The Officer's Secret

by Giusti, Debby

  Nate nodded. “I’m scheduled to brief him at 1600 hours.”

  “Roger that.”

  The sergeant glanced once again at Lieutenant Colonel Foglio’s quarters and rubbed his hand over his jaw as he turned back to Nate. “I did some investigating on my own, sir. Found out Mrs. Foglio took in the mail and watered the houseplants when Major Bennett was deployed and Graham Hughes was traveling due to his contract work.”

  Maggie inhaled sharply. “The family had a key to my sister’s quarters?”

  “That’s right, ma’am.”

  Thorndike chewed on his lip, then narrowed his gaze as he looked first at the package Maggie still held in her hands and then at Nate. “The kid gave Agent McQueen a hard time, sir, so I’m not the only one who thinks he should be kicked off post.”

  The sergeant’s voice was laced with attitude, which Nate chose to ignore. He’d give Thorndike the benefit of the doubt. Everyone had been working long hours and nerves were pulled thin, including his own.

  “I’ll see you at the briefing, Sergeant.”

  “Yes, sir.” Thorndike touched his hand to his forehead in an informal salute and drove away.

  Nate opened the passenger door for Maggie and after she was settled inside, he glanced, once again, at the quarters across the street. Kelly had brought Kyle Foglio in for questioning last summer after he had tried to buy beer on post using a false ID. The kid had gone berserk during the interrogation, shouting that she would pay for messing with a lieutenant colonel’s son. Kelly had calmly instructed the father to control his child. To Lieutenant Colonel Foglio’s credit, the boy had left post the following morning, supposedly because his mother wanted him back with her. No one had been sorry to see him go.

  Was there a connection between Mrs. Foglio having a key to Quarters 1448 and Major Bennett’s death? Seemed doubtful, yet Nate wouldn’t disregard anything at this point. He wished he had more time to investigate. If only Chief Wilson, the head of Fort Rickman’s CID unit, and the provost marshal on post weren’t so set on classifying Major Bennett’s death as a suicide.

  Nate mulled over the information he had on the case as he drove in silence back to the BOQ. Before Maggie got out of the car, he reached for her hand. “Will you join me for dinner tonight?”

  She nodded. “I’d like that. Can I run to the store and get anything? I saw a grocery just outside the main gate.”

  “You stay put at Kelly’s. I’ll throw something on the grill again so it’ll be easy.”

  Nate felt a warm sense of anticipation as he drove back to headquarters despite the rain that started to fall with a vengeance. Then he thought about Major Bennett’s funeral in the morning. Realizing tonight might be the last evening he’d have with Maggie, his optimism took a nosedive.

  Somehow within the last forty-eight hours, Maggie Bennett had worked her way into— He sighed, knowing he might as well admit it. Maggie had worked her way into his heart.

  After she left Fort Rickman and returned to Alabama, how long would it take him to get over her? Nate shook his head and groaned. Maybe a lifetime.

  Maggie glanced at the clock in Kelly’s kitchen and wondered when Nate would get home. Evidently the briefing had run long. Walking into the living area, she pulled back the curtains that covered the glassed upper portion of the back door and gazed at the sky. The last rays of the winter sun hung low on the horizon, and dark clouds were rolling in from the west, signaling more rain.

  Earlier, a storm had caused additional problems for Freemont and the surrounding area. The evening news had mentioned growing concern as the river neared crest level in the downtown area. A local campground south of Freemont had been evacuated, and the townspeople were cautioned to stay clear of the raging water and the strong currents that threatened to wash everything downstream. At least Fort Rickman was on higher ground.

  Maggie’s cell phone chirped. She walked into the entryway where she’d left her purse on a small table by the door. Retrieving the phone, she glanced down at her sister’s Bible, which she’d placed on the table earlier. With her free hand, she touched the leather surface. The passage Dani had marked flashed through her mind.

  Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Dani had scratched out brother and inserted sister above the printed line.

  Maggie shook her head ever so slightly. She didn’t deserve forgiveness. Especially from her sister.

  Knowing this wasn’t the time to reflect on the meaning of the scripture or Dani’s attempt to alter the text, Maggie raised the phone to her ear.

  Kendra’s panicked voice greeted her. “Someone broke into my house.” Maggie gasped, but didn’t get a chance to reply before Kendra continued. “Luckily I had taken my daughter to my mother’s place to spend the night. When I returned, I saw the lock on the back door had been pried open. Whoever broke in, trashed my house. Papers were scattered everywhere.”

  “Did they take anything?”

  “I can’t find the CID agent’s card. I had placed it on the windowsill above my sink in the kitchen, close to the phone. It’s not there now, and it’s not in the pile of rubble on the floor.”

  “Did you call the police?”

  “I was too afraid. Someone might be watching my house. They could have seen Agent Patterson when you two talked to me yesterday.” Kendra lowered her voice. “They’re probably watching me still.”

  Maggie thought of the dark sedan that had followed her out of Kendra’s neighborhood. “I’ll call Nate. He’ll come over to help you.”

  “No!” The woman’s reply was sharp. “I don’t want any more trouble. I called my mother and told her I was going out of town for a while. She’ll take care of my baby girl.”

  “You can’t run away.”

  “Isn’t that what you and Dani did in high school?”

  Maggie sighed. If only it had been that simple. “My father died. We were forced to move off post. My mother wanted to get away from this area. Besides, at the time you didn’t seem to care much about what happened to Dani the way you literally left her holding the bag after the two of you were caught shoplifting.”

  “She told me that her dad would talk to the cops. That we’d both be okay. Instead she moved away, and I ended up getting caught anyway. I got a year in juvie.”

  “Dani didn’t want to leave you or Freemont High.”

  “I don’t know why she butted into my life in the first place.” Anger replaced some of the fear Maggie had heard in Kendra’s voice earlier. “For some reason, Dani wanted to be part of the gang, but she was from post. None of us had what she was used to.”

  “She needed a place to belong. That’s what you gave her, Kendra.”

  “I don’t know about that. I think my brother Rodney was the attraction. Someone said she used him to make Graham jealous. Then there was that rumor that he liked someone else. After you all moved, Graham changed, like he was hurt inside.”

  “Did he mention my sister?”

  “He said someone had messed with his mind. He never mentioned anyone’s name.”

  “That was high school, Kendra.”

  “Yeah, but things happen then and a person may never be able to move on. You know what I’m saying?”

  Maggie did know, all too well.

  “I saw Dani downtown in Freemont one day not too long after she moved back to Fort Rickman,” Kendra continued. “She looked good dressed in her uniform. I was real proud of her, going into the service, like her dad. She used to tell me how much he loved her. I kept wondering what it would be like if my dad had stayed around. Sometimes I’d dream about having a father like you and Dani had, a father who loved me and doted on me.”

  Dani had painted a picture for Kendra that wasn’t true. No matter how much Dani had craved attention, their father had turned a blind eye to her need to be loved. He’d turned a blind eye to Maggie, as well.

  Nate’s face played through her mind. Warmth washed over her. He represented what she had craved as a kid.
Security. Affirmation. Someone who cared.

  Kendra pulled in a ragged breath. “Listen, I’ve got to get out of here. Give me twenty-four hours. Then you can tell Agent Patterson, but if he steps in now, he’d do more harm than good.”

  “I don’t like it, Kendra.”

  “But you owe me.”

  “For what?”

  “For not telling Dani that you were the girl with Graham that night down at the river.”

  A warning pounded through Maggie’s head and a roar filled her ears. Would that one mistake continue to dog her for the rest of her life? “Fine,” she said. “Twenty-four hours. But Kendra, after that you’ve got to find a way to let me know you’re all right. These people are dangerous. Don’t trust anyone.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I know how to take care of myself,” Kendra replied. “I’ll be fine.”

  Maggie froze, too shocked to even say goodbye as Kendra ended the call. I’ll be fine. Those were the last words Dani had said to her two nights ago. Maggie wanted to believe that Kendra was going to be fine, that she had the situation under control, but she couldn’t help but worry that, like Dani, Kendra’s certainty that she’d be “fine” would turn out to be wrong. Dead wrong.

  ELEVEN

  Maggie stepped back into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around her waist, trying to focus on anything except Kendra’s phone call. Nate. Dinner. Dani’s funeral.

  If only she had gone to the store as she had suggested to Nate earlier in the day. Surely he would be tired when he got home. She could have had dinner ready, if he hadn’t insisted he had everything under control, which seemed to be his mantra.

  Opening the refrigerator, she pulled out a head of lettuce, feeling confident Kelly wouldn’t mind if she made a salad. Maggie found a bag of frozen peas and a heat-and-serve potato casserole in the freezer. Nate could grill the meat, but she would ensure the rest of the meal was prepared.

  Cooking would occupy her hands and her mind and help to push aside everything Kendra had said. For the past two days, Maggie had focused on Dani and her funeral. Tonight Kendra had added another element that had Maggie worried. The element of danger. Would Kendra get hurt for answering the questions she and Nate had asked?

  “Don’t go there,” she said aloud, forcing her mind onto more pleasant thoughts like the way Nate had escorted her throughout the honor ceremony and how drop-dead gorgeous he looked in his uniform. Drop-dead?

  “Wrong choice of words,” she mumbled as she washed the lettuce under a flow of cool water from the tap.

  A sound startled her. She glanced into the living area at the glass portion of the rear door that opened onto a small back stoop. Footsteps?

  A tingle of concern played along her neck and put her nerve endings on alert.

  There was no mistaking the sound. Someone was climbing the stairs to the back porch.

  She turned off the water and sidled toward the refrigerator, hoping the nearby dividing wall to the rest of the apartment would block her from the view of anyone outside.

  A lamp in the living area shone brightly, but the porch light was off, causing the window to reveal nothing except an expansive sea of black.

  Again a shuffling sound came from outside. As Maggie watched, the doorknob turned. Her throat constricted. Oh, no.

  The lock held, but seconds later, the sound of splintering wood filled her ears.

  Where was the phone? She had to call for help.

  She glanced furtively at her purse still sitting on the table in the entryway. Getting to her cell would place her in full view of the back door where the curtains hung open.

  What about the landline? If only Kelly had an extension in the kitchen. Maggie flicked her eyes over the countertops then turned to gaze at the only noncellular phone she could see, which sat on an end table near the back door.

  Another crack of wood sent slivers of fear ricocheting along her spine. Kendra had said someone had pried the lock off her door. Was the same person now trying to gain entry into Kelly’s apartment?

  Maggie glanced at the front door. Her car was in the parking lot. Would she be able to reach it in time? Or would the culprit round the apartment complex and grab her in the open lot? She needed her car keys, but they were in her purse. Could she move fast enough to escape?

  Suddenly there was silence. Maggie strained to hear any noise that might indicate what would happen next. All she heard was the pounding of her heart.

  She eased open the drawer where Kelly kept her silverware. Her fingers wrapped around a sturdy butcher knife, sharp enough to do damage, if she needed to defend herself.

  Once again, she peered around the dividing wall.

  Staring at the back door, she saw a shadowed form through the window. Lifting his arm, he hurled something at the—

  A loud crash. Glass exploded.

  Maggie screamed.

  Run! an inner voice warned.

  She dashed into the entryway. The back door creaked open, and glass crunched underfoot. Someone was inside the apartment, coming toward her.

  A rush of adrenaline pushed her forward. She yanked her purse off the table and reached for the front doorknob, failing to unlatch the dead bolt. The knife dropped to the floor.

  Using both hands, she flipped the bolt and turned the knob. The door flew open.

  Cold, damp air swirled around her as she raced across the walkway. She spied her car, sitting in the parking area.

  Movement. She glanced into the darkness, seeing someone in the shadows, barely able to sneak a glimpse as she ran as fast as she could.

  Shaved head. A flash of metal. Body piercings?

  Help me, Lord.

  She fumbled with her purse as she ran. Where were her keys?

  Footsteps sounded behind her.

  She wouldn’t make it to her car in time.

  A hand grabbed her shoulder.

  She jerked to get away. “Maggie?”

  The voice—

  “Nate?” She turned, seeing his face twisted with concern. “Oh, thank God it’s you.”

  She fell into his arms.

  “What happened?” He pulled her back to stare into her eyes. “Tell me,” he demanded.

  She pointed to the BOQ. Her words came out in gasps. “Someone…someone tried…to break in. Glass shattered. The back door.”

  He grabbed her arm and encouraged her to move with him to where his car was parked. Opening the door, he handed her the keys. “Lock yourself in. If anyone approaches you, lay on the horn. I’ll call for backup and check the rear of the complex.”

  He lifted his cell to his ear and punched in a number on speed dial. “This is Patterson. I’m at the BOQ complex. I need backup now.”

  After insuring she was safely locked inside his car, Nate raced toward the rear of the complex.

  Maggie’s heart hammered in her chest. She gasped for air. Dani was dead. Kendra was on the run.

  And now Nate was heading right into the face of danger. She moaned, glancing once again to where Nate had disappeared around the corner of the large BOQ complex.

  Not Nate. Please, dear Lord, keep him safe.

  TWELVE

  Nate found nothing behind the BOQ except broken glass and Kelly’s back door hanging open. From the looks of the splintered wood, the perpetrator had tried to pry off the lock. When that hadn’t worked, he had broken the glass in the window portion of the door. Careful not to disrupt evidence in the crime scene, Nate entered the apartment and checked to ensure the invader wasn’t still inside.

  The sound of sirens greeted Nate as he headed back to the parking lot. Maggie was sitting in his car, eyes wide and arms wrapped protectively around her shoulders. Two military police cars pulled into the lot and screeched to a stop.

  “Dispatch said you had a problem, sir.” Sergeant Thorndike saluted as he stepped from the sedan. Corporal Mills followed suit from the second car.

  “Someone broke into Agent McQueen’s BOQ. Apartment 2A. Shattered the glass on the back door.”
Nate glanced at Maggie. “Ms. Bennett was inside and ran out the front.”

  Nate pointed to the rear of the complex. “You men check out the back entrance. Dust for prints, and see what you can find while I talk to Ms. Bennett.”

  “Roger that, sir.”

  The two MPs double-timed around the corner and out of sight. Maggie released the lock and opened the car door as Nate approached.

  “What did you find?” she asked.

  “Shattered glass and an empty apartment.”

  “Did they take anything?”

  “They? How many people did you see, Maggie?”

  “A shadowed form at the back porch before the glass broke, but there was someone in the parking lot. He had a shaved head and was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. I think it was the teen that lives across from Dani’s house.”

  “You saw him?”

  “Or someone who looked liked him.”

  “Let’s get inside. Sergeant Thorndike and Corporal Mills are sweeping the back for evidence. I want you to check the apartment and ensure your things weren’t disturbed.”

  Maggie went toward the bedrooms when they entered the apartment. Nate headed to the living area where the two MPs were working the crime scene. “Find anything?”

  “Not yet, sir.” Corporal Mills glanced up from dusting the door for prints. “Did Ms. Bennett get a visual?”

  Nate shook his head. “Negative to the person who broke in.”

  “Would have made our job easier if she could ID someone,” Thorndike said.

  “But she did see a kid with a shaved head in the parking lot.”

  “Only one that comes to mind is Lieutenant Colonel Foglio’s son.” The sergeant turned to Mills. “Call it in. See if one of our MPs can search the area. If the kid is still around, they’ll find him.”

  Mills stepped outside to call as Maggie’s footsteps sounded from the hallway. Approaching Nate, she said, “Nothing appears to have been disturbed in the bedrooms, but I found this on the floor.” She held out a large shard of glass.

  “I’ll take that, ma’am.” Thorndike stepped toward her and held open a plastic evidence bag into which she dropped the broken glass fragment.