Raleigh pulled the chair out and sat motionless, reading the words over and over until the page began to blur the longer he stared at it. “Is this all that was found?” he asked as he handed the paper back to Major Chambers, who then slipped it into a clear evidence bag.
“Yeah, and Tommy’s copy of his Quran,” Chambers answered.
“Where was the note found?”
“We found it folded up in his shirt pocket. Whoever it was wasn’t too observant. We found the letter right off. The Quran was lying on the floor just under his feet.”
“Really?” Raleigh questioned. “Well, we know for a fact it wasn’t Jared. Being a devout Muslim, he would know it is not permissible to place the Quran on the floor or in low places. It had to have been the assailant. Did y’all bag the Quran, too?”
“Yeah, the tech has it, and they will dust it for prints once they get it to the lab,” Matt replied.
“Good. Let me know what y’all find out, as soon as you find out.”
“Roger that, Chief,” Matt said as he started towards the door.
“Hey, Matty, do you know who is leading the investigation here?”
Major Chambers paused for a moment then grabbed the evidence bag. “I would think one of the Feds will show up eventually, but for right now, it will be me, as well as the supervisor here at the dentention center, Captain Anthony Butler.”
“Okay, good. Sergeant O’Hara and I will run over to the Post Office and see what we can find out in this safe deposit box. I am gonna need you to get the general to fax over a release so we can get into the box. Can you do that, Matty?”
“Oh, yeah, no problem,” Matt answered. “See ya in a few.”
Matt left, and Raleigh and Samantha followed closely behind. After saying their goodbyes to Matt outside, the pair left in Raleigh’s truck to head for the post office on the other side of Fort Bragg.
***
Samantha
“Are you hungry, Sammie? We can stop by the Burger Barn before we head to the Post Office. It is getting to be about lunch time, and they will probably be shutting down for lunch anyway.”
“Yeah, I could eat something. How are you doing?” Sam asked, hoping that Raleigh would open up even if it was just a little bit.
“I’m good, Sammie. Really, I am,” he said as he reached over and touched her hand then clasped it in his. “Can’t really go into detail now, baby, but I promise once we are back at the hotel we will chat. I promise.”
Samantha looked at Raleigh, his eyes so full of pain and sorrow. “Okay darlin’, I am gonna hold you to that,” she responded, squeezing his hand to tell him everything would be okay. “Let’s eat. I’m starving,” she said, getting out of the truck. Raleigh joined her at the front of his truck and they walked into the Burger Barn.
“Are we eating inside or are we getting this to go and find a nice quiet area to picnic?” Sam asked as she walked toward the counter to place her order.
“I like the way you think,” he said, leaning close to her ear. “There’s a nice quiet park with a pond just down the road a bit. Let’s get it to go.”
***
Raleigh
Raleigh pulled in and parked the truck under a tree closest to the big willow that sat just off the bank of the small duck pond. Jumping from the cab, he reached behind his seat and pulled out a blanket then went to help Samantha carry some of their lunch.
Walking ahead of her, Raleigh smiled an evil grin and said, “Just under that tree right there, Sammie, is the place I bring all my women. Then I have my way with them.”
“Wait, what?” she quickly snapped back, standing firmly in one spot. “I am not one of ‘your women’!” She had turned around and started heading back to the truck when she heard Raleigh spitting out a loud, victorious, belly laugh.
“What’s so funny, Mister Fitzgerald?” she said, her voice almost ripping through him.
“You, darlin’. Don’t you know by now that I am not the ladies’ man you think I am?” he said, walking toward her and stopping just close enough to cup her cheek. “Baby, I’ve only been here fishing. This is my favorite spot, and you are the first woman I have ever brought here. But damn if you don’t look cute as hell when you get jealous.”
She stood for a moment and leaned her head into his hand. When he leaned in to kiss her, Samantha pulled back and punched him in his arm. “Don’t do that, Raleigh,” she said, then realized she hit him in the shoulder where he had been shot.
“Oh my gosh, Raleigh, I am so sorry, hun. I wasn’t thinking.” Raleigh flinched and rubbed his arm, acting as though she had really hurt him. When he looked down at her, a smile crept over his face and he laughed.
“I’m fine, darlin’,” he said as he pulled her in under the willow tree and kissed her. “Don’t ya know it takes a lot more than that to hurt ol’ Fitz?”
His kiss deepened, and Samantha met his kiss, forgetting they were both in uniform and in public, but it almost didn’t matter to her anymore. Right then, it was just her and Raleigh. The rest of the world didn’t matter, at least not for that moment. Samantha pushed away from Raleigh, worry finally overtaking her that somehow, they might be seen.
“Aren’t you worried someone will see?” she asked him, his arms still wrapped around her waist.
“Nope, the willow does a good job of hiding what’s going on underneath.” He pulled her back to him. “Now come here and give ol’ Chief a big kiss,” he said playfully. Samantha pulled away, and Raleigh gave chase around the tree.
“We need to eat lunch, Raleigh. It’s getting cold.”
“It’ll keep. Now come here, Ms. O’Hara, let me show you how much this old willow hides.” Raleigh stood, looking right at Samantha. Lifting his jacket, he unbuckled his belt and started to unbutton his uniform pants.
“Raleigh, no! Oh my gosh, you are crazy,” she said laughing. “No, don’t do that.” Just as the words left her lips, Raleigh dropped his pants around his ankles and started toward Samantha.
“Come here, li’l darlin’. I wanna show you something,” Raleigh said, his pants still wrapped around his ankles, his boots keeping them on as he began to do a bit of a hop and run toward Samantha.
She finally stopped and walked up to him. “You are a crazy one, aren’t you, Mr. Fitzgerald?” she said as she moved closer to him. “Maybe that’s one of the reasons I fell in love with you. You make me laugh and you make my heart smile. You make life fun. Now pull your pants up before someone sees. Please,” she begged.
“Fine, darlin’! I’ll pull ‘em back up, but I ain’t happy ‘bout it,” Raleigh said with a sweet yet southern pouting banter in his voice.
“Oh, baby you’ll get over it, I promise. Now let’s spread out this blanket and eat. I am starving.”
“I am going to take my jacket off. It’s hot as blue blazes out here,” Raleigh said as he unzipped his jacket and laid it on the blanket, finally sitting down across from Samantha. She had already made herself comfortable and had started pulling their food from the paper bag.
“That actually sounds like a really great idea,” she said as she unzipped her jacket and laid it on top of Raleigh’s.
They sat for a few moments and watched the ducks swim and listened to the sounds of birds chirping and cars whizzing past the small park. Samantha finally broke the momentary silence.
“So, after we retrieve the contents of this safe deposit box, what then?” she questioned as she bit into her burger and waited anxiously for his response.
Smiling back, he flashed her a wink. “Changing the subject, I see,” he said, laughing.
“No, I am just wondering how long I gotta wait before I can get you naked again is all.”
Raleigh loved her bluntness and honesty and smiled as he responded to both questions. “First, darlin’, we are gonna look at all the evidence then bag it. Depends on the contents that will decide what we gotta do next. As for gettin’ me naked, ya just had me naked and made me put my clothes back on,” he said, grinning, waiting for the response he knew was coming.
Samantha quickly snapped back, laughing. “Oh yeah, and it was quite spectacular if I say so myself, but I meant in private, not out in public for the whole world to see.”
“I know. Guess you will just have to wait a bit longer, darlin’.” He leaned over and Samantha met his kiss.
Pulling back for a moment she looked into his eyes. “You, Mr. Fitzgerald, are a little shit, and I love it. Better yet, I love you.”
Raleigh’s smile crept across his face. He looked back at her and cupped her cheek in his hand. “Baby, I love you, too. We should probably finish up soon, so we can make it over to the post office right when they open back up.”
“Okie dokie,” she replied, and Raleigh laughed as he chewed the last bite of his burger and tossed the wrapper into the bag.
***
Raleigh stood for a moment and stared at box number 1266, holding the small key in his hand. Samantha stood close to him; the post master had excused himself from the secure room just moments before. “I should’ve known Jared would pull something like this,” he said just under his breath.
“What was that, Chief?” she asked.
“Oh, nothing. I just find it ironic that Jared’s post office box is the same number as the unit you are assigned to, Sammie.”
“I noticed that too. Do you think it means something?”
“I don’t have a clue,” he answered as he pushed the key in and turned, pulling the door open. Inside several envelopes lay piled along with a few folded-up maps and a single key taped to the top of the metal box. The key was inscribed in German—the words for Deutsche Bank.
“A key? What do you suppose that’s to?” Samantha asked. The puzzled look on her face was as apparent as she thought it was since Raleigh answered quickly.
“Well the key says Deutsche Bank, so I am going to assume it is to a safety deposit box at one of those banks. Let’s get out of here. We can look over the rest of the stuff back at the hotel then decide what to do from there. Sound good to you?”
Gathering the pile of papers and envelopes, they headed to the truck then the hotel. It was getting close to fourteen hundred hours so they needed to review the information quickly before the general left for the day; otherwise, they would have to wait until the following day to get to see him.
***
Raleigh spread the papers out on the dining table of the hotel room. Sitting down, he opened one of the envelopes and pulled out copies of financial documents from various banking intuitions. The biggest holder of funds was Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt, Germany.
“Well, that’s interesting!”
“What’s that?” Samantha asked as she sat in the chair next to Raleigh.
“It’s financial statements from banks all over the world—Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, the Cayman Islands, Luxembourg, and Barbados. As long as I’ve known Jared, he’s never been to these countries. So these have to belong to Al-Balshera or at least his organization.”
Raleigh handed Samantha a few of the documents, and she started to skim through them. “Raleigh, just this statement alone accounts for millions of dollars,” Samantha said as she continued to thumb through the other documents that lay spread out on the table before them.
Raleigh leaned back in his chair and scratched his head with both hands. “I am thirsty!” he said as he stood up and grabbed his key card. “You want anything from the machine, Sammie?”
“Yes, please, you know what I like,” she said with a wink.
“Darlin’, you gotta wait on that,” he said with a smile. “For now I’ll grab you a Diet Pepsi.”
Pouting, Samantha turned back to the papers before her. “All right, if I gotta wait, I’ll take a Diet Pepsi, babe.”
Raleigh winked at her then proceeded out the door to the vending machine. Grabbing two sodas and a bag of chili Cheetos, he headed back to their room. As he rounded the corner, the hairs on the back of his neck started to tingle, a sure sign to him that he was being watched. He checked around, looked behind him, and saw nothing, only a long hallway and a hotel maid he had passed earlier when they arrived. Weird, it’s almost seventeen hundred hours. Wouldn’t think they would still be cleaning rooms.
Raleigh continued down the hallway, passing the woman, and scanned the cart for anything that seemed out of place. He noticed what appeared to be a blood-soaked towel stuffed into a clear bag that hung on the cart, meant for garbage from the rooms. Not stopping, he continued toward his room until he was standing at the door fumbling for his key card; the sound of the wheels on the cart caught his attention, and he watched as the maid pushed the cart toward the elevator and out of his view.
Finally finding his key card, he opened the door and tossed Samantha her soda. “Weirdest thing just happened. I passed a maid in the hallway; the trash bag on the cart had what looked like a blood-soaked towel.”
“Why is that weird? We are in a hotel, Raleigh.”
“It’s weird because it’s after seventeen hundred hours and housekeeping is usually gone by now,” he said as he walked over to the window and shut the curtains. “Why don’t we call room service and eat in tonight? Would that be all right with you, babe?”
“Sounds great to me. I am always up for spending time alone with you.” As she spoke, she gave him a wink.
“I hear you, darlin’. Why don’t you go ahead and order dinner?” he said as he started to pace throughout the room, checking the peephole in the door then walking back to the window to peek through the curtain.
“Is everything all right, Raleigh?” A look of concern washed over her face. Raleigh stopped pacing and walked over to sit next to Samantha, who was curled up on the couch next to the phone.
“Everything is fine as frog hair, Sammie, I promise. It’s just something about that maid has me on edge. I’m sure it’s nothing, just some paranoia.”
“Are you sure, Raleigh?” Samantha grilled him.
“I’m sure, darlin’. I’m just wound tighter than a three-day clock. Been a crazy day and one I’m not likely to want to repeat. I just need to stay here close to you and cuddle till supper gets here. I’m so hungry I could eat the north end of a south bound mule.”
Raleigh pecked her on the cheek then in one quick motion slipped his hand under her shirt and gave her left breast a light teasing squeeze. At the same time, he fumbled for his Glock that sat in his computer bag on the floor next to the couch where Samantha was. His movements finally caught Sam’s attention, and she quickly pulled away.
“I thought it was all nothing, Raleigh. If it’s all fine, then why are you grabbing your Glock?” she questioned as she straightened herself on the couch next to him.
Raleigh paused for a moment, knowing full well that he couldn’t lie to her. She would know if he was; she had a way of being able to read him like a well-worn book. “It’s just a precaution, Sammie, really. I promise. It’s just a gnawing in my gut that something is off with that maid,” he said as he cleared the pistol and pulled out the magazine to load it.
“Should I grab mine?” she asked as she got up from the couch and grabbed her laptop bag and pulled out her pistol. Raleigh watched as she cleared the weapon and removed the magazine with the grace and elegance of a fine southern lady.
“Sammie, that’s one of the million reasons I fell in love with you.”
“Oh yeah, and what’s that?” she asked.
“Because you come prepared to kick ass and you always have my back. My kinda woman,” he said as he picked her up and tossed her onto the king-sized bed, leaning over and pressing his lips to hers. As their kiss deepened there was a knock at the door.
“Damn, cockblocked again,” he said as he stood up and peeked through the peephole in the door, his pistol at the ready. Samantha was already standing on the other side of the wall that divided the room, her weapon also ready. “It’s supper,” he said as relief washed over him. He opened the door, and the waiter pushed the cart inside, only pausing to hold his hand out for a tip. Stuffing his hand into his pocket, Raleigh gave the man a ten-dollar bill, thanked him, then quickly pushed him out the door.
Pushing the cart closer to the table that sat in the room, Raleigh lifted the plate covers to reveal burgers and fries. Raleigh’s face showed a distinct pout of disappointment that Samantha was beginning to read pretty well.
“Well, aren’t you the romantic one?” he said, laughing.
“Well, of course I bought my favorite,” she said with a grin.
“Your favorite, huh? Well, I suppose I can let it slide this time, but next time you get spanked,” he replied as he slapped his hands together. “Next time, I bend you over my knee and spank that nice round ass of yours.” Raleigh pulled the chair out from the table, and she sat down as he bent to kiss her neck.
“And how do you know I wouldn’t like for you to spank me?” she teased as he sat down across from her. His cock twitched as the words slipped from her mouth.
“Oh, Sammie, you are a little vixen, aren’t you? I really like this side of you.” Taking a bite of his burger, he winked at her.
“Baby, you’re gonna find out a lot about me that you’re gonna enjoy, I promise you that,” she teased.
Patting his lap, he called her over. “I hear ya, darlin’. I think I can handle what you got to give. Why don’t you come sit down over here and let’s see what comes up?” He waited for a response, but she just looked at him and grinned, her eyes lit up like fireflies, as she munched on a mouthful of fries.
“I do love the way you think, Raleigh Fitzgerald.” Samantha got up from her chair and moved toward Raleigh. Standing over him, she sat on his lap, straddling his waist. Leaning forward, she covered his lips with hers. Her arms wrapped around his neck, their kiss becoming more wanton as Raleigh’s hands moved up her ribs just under her shirt. He cupped her breasts in his hands and gently squeezed them as moans escaped her lips. He pulled her shirt up over her head, tossing it to the floor.
He took each nipple into his mouth, one at a time as Samantha’s moans became louder. Her hips moved against Raleigh’s cock as it strained to break free from its confinement inside his uniform pants.
He kissed her neck then whispered into her ear, “Wanna move this over to that big bed right over there?”
“Oh yes, please,” she answered as Raleigh reached his hands under her ass and started to carry her to the bed. As he stood up, cracks of machine gun fire filled the air, and the window to the room busted as glass and debris flew around the room. The sound of a helicopter whistled as bullets flew from every position. Raleigh and Sam hit the floor and low crawled to a safe position behind a wall that separated the living room and bedroom.
Bullets seemed to be flying from everywhere, pieces of sheetrock flew in the air, dust and wind filled the room, and the noise was almost deafening. Raleigh pulled his pistol from his waistband and leaned around the corner to get a glimpse of who was shooting, but all he could see was lights from the chopper, glass, dust, and debris. He fired but had no luck hitting anything.
Bullets kept flying, then as quickly as it had started, it was over. The sounds of the chopper faded as the helicopter flew off into the distance.