by Vivian Gray
“You’re right. You need to speak to these people. I’m here for you.”
He smiled, and she looked away like it all felt too much, and emotional displays weren’t her forte.
She glanced at the frames of motorcycle art on the walls.
“It’s a bit of a bachelor pad,” he said, pulling on his leather jacket.
“I like it,” she replied with a grin. “That’s some awesome paintwork,” she added, admiring one particular bike. He watched her smiling up at the poster. She was her own species, nothing like any women he’d met before. He imagined her in goggles and gloves bent over a bike, spraying and concentrating. Imaginary Sophie wore tiny denim shorts and a white vest, with multi-colored paint spots all over as she sprayed up a rainbow mist around her. He had to shake the image from his head because she’d started snapping her fingers to break his daydream.
“Earth to Zeke. You OK?”
“Yeah, sorry, just thinking about something... the list,” he said, regaining control. He held out a piece of paper with names and addresses written on it. “First up is Tina and Jeffrey Graham. They live about forty-five minutes away from here. They are, they were, Rick’s mom and dad. Rick was my second in command. A great guy. Really great. Like a brother to me in some ways. It’s gonna be tough seeing his folks.”
Sophie placed one hand on his upper arm and smiled as if to reassure him. “I’m sure they’ll be glad to see you. You were so close to their son.”
***
They hopped into Zeke’s pickup – one of his more practical vehicles. “How many do you own?” Sophie asked in amusement.
“How many pairs of shoes do you own?” Zeke retorted with a grin.
“Uh, hardly any. I’m not a girly girl, remember?”
“True. I like that.” They grinned at one another.
Zeke flicked on the radio, and a country and western channel was in full swing. They sang along, giggling and forcing over-the-top Texan drawls to join in with the theme.
Through his laughter, Zeke almost forgot what journey they were on until they pulled up at a perfect suburb in peaceful small town America. The street was quiet, apart from the soundtrack of sprinklers replenishing the perfect bright green lawns.
Zeke switched off the engine and sighed.
“It’ll be fine,” Sophie said, placing her hand on his forearm then removing it quickly.
He shot her a forced smile, hoping she couldn’t read his dread and got out of the truck.
They rang the bell, his heart pounding as they waited for a response.
Tina opened the door with a huge, warm smile. She was a curvy woman, with soft, curly brown hair framing her face and a wide smile.
“Zeke,” she said fondly, holding out her arms. “It’s so good to see you. It was so unexpected to get your message, but of course you can visit us, any time.”
Zeke let out a breath he’d been holding a little too long and smiled. “Thanks. It’s great to see you too.”
Jeffrey appeared behind Tina and patted Zeke on the shoulder. “Good to see you, kid.”
Zeke was a bag of nerves. With a shaky voice, he turned his gaze to Sophie and said, “This is my friend Sophie. She’s my road trip buddy today.”
Sophie smiled and shook hands with Tina and Jeffrey before they led everyone through to the lounge area.
There was a pitcher of lemonade and a plate of cookies already prepared on the large coffee table in the center of the room. Zeke felt a huge wave of relief flush through him. It was easier than he thought to face the parents of his second in command – the wonderful soul he left behind in the desert.
“So...” there was a long pause while Tina searched her visitors’ faces for clues, “what brings you out here?”
Zeke swallowed hard. “I’m getting in touch with everyone who was involved in the... attack... because I recently had my life threatened by a bomb and I have evidence to suggest it has something to do with my time in 4LBX... mine and Rick’s unit.”
Tina’s jaw dropped. She was speechless. “That’s terrible, Zeke. I can’t believe it. But I don’t know how we can help. We wouldn’t know where to begin with something like that. Neither of us has a military background.” She looked at her husband, who sat forward and said softly, “What is it you want from us, kid?”
Zeke looked down at his hands and paused for a moment. “This is going to sound weird, but I was out cold for months – I missed all the funerals and investigations. Do you know if there was any confusion over the number of survivors? Did anyone else make it?”
Jeffrey put his arm around Tina. “Only you, Zeke. Only you.”
Zeke nodded. “Thanks. I just needed to check.”
“Of course,” Tina said. “It must have been hard for you too – waking up in all that trauma. Hearing second hand about the fate of your colleagues... your friends. It was bad enough for the rest of us, having to go through all the goodbyes, but you didn’t get that. We know how much you cared about those guys. You were like family. We know you would have done....” Her voice trailed off as emotions took over and tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. She placed one hand up over her mouth and said in a muffled voice, “I’m sorry.”
Zeke got up from his seat and knelt on the floor next to Tina. “No. I’m sorry. This is what I didn’t want to do today. I didn’t want to come here and bring up this bad stuff all over again. I shouldn’t have come.”
Tina grabbed his hands. “Yes, you should have. You need help. We’re here. Rick would have wanted us to help in any way we can. Even if it’s just to talk to someone, at any time. It’s good to talk about the past,” she said, still fighting back the tears. “We tried not to talk about Rick for a while. It was too painful. But then it backfired.” She looked at Jeffrey. “Things got a bit... difficult... for a while, but we’re getting through it. We know we can’t bury the past. It’s healthy to acknowledge what’s happened. In some ways, you’re our last link to Rick. Even if we can’t help with this awful bomb thing, we’d like to keep you in our lives.”
Jeffrey nodded and placed a hand on his wife’s knee.
Zeke smiled at her. It was nice to know that they didn’t hold a grudge over his survival and not their son’s.
“We stayed in touch with several other parents for a while,” Tina continued, “but after a few months, it was like we didn’t need that crutch anymore. We could remember our Rick in our own way, without having to meet people to talk about the attack. It was sort of pulling us back into grief. We cut ties.”
“We did keep in touch with one person, however,” Jeffrey said, leaning forward. “Admiral Kurt Stone. He lost his son in the attack too. He was a great friend of mine for many years. He’s turned over every single piece of evidence about that explosion. If there’s anything you need to know, I’m sure he’d be the guy to ask.”
Zeke looked up at Jeffrey hopefully. “Really? Great. Do you think he would mind me getting in touch?”
“Of course not. I’ll give you his number.”
Jeffrey got up to fetch some paper and a pen while Tina poured a drink for Zeke and Sophie.
“So, let’s get onto slightly easier topics... How long have you two been an item? You look so comfortable together, I’m guessing nine months... a year?”
Sophie looked at the floor and laughed, trying not to spit out the sip of lemonade she’d just taken.
Zeke’s knees danced up and down. Was it nerves? Why did that question strike such a reaction in him? Ignoring his jumpiness, he replied, “Oh, we’re not a couple. We’re just... friends.”
Tina smirked. “Whatever you say.”
“His bike broke, he took it into my shop, there was a bomb inside it... and here we are,” Sophie said, smiling.
“Well, that’s quite a story to tell your kids one day,” Tina said, reaching forward for a cookie.
“Really. We’re not together,” Zeke said, but couldn’t help wishing he didn’t have to keep saying that. He didn’t want Sophie to think h
e was offended by Tina’s comments. He’d be proud to say she was his. But she wasn’t. It was as simple as that.
Jeffrey returned with the information written on a bit of white paper. “He doesn’t live very far from you actually. He’s in an apartment on the outskirts of town. Retired. He’d be happy to see you I’m sure.”
Zeke took the note and examined the writing with a twist of nerves in his gut. It was hard bringing all these emotions to the surface again, for him... and everyone on his list.
He looked at Sophie, who was crunching on a cookie. She caught his eye and smiled, and it sent a feeling of reassured calm through him. Facing dangers on a daily basis, dealing with work injuries, intense physical training and gun practice were one thing, but facing emotions head on was another thing entirely. If she was willing to metaphorically hold his hand through this, he could do it.
Chapter Eight
Sophie
After leaving Tina and Jeffrey’s house, this whole investigation felt different. It took on a new depth. These were real people to Sophie. Before they had just been names on Zeke’s list, but now she was beginning to see what he saw. She could sense his deep aching, and she longed to take it away for him. If they could solve this, catch the bomber and move on, maybe she could help Zeke go some way towards healing. He deserved happiness; she could see that. He had a good soul.
“Are you sure you can face another visit in one day?” Zeke said as he started up the pickup.
“Of course,” she responded. “The quicker we get something tangible we can work with the better. We need some leads on who did this.”
“True,” he said, staring wistfully out of the windshield. “Thanks for being my wing woman. If I was on my own, I think I’d be giving up and going home. It’s so hard facing the parents of the men I lost.”
“You’ve got to remember, it wasn’t your fault,” Sophie said, turning to face him better. “You didn’t set up that explosive, did you?”
“No.”
They held each other’s gaze for a moment longer than Sophie expected. Her stomach flipped, and she broke their eye contact. “Let’s go and find out more.”
The pickup moved off, and they wove through the suburban streets. Sophie smiled at children drawing on the sidewalk with chalk. Zeke had to slow for some middle-aged women out jogging in the sunshine; their bright pink and purple Lycra suits forming a blurred mass of color as they bobbed up and down. These streets were so full of life that it felt refreshing and clean. Sophie took it all in while Zeke drove. She’d never lived anywhere like this. This was a place where families were formed. They passed a young couple with a stroller, and moments later whizzed past a family out walking their two Dalmatians. The youngest child, a girl, was giggling loudly as the dad bent to tickle her. It made Sophie smile. Lucky girl, she thought.
There was no music, and no conversation, for this part of the journey, but her and Zeke were both comfortable with the silence, occasionally exchanging small smiles. She kept thinking of Tina – a woman who’d been through so much, but still had a lot of kindness to give. Life was all about people and connections. Sophie pondered this as they sped past the lives in this suburban community, intertwining and enhancing each other with connections, sidewalk chit chats, kids playing, retired couples out strolling together...
Eventually, the pickup joined the freeway back to town, slotting into the speeding lines of cars all heading the same way. The scenery was dull, and Sophie’s mind wandered to her future. She’d often imagined what it could involve – spraying and customizing vehicles – but never before had she imagined who could be in it. She looked at Zeke thoughtfully. Would it involve him? Her thoughts were cut short as they pulled into a city street and Zeke announced this must be where Stone lived. The tall buildings blocked out the sun, casting blue and gray shadows on the concrete. They got out and looked up at the block, which was dark and uninviting. Some kids ran past, barging into Sophie as they went. Zeke caught her as she lunged forward from the force. Her face met his chest, and as she caught her breath, she could smell his cologne. She didn’t want to pull back. She wanted to bury her face in his shirt and stay there, blocking out the world for as long as possible. His solid frame made her feel small. His hand was still on her back from when he caught her, protectively. He leaned his head down, and she could feel his warm breath on her neck. She closed her eyes as her heart quickened. His hand rubbed up and down her back softly.
Just then, a couple walked past, arguing. “What the fuck you talkin’ about?” the woman yelled to her partner. They tossed accusations back and forth, and Sophie pulled away from Zeke, realizing that the moment – and it was definitely a moment – was gone.
He looked disappointed as he pulled away, but quickly composed himself. “OK. Let’s get this over with,” he said, looking up at the building.
They entered the main door, which was being held open by a small pile of orange bricks and climbed the concrete stairs to the second-floor apartment they were looking for and rang the bell. They waited in silence for a few moments until an audible shuffling noise sounded from inside. Eventually, several locks clicked, and the door opened to reveal a smartly dressed man with a thick beard and slicked-back gray hair.
“Come in, come in. Always good to see a former man of military,” he said.
Zeke shook his hand. “It’s an honor to meet you, Admiral.”
“Just call me Stone. Much easier. My first name’s Kurt, but no one ever uses that.”
“OK. Thanks for agreeing to see us at such short notice,” Zeke said.
“Oh, it’s not like I’ve got other plans. I’ve retired now and since... well since Lexi died, I don’t go out much.”
“Was Lexi your wife?” Sophie asked gingerly.
“Yeah. Best wife a man could wish for,” Stone said, a smile spreading across his thin lips. “But it’s been a tough few years. She couldn’t handle the heartbreak.”
Silence fell. Sophie swallowed. “Would you like to talk about it?” she asked.
He turned to her with a smile. “You know, it’s been a long time since anyone’s asked me that. I think I would. Let me just make some coffee.”
Stone left Zeke and Sophie in the small, dark living room to go and start up the coffee maker in the tiny kitchen. They looked around. There were photos in frames all over the walls. Sophie spotted several of Stone and what must have been Lexi at their old home – a beautiful, large, wood-clad two-story home with a porch and trees. In the pictures, it looked like you couldn’t get a happier pairing than them. There was one in particular that almost moved Sophie to tears. A young woman, presumably Lexi again, sat on a picnic blanket on a lawn holding two babies in white sleep suits. Her smile was so radiant it could have been the dictionary definition of happiness. The babies gazed up at their mother contentedly. It was family at its best. And clearly, it was now only a memory. Sophie couldn’t take her eyes off of the woman’s sparkling eyes.
Stone appeared in the doorway with a tray of coffee cups. “That’s my favorite picture of her,” he said. “Lexi and the boys. What a team. I’ll tell you this now... never take the good times for granted. I did. And I would give anything to have them back. I’d give my right arm, literally, to hear the kids fighting on the rug while Lexi scolded them from next door in the kitchen while she fussed at the stove. It seemed so normal at the time, frustrating even, families are so noisy... but now....” he looked around at his meager surroundings.... “the silence is my frustration. I built my life around them... and I couldn’t hold onto them. Life is cruel. She had a heart attack last year. Just dropped dead on the lawn outside our house. That was just after...”
Sophie hung on his every word.
He suddenly stood up straighter as if composing himself and shook his head. “Listen to me going on and on,” he said. He placed the tray down, and Sophie and Zeke sat on the sofa while Stone lowered himself into an armchair that was angled toward the window. “I like to watch the kids from up here,” h
e said. “But sometimes it’s just disappointing. Once they hit a certain age, it’s all graffiti and bravado. I like to watch the younger ones, while they’re still so full of joy and hope.” He smiled and leaned forward to pick up his coffee. “Anyway, what can I do for you?”
Zeke swallowed. “Well... we’re here to ask for your help. Or advice. I’ve been targeted by a bomb recently. It wasn’t successful, obviously, but we believe it has something to do with 4LBX...”
“The unit.” Stone nodded in thought. “Gary’s unit. And yours,” he added, turning to Zeke.
“Yes. That’s right.”
“I’ve gone over every note, every piece of evidence, every little thing about that case. Those guys were wiped out. Barely recognizable after the blast, but identified all the same.”
Zeke lowered his gaze to the ground.