Nate drove her to the chaplain’s office in the Main Post Chapel complex and waited in the lobby, giving Maggie time alone with the clergyman.
Jamison met Nate there.
“I thought it might be easier to talk privately here.” Jamison pointed to a small room across the hall from the Chaplain’s office. The area was usually reserved for counseling.
As soon as the two agents sat down, Jamison asked, “How’s Maggie doing?”
“Amazingly well, really. She’s got an internal strength that seems to be supporting her.”
“It’s got to be tough, but then you can relate.”
Nate thought of Michael’s funeral. “Yeah. Maybe.”
After mentioning the dark-colored sedan and then recounting what had happened at Wally’s Pawn, Nate said, “The local police are keeping an eye on Kendra’s neighborhood, but I want you to contact the Postal Inspectors and the FBI. The pawnshop needs to be kept under constant surveillance as well as the post offices on the list uncovered in Major Bennett’s quarters.”
Jamison nodded. “Looks like Wally’s serves as the collection point for all the shipped goods.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Nate rubbed his hand over his chin. “Kendra said she gave the packages to a guy named LeShawn. He was at the shop today, a tall African-American, mid-thirties. See what you can find out about him. Also Ronald Jones. He goes by Bubba.”
Jamison jotted down the names before Nate continued. “I have a feeling Wally’s dealing in stolen weapons on the side.” He gave Jamison the serial number off the .45 caliber Bubba had shown him. “Run a trace and see whether the firearm’s stolen. If it is, civilian law enforcement will have a reason to haul all of them in for questioning.”
“Will do.”
“Did you learn anything about Maggie’s father or his suicide?” Nate asked.
“The archived report was brief. Lieutenant Colonel Bennett took his own life. The funeral was held at the Main Post Chapel, and he was buried in his family’s plot in Wisconsin where he’d grown up.”
“Any indication as to why he had committed suicide?”
“Nothing was in the record.”
“What about Graham Hughes?” Nate asked.
“I contacted the cab company. No pickups anywhere near where Graham was staying last night. Nor is there a record of any cabs gaining entry to post within an hour each way of the time of death.”
“That still doesn’t rule out the estranged husband.”
“We talked to a second contractor who works with AmeriWorks. He said Graham keeps his nose clean and his eyes off the women.”
“But he could have been hiding his philandering. After all, he was at Wanda’s all night.”
Jamison tapped his pencil against his notepad. “Seems to me someone would be talking if he was a womanizer.”
“What about Arnold Zart?”
“I spoke with him at length. He’s not real quick on the uptake, but he said last night was the first time Graham had shown any interest in another woman.”
“Which doesn’t prove anything.” Nate couldn’t hide the frustration in his voice.
“What’s eating you?” Jamison followed his gaze across the hall to the closed door of the chaplain’s office. “It’s her, isn’t it? I can see it, man. You’re involved?”
“Involved?”
“Totally over the top. She gets to you.” Jamison spread his hands. “Although I can’t blame you. She’s beautiful. Plus the pain she’s going through gives her a certain vulnerability. Guys like that.”
“I’m not any guy.”
“No, you’re not. You’re a dedicated special agent who usually has great vision and believes in the Uniform Code of Military Justice.” Jamison shook his head. “But nothing points to foul play in this case.”
“Unless the connection between Major Bennett and whatever’s being brought into the U.S. via the mail led someone to set up a murder to look like suicide.”
“Guilt over her involvement in criminal activity could be what caused her suicide,” Jamison suggested.
“What if she could have stumbled onto the operation and was killed to keep quiet?”
“The house was clean, Nate. No prints. No forced entry. No signs of a struggle.”
“Have the alcohol and toxicology screens come back yet?”
“Blood alcohol was consistent with having consumed one to two glasses of wine. Still awaiting tox results.”
Nate thought of the bottle of cabernet on the kitchen counter. “There were two wineglasses. Mills said the one in the dishwasher had been wiped clean of prints. Tell me, why would Major Bennett wipe down a glass she was going to wash?”
When Jamison failed to reply, Nate supplied the answer. “Because someone else wiped it down. Someone who drank wine with her that night. The same person wiped his prints off the bottle, as well. And who would Major Bennett let into her home? Who would know enough about her family history to set the stage for the suicide in just that way?”
“You think it has to be Graham Hughes?”
Nate leaned back into the chair. He glanced, once again, at the chaplain’s office. “I don’t know what to think.”
Maggie was convinced Graham had killed her sister. Was she influencing Nate? Jamison was right. The evidence didn’t seem to point to murder. But all the evidence wasn’t in yet.
“What about her shoes?” Nate asked. “Did they dust them for prints?”
Jamison glanced through the file he’d pulled from his briefcase. “Not that I can see.”
“I’m driving Maggie to Major Bennett’s quarters as soon as she finishes talking to the chaplain. She needs to pick out the major’s uniform for burial. I’ll bag the shoes and bring them back to headquarters.”
“I could notify Mills and have him stop by the house.”
Nate shook his head. “Not a problem. I’ll handle it.”
Jamison hesitated, his lips pursed. “I hate to tell you, but Chief Wilson is ready to get this investigation wrapped up.”
“It’s been less than twenty-four hours.”
“I know, but Sergeant Thorndike overheard a conversation the provost marshal had with the commanding general.”
“The old man was putting pressure to bear?”
“Evidently.”
“Thorndike talks too much.”
“I’m just telling you what he told me.” Jamison checked his watch and then grabbed his briefcase. “I need to get back to headquarters and make those calls you requested.”
A few minutes after Jamison left, the chaplain’s door opened. A sense of relief washed over Nate. Maggie appeared calm and seemingly at peace, despite her puffy eyes. Evidently, she’d shed tears with Chaplain Grant. Hopefully they were cathartic.
Returning to her sister’s home would be difficult. Nate was glad he could be with her to offer support, but when he pulled to a stop in front of Quarters 1448, his cell phone rang.
He glanced down at the caller ID before he raised the cell to his ear. “Kelly, give me a second.” He turned to Maggie. “I’m sorry, but this won’t take long.”
“You go ahead and talk, Nate. I’ll go inside.”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded. Her eyes were clear, and the look of resolve on her face reassured him. “When you’re through talking to Kelly, you can help me with Dani’s uniform.”
“You’ve still got the key to her quarters?”
Maggie nodded as she climbed from the car.
He watched her walk toward the house. Arranging for her sister’s burial seemed to have given Maggie a feeling of usefulness despite her grief.
Nate returned the phone to his ear. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Kel.”
“I’m driving through Atlanta and thought you might want me to stop by Fort Gillem.”
He smiled. “To hustle our forensic lab along? Yeah, thanks. The blood alcohol came back, but I need the tox report. There’s a rumor that Chief Wilson wants the case wrapped up ASAP, but I wa
nt to make sure we have all the facts in first.”
“Sounds pretty straightforward from what I’ve heard,” Kelly said before she disconnected. Like everyone else, she had an opinion about the case. Suicide was the option of choice, except Maggie was convinced her sister had been murdered. And now she had Nate starting to wonder.
Had Graham Hughes returned to the quarters and killed the major, as Maggie believed? If the major hadn’t taken her own life and if Graham hadn’t killed her, then who else would want the major dead?
Was there something else happening here that Nate hadn’t yet figured out? Something that had put Major Bennett in harm’s way and had led to her death?
Something that now placed others in danger?
SEVEN
Maggie stepped into the cool interior of Quarters 1448, all too aware she had found her sister’s body the last time she’d come through that very same door. For a moment, she wished she had remained in the car with Nate, but he was busy with a phone call, and she didn’t need to be a burden. He’d already done so much to support her throughout the day.
A momentary sense of calm filled her when she thought of his crystal-blue eyes and the compassion she read in his gaze. The man had a heart. Something she hadn’t expected from a military officer, especially someone involved in law enforcement.
Moving into the living room, she noticed the curtains had been drawn, casting the interior of the home in shadow. Just as it had last night—actually early this morning—her gaze locked on her father’s medals. The Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal—others she couldn’t name which he had worn with pride. As a child, she had thought he had placed more emphasis on the medals than he had his daughters.
Maggie, being more of an introvert, hadn’t sought the attention Dani demanded. With black hair, expressive eyes and an energetic personality, Dani had made her presence known at every opportunity. In contrast, Maggie preferred to huddle in the corner with a book, living vicariously through the stories she read.
Not that either girl had been able to pull their less-than-demonstrative father from his job. Long workdays left little time to interact with his children. A fact of life Maggie accepted.
If anything, their father’s aloofness coupled with their mother’s illness forced the two sisters to depend on one another. Until—
Once again, tears swamped her eyes, like a cresting river ready to overflow its banks. Maggie counseled the grieving but was at a loss as to how to ease her own pain now. Time would help, she knew that much.
Life would get better if she lived in the moment and didn’t try to anticipate the future. She’d done that today with Nate’s help. Preparing for Dani’s funeral had given her a sense of purpose for which she was grateful.
Pulling a tissue from her purse, she wiped the tears from her cheeks and inhaled deeply, fighting to gain control of her frayed emotions. She had a uniform to retrieve, which needed to be delivered to the funeral director.
With renewed determination, she grasped the banister and climbed the steps, wishing she and Dani could have had more time together. Here in her sister’s home, Maggie could almost hear her laughter. Not that she could recall Dani laughing on the phone last night. Her voice had been tense and filled with apprehension.
Stepping onto the upper landing, Maggie tried to focus on the bedroom. Instead her gaze strayed to the attic door, hanging open like a giant cavern of pain and darkness. A lump lodged in Maggie’s throat and brought more stinging tears to burn like salt water in her eyes.
Grabbing the knob to the master suite, she pushed into the room and away from the terrible memories of last night that played with her mind. A shuffle came from the built-in closet. She turned toward the sound and startled when a man stepped forward. “Graham!”
He stared at her with that same cocky attitude that had girls flocking around him in high school. Including her. Although taller and broader, his appeal hadn’t diminished. “Good to see you, Maggie.”
“How dare you come back here.” A fire ignited in the pit of her stomach, stoked by the smirk he plastered on his square face. “How can you have the gall to come back to the place where you killed my sister?”
His face twisted. “I didn’t kill her. I loved her.”
“You killed Dani and then spent the night with another woman. I don’t call that love. I call it sick, disgusting.”
“You have to let me explain.” He stepped closer. “You’ve never allowed me to explain—not any of it.”
She held up her hands, palms out, willing him to stop. The air thickened, and she suddenly couldn’t breathe. A vision of her sister’s body, hanging from the rafters, swirled through her mind.
“Maggie, you’ve got to understand—”
“Understand what? That you lied to every woman who ever cared for you? That you can’t be trusted? That you only think of yourself and never of anyone else?”
“I’ve thought about you.”
For half a heartbeat, she was once again that teenage girl enamored with her sister’s boyfriend. Then he took another step.
“Stay away from me, Graham.”
His voice softened. “That’s not what you said years ago.”
She remembered all too well the things she had told him—foolish words that should never have been spoken.
“Don’t, Graham.” Her breath came in ragged gulps. She backed into the corner of the room, before realizing she could go no farther.
“There was a reason for everything that happened, Maggie.”
She steeled herself to the velvet tone of his voice and fisted her hands. “You mean there’s a reason why you killed Dani?”
“I did no such thing.” His tone was emphatic.
“You killed her and made her death look like a suicide. I found her, just the way my mother found my father. You planned it that way, didn’t you? You wanted to get back at me.”
“Are you feeling guilty, Maggie?”
“Why would I feel guilty when you killed her?”
“I’m not talking about Dani.” He reached for her hand. “Why didn’t you tell anyone the truth about that night?”
Maggie jerked away. “What would I tell them? That I’d made a terrible mistake? Right after that the dominos started to fall. Dani got in trouble and then my father’s death.”
“You weren’t to blame, baby.”
“Don’t call me that.”
The bedroom door burst open. Nate stormed into the room, gun drawn and aimed at Graham. “Back away from her.”
Graham turned. “What the—”
“Now,” Nate demanded.
Letting out a frustrated groan, Graham backed up toward the closet.
Nate glanced at Maggie, his face washed with concern. “Did he hurt you?”
She shook her head. “I… I’m okay.”
He flicked his gaze back to Graham. “What are you doing here, Mr. Hughes?”
“Getting some of my things. You can talk to Jamison Steele. He told me that I could retrieve my personal items. Besides, I’ve got an alibi for last night.”
“Yeah,” Maggie spit out. “Another woman.”
“Grab what you need, Mr. Hughes, and then leave the quarters immediately.”
Graham stared first at Maggie and then at Nate as if deciding whether to comply. Finally, he pulled a few items from the dresser and stomped out of the room. His footfalls were heavy on the steps as he retreated downstairs and left through the back door. The sound of a car engine could be heard from the rear alley.
Maggie had felt confusion before, but now she was even more twisted inside. Tears streamed down her cheeks, clouding her eyes and making it impossible for her to see Nate. His strong arms wrapped around her. Folding into his embrace, she found his shoulder, soaking in the strength of him.
She needed him, needed his stability and levelheadedness, all the things that made him so opposite Graham. Nate stood for reason and righteousness. He was a good and honorable man.
What did he s
ee when he looked at her? Did he see the mixed-up woman who had made bad choices with lasting repercussions? She had to keep the truth about who she was from Nate, no matter how much she wanted to bare her soul and tell him about the teenage girl who had fallen in love with her sister’s boyfriend. All Maggie had wanted was someone to love. She’d never considered how her actions would change her family forever.
Nate felt Maggie’s heart pounding against his chest. Her tears dampened his shirt, and her breath fanned his neck between her gut-wrenching sobs. He rubbed his fingers over her back, drawing her closer.
The very fiber of his being was tuned to Maggie’s need, and at this moment, nothing else mattered except keeping her safe. His cheeks caressed her hair, like strands of gold mixed with spun silk. He inhaled, smelling her flowery perfume and the clean scent of shampoo.
A sense of his own manliness swelled within him, a sensation filled with so many emotions—righteousness coupled with mercy, virtue armored with strength. For the first time, he had a glimpse into his soul and was surprised by the goodness he found amassed there.
With Maggie in his arms, he felt invincible. Not in a worldly puffed-up way, but as a just warrior who battled evil and turned wrong to right. The power of those thoughts made him heady and mystified by the effect Maggie had on him.
“It’s okay, honey,” he soothed.
His fingers caressed her neck and tangled in her thick hair. “I’m here. No one’s going to hurt you.”
“Oh, Nate,” she whispered.
What was happening to his ordered world? Right now, it was swirling out of control, but instead of crashing into destruction, he was being raised to something wonderful and larger than himself—larger than both of them.
Slowly, Maggie’s sobs subsided. She pulled back slightly and stared into his eyes, searching his face. All rational thought left him, and he was aware of only the sweetness of her lips and how much he wanted to caress them with his own.
He lowered his mouth to meet hers.
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