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Inman slipped the notebook into his shirt pocket as the tow truck headed back to town. “I’ll let you folks know if we find any prints.” He rolled the tire to his sedan and placed it in the trunk.
Then turning to Carrie, he added, “I might be jumping to the wrong conclusion, ma’am, but it looks like someone’s not happy that you’re in Freemont.”
Tyler had to agree.
“Lock your doors and windows. Call my number or Special Agent Zimmerman if you feel threatened in any way or if anything else happens.”
“Good advice,” Tyler said to Carrie. “We’re both worried about your safety.”
“Use caution, ma’am,” Owens continued. “As I said before, seems someone wants to do you harm.”
Her face twisted with concern. “But why?”
The cop pursed his lips. “No clue, except it might tie in with the soldier’s death.”
“Or my father’s,” she added.
Tyler needed to learn more about the sergeant major. He wouldn’t give voice to his suspicions, because it would upset Carrie even more, but just as she had mentioned earlier, her father could have been involved in something illegal that could play in to the corporal’s death and have bearing on her accident today.
Inman nodded to Carrie and slapped Tyler’s arm before he slid behind the wheel of his police sedan.
After ushering Carrie to his car, Tyler held the door for her as she settled onto the passenger seat. “I’m grateful Officer Inman responded to the call,” he said as he climbed into the driver’s side. “Someone without knowledge of what happened last night might not see the significance of the accident.”
Her face was drawn and her eyes reflected both fatigue and worry. “How would someone know where I was or which car in the lot was mine?”
“Your out-of-state tags would be easy to spot. Information travels fast in small towns. No telling who knew you planned to visit George Gates.”
She shook her head. “But I didn’t have an appointment.”
“You told him yesterday that you would return in the morning.”
“What if losing the tire was just a random act?”
Tyler sighed. “Having three lug nuts go missing is more than happenstance, Carrie.”
“Then either someone’s trying to scare me off, or it involves Corporal Fellows, as Officer Inman mentioned.”
When Tyler failed to reply, she turned her gaze to the road. “Whatever the reason, the person responsible doesn’t understand my determination to learn more about my father.”
“Might be a good idea to program my cell number into your phone, Carrie.”
“I already have.”
They drove in silence until Tyler turned into the Harris driveway and parked at the side of the antebellum home. He glanced at the barn and the small chicken coop at the rear, seeing movement. His neck tingled a warning.
“Looks like someone’s prowling around your property, Carrie. Stay here until I give you the all clear.”
Before she could object, he slipped from the car and cautiously approached the barn, keeping his right hand close to the weapon on his hip. He stopped at the corner and watched as a man peered over the top of the coop.
“You’re trespassing.” Tyler raised his voice. “Put your hands in the air and turn around slowly.”
The man complied without hesitation. Only he wasn’t much over fifteen, with a shaggy haircut, suspenders and black pants. A hat lay on the ground, along with a bucket half filled with what looked like chicken feed.
“State your name and the reason you’re on the Harris property.”
“Eli Plank.”
His clothing identified him as Amish. “Isaac Lapp asked me to feed the chickens while he and his family are out of town.” The kid blinked. “I have done nothing wrong.”
Tyler realized his mistake. “You can put your hands down, Eli. I didn’t know anyone was helping out.”
The boy lowered his arms. “Isaac has been caring for the chickens since Mr. Harris died. He asked me to lend a hand so he and his wife and Joseph could visit the boy’s Grossdaadi. His grandfather.”
“Where do you live?”
He pointed south. “The next farm. You know my Datt?”
Tyler shook his head. “I’ve seen him working in the fields, but we haven’t met.”
“Tyler?”
Hearing Carrie’s voice, Tyler peered around the barn. She was walking toward them.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Everything’s fine.” He introduced Carrie to the Amish boy and explained the reason Eli was on the property.
“Thank you for taking care of the chickens.” Carrie opened her purse. “I’d like to pay you.”
The boy shook his head. “I was helping Isaac. That needs no payment, but I must go home now.” After returning the unused feed in the barn, Eli waved goodbye and hurried across the road.
“I don’t think Eli is anyone to fear.” Carrie watched as the boy approached the two-story farmhouse visible in the distance.
“Probably not, in fact, it’s doubtful any of the Amish are involved, but you never know. Remember Corporal Fellows was a neighbor.”
She tilted her head. “You’re a neighbor too.”
He nodded. “The difference is that you can trust me. I’m going back to post this afternoon to talk to Corporal Fellows’s first sergeant. He worked in the same unit as your father. If you want to join me, I’d be happy to show you around Fort Rickman.”
She hesitated for a moment and then nodded. “What time?”
Tyler glanced at his watch. “After lunch. Say one o’clock.”
“I’ll be ready.”
* * *
Ty pulled his SUV to a stop in front of the large white home with the tall columns and yesteryear appeal. He stepped onto the driveway, rounded the car and climbed the porch. The front door opened before he had time to knock.
Carrie stood in the doorway, looking far too pretty in a flowing skirt and matching sweater. She had changed out of the rain-damp clothes she’d worn this morning. With a nod of greeting, she grabbed a jacket from the rack in the foyer and stepped onto the porch, closing the door behind her.
He reached for the coat and helped her slip it on. “The sun’s out, but it’s still chilly and damp.”
“Thanks.”
He pointed to the door. “It’s locked, right?”
She nodded, then dug for keys in her purse. “But I’ll engage the dead bolt.” Flicking a worried glance at him, she added, “Just in case.”
“That’s right.” Ty didn’t want to belabor the point, but he was relieved that she understood the need for caution.
“Do you think Corporal Fellows’s uniform may have made him a target?” she asked.
“You’re concerned terrorism might have been involved?”
“Probably a long shot, but Senator Kingsley talks about some of the groups in the Middle East targeting young men and some women here in the States. Homegrown terrorism, lone wolf, whatever you want to call it, he believes we’re going to see more acts of aggression and violence in the days to come.”
Although Tyler hated to agree with the senator, he knew his assessment was right.
“I don’t understand,” Carrie continued, “how people can be brainwashed into thinking that killing has a greater good.”
“They’re looking for something to believe in, to give them an identity. A cause bigger than themselves. Without a good foundation of faith and morality, kids can confuse evil for good, especially when the message is coated with affirming rhetoric.”
“Sounds as if you know what you’re talking about.”
He shrugged. “Our military is built on guys who want to do good and fight for a cause bigger than themselves. Thankfully they’ve found what all kids want—a stable foundation.”
“Did you have that growing up?”
He laughed ruefully. “I had a strong-willed father who loved the Lord.”
Tyler hadn’t planned to talk about his childhood.
“I’m sure he’s proud of you.”
He hadn’t expected her comment either. “Maybe he would have been, but he died when I was a kid.”
“I’m sorry.”
Opening the passenger door, he helped her into the seat. Before he slipped behind the wheel, he glanced at the nearby Amish farms and the expansive fields. His own life had been shattered years ago, which was probably why he had been drawn to the serenity of Amish Road. Just as had happened in his youth, death now threatened the peace and well-being of those who lived nearby.
No matter the reason for the crime, the murderer needed to be apprehended sooner rather than later. Otherwise the tranquil countryside would be torn apart, especially if the killer struck again.
FIVE (#ulink_179a792e-1546-5cb1-a6ca-f34d63eb1fee)
Fort Rickman, with its stately oaks and tall pine trees, wasn’t what Carrie had expected. She had a preconceived notion of army posts filled with men in uniform marching across parade fields accompanied by flags and a band. Her false ideas had probably been the result of watching too many military movies as a kid that featured army heroes. Silly of her, but since she’d never known her father, she’d hoped the movies would help her understand the life he had lived.
Ty made a quick stop at CID headquarters and insisted she come into his office, which turned out to be a cubicle big enough for a desk and two chairs. He brought her coffee and asked for her to wait while he talked to one of the other agents about the case.
As she sipped the hot brew, she couldn’t help noticing the lack of photos and other knickknacks on his desk. Everything was neat and tidy but unadorned with anything that smacked of family or gave her a clue about who Ty Zimmerman really was.
He returned and smiled. “Ready to go to your father’s unit?”
She continued to be pleasantly surprised as they drove across post. A stream meandered next to a walking trail that bordered a grassy knoll. The plentiful stands of trees and expansive green spaces reminded her of a national park. She’d been to Fort Meyer and Fort Belvoir in Virginia with the senator. Both posts were beautiful, but they weren’t troop posts where soldiers trained for war. Somehow she hadn’t expected anything as lush at Fort Rickman.
“It looks so peaceful,” she said as they drove along a quiet two-lane road, overhung with a canopy of live oaks. “I expected dusty training areas with little or no vegetation.”
He pointed left and then right. “The training areas stretch east and west on either side of the main post garrison. If you’d like, we could drive there.”
She held up her hand. “That won’t be necessary. I’m not even sure about stopping by my father’s unit.”
“I thought you wanted to know more about who he was and what was important to him.”
“I do. It’s just that...” She hesitated. “I don’t know what to expect.”
“Not to worry. From what I’ve heard, Sergeant Major Harris was well liked and well respected. I’m sure his men and colleagues will enjoy meeting you.”
Tyler made a number of turns that eventually led to the engineer battalion. He pointed to a one-story brick building with a military flag hanging in front. To the side and rear were a number of three-story buildings.
“The taller structures are the barracks where the soldiers live. Battalion headquarters sits in the middle. That’s where the commander works, along with his staff and the command sergeant major.”
“Which was my father’s position.”
“That’s correct. He was the ranking noncommissioned officer in the battalion.”
All around them soldiers scurried from building to building. In the distance, she saw men standing in formation, and beside one of the barracks, military personnel were scrubbing trash cans. A soldier picked up a scrap of paper and tossed it in a nearby receptacle.
“Looks like everyone takes pride in maintaining the area.”
“I’m sure your father stressed that to his men.”
“They look so young.”
“That’s because they are, Carrie. Many of them are right out of high school.”
“And going to war.”
“If their unit is deployed.”
Pulling to a stop, he again opened her door and then ushered her toward the headquarters.
Stepping inside, she was surprised when three soldiers, sitting at desks, all rose to greet her. She hadn’t expected their manners or their welcoming smiles.
“Afternoon, ma’am,” they said practically in unison. The tallest of the three men turned to Tyler. “How may I help you, sir?”
He showed his identification and gave his name and Carrie’s. “I’d like to talk to Corporal Fellows’s first sergeant.”
“Yes, sir. That would be First Sergeant Baker. I’ll call him and ask him to come to headquarters.”
