It wasn’t long before they arrived at the base morgue where the Navy’s Chief Pathologist Captain Isaac might have some answers for them. But whether they were the answers Raleigh hoped for remained to be seen. Ever since he’d seen Jared’s name among the papers Maddie found in the warehouse, he couldn’t stop thinking about the ramifications—what they might have for Jared, his family, and the Green Berets he called family. It tore him up inside. If appearances were correct, Jared could be wrapped up in this mess. Raleigh didn’t know how yet, but he would find out.
As they arrived, Sam could see Captain Isaac waiting near the front door.
“Is that Captain Isaac?” She looked at Raleigh, who seemed a million miles away.
“Raleigh! You ok? Where did you go?” She laughed as she pounded Raleigh on the shoulder. “Wake up.”
“I’m here. What?”
“I asked if that is Captain Isaac?”
“Yeah, that’s him. Sorry, I was just running through some stuff I gotta get taken care of once we are done here.” Raleigh wasn’t sure if Sam could tell he was lying. He was sure she could read the worry all over his face. He was never good at lying to someone he cared about, but he could pull off a whole new persona to someone he didn’t know. For now he needed to keep what he found about Jared to himself, at least until he knew more. Once they got to Fort Bragg he would know if Jared was on a mission and what type of mission it was. Then he could tell Sam. Until then, it needed to stay with him. He hated lying to her but for her safety, it was best.
“Let’s head on in and find out what Captain Isaac found during the autopsy. Been wondering what was so important that it couldn’t wait.”
“Right behind you, Chief.” It was Sam’s turn to watch Raleigh as he walked away. She knew he watched her, and she walked a little extra sexy when she walked in front of him. Raleigh seemed distracted though, and she wondered what was on his mind. In the time she had known him, a comment like “Right behind you, Chief” would not go unnoticed, and would definitely generate a Raleigh response for sure. He wasn’t walking with that confident stride she was used to seeing either. Something is going on with him. I can feel it in my gut. Why won’t he tell me? What is he hiding?
She would have to wait to find out. As they walked into the morgue, the smell of formaldehyde and human flesh stagnated the air in the room. “Oh God, what is that smell?” Sam’s nose cringed and her face turned pale. “Let’s rush this! Do we really have to do this here?” Sam’s face whitened as she fled to the other room. “I can’t take this. I will wait outside.”
Raleigh held in his laugh as Sam ran for the door and turned his attention to Captain Isaac. “Well, man down, it seems,” he said with a grin.
“It happens more than you think, Chief. I’ll get right to it, so you can get out of here.”
“Roger that. Shoot.”
“We narrowed down the time of death to nineteen hundred forty-five hours from a single gunshot wound to the head. A twenty-two caliber weapon was used at point blank range. There was remaining gunshot residue surrounding the entrance wound and burn marking on the back of the head. This shows that the weapon was pressed against the back of the head and fired. Upon removing the clothing from the body, it was noted that several defense wounds encompassed the body, which showed that a struggle occurred during the attack. One reason I wanted you here this morning is we found a folded up piece of paper with a name, address, and number on it. We thought this might be of some importance to you.” Captain Isaac handed Raleigh the paper and continued with his briefing, most of which sounded more like a Peanuts cartoon. His mind wandered as he pretended to listen. Who the hell is Jamal Hendricks? And where does he fit into all this? As the Captain concluded his briefing, Raleigh felt even more confused as ever. “Is it ok if I snap a picture of this paper? I want to follow up on this with Chicago PD and NCIS and see if they have anything on this guy.
“Go right ahead, Chief.”
“Thank you, Captain. I appreciate your quick work. I will contact you when I return from Bragg.”
“Roger, Chief, and it’s been great working with you. I hope this helps.”
Raleigh grabbed Sam as he headed out the door to the truck. “Looks like the Captain found us a lead but I have no idea who Jamal Hendricks is or how he fits into this whole thing. We got an address and a phone number, but we need to stop by and talk to Chicago PD and NCIS before I head out to Bragg.”
“What do you mean ‘I’ head out to Bragg? I am going with you.”
“Sam, I really don’t think you are ready to go anywhere yet.”
“The hell I’m not. I can handle myself. If you think just because I got a little sick from the smell that I can’t handle myself then you’re wrong.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t handle yourself. I am just saying I don’t think you should go because you are still recovering.”
“Well, I can recover on the road. I don’t need you or any man telling me I can’t handle myself or that I can’t do my job. I didn’t need protecting before I was a supply sergeant. I was a military police investigator. You need me,” Sam snapped. “Despite what you may think, I know what I am doing.”
“Never said you didn’t. Just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I can handle it, I promise. And I won’t get in the way.”
“Fine. I don’t like it, but there is no changing your mind. You’re as stubborn as I am. Damn Irish blood,” Raleigh complained.
As they pulled into Chicago traffic, Sam could hear Raleigh under his breath, cursing the drivers ahead of him. “Damn slow ass drivers, I don’t have time for this crap.” His voice was raspy and irritated, and his body tensed as he jerked the wheel ahead of a white sedan. The driver of the other vehicle laid on the horn. Becoming more irate, Raleigh began slamming the steering wheel with his hands in frustration. “What the hell could take so damn long?” He flipped off the other driver.
Sam jumped at Raleigh’s frustration, and the tone of his voice scared her to the core. She didn’t know Raleigh or his history, and she had no idea how far he could go. Is this kind of frustration and anger usual for him? How violent could he get? Sam wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer to those questions. Maybe I’m just making too much of this? It’s not as if he killed anyone, who didn’t deserve it that is. It’s just a little road rage. Despite Sam’s feelings about the current situation, she still felt fear sweep over her and a tear fell down her cheek. Raleigh realized what was happening. He had frightened Sam, and his heart fell into his stomach.
“Sam, darlin’, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just a little road rage. I’m just not used to driving with this much traffic, and we have so much to get done before we leave. I wasn’t thinking. Baby, please forgive me.”
“Oh, sweetie, I know I get jumpy sometimes too. It’s a long story. When we get a few minutes alone, I will tell you all about it,” she promised, “but for now we have a job to do and people to see.”
Pulling into the parking lot of the Chicago Police Department, Raleigh looked at Sam, placed his hand on her leg, and said, “I’m with you, baby. Let’s head on in, talk to Detective Johnson, then head back to pack a bag for our flight to Bragg.”
Sam lead Raleigh into the Police Precinct and to the front desk clerk. “We are here to see Detective Johnson. He’s expecting us.” Pointing to Raleigh, she said, “This is Chief Fitzgerald and I am Sergeant O’Hara. Can you please let him know?” As they waited, the noise and the crowded precinct affected Sam. She was still recovering, her head was pounding, and she was feeling a bit of anxiety. She closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing slowly. In and out, in and out.
Sam was startled when the officer behind the front desk said, “If you follow me, I can take you to Detective Johnson’s office.” The officer motioned towards the swinging gate. “Just right through here.”
Stepping through the crowds of suspects and officers alike, they inched their way to the back where Detective Johnson’s office was. As they stepped through the door, Johnson stood up from behind his desk and held his hand out to Raleigh.
“Good to see you, Chief. What can I do for you?”
“Well, just wanted to stop by and see if you might be able to assist us on this.” Raleigh handed Johnson his cell phone with the picture of the paper that was recovered from Wilson’s body.
“Do you know anything about this guy? This was pulled from Wilson’s pants pocket, and we need to find a connection. Got any ideas?”
Johnson sat down with a plop in his chair. “Well, ya, he’s well known here and around the city. Spends his time on the Southside mostly. Small time dealer and addict, but lately he’s been seen hanging around Mosque Maryham on East Seventy-Forth. Rumor is he’s been trying to change his life and converted to Islam. Want us to go pick him up?”
Raleigh paused and thought for a minute. “Is it possible to watch him first? See where he goes and what he’s up to?”
“I will have to get clearance from the Chief, but I don’t think he will have a problem with it. How long you want us to tail him for?”
Raleigh took a hard breath in, and with a sigh he weighed his options. If I have them bring him in, it might scare him off and then we won’t get anything. But if they tail him for a few days till we get back, then we will have more to go on.
“Can you tail him until we return from Fort Bragg? We need to follow up on a few leads there, then we will be back.”
“Sure, no problem, Chief. Just call me when you get back and we will bring him in.”
“Thanks, Detective Johnson, we appreciate all the help you’ve given us so far. I will call you in a few days.”
Sam glanced at her watch. “Raleigh, we have about two and a half hours to get packed and get to the airport.”
“Ok, let’s get outta here,” he said as they rushed to the truck and took off towards Sam’s apartment. They arrived with two hours left to grab everything they needed and get back on the road to catch a Navy helicopter on base. It would fly them to Scott Air Force Base in St. Louis to hitch a MAC flight to Fort Bragg.
“I will drop you off and you grab some clothes, and I’ll be back in thirty minutes. That helicopter won’t leave without us, so no rush ok? Grab what you need, and take your time.”
***
Sam was hesitant get into a helicopter again. The last time she was in one was in Afghanistan, and was a mess both mentally and physically. She and her partner, Staff Sergeant Roy Chance, had spent weeks in Taliban hands. They had been tortured, beaten, and starved. Sam had been stripped and tied up and made to watch as her torturers beat her partner with guns, clubs, and iron pipes. She could remember the screams Roy made with each swing of their weapons as they struck him, and the spray of his blood as it flung from the torturers’ weapons, landing on Sam’s body. Sam relived those events in her mind daily and could still see Roy as he looked at her one last time with goodbye in his eyes. When Roy died, Sam begged God to let her die, too. She was alone and no one could help her. It was almost a week before her torturers removed Roy’s body, and she had no idea where they took it. She just knew she was alone and his family would need closure.
The day finally came when she was rescued. She remembered the kindness and gentleness of the soldier who cut her ropes and wrapped her up in an elephant blanket. He then swept her up in his arms, carrying her to the helicopter. It all seemed like a dream at the time and she could still picture that soldier’s eyes and his smile, even thru the mask he wore, as he held her in his arms and they flew away. It was the first time she had ever felt safe and secure in her life. He had saved her, and she never got to say thank you.
Throwing some civilian clothes in a bag, she added some toiletries and grabbed another clean uniform. Sam tried to stuff the bag down as much as she could. Damn it, I need all these things. Sam grabbed the bigger suitcase from her closet. “Let’s start again,” she said as she smiled and tossed the items into the larger bag. Raleigh’s gonna just love this. I couldn’t have a medium sized bag, just small and extra-large. As she pulled out another drawer in her dresser, she grabbed a few pieces of lingerie that, despite all efforts, you could see right through. Sam had picked them up eons ago at a shop in Europe while traveling on a rest and recovery trip. Well, you never know what will happen, best be prepared. Sam zipped up the bag just as she heard a knock at the door. She peered through the peephole to see Raleigh.
Sam opened the door, bag in hand and said, “Ok, I’m ready.”
Raleigh let out a laugh the whole building could hear. “Are you sure you're ready? You haven’t grabbed the kitchen sink.”
“Oh, ha ha,” Sam said as she dragged her bag out the door.
Raleigh reached for her bag. “Here, darlin’, I got it.”
Sam couldn’t help but giggle. He had a way of making her laugh and it felt good; she hadn’t laughed in a long time. Raleigh threw the bag in the back of the truck and opened the passenger door for Sam as he helped push her up into the cab. “You do love assisting me into the truck, don’t you? Gives you a chance to grab my ass.”
Sam leaned against Raleigh as he pushed her forward into the cab. “Can you do me a favor while your back there? Just move that hand over to the right some and rub in between my legs. I got an ache I just can’t seem to get rid of. Got any ideas on how to take care of it?”
Raleigh about lost balance but caught himself. Surprise was the least of what he was feeling. Mostly, it was arousal. Woman, you’re killing me. Instead, he said, “Sam, baby, we got plenty of time to take care of that ache. I have the same one, but for now let’s focus on…”
He then rubbed the warmth between her legs. She was on fire, and he could feel the heat rush right to his crotch. As quickly as he started he quit. “That’s just a teaser for what I have in store for you, Sam.”
Her breath caught and she almost screamed at him for stopping, but the teasing now would make it so much better later. They had to get on the road, so Raleigh quickly changed the subject and jumped into the cab of the truck and took off for the helipad on post.
“We have a ’copter to catch. The flight to Scott won’t take long. About an hour, then we load onto the C-130 for the flight to Bragg. You ever been in a helicopter, Sam?”
“Actually, ya, once in Afghanistan. I am excited and a little scared. I remember little from the first ride I had, but that’s a story for another day.”
“Ok, darlin’, I will hold you to that story.”