The Agent's Secret Past

by Debby Giusti

  “Yes, ma’am. But if we don’t have a point of delivery, we’ll be forced to unload the truck at the warehouse and reschedule delivery at a later time. We’re currently backlogged seven days.”

  “Give me through the lunch hour to come up with something. Again, I’m sorry for any confusion this may have caused.”

  Becca hung up and grabbed her purse. “I need a BOQ. Can you talk to Wilson alone?”

  “Roger that. Let me know where you end up.” He grabbed her arm. “By the way, there’s an empty set of quarters on my street.”

  “That sounds like a solution to my housing problems.” She squeezed his hand. “Thanks, Colby.”

  She hurried to the post housing office and waited far too long for a clerk to process the three people ahead of her.

  By the time her name was called, it was almost one o’clock. She quickly explained the situation and decided to accept the quarters near Colby, sight unseen. After filling out the necessary forms, she grabbed the keys and called transportation on the way out the door. She gave them the delivery address, relieved that she would arrive at her new home just minutes ahead of the moving van.

  The two-bedroom apartment was clean and in fairly good shape. She could see Colby’s place from her backyard, which made her outlook even brighter. Being stationed at Fort Rickman would be a positive experience after all.

  Colby gave her the space she needed and didn’t ask too many questions. He hadn’t demanded details about the note from Jacob Yoder, which she appreciated, yet they were dealing with a murder investigation. Eventually he would need to know all the information surrounding the case. Information she didn’t want to reveal.

  She’d ignored logic years ago and reacted with her heart, which had cost her dearly and claimed the lives of her father and sister. As much as she wanted to be open with Colby, she had to be careful. She couldn’t make another deadly mistake.

  * * *

  Colby made a quick stop after work and then headed to his BOQ eager to see Becca and find out whether her shipment had arrived. He’d called her cell a number of times, but she hadn’t answered, and the phone had gone to voice mail.

  If the shipment had arrived, she was probably busy unpacking. The process could take days. Knowing Becca, she would push hard to get settled as soon as possible.

  The moving van was just leaving when Colby pulled into the parking lot. He headed to the previously empty apartment and smiled when Becca opened the door.

  “Welcome to the neighborhood.” He held up a paper bag. “I stopped for food on the way home. Teriyaki chicken and lo mein. I thought you might want to take a break for dinner. I can help you unpack if you’d prefer to eat later.”

  She inhaled the rich aroma and sighed with pleasure. “Chinese sounds great. I missed lunch, and I’m starving. You must have read my mind.”

  “Any damage to your things?”

  “The usual nicks and scratches, but nothing that can’t be repaired.”

  She motioned him inside and gave him a quick hug in greeting before she pointed to the living room. “The coffee table is the only uncluttered space.”

  “The Wok provided paper plates and plastic utensils. I told them to pack extra napkins.”

  She laughed. “You were thinking like a true soldier. I’ve got colas and water in the fridge. Or I could brew coffee. That is, if I can find the coffeemaker.”

  “Let’s keep it simple with a cola. Can I get them?”

  “Sure. Pull two from the fridge while I spray some cleaner over the glass top on the table.”

  He returned with two colas and sat on the floor across from her at the low coffee table.

  “Why don’t you say the blessing?” she suggested.

  He bowed his head, feeling a bit out of touch. Hopefully his sister’s insistence that the Lord was a God of forgiveness was legit.

  “Dear God,” he prayed. “We thank You for the arrival of Becca’s shipment. Help her bring order to the chaos and allow this BOQ to be a good home during her assignment to Fort Rickman. Help both of us with this investigation, and thank You for those who prepared the food we are about to eat. May it nourish our bodies, and may You find us open to Your promptings as we face the rest of the day together.”

  “Amen,” they said in unison, and then both laughed.

  “I’m not used to extemporaneous prayer,” he confessed.

  “Really? You fooled me. If I prayed, I’d be afraid of a lightning strike.”

  He dug in the bag and pulled out two containers. “There’s white rice and condiments. Also egg rolls.”

  She placed one of the egg rolls on her plate and then reached for the rice and spooned out a large portion. “I’ll take a little of each dish, if that’s okay with you.” She arranged both over rice, and he followed suit.

  Colby hadn’t realized how hungry he’d been.

  Before he finished, his phone chirped. “Which reminds me,” he said as he pulled it from his pocket, “I tried to call you today.”

  “Yikes. I left my cell in my purse.” She got up and headed into her bedroom and returned seconds later with her phone in hand. “Sorry. I turned down the volume on the ring.”

  He smiled as he glanced at his sister’s name on his own phone screen and raised the cell to his ear. “Hey, Gloria. What’s up?”

  “Just wondering how my brother’s doing.”

  “Eating Chinese and welcoming a new neighbor to post. Can I call you back?”

  “Sure, but I hear something in your voice that hasn’t been there since you redeployed home. What’s her name?”

  “You’re jumping to conclusions.”

  “Don’t keep secrets, Colby.”

  “Are Mom and Dad okay?”

  “Busy and content. So are the rest of the clan. We miss you, Colby. You need to come home for a visit.”

  “I’d like that. Now what about you?”

  “I’m okay.”

  “Anyone new in your life?”

  “I’ll be the first to let you know.”

  “It’s time, Gloria.”

  “That’s what I told you, my dear brother, four months ago. At least you sound happy.”

  He looked across the table at Becca and smiled. “I am happy. Talk to you soon.”

  “You and your sister must be close,” Becca said when he disconnected.

  “We are, but she insists on checking up on me. She’s older, by fourteen months, and thinks that gives her control over her baby brother.”

  “You’re lucky to have her.”

  “I know that. Plus, I’ve got four more that are just like her although not quite as interested in my well-being. Probably because they’re younger and focused on their own lives.”

  “I’m jealous,” she joked, but he knew there was an element of truth to her statement.

  “I can loan you Gloria.”

  “She’s the one who was stood up at the altar?”

  He nodded. “She says she’s okay, but I know better.”

  “Maybe she needs more time to work through the rejection.”

  Colby took a swig of his cola and then hesitated, wondering if he should ask the question that continued to circle through his mind. “We didn’t talk about the note last night, Becca. Was there something between you and Jacob?”

  Her cheeks flushed, and she dropped her gaze. “I don’t want to discuss it, Colby”

  “It might help if you could—”

  “—talk about it?” She bristled. “There’s nothing to talk about. Besides, I’m not your sister.”

  “I wasn’t implying you were. It’s just I could tell how upset you were last night.”

  “I was upset going back into the house where my father and sister were murdered.”

  “I know.” He
patted his chest. “Remember, I’m on your side. We’re in this together, Becca.”

  She shook her head. “That’s not true. We’re investigating together because that’s the way Wilson wants it, but you don’t have anything to do with Jacob’s murders. You weren’t the one responsible for what he did.”

  “Why do you feel responsible?”

  She shook her head as if realizing she’d said too much. “I don’t.”

  “It’s because of Katie, isn’t it?”

  He saw the hurt in her eyes and knew he’d found the sweet spot of her pain.

  “You’re not at fault, Becca.”

  “You don’t know what happened, Colby.”

  “Then tell me.”

  “It doesn’t have any bearing on the investigation. Besides, some things are personal and don’t need to be shared. Can you live with that?”

  He nodded. “I’ll have to. You pretend to be hard as steel, but there’s always a part you keep hidden. That’s the part I want to know more about.”

  “It’s the part I’ll never share, Colby.”

  “You were so young. Jacob Yoder was a man who thought only of himself. Whatever happened, you weren’t to blame. He’s the one who forced his way into your life and then later into your home.”

  She glanced at her watch. “I’m too tired to discuss this any further. Why don’t you take your Chinese food and go home?”

  “Becca, please.”

  “Please, what? Please, tell me more about how you fell in love with a madman?” She shook her head and stood. “I’ll see you at the office in the morning, but right now, I want to be alone.”

  “We don’t have to talk about Jacob.”

  “We don’t have to talk about anything.” She pointed to the door. “Do I need to see you out?”

  He threw down his napkin and huffed. “I know the way.”

  Colby left, frustrated more with himself than with Becca, and headed back to his own apartment. He shouldn’t have pressed her for information, but they had an investigation to solve, and Becca might have some of the answers. Why wouldn’t she let him into her secret past?

  SEVENTEEN

  Becca shoved the rest of the Chinese food in the fridge. The rather heated discussion she’d had with Colby had dampened her enthusiasm for food. Nor did she feel like unpacking another box, but she had a houseful of items that needed to be arranged, and if she didn’t do the work, no one would.

  Certainly not Colby. She couldn’t rely on him to help. He would broach questions that upset her and would force her to raise her voice and ask him to leave again.

  What was wrong with her? She should have tried to change the subject. Instead, she had gotten hot under the collar, as the guys at work often said.

  She ran water in the sink and began to wash the dishes she had unpacked earlier. Once they were put away, she glanced out the back door window, noting the dark skyline. Night had come too early. Either that or the afternoon had passed too quickly.

  The uncovered window made her feel vulnerable, which she didn’t like. She’d hang curtains tomorrow or call post maintenance about installing blinds.

  Jacob Yoder was still alive and out there some place, although she doubted he would try to come on post since the military police had enhanced security. She should feel secure, but after the tiff with Colby, all she felt was confusion.

  Glancing at her phone, she considered calling him and apologizing for her sharp words. Whenever she was afraid, she tended to lash out too quickly, just as she had done this evening. The look on Colby’s face told her he hadn’t expected her affront.

  Nor did he deserve her wrath. Not Colby with his compassionate eyes and strong arms, which made her feel special in their embrace.

  Convinced she needed to apologize, Becca grabbed her purse, flicked off the lights and hurried to the front door. Before she turned the knob, a sound caused her to look through the house to the backyard. Something or someone moved in the shadows outside.

  She stepped into the living area and peeked from the window. Her new place sat at the far end of the row of town-house apartments, and a thick wooded area surrounded her on two sides. The leaves in the trees swayed in the wind. Surely that was what had drawn her attention.

  The tension in her chest eased. She rolled her shoulders, relaxing her muscles. Letting out a deep breath, she started to turn away from the window.

  Then something caught her eye. Something or someone.

  She backed into the corner and narrowed her gaze.

  Tension pounded up her spine. The muscles in her back tightened again. Blood rushed to her head.

  A man stood at the edge of the undergrowth. Tall, perhaps Jacob’s height, dressed in black.

  She glanced at the overstuffed chair sitting near the window and thought of a box she had unpacked earlier. She hurried to her bedroom. Digging through a pile of clothing, she found the costume she had worn for the German-American Club’s on-post carnival celebration. Along with the outfit was a curly wig, the color of her own hair. She grabbed a bathrobe and pillows off the bed.

  Returning to the hall, she dropped to the floor and duck crawled across the living area, holding the items she had collected in her arms.

  With swift, sure movements, she wrapped the robe around the pillows and arranged them in the chair. She placed the wig on a smaller throw pillow that she positioned on top of the large, bed pillows. If someone looked in the window, they’d see the back of the chair and hopefully mistake the wig and arrangement of pillows for a person. Namely her.

  Crawling out of the room, she turned on the small lamp in the entryway. Diffuse light angled toward the living area. The stuffed dummy was visible but not distinguishable to someone peering through the window.

  She opened her purse and drew out her gun and cell phone and keys. No matter who was outside, she needed backup. More than that, she needed Colby.

  Becca pushed the preset button for his cell. Before it rang, she opened the front door and stepped onto the sidewalk.

  The call went to voice mail. Why wouldn’t he answer? Was he angry because of her earlier outburst? She’d try again when she had a clearer view of the backyard Peeping Tom.

  She rounded the BOQ and slowly inched her way through the undergrowth, taking care not to make a sound. The snap of a twig or the crunch of dried leaves could cause him to flee.

  Thirty feet from the perp, she halted.

  Tree frogs and cicadas filled the night. A cool breeze blew through her clothing.

  Ever so slowly, the man in black approached the lighted window.

  She held her breath. Just a few more feet and she’d be able to see his face.

  A door closed.

  The man startled at the sound.

  A cold chill wrapped around Becca’s heart.

  Colby hurried down his back steps, carrying something in his hand, and walked across the common rear area heading for her BOQ.

  The man moved away from the window.

  “Stop.” She stepped from the shadows, her gun raised. “CID.”

  He flicked a glance over his shoulder and ran into the darkness.

  Becca raced after him.

  The prowler ducked into the thick, wooded area. She followed. Brambles caught at her legs, and twigs slapped her face, but she kept pushing forward.

  Behind her came the sound of footfalls and the pull of air, just as she had heard in her dreams. Only this time Jacob wasn’t chasing her, it was Colby.

  She dashed on to where the trees parted. To one side was a drop off to a creek bed that led to the river. On the other was a series of military buildings, each providing shadowed areas where the assailant could hide.

  Colby caught up with her. “Where’d he go?”

  She shook her head. “I
lost him.”

  “Did he hurt you?” Colby reached for her arm.

  She shrugged away from him, angry that her attempt to identify the guy had failed. “You scared him away, Colby. He was walking into the light. I needed to see his face. Two more seconds and I would have known if it was Jacob.”

  “What were you doing outside?”

  “I set up a decoy and then circled around the house to wait him out,” she explained.

  “You didn’t call me.”

  “I tried.” She held up her phone as if to confirm the call.

  Colby’s face twisted with frustration. “My phone never rang.”

  Had she made a mistake and called the wrong number? She shook her head, unwilling to back down. “Once I was outside, I didn’t want to make any noise that might startle him so I couldn’t call you again.”

  “You could have gotten killed.”

  “I had the upper hand, Colby. Until—”

  “Until I walked outside? What if one of the other neighbors had emptied their trash or had gone for an evening stroll? If the perp had a weapon, the neighbors could have been caught in the cross fire. Did you think about that?”

  She hadn’t. She’d only been thinking of identifying the perp. Squaring her shoulders, she turned to retrace her steps. Behind her, she heard Colby call in a report to CID Headquarters.

  “Notify the military police. Close off post. Check every car that leaves Fort Rickman. Cordon off the area around Sheridan Road. Set up roadblocks and have the military police patrol the area on foot. We need to find this guy.”

  He hesitated for a moment.

  “Yes, notify Chief Wilson and General Cameron.”

  With a huff, Becca shoved a branch aside and walked through the woods back to her BOQ. Colby was right. She shouldn’t have tackled the problem alone, but she had tried to call him, even if he didn’t believe her.

  Sirens sounded, and a swarm of military police spilled from their patrol cars and quickly fanned out to search the area.

  She knew the main gate was locked down and each car leaving post was being searched, all because she hadn’t been able to stop Jacob.