Quinn laughed. “Yeah, it makes you a candidate for venereal diseases when you sleep with a platoon of soldiers.”
“On that note, let’s go our separate ways,” Callie suggested. “I’ll be at the colonel’s office if you need me.”
“Yeah, I want you to put a vest on under your blazer, Callista. I’ll be able to focus better if I know you’re protected.”
She considered it. Outside, the temperature was going up. It would be miserable and sweaty. “Only if you two suit up too. Why should I be the only one suffering?”
He grinned. “You’re sadistic.”
“Yeah, so my husband tells me. It’s a good thing he likes me that way.”
Nate stopped Quinn from speaking. “Please spare me the next thing bouncing around in your brain. I don’t think I can keep my breakfast down if you go there.”
“Spoilsport.”
“Yeah, I am.”
They gathered their things and headed out the door. Hopefully, the day would give them an insight into what was going on there.
It wasn’t like it could get any worse.
* * * C a r t e r C h r o n i c l e s * * *
Little did they know that they had company. From the shadows of the trees, they were being watched. When they showed up to deal with Leroy Walker, they were followed home.
It was best to be prepared at all times, walking in the shadows.
Then the element of surprise would be useful.
Now, they were loading up into two separate vehicles. The woman was going one way, and the two men the other.
The question was who to follow.
Something had to be done as time was running out. For now, an act of defiance was well-deserved to turn their lives upside down.
Killing Captain Brighton and Sergeant Walker didn't bring Maura Gaines out of hiding. For that to happen, it would obviously have to be something monumental and earth shattering.
A plan was already formed.
While the next sinner on the team was picked, this little added extra could be tossed in for good measure.
Why not add a little spice into the mix?
If this didn't make Major Gaines come out, then nothing would.
Picking the vehicle to follow, it was decided.
When the time was right, someone would have to pay.
The killer raced to follow the mark. For now, it was a matter of waiting.
But soon, it would all pay off.
Someone was dying.
Today was their unlucky day.
“Come out, come out, Maura. You can’t hide forever. Face me like a man.”
* * * C a r t e r C h r o n i c l e s * * *
Arriving on base, Callie was immediately met by the colonel’s assistant. As he stood there, she could tell he wasn’t pleased.
It was the weekend and they were both there because of her. Well, too bad. The dead Marines deserved this to be top priority.
“He isn't staying long. The colonel has other pressing appointments today,” he said, striding alongside her.
“Well, if he answers my questions, then he’s free to go about his business.”
The man actually snorted.
Callie stopped in the middle of the parking lot. “What’s your problem?” she asked. “You’ve been giving us a hard time since we arrived, and I’d appreciate an answer.”
He stared at her.
“Is it because I’m a woman or Fed?”
“Neither.”
Callie saw the lie. She didn't doubt it was both. This man definitely disliked her and the rest of the team. “I hope you don’t get in our way because if you think we won’t take you into a civilian court, we will. It won’t be like the other men who broke the law. We won’t hand your obstruction of justice to the colonel to bury.”
Anger flooded his face.
Oh yeah, they were on the right track.
“He’s an honorable man! You’re not going to besmirch his years of service to the corps with something that you have no clue about.”
Callie wasn’t worried.
“I know that someone here screwed with the files. I know that someone on this base is stalking Marines and likely getting their information out of your office and personnel files. I also know that someone found it in their heart to let a law breaker off for the good of your uniform. I believed that Marines were heroes and stood for justice. None was served by letting them off because they were part of a team.”
He glared at her.
“We’re going to get that justice, and if you think I won’t march myself right over you, then you have another thing coming. I don’t scare easy, Sergeant. I play in the minds of lunatics. It’s a picnic to play in yours. So we’re crystal clear, if I had to point fingers, you’d be at the front of the line,” she stated.
Now, his face went beet red.
“Before you say anything, just take me to the colonel. I’m really over playing games with you. We need to save some Marines, not butt heads with others.”
Callie headed toward the building. This was going to be interesting, since one thing had her beyond stirred up. Quinn loved his sister and if anything happened to her, he would suffer.
While she generally played nice, there was a time to throw down and take charge of the mess. When it came to her family, all bets were off.
Callista Gaines could play dirty.
The Marines had yet to engage the enemy. She could easily play that role.
Once inside, the colonel met her in his office. Gone were his military fatigues and in their place were civilian clothes. In fact, he was wearing golf attire.
Yeah, busy day with meetings her ass.
“Thank you for seeing me, sir,” she offered, sitting down.
“It’s no problem, Doctor. What can I answer for you?” he asked, dismissing his assistant.
Callie waited until the man was gone. “I need some more personnel records.”
He didn't mind. “Absolutely, but my aide could have handled this for you.”
She shook her head. On her way in, something became crystal clear to her. “You don’t understand, Colonel, I need them but I want it done quietly, as in only you and I are aware of it.”
“I see no harm in that. Who do you want files for?” he asked, picking up his pen.
Callie decided to work a slightly different angle. She was going to dig into anyone’s life they ran across who made her suspicious. While she didn't get to discuss it with Nate and Quinn, she was ready to run with it.
“I need the personnel files for Stephanie Simpson. She works in your office as a civilian contractor in HR.”
He wrote her name down. “I don’t know how much will be in there, since she’s not a Marine, but I’ll get it for you.”
“Thank you, Colonel. This next one may be harder, but I also need Captain Harris’s file.”
He glanced up. “Doctor, certainly you don’t think that she had anything to do with this. I can vouch for her myself.”
“I want to see her background. Since the killer took out a member of her team, I need to make sure she’s in the clear. It’s more like covering my bases. Nothing more.”
Colonel Swift relaxed.
“Who else?”
This was the one which was likely to get her some pushback. “I need Sergeant Hartford’s too.”
Now, he placed his pen down. “You don’t think…”
“Again, I’m covering our bases. He has access to files, the ME reports that were sent over, and he was aware of what the team was doing, correct?”
“Yes, but…”
She cut him off. “Then, I need his file. It’s not negotiable.” Callie knew she had to stand her ground. Lives were counting on it.
“Well, I can see why you wanted to keep it quiet.”
“Yes, I do. Your assistant dislikes us as it is. I don’t need to make this harder. Our job is to fix this mess, play nice, and get out of here. We’re trying to do just that.”
He wrote his name
down. “Next?”
Callie could see he wasn’t happy, but at least he was playing nice.
“I also need Private Lewis’s file. He found the victim, and in law enforcement, you have to eliminate the person who falls onto the crime scene first.”
“Done,” he said, moving to his computer. “I’ll print them out for you,” he offered.
Callie thought they would be in files. “You have access from here?”
He nodded. “All the files are electronic. We keep a hardcopy for the HR department. They don’t have security clearance, so they can’t access our online databases.”
“Who can access it?”
“Anyone with clearance over level three.”
She pondered that.
“Is that a lot of people?” Callie inquired.
“Not too many, but most of the office staff.”
Curious.
As they were printing out, Callie decided to ask more questions. She was dying to get the papers, do her interview with Bethany Harris, and then get back to the office. She wanted to dig in and see what was in them.
This was like Christmas morning to a profiler.
“Why did you bury the arrest records of Brick Brighton?” she asked, hoping to catch him off balance.
“It’s our policy to review infractions, and then deal with them here.”
Damn!
The colonel didn't even flinch. This was going to be harder than she thought.
“He beat the hell out of his wife and had a PFA issued twice. Surely that’s not a minor infraction in the military’s book.” Callie waited for his reply.
“Doctor Gaines, he’s part of a top-secret team. His skills were invaluable. We couldn’t risk losing him. Yes, I bent the rules, but I spoke to him. He and I came to an agreement where he understood his get out of jail free cards were done.”
Yeah, she didn't buy that at all.
“Bravo Ghost is special. I have the obligation to handle it to the best of my ability.”
“Colonel, this killer is taking out sinners. That may have impeded our investigation, or cost the man his life. If this lunatic is balancing the scales of justice, by what you did, you marked him.”
He stared at her.
“You let him get away with something so vile, it appears to have riled a crazy person.”
“Certainly, you’re not saying this is my fault.”
She wasn’t, but he was partly to blame. They let this slip past them all, and they couldn’t wash their hands of it.
“I’m saying that we need the truth.”
Colonel Swift stood stiffly from behind his desk.
It was hard not to notice that his mood had suddenly shifted, and for the worse.
Oh well.
Callie was three days past pulling punches. She missed her home, her daughter, and even their mangy mutt. What she wanted was to save Maura and the last two Marines, then head home.
It was time to wrap this one up.
“Here are your files. I have a round of golf that I already committed to, so if you don’t mind, you’ll have to leave. If you need anything else, let me know.”
Yeah, it looked like she’d burned that bridge.
They were shit out of luck…
It was evident that they were done there. The colonel was finished helping them out. There was no doubt her boss was going to be getting a call.
It was kind of amusing how she had pissed off the military.
Here, she thought it would have been her brother or Quinn.
Funny, she never saw this one coming.
Chapter Twenty-One
U nlike the initial interview, Nate and Quinn were looking forward to taking another crack at Stephanie Simpson. While the first time they had compassion, the next visit she wouldn’t be so lucky. No law enforcement officer had sympathy when they were blatantly lied to and had to waste their precious time.
There was no way that Stephanie Simpson didn't know that some of the men she had dated died ‘accidentally’.
After tracking her down, they located her at the house she had shared with her fiancé. It looked like since their last meeting she had busily packed up more boxes in her home.
After leading them into the living room, her eyes were still red rimmed and filled with pain. Then again, this could be one hell of an act.
“Sorry about the mess,” she offered once they were sitting on the couch. “Did you forget to ask me something the last time you were here?” she asked, lounging in a large overstuffed chair.
“Yes, we did,” Nate admitted. “We really don’t believe that Thomas Archer committed suicide. That’s the real reason we’re asking questions and running this investigation.”
She looked shocked.
“What do you mean?” she asked. “If he didn't kill himself, then that means it had to be…”
Neither man stopped her.
“Oh my God! Someone killed my Tommy?” she asked. “I don’t understand! Why?”
Quinn continued, “We also don’t think that Christian Bleu or Brick Brighton’s deaths were accidental either.”
At the mention of their names, she went very pale. “I’m sorry, what?”
“How is it that three men you’d been dating, all turned up accidentally dead? First there’s one in a fire, then one by suicide, and finally the other in a rock climbing incident?”
She didn't say anything.
“Do you know what looks suspicious, Ms. Simpson? When we were here, you made no mention of it. Had you, then we wouldn’t want to take you in for nefarious reasons.”
Nate opened his tablet and got ready to take notes. Quinn was running with this one, and he trusted his brother-in-law’s skills.
“I didn't think about it,” she began.
“Yeah, we aren’t buying that either. Were you having sex with those men?”
She flushed three shades of red. “I don’t think I like what you’re asking me. Are you insinuating that I killed those men or had something to do with their deaths?”
Quinn looked over at his partner. “I wasn’t insinuating anything. I think I made it pretty clear. Since you’re confused as to what I want to know, how about I rephrase it? Did you kill your fiancé, Brick Brighton, and Christian Bleu?”
She stood up in outrage. “I lost my fiancé! I don’t have to sit here and take this in my own home.”
Both men were done fooling around. As they stood, Quinn pulled his cuffs off the back of his belt loop. “That’s fine. We can bring you down to the office and ask these questions there. I can’t imagine your neighbors will miss us taking you out in these. Silver bracelets are a girl’s best friend.”
She sat back down.
The men were satisfied that it worked. Granted, they didn't have anything to use that was substantial proof, but they could always hope she would give them something.
“How about you start at the beginning?” Quinn offered. “Like how you met all three men. What you tell us now will influence what happens before we leave.”
“I met all three on the base,” she stated. “When you work with a bunch of Marines, you’re likely going to date them too.”
“How did you meet them?”
She thought about it. “About a year ago, I met Christian when he came into the HR department. I had sent him a letter requesting an updated contact list in case of emergency. Instead of emailing it to me, he stopped by. He didn't really like technology. He was the kind of man who liked to be out in nature getting his hands dirty.”
“Okay,” Nate said, entering that information.
“When he came in, he charmed me. The following day he came back and asked me to dinner. I accepted and we went out.”
“How long did you date?” Quinn asked.
“It lasted less than four weeks. I found out that dating him was difficult. It wasn’t just us two in the relationship. He had an ego that wouldn’t stop.”
They weren’t surprised. It went along with the man’s cocky attitude and n
eed to be number one.
“Did you break it off or him?”
“I did. It wasn’t working for me. He was always talking about himself, his missions, and his importance.”
That piqued their interest.
Quinn needed to know. “His missions?”
She shrugged. “Yeah, he actually believed that he was involved in some secret military team. I told him he was an asshole and moved on. The sex was decent, but not great enough that I’d put up with his BS. Once during sex, I caught him watching himself in the mirror. His ego was the mistress in that relationship.”
So, one member of the team wasn’t so quiet with what they did for the military. That was curious. If he told her, then Christian likely spilled the beans to someone else.
Curious.
He may be their leak to all this.
Neither man was surprised, since Christian Bleu had ego issues. Of course he’d want to brag that he was important and the top of the food chain.
“Please continue,” Quinn offered.
“One of my other co-workers set me up on a blind date with Redmond. We had drinks, it didn't click, and that was it. I wanted to like him, but the man was quiet. I had to carry the conversation the entire time.”
“So, no spark?”
“None at all. I didn't sleep with him either. After that date, I was walking across the base and met Brick. It was hard not to like him. The man was charismatic, funny, and in really amazing shape. It was attractive to me, especially after Mr. Ego.”
Then, she realized what she said.
“Not that I mean to talk ill of the dead. I feel bad about Christian.”
Yeah, they didn't think she did.
“Brick swept me off my feet. Literally. He bench-pressed me and I was amused. He was a big man, and I found that sexy.” She pointed at Quinn’s wedding band. “I’m sure your wife could attest to that. There’s something appealing about a large man to keep you safe.”
Quinn wasn’t going there with Callie, but Stephanie was right. He did hover over Callie like a hawk.
Sinner Realized Page 31