by Dale Mayer
“Yes,” she said, getting angry, her tone sharp and to the point. “I was lonely and hooked up when I shouldn’t have. When I tried to break it off, he became very possessive. Very stalkerish,” she added. And then she shook her head. “I’m not mad at you guys. I’m just mad at the situation with my ex. The relationship developed so quickly that I didn’t have any warning he was some sort of psycho.”
“Would he have had anything to do with something like this?”
“I have no idea,” she said. “I think George was afraid he might have, but it doesn’t make any sense to me.”
“Nothing does on a deal like this,” Troy said. “These scenarios are just plain ugly, and there is no real way to know who and what might be involved yet.”
“No, but you’re already targeting my phone,” she said, “and, because my phone is on the bottom of the Arctic Ocean, we’ll never know all the contacts on it.”
“Did you ever transfer or download your contact list?”
“No,” she said slowly, “but my old phone is at home.”
“Good,” Troy said. “That’s a place to start.”
“I really don’t like the way you’re thinking,” she mumbled, and she picked up another chunk of sausage and chewed on it as she glared at him. “My friends wouldn’t do this.”
“Of course not,” he said in surprise. “No true friend would. The thing is, lots of people on your contact list are probably more like acquaintances or work associates, not friends. And you don’t know if someone else’s phone was compromised to get your number.”
She preferred that thought.
“We also need to know more about your boyfriend,” Colton said.
Something was off in his tone. She shot him a glance. “That’s ex-boyfriend, please,” she said, “and, for the record, if I’d had any understanding of just what a psycho he was, I’d have never gone out with him.”
“How long were you with him?”
“That’s just it. I wasn’t ‘with him’—not in the way you think. We dated, maybe five or six times over the course of two weeks,” she admitted. “Everything was fine until we were at a restaurant one night, and my dinner was a little cold. He got all angry and uppity about it and wanted both of our meals for free because of it and raised a hell of a scene. I was really embarrassed and told him that wasn’t the kind of behavior I was interested in being around. He ended up turning on me, saying he was just the kind of person who did what everybody else wanted to do but didn’t have the balls for and that I should never criticize him, especially not in front of anyone.”
Colton stared at her in surprise.
“The whole thing was really shocking, and he said a lot more, but you can get the gist. When I got home that night, I was pretty shaken over the whole thing and sent him a text saying I didn’t want to see him again.” She held up a hand. “I know. I know. Not cool. I should have done it in person.”
“Maybe not in this case,” Colton said. “Doing it in person would likely have triggered him to be violent.”
“I have to admit that’s exactly what I was thinking and why I did it that way,” she said. “The trouble is, by the time I figured out how dangerous he was, he was already well and truly pissed at me.”
“Did he respond to the text?”
“Yeah,” she said with a wry smile. “He sure did. It was like, ‘No one breaks up with me, bitch’ or something very close to that.” She watched the looks crossing the faces of both men. “Right? Talk about warning signs. Just a little too late,” she said sadly.
“How bad did it get after that?”
“Pretty ugly. He kept calling and texting me, and then he left notes at my apartment building and then signs on my door. He slipped nasty threatening letters under my door, and he came to my work once. Of course I travel a lot anyway, and—”
“What does he do?” Colton asked.
“He’s another navy pilot,” she said, slowly meeting his gaze. “It’s one of the reasons I thought maybe it would work out. Someone who would understand my work and my travel schedule. We had some things in common, and honestly, well, I was lonely.”
Colton nodded but didn’t say anything.
She could still feel something coming off him. It wasn’t judgment exactly, but it was almost as if he was unhappy about it. But it wasn’t like he’d been around to keep her company, so whatever. She just shrugged and kept eating. “I was taking every job I could just to stay away from him. Then this flight came up, and I was like, perfect, but as you can see, perfect didn’t work out so well.”
“I don’t think perfect worked out at all,” Colton said quietly. “Sounds like it was a pretty raw deal.”
“Feels like it too,” she said. She put the tray down beside her, even though she hadn’t finished.
Troy looked at it and said, “If you can eat more, you should.”
She shrugged, but her mind and heart weren’t on the food anymore.
“Do you think he would have attacked you at home?” Colton asked.
“Yes,” she said, “I was at the point of talking to the MPs about him.”
“So did you?”
“I made the appointment, but this flight came up, so I had to cancel it.” She stared at Colton moodily. “And now I’m left to wonder what would have happened if I had stayed and kept that appointment.”
“Probably nothing different,” he said. “If he was behind this, something else would have triggered it.”
“Or not,” she said. “Because, in a rash move, I told him that I’d made an appointment and would make a complaint.”
Both men stared at her.
She shrugged. “Like I said, I haven’t done anything right in this whole deal since it started. All I can tell you is that I needed to do something to send him away, and I had hoped the threat of reporting him would do it.”
“Well, it did something,” Colton said harshly, “but I don’t think it was what you were hoping for.”
Troy and Colton shared a long look, silently communicating.
“I know,” Kate said. “You both think I should file a complaint as soon as we’re back at Coronado.” She sighed heavily. “So do I.”
“Good,” Colton said, a note of finality in his tone. “I’ll be notifying Mason of your stalker and his threats when I report in next. Your witness statement is critical supporting evidence.”
*
Colton couldn’t understand the jealousy boiling inside him. He understood the need to have companionship because someone was lonely. Hell, he’d done the same thing himself. It just bothered him that she’d been so lonely to turn to some lousy guy like that. But, then again, as she said, he’d seemed perfect on the surface, and then the shadows had shown up.
And, once the decline had happened, it happened fast. Colton got the guy’s name, Ned Bertram, and wrote it down. “We’ll have to get some of this onto the MPs desk,” he said. He looked at Kate’s tray and said, “Troy’s right. If you can eat a little more, you should. Then let’s get you to the base commander and afterward to the MPs.”
She nodded. “Presumably all of them will connect from base to base?”
“I doubt it,” Troy said cheerfully. “That sounds like way too much communication for them. But we can make sure it gets to the bases we need to contact.”
She smiled and snagged up the last half of her toast and then handed over the tray, munching on her toast while she clambered down the ladder. “I need to make a pit stop first,” she said, then looked at her boots and managed to get into them without too much difficulty and headed to the bathroom. When she was done, the guys were standing outside the door, waiting for her.
“Are you guys like my security detail?” she asked. “Because that won’t be fun.”
“Let’s call it a friendly escort instead,” Colton said.
She laughed and tucked her arm into the crook of his elbow, and he pulled her close against it. As they walked down the hallways, he told her about the training being de
layed because of the weather.
She frowned. “But wouldn’t that make for a better training session?”
Troy laughed. “Oooh! She’d like to see you suffer, wouldn’t she?”
“Not really,” Kate said. “I just wondered because, if it’s supposed to be for arctic conditions, wouldn’t rough outdoor conditions be perfect?”
“The base commander gets to make that decision,” Colton said. “What they can’t have are fatalities.”
An officer approached them up ahead. Smiling, he introduced himself as Petty Officer John Parsons. “How are you doing?” he asked Kate.
“I’m doing fine. Thank you, sir,” Kate said with a smile.
“The base commander would like to see you.”
She nodded. “I would be happy to see him as well.”
Parsons led the way through the building out to several offshoot buildings. Finally they ended up at a large office. The officer knocked on the door, and they were invited to enter. They stepped inside, saluting as required. The commander looked up, and, seeing who it was, stood and walked around the desk to greet Kate.
“Glad to see you looking so well. Please, everyone, have a seat. When I heard the first reports, I wasn’t sure what we had.”
“I wasn’t so sure myself, sir.” Kate hesitated and asked, “Have you had any update on how George is doing?”
“He’s still holding his own, though a chance still remains that he’ll lose fingers and toes.”
She winced at that. “I’m sure he won’t appreciate that. He’s a fine man and an excellent pilot. I would hate to see his career ended prematurely.”
“The doctors are working on it. You seem to have come out of it rather well.”
“I’m certainly better after getting some sleep,” she said, “but I am fully aware I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for Colton being on board.”
The commander looked at Colton and nodded. “Funny, he said something similar about you earlier today.”
She laughed. “George and I did what we could to issue a Mayday call and to bring down the plane in an unpopulated area, but Colton was the one handing out parachutes and kicking us out of the plane. Literally. And then, when we were in the air, he obviously navigated himself to ensure he would land as close to both of us as possible.
“He saved George, holding him up nearly the whole time we were in the water and encouraging him to soldier on and to fight to live. I fared better initially, but eventually I was going under too, so he dragged my butt back to the surface and held on to me also,” she said with a smile. “But honestly, sir? It’s you to whom all three of us owe our lives. Sending the cruiser out to grab us, that was huge. We couldn’t hold on much longer.”
He gave her a deferential nod, acknowledging her thanks. “Glad you all made it. You’ll be here for a few more days, what with the bad weather rolling in,” he said, “and it’s coming in even faster than expected. I don’t think we’ll get the flights in that we expected, and I doubt we’ll be getting any out either. So get comfortable because you’ll be here for a bit.”
Her eyebrows raised. “I heard the heavy winds in the night, and I had to wonder how bad the weather would get.”
“Bad enough,” he said cheerfully. “But, as soon as we can, we’ll fly you out.”
She smiled and nodded. “I’ll accept the rest and the food gratefully, sir. Actually I just finished a big breakfast and coffee.”
“Good,” he said. “One of the things I do want you to do is write down exactly what you remember, in as much detail as you can.” He walked back to his desk, picked up a pad of paper and a pen, and handed both to her. “Return it to me when you’re done, please.”
She nodded and smiled. Dismissed, they moved back out of the office, and Petty Officer Parsons said, “Let’s get you down to the MPs office now.”
Once again they fell into step behind him as he led the way back and around. Finally they came to another office. He rapped on the open door and stepped inside, with the three of them following. Only one man was in the office. He stood and motioned at the seats in front of his desk. “So you must be our unexpected guest.”
“Yes,” Kate said, sounding hesitant. She sat down and said, “The commander just asked me to write down everything I remember from the accident.”
He nodded. “That would be a good place to start.” Looking at Colton and Troy, he asked, “Which one of you is Colton?”
“That would be me,” Colton said. “And, yes, I do believe this was sabotage.”
“Your basis for that?”
Colton took a moment to gather his thoughts and then gave the most clear and concise accounting he could. When he added in the phone call just before the engine exploded, the officer shook his head.
“That could be coincidence.”
“Yes, it could be,” Colton said. “In many ways, it’s the perfect crime because it’s not like anyone can retrieve the evidence out there.”
The MP looked off into the distance and then shook his head. “Not likely. No. If it were a big passenger jet or something, then potentially we could, but, as it is, we don’t have any proof of sabotage either.”
“And we won’t get any,” Kate said, “because of the fact that you aren’t going after that line of inquiry.”
“No,” he said. “That’s not my call.”
She sagged. “So we just wait until somebody tries to kill us again?”
“Who is it you think might have been behind this?”
“It’s hard to say.” Colton once again stepped in. “George, the pilot, who is still in critical condition, is testifying as a material witness against two men facing court-martial for using military flights to transport illicit drugs.”
“Interesting,” the MP said, then made a note of it. “I don’t know anything about the case.”
“No,” Colton said. “It’s from Coronado.”
“Ah.” The officer smiled. “That seems like a big-city problem. It’s not really something we have issues with here.”
“Potentially,” Kate said bluntly. “But you know how it starts, and that’s with just two people.”
He smiled at her. “I get it. And I also understand you’ll be here for a little longer than you expected.”
“Yes,” she said. “Until the weather clears.”
“It’s hard to say when that will be. I’ll contact Coronado and see what I can do to be of assistance.” And, with that, they were dismissed.
When they walked out, the petty officer was long gone. Colton looked at Troy. “Looks like we’re on our own.”
“Sounds about right,” he said cryptically.
Colton could see the confusion on Kate’s face. But he just smiled, tucked her arm into his and said, “How about a cup of tea?”
“That sounds like a good idea. I know I had two cups of coffee with breakfast, but it seems like a long time ago.”
“It’s been a few hours, so it’ll be lunch soon.”
At that, she raised her head. She smiled and said, “You know what? I am almost hungry again.”
Beside her, Troy let out a big guffaw. “Wow,” he said. “She eats like you do.”
“Not quite,” Colton said cheerfully. “Besides, you need energy for writing down that statement of yours.”
“How come I have to, and you don’t?” she protested.
He gave her a fat smile. “I already told the commander my story.”
“And yet you don’t have to write it down?”
“Apparently not,” he said. “I was just a passenger though. You were the copilot.”
She groaned. “Thanks for reminding me. I’ll definitely need something to drink then. Maybe food too.” When they entered the cafeteria, Colton picked out a table by the window and parked her there.
“I’ll get you something to drink,” he said. “You get started on your statement. It might take you a few attempts.” She nodded and picked up her pen.
Colton and Troy went for drinks an
d learned lunch would start in twenty minutes. Colton made a pot of tea and grabbed coffee for himself. With Troy grabbing the teapot, the three of them settled in back at the table. “You might as well get as much done as you can,” Colton said, “because the lunch crowd will be in here soon enough.”
Just then, the same petty officer they’d met earlier walked up to Colton, handed him a laptop and said, “Compliments of the commander for your use while you are here. The form on top is for you to sign it out.” Colton signed the form, acknowledging he would be using the laptop, then he sat down and plugged it in, unsure if the battery was charged or not.
Troy looked at him and said, “That’s a good idea. You don’t have a cell phone either, do you?”
“Nope,” he said, “the only communication I’ve had is on the base phone.”
“Did you call Mason?”
“Well, yeah. I left a message, and he called back, and they tracked me down. Not exactly convenient but now I can communicate directly through chat at least.” As soon as he checked his email, he brought up the chat window and contacted Mason, who responded almost immediately. Colton gave him an update, including the fact he now had a laptop but no cell phone yet.
Mason responded that it was in the works, though the weather might delay delivery. With a glance at Kate, Colton added that Kate’s old phone was in her apartment, and that it had a contact list on it. Wouldn’t have the newest contacts but was still viable as a starting point.
Need her permission to get it.
Colton leaned toward Kate and said, “Mason is asking permission to get into your apartment to get your old cell phone.”
Her face blanched, but she nodded. “Top dresser drawer in the right hand corner.”
“How does he get in?” he asked.
“What?” she asked mockingly. “Won’t they pull some of your ninja stunts and just break in?”
“He could,” Colton said, “but it would probably be better if he didn’t have to.”
She groaned and nodded, then told him the manager had a key, but her girlfriend had one as well. She gave him the names of both. “We’ll have to contact my girlfriend and let her know what happened though.”
“Right,” he said. “I’ll get Mason to make that call and see if he can convince her that we need to get in.” With that information parlayed, Colton passed on a message with an update of their discussions with the base commander and the MPs. They’ll be cooperative but won’t necessarily instigate or open an investigation, Colton typed.