean of Dan’s involvement.”

  “But he took his own life before he could retire?”

  “Dan feared he’d have to testify in court. He didn’t want his daughters to find out about his wrongdoing. He was a reserved man who took his job seriously. Unfortunately, he had made a bad decision that he couldn’t live with. Of course, his daughters had gotten into trouble just a few days earlier. Dani had been picked up for shoplifting by the Freemont police.”

  “You were notified?”

  “That’s right. Major Bennett gave her parents fits. She’d started to run with a rather wild group of local town kids.”

  “Do you know anything about a pet being killed?”

  The retired colonel nodded, his eyes solemn. “The second NCO, whose name hadn’t been revealed at that time, killed the dog to warn Dan to keep his mouth shut.”

  “So none of the kids from high school were involved in the dog’s death?”

  “That’s right, but losing the pet made Dan realize he needed to come clean. In return, we attempted to keep his involvement closely held. Only a handful of people on post knew what had really happened. The commanding general and his aide, as well as a few people in the JAG office who were working on the embezzlement case.”

  “Were there suspicions the Lieutenant Colonel’s death was anything except a suicide?”

  “None whatsoever. He hung himself late one night from a rafter in his home.”

  “Do you recall if the light was left on in the attic?”

  “I may be getting old, Mr. Patterson, but my memory’s sharp. The attic light alerted one of my men on patrol. The CG was big on energy conservation and had ordered all unnecessary lights to be turned off at night. An MP on duty stopped by the house, despite the late hour. Mrs. Bennett went to the attic and found her husband.”

  Nate could only imagine her shock.

  “Fact is,” the colonel continued, “I ran into that soldier not long ago in the Post Exchange. He’s back at Fort Rickman and ready to retire. You probably know Sergeant Thorndike.”

  A thread of concern tangled up Nate’s spine. Thorndike had never mentioned knowing about Lieutenant Colonel Bennett’s death. “Sir, you said the daughters had been in trouble, but you only mentioned the shoplifting incident. Had the younger sister been involved, as well?”

  The colonel rubbed his hand over his jaw and thought for a moment. “A party down by the river as I recall. The Freemont police busted up the gathering and drove everyone home. Dan’s younger daughter was part of the group so I was notified.”

  “Both girls had run-ins with the law shortly before their father’s death?”

  “That’s why I told Mrs. Bennett they needed to know the truth about their father. Teens are totally absorbed in their own worlds. I feared the girls would think their father had taken his life because of what they had done. That’s a lot of guilt for any young person to carry.”

  “Yes, sir. Regrettably, that guilt could follow them into adulthood.” After thanking the colonel for his help, Nate returned to the fellowship hall.

  The crowd had dispersed and only a few people remained. The women who had prepared the luncheon were cleaning up the serving table. Chaplain Grant stood nearby, fork in hand.

  “Glad you finally had time to eat, sir.” Nate noticed as assortment of desserts piled high on his plate.

  “Not what the doctor ordered since I should be cutting calories, but I couldn’t resist.”

  Glancing around the hall, Nate asked, “Have you seen Maggie?”

  The chaplain pointed toward the hallway. “She was headed for the ladies’ room about thirty minutes ago. I haven’t seen her since.”

  With a hasty word of thanks, Nate hurried outside. The parking lot had emptied. Not a silver Saturn in sight.

  His phone rang. He checked the caller ID as he pulled the cell to his ear. “Hey, Jamison. What’s up?”

  “A guy has been hanging around outside the post office in Garrett. The inspectors think it may be Lance Davis, who was the contact name for this P.O. on the list we found in Major Bennett’s quarters. They’re ready to close in. You need to get here ASAP.”

  “Is Sergeant Thorndike with you?”

  “I expect him in the next ten minutes or so.”

  “Don’t let him leave the area.”

  Nate double-timed to his car. He had some important questions to ask Thorndike about why he hadn’t been forthright about the late Lieutenant Colonel Bennett’s death. With any luck, the sergeant might provide more details about the initial suicide, whi
ch could have bearing on Major Bennett’s death.

  Pulling onto the main road that headed off post, Nate thought about calling Maggie, but the new information he had learned about her father needed to be revealed in person.

  He and Maggie had more in common than he had ever realized. They both felt responsible for the loss of a loved one. Maggie had tried to help him move beyond the guilt he still carried because of Michael. Even if Nate couldn’t clear his own conscience, he wanted to help Maggie get over her father’s death. Bottom line, she wasn’t to blame. But after sixteen years of feeling responsible, Maggie would need time to accept the truth about what had happened so long ago.

  FIFTEEN

  After changing into the orange sweater and jeans she had worn on the drive to Fort Rickman, Maggie packed her bag and threw it into the back of her Saturn. She wrote a note of thanks to Kelly and then headed out of the BOQ complex. Thoughts of her father rumbled through her mind. She needed something of his to hold on to, something that would remind her of the man she loved whether he had loved her or not.

  The front entrance into the Hunter Housing Area was blocked by a utility truck parked in the middle of the road while a man worked on the streetlight. A detour sign routed her into the alley that ran behind the quarters. Maggie entered her sister’s house through the back door and headed straight to the coffee table in the living room.

  Just as Dani had done, Maggie would display the flag, which had draped their father’s casket, and the shadowbox that contained his medals in her own home. If Graham would part with her sister’s medals, Maggie would sit them alongside their father’s awards. When people asked, she’d say Dani had followed in his footsteps and both had died while serving their country.

  Maggie found a plastic bag in the kitchen pantry. After wrapping the chosen items in newsprint, she carefully placed them in the bag then stopped short when the garage door rumbled open.

  Her heart pattered in her chest. “Nate?”

  An MP stepped into the kitchen. She recognized him as Corporal Mills—the soldier who had no doubt searched her bag the night of Dani’s death. “I saw your car and wondered what you were doing here, ma’am.”

  Before she could answer, the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it.” Maggie scurried into the foyer, wishing Nate would be waiting on the doorstep. Instead she saw a teenage boy, heavily tattooed with a silver stud in his left nostril.

  “My stepmom said the mailman delivered this to the wrong address.” The teen shoved a package into Maggie’s hands before he ran back across the street. The address label had been written in Dani’s hand.

  A sense of relief and elation swept over Maggie. At long last, she had evidence that, hopefully, would prove her sister had been murdered.

  Closing the door, Maggie turned, surprised to discover the MP blocking her way.

  “I’ll take that.” He reached for the package.

  “No, you won’t.” She clutched the box to her chest, knowing it contained the evidence her sister had mailed home. “Agent Nate Patterson has been waiting for this package. I’ll take it to him before I leave post.”

  “That won’t be necessary. From the looks of your car out back and the suitcase in the rear seat, you must be headed home to Alabama.”

  “But I’ve got time to stop by Nate’s office.” She attempted to step around the soldier, but he stopped her forward progression.

  She squared her shoulders and glared up at him, hoping to mask her fear. “Is there a problem?” Her voice was firm and laced with more bravado than she felt.

  “Now, ma’am, you wouldn’t want to delay your trip.” He grabbed the box and her hand at the same time.

  She tried to jerk free of his hold. “What are you doing?”

  “Making sure this box doesn’t end up in the wrong place.” She tried to scream, but he wrapped his arm around her neck, constricting her airway.

  “You…can’t…get…away with this,” Maggie gasped, fighting to free herself.

  “I can and I will.”

  “Agent Patterson…knows… I’m here.”

  “Sorry to inform you, ma’am, but the last time I saw him, he was headed off post.” Easing up on her throat, he twisted her arm behind her back. “Which is exactly where we’re going.”

  She sucked in a ragged breath. “The neighbors will see you.”

  He jerked harder on her arm. “In case you didn’t notice, the quarters to the right are currently unoccupied, and the major who lives on the left is en route home from Afghanistan. If you think someone will see my car, it’s parked in the garage so no one knows I’m even here.”

  The MP had an answer for everything.

  “As soon as I get you taken care of, I’ll move your Saturn into the garage and dispose of it later where no one will find it for days. Maybe weeks.”

  “Dani told me the military police couldn’t be trusted.”

  “Yet it seems you trusted Mr. Patterson.”

  Maggie jerked at the mention of Nate’s name. “Are you saying he’s involved?”

  Mills laughed. “Patterson’s a straight arrow. He plays everything by the book.”

  “And you’re the exact opposite. Whatever you’re involved in is despicable. Dani knew something was going on. That’s why you killed her.”

  He shoved Maggie through the kitchen and into the garage. She stumbled, nearly falling. Nearing the military sedan, he opened the trunk. “Climb in.”

  The thought of being locked in the confined space sent her heart crashing against her chest. “I… I can’t.”

  He raised his hand. “You can and you will, lady.” The MP struck her on the side of her skull. She staggered, trying to remain upright.

  “Do you know what happens to people who disobey my orders? They end up dead, like the soldier in North Georgia who tried to keep a shipment meant for someone else.” A second blow took her breath away. Darkness overshadowed her, and she tumbled forward. The trunk slammed shut, enclosing her like a coffin.

  “Nate?” she called out before she floated into oblivion.

  Nate’s mood was at rock bottom when he drove back to post. Thorndike had been a no-show, and the guy hanging around the Garrett post office left the area before the Postal Inspectors could pick him up for questioning. Nate had hoped the point of contact would shed light on all those involved in the mail scheme and reveal exactly what the packages contained.

  In Nate’s opinion, drugs ranked at the top of the list of possibilities. Dogs randomly sniffed for illegal substances mailed back to the U.S, but the number of troops in Afghanistan and the high volume of shipments made the odds in favor of the smugglers.

  If information had come to light that had bearing on Major Bennett’s death being a homicide, Nate would have been able to go to Wilson and make the case for further investigation he now believed it warranted.

  In spite of the lack of evidence, Nate needed to contact his boss and ask Wilson to disregard the request for transfer. Now that Maggie had come into his life, Nate wanted more time at Fort Rickman. Independence, Alabama, where she lived, wasn’t that far away. He could make the trip in a couple hours.

  Needing to hear her voice, he called Maggie’s cell. When it went to voice mail, he disconnected and tried Kelly’s BOQ landline, surprised when the special agent answered.

  “What are you doing back on post?” he asked. “I thought you’d be in North Georgia for a few more days.”

  “My mother’s in the hospital. Wilson told me to take as much time as I need so I’m packing some things before I leave for home.”

  “I’m sorry about your mom, Kelly.”

  “Thanks, Nate. She’s had medical problems for a long time so it wasn’t completely unexpected.”

  “Did you learn anything new concerning the soldier who died?”

  “Only that he gave his girlfriend expensive jewelry. His latest gift had been a large emerald pendant.”

  “On an E-4’s paycheck?”

  “Exactly.”

 
“Is Maggie around? I need to talk to her.”

  “She’s gone, Nate, and so is her suitcase. She left a note thanking me for my hospitality.”

  Nate hung up and tried Maggie’s cell once again. Unable to connect, he speed dialed Jamison. “Any word on Thorndike?”

  “Negative.”

  “I’m headed to Hunter Housing Area. I want to talk to Kyle Foglio. Mills questioned the family after Major Bennett’s death and learned nothing, yet I wonder if the young man may be holding something back.”

  “Let me know if you learn anything, Nate. I’ll call you as soon as Thorndike contacts us.”

  “Haul him in for questioning. He was the first on the scene at Major Bennett’s murder and at the BOQ after someone had broken in through the back door. He had glass in his boots, although Corporal Mills did, as well. But Thorndike made a point of making excuses for the shards that had dug into his soles. Plus he hovered close when Maggie had picked up a box delivered to Quarters 1448. If Thorndike planned to intercept the shipment, he may have thought Maggie’s photo was whatever evidence Major Bennett mailed into the U.S.”

  “What photo?”

  “It’s a long story. Just find Thorndike.”

  Maggie’s first indication she was still alive was the roar of raging water, followed by pain. Her head ached as if her skull had shattered into a thousand pieces. Moaning under her breath, she tried to remember what had happened, but her mind refused to focus on anything except the flashes of white lightning that zigzagged through her brain.

  She moved slightly, causing her stomach to roil. Clamping down on her jaw, she tried to calm the internal storm that was assaulting her body, yet her head pounded even more.

  A muffled voice filtered through her broken world. She blinked an eye open. A burst of light sent a volley of electric jolts across her temples, forcing her to retreat back into the darkness.