The Soldier's Sister

by Giusti, Debby

  One sketch was of a noble mountain outlined against the desert terrain, the sun setting behind the peak. In the distance, the vast arid terrain stretched barren and lonely.

  “The stark surroundings are haunting,” she said. “Barren. Lonely. They remind me of a time in my life shortly after I left Freemont. I missed my home and my brother.”

  Brody moved toward her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they both stared at the drawings. “I sketched those pictures when I was a young soldier. The army had provided a way for me to make something better than the path I was on back in L.A. My family had problems.” He shrugged. “I guess a lot of families do.”

  Stephanie nodded as if she understood. “What are you working on now?”

  He shook his head. “I haven’t sketched anything in years.”

  “Because—”

  He let out a deep breath, knowing he needed to share the past with Stephanie. Maybe then she would understand his concern about Ted.

  “A girl from home came to visit me about the time I sketched these drawings. She had written me during my first deployment, and I wanted a nice place for her to stay. I didn’t have a car. Barstow was the closest town, and it was more than a thirty-mile drive from post through the desert.”

  Stephanie pointed to the picture of the two-lane road, cutting across the stark terrain. “What you’ve sketched here.”

  He nodded. “My first sergeant’s wife was a jewel. She had a heart as big as Texas, where she and the Sarge were from originally. She invited Lisa to stay with her.”

  Stephanie tilted her head, no doubt hearing the pain in his voice.

  “Sarge seemed like a good guy. No one realized he was having problems. Trouble sleeping. Bouts of rage. That night...”

  Brody turned, not wanting to continue.

  “You told the soldiers that it helps to talk about situations in the past.” Stephanie touched his shoulder and hesitated a moment before asking, “What happened, Brody?”

  He rubbed his hand over his jaw. “They pieced it together. Sarge must have had an episode that night. He killed his wife. He killed Lisa, too, and then he killed himself.”

  Stephanie wrapped her arms around him.

  “I was the first one at the scene the next morning.”

  “Oh, Brody, I’m so sorry.”

  “That’s why I worry about Ted. No one knew about Sarge’s outrages. Looking back, it’s easy to see he was probably suffering from PTSD.”

  He turned to stare into her crystal-clear eyes. “I can’t protect you all the time, and that’s what scares me. You’ve got to protect yourself when it comes to your brother.”

  “But I can’t turn my back on Ted.”

  He had to show her how he felt. Staring down at her parted lips, he sensed the swell of emotion that coursed between them. He didn’t want to think about the past—not his or hers. He just wanted to think about the present moment and how much he cared about her.

  She looked at him expectantly, and then rose on tiptoe. He lowered his mouth, tasting the sweetness of his lips.

  He raked his hands through her hair and pulled her even closer. The swell of his own heart seemed to explode within him; suddenly he wasn’t alone anymore, and everything that mattered was in his arms.

  At that moment, her phone chirped.

  She pulled back ever so slightly. Regret wrapped around her pretty face. Her cheeks flushed, and she pushed her hands against his chest, needing space, which he gave her, feeling an instant sense of loss.

  She searched in her purse and raised the cell to her ear.

  “Ted? You heard about the accident.” She looked relieved. “I’m okay. My car was totaled, but I wasn’t hurt.”

  Brody stared at the painting of the lonely desert landscape. Stephanie would always put Ted first. Selfish as it may seem, he didn’t want to be second-best, not when it came to a lifetime commitment.

  But then he was getting ahead of himself and his relationship with Stephanie. If there even was a relationship.

  He’d been alone for so long. Now that Stephanie was in his life, he didn’t want to let her go.

  * * *

  Brody fixed Stephanie a sandwich with chips and insisted she relax on the couch while he headed to his home office in the spare bedroom.

  The first call he made was to his boss at CID headquarters. He filled Chief Wilson in on what had happened.

  “Do you think her brake problem is random?” Wilson asked.

  “I don’t know what to think, sir. The Freemont chief of police mentioned vandalism in that area of town. I’m going to call the garage and see what the owner has to say.”

  “Walt’s worked on my car a number of times. He runs a good business, but looks can be deceiving.”

  Which brought to mind the police chief’s concern about Stephanie wanting to be the center of attention. Brody saw no reason to relay Palmer’s suspicions.

  “A lot has happened to Ms. Upton,” the chief mused.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Make sure nothing else does, will you, Brody?”

  “That’s my goal, sir.”

  “See what you can find out today and brief me in the morning.”

  “Will do, sir.”

  He disconnected and dialed Ferrol’s Garage. Walt answered with a curt greeting and quickly answered Brody’s questions about the vandalism problem the local area had been having.

  “As I told the police, the kids have done some pranks, but nothing as significant as this. Although Stephanie’s car was an older model, I had it humming like a baby when I signed off on the work order.”

  “Someone could have tampered with the brakes either in your garage or when it was parked out back.”

  “Whoa there, Mr. Special Agent. You’re jumping to the wrong conclusion and getting me riled up, to boot. I stand by my work. I wouldn’t do anything to cause a problem.”

  “Then who did?”

  “Exactly what I’ve been trying to find out. I just checked online for any recalls on that make and model. A couple years back, there had been a number of cases of brake failure. Stands to reason that could have been Stephanie’s problem.”

  “Wouldn’t she have been notified?” Brody asked.

  “If she bought the car used, the recall notice may have been sent to the original owner or lost in the mail. Everything looked good when I was under the hood. No telling what malfunctioned.”

  “Do me a favor and call the chief of police and let him know what you told me.”

  “Will do.”

  Brody’s next call was to the hospital for an update on Joshua’s condition. The news wasn’t good.

  He disconnected and headed to the living room, where he found Stephanie asleep on the couch. He stood for a long moment, staring down at her, wishing things could be different. If only she trusted him. Together they’d be able to help Ted, Brody felt sure.

  But she didn’t want him involved.

  He touched her shoulder. “Stephanie?”

  She opened her eyes, then smiled. Her lips were puffy with sleep and so inviting. His chest tightened as he realized how strong his feelings were for her.

  “Joshua’s taken a turn for the worse,” Brody said. “I’m gong to the hospital.”

  Stephanie sat up and glanced around his BOQ. “Point me to your restroom so I can comb my hair and freshen my lipstick. I want to go with you.”

  She returned quickly, all hint of her sleepiness gone. He grabbed her hand and together they hurried to his car.

  “I’ll call Major Jenkins and alert him,” Stephanie said. “Joshua’s parents need to be notified, as well as the WTB chaplain.”

  She’d completed the calls by the time Brody parked at the hospital. He placed his hand protectively on her back
as they rode the elevators to the ICU.

  “We’re here to see PFC Joshua Webb,” Brody said as they approached the nurse’s station and flashed his CID identification.

  Stephanie’s grip on Brody’s hand tightened when they stepped into the small room. Joshua’s face was pale as death. An IV bag dripped medication ever so slowly into his vein. If only it would combat the infection that was running rampant through his body.

  “Josh, it’s Stephanie.” She touched his feverish arm. “Special Agent Goodman is here with me. Remember he visited you in the hospital earlier?”

  “Good to see you, Joshua.”

  Stephanie smiled at Joshua, but her eyes were filled with concern. She patted his arm. “Don’t worry about anything, except getting better. When you’re stronger, we’ll take you to your house. A local group of businessmen want to help with the renovations.”

  The soldier’s lips moved ever so slightly.

  The WTB chaplain, a tall lieutenant colonel with a long face and compassionate eyes, entered the room. He nodded to Stephanie and Brody before he approached the head of the bed and bent down to talk with Josh.

  Brody and Stephanie stepped back to give them privacy.

  After a few minutes, the chaplain motioned them forward. “Would you join me in prayer?”

  Stephanie folded her hands and bowed her head. Standing next to her, Brody did the same.

  “Dear Lord,” the chaplain began, his voice strong and determined. “We call upon You in this time of need, and ask Your help to bring Joshua through this illness. He is Your child, and we know Your love for him surpasses any human love. You want the very best for Josh, and we’re confident that, at this moment, You are surrounding him with Your love and mercy. Fill his heart with love for You, Lord. Help the doctors and nurses who care for him, and allow the medication to be effective to combat the infection. We ask for renewed strength for Joshua as he places his trust in You. For this we pray, amen.”

  Before the minister had opened his eyes, a scuffle sounded in the hallway. Stephanie turned to see Ted standing in the doorway. His face was filled with pain.

  He glanced at Stephanie. “You...you didn’t tell me he was in such bad shape.”

  “I didn’t know until just a short while ago.”

  Tears swam in Ted’s eyes. “You called the chaplain, but you didn’t call me. My squad leader told me the news.”

  Ted’s world was caving in around him once again. Another person in his life was being taken for him. The look on his face showed too clearly the knife that had lodged in his heart.

  He took a step back to where Paul stood, his face pale, his eyes wide as if he, too, was struggling with a wave of emotions he couldn’t handle.

  “It’s just like it was when Mom died, isn’t it, Stephanie?” Ted said. “You didn’t let me know. You and Dad kept it from me. Yet I was the one who had been with her through it all while you stayed at college.”

  “Which is what Mom wanted, Ted.” Her voice was low and filled with compassion. Why did he fail to remember her repeated requests to stay home that semester? “I did what Mom wanted.”

  “You keep telling me that, but it’s not true. You did what you wanted, and then at the end, you were the one standing at her bedside. You let her die without calling me.”

  “I called the school and told them you needed to come home. Aunt Hazel picked you up.”

  “Too late. I was too late.”

  “Mom was still alive when you got home, Ted. But you refused to see her.”

  He shook his head. “You’re lying.”

  He turned and ran from the ICU.

  “Ted!” Stephanie ran after him.

  He opened the door to the stairwell and raced down the steps.

  She followed, calling his name. “Ted, stop.”

  The outside door on the first floor opened. She ran even faster, her feet tripping down the stairs. She had to reach him, but when she stepped into the hot afternoon, he was nowhere to be seen.

  She had called the high school that day to notify the school that Aunt Hazel was coming to pick up her brother. The secretary had trouble locating him, and when Ted arrived home, their mother’s breathing was labored. Knowing she didn’t have much time, Stephanie had encouraged Ted to go to her bedside. He had balked. The pain of seeing their mother moving from this life to the next was too hard for him.

  Ted remembered what he thought had happened, but it was far from the truth. If only he could see the past with clarity. She needed to, as well. Maybe then, she’d stop blaming herself for everything that had gone wrong.

  FIFTEEN

  “Direct me,” Brody said to Stephanie once they were in his car again. “Where would Ted go when he’s upset?”

  “Maybe the cemetery where my mother’s buried. He might go to her grave site.”

  On the way off post, she called Paul, but his phone went immediately to voice mail. She called Nikki next, who didn’t know about Joshua’s decline. Nor did she know anything about Ted.

  “Phone me if he contacts you,” Stephanie said before she disconnected.

  Brody saw the worry weighing down her shoulders. “What about Cindy? Would your brother contact her?”

  “I’ll try her cell.” Stephanie pulled the number from her contacts file and paused before she looked at Brody. “It’s going to voice mail.”

  She left a message while Brody called the garage. Walt answered.

  “Stephanie needs to talk to your sister,” Brody told him. “Could you put her on?”

  “She’s helping our mom with her cleaning business this afternoon. Anything I can pass along?”

  Brody explained about the decline in Joshua’s condition and Ted’s reaction. “If Cindy runs into Ted, have her call Stephanie.”

  “That boy’s had a lot of loss in his short life. ’Spect seeing his buddy in such bad shape is eating at him. What about Paul? He might know something.”

  “They’re together. Stephanie’s trying to reach Paul now.”

  Eventually, Paul answered his cell, but he refused to let Stephanie talk to Ted. From the one-sided conversation Brody heard, Paul was struggling as much as her brother.

  Stephanie filled Brody in on their conversation once she disconnected. “He talked about Joshua not wanting to live since the amputation, but Paul’s wrong. Josh has always been optimistic about the future, and from what everyone at the WTB has told me, his outlook never changed, even after he lost his legs. Paul’s transferring his own feelings onto Josh, which concerns me. I offered to schedule an appointment for Paul with one of the social workers. I told him talking about his feelings would help.”

  “Did he agree to see someone?”

  “Yes, although he didn’t seem too enthused.”

  She called the mental-health office on post and gave the receptionist Paul’s name. “They’ll squeeze him in tomorrow afternoon,” she told Brody.

  When she called Paul back, he failed to answer once again. She left the information about his appointment in a voice mail before she disconnected.

  Once they turned into the cemetery, her outward demeanor changed. Brody could see the pain in her gaze as he parked by a small knoll near a number of grave sites. Without speaking, she exited the car and walked slowly to a granite marker. Brody stood back, giving her space and privacy.

  He studied the surrounding hills and manicured grounds, looking for any sign of Ted or Paul. The sun beat down overhead, causing sweat to dampen his neck.

  Stephanie retraced her steps, her gaze sweeping the area. “I had hoped Ted would be here.”

  “Where else would he go?”

  She shook her head. “Maybe back to our house.”

  They drove in silence, the heaviness of seeing her mother’s grave evident in the slump of her shoulders
and the way she toyed with her watch.

  Brody longed to pull to the side of the road and wrap her in his arms, but she was focused on Ted and the past and the pain that she and her brother still carried.

  Arriving at her house, he walked her to the porch where he waited until she had unlocked the door and disengaged the security alarm.

  “I know you won’t change the locks, Stephanie, but you could change the alarm on your own. The owner’s manual will explain what you need to do. It just means plugging in another code. I’ll help you.”

  When she hesitated, he added, “You didn’t think Ted was in the house the other night, and if he wasn’t, then someone else was here. Let me walk you through the steps.”

  “What if Ted comes back?”

  “You’ll hear him at the door. That shouldn’t be a problem.”

  She let out a long sigh. “Maybe you’re right. I’d probably sleep better.”

  She looked tired and worried.

  He helped her reprogram the alarm and turned his back when she entered the new four-digit code.

  “You can watch, Brody. I trust you.”

  He shook his head. “I want you to be the only one who knows this code.”

  Once the alarm was reprogrammed, they headed into the kitchen. “Grab some water from the bottom shelf in the refrigerator,” Stephanie said. “I’ll check the phone for messages.”

  A sound on the front porch caused them both to pause.

  A key turned in the lock.

  “It’s Ted.” Stephanie hurried into the foyer.

  The front door opened just as Brody caught up to her.

  Ted’s eyes widened as he looked from Stephanie to Brody. “What’s he doing here?”

  The security system beeped. Ted tapped in the code. The old code.

  Brody anticipated the scream of the alarm seconds before the system activated.

  The deafening screech filled the house.

  Ted stepped back, his face awash with disbelief and pain. “You changed the code, didn’t you?” He pointed to Brody. “It’s because of him. He convinced you I’m dangerous. That I’m crazy. That I could hurt you.”

  “Ted, please,” she pleaded.