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Was Carrie York an innocent bystander? Or was she somehow involved in the soldier’s death?
* * *
After the congestion and traffic in DC, driving along the gentle, rolling hills and fertile farmland was a refreshing change of pace for Carrie. Some of the anxiety she’d felt through the night had ebbed by the time she arrived downtown.
She parked her car behind the lawyer’s office and hurried inside. George Gates had been nice enough yesterday when he gave her the keys to her father’s house as well as the information about Bailey and the kennel where the dog had been boarded. Everything had seemed like a dream, especially when she realized the huge white home with Greek columns had belonged to her father.
Thankfully the dog’s frisky playfulness and demand for attention had filled the expansive house with activity that added warmth and welcome to what could have been a difficult homecoming. She and Bailey had quickly become fast friends, and she was grateful for his attention. The pup had stayed close by her side, until he’d whined to go out shortly after midnight.
All too soon, the initial charm of the historic home had been marred by the discovery of Corporal Fellows’s body. She hoped the lawyer would provide some clue to the soldier’s death, which was the first question she asked George Gates once they’d exchanged pleasantries and she’d taken a seat in the chair across from his desk.
The lawyer was midforties, with whitened teeth, bushy eyebrows and a ruddy complexion that made her wonder if he frequented a tanning salon.
“I heard something had happened along Amish Road,” he said, his voice somber. “Although I wasn’t sure if the information I received was accurate. So you’re saying a soldier was killed behind Jeff’s house?”
“In the open field but close to the woods. As you can imagine, I’m upset and confused. Is there something you failed to tell me about my father?”
Surprise registered on his puffy face. “Surely you’re not implying your father was involved in anything that would lead to a soldier’s death.”
“You tell me.”
“Jeff was a good man, Carrie. He did a lot for Freemont and was well respected. The Harris family has been a part of this town’s history since the early 1800s. Your father inherited the house and property from his maiden aunt some years back. He worked hard to restore the home to its former beauty, and since then, he’s been a pillar of the town.”
“Pillars can crumble.”
He laughed off the comment. “I told you someone has expressed an interest in buying the property. It’s something to consider. You’re probably eager to return to Washington. I can handle the paperwork and expedite the sale.”
She held up her hand. “It’s too soon, George. I’m not ready to sell.”
“You’re upset, no doubt, about what happened last night. Take a few days to think it over. I’m sure the offer will please you.”
“I came here today to find out more about my father’s estate and especially his property. You didn’t mention the trailer he rented.”
“My mistake. You were tired yesterday. I hesitated taking up more of your time.”
He taped a manila envelope on his desk. “A plat of the property is inside. Your father owned a hundred and twenty acres and the house. He rented out a trailer, usually to one of the soldiers from post. Almost half of his land is prime farmland. The rest is wooded.”
“And you have an interested buyer for both the land and the house?”
“That’s correct.”
“Can you assure me the property won’t be cut up for development?”
“I’m not sure what the buyer’s plan would be, but it’s nothing you need to concern yourself with at this point.”
She leaned closer. “But it is my concern, George. I don’t want to disrupt the beauty of the Amish community.”
“Yes, of course. I understand.”
Did he? Carrie wasn’t sure about George Gates or his too-accommodating responses.
By the time she shook his hand in farewell, she had even more questions about her father, his past and her future.
Leaving the office, she hurried to her car and clicked the remote opener. Before she reached for the door handle, someone called her name. Turning, she spied Tyler Zimmerman climbing from a car parked on the opposite side of the lot.
In the light of day, he looked even taller and more muscular. Maybe it was the navy slacks and tweed sports coat he wore. For a moment she wondered why he wasn’t in military uniform before recalling that CID agents wore civilian attire when working on a case. She’d stumbled upon the information while researching a speech for Senator Kingsley. Something about not wanting rank to interfere with their investigation.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” she said in greeting.
He smiled as he neared. “I wanted to talk to Mr. Gates.”
“You need a lawyer?”
His eyes twinkled, making him appear even more handsome.
“I want to talk to Mr. Gates about your father’s rental property,” he explained. “And see if he can provide information about your dad’s relationship with Corporal Fellows.”
When she didn’t respond, he added, “I’m just gathering information, Ms. York.”
“Carrie, please.”
He smiled again.
Her heart skittered in her chest, making her feel like an adolescent schoolgirl. Too young and too foolish. Needing to shield herself from his charm, she clutched the manila envelope close as if it could offer protection.
He cocked his head. “What are you up to today?”
She tried to sound nonchalant. “In search of a grocery store.”
“There’s one on the way out of town. Turn left at Harvest Road. The supermarket’s two blocks down on the left.”
“Thanks.” She opened her car door and slipped behind the wheel. “Good seeing you, Tyler.”
Leaving the lot, she glanced back as the special agent opened the door to Gates Law Firm and stepped inside. Rounding the corner, she passed an Amish teenager who watched her turn right. Seeing the special agent had put her on edge. The pensive stare of the Amish boy added to her unease.
After a quick stop at the grocery store, she drove out of town, heading back to her father’s house. Even the pretty countryside couldn’t lessen her anxiety. In the distance, dark clouds filled the sky. Her heart felt as heavy as the thick cloud cover.
If only she could go back to the stories her mother had told her about the handsome army man who had swept her mother off her feet. They’d been young and in love and...well, things happened, including babies, or so she had explained when Carrie was old enough to learn the truth.
Only part of it had been a lie.
Her father hadn’t died in a covert black ops mission as her mother had led her to believe. He wasn’t part of the military’s elite Delta Force, and the army hadn’t covered up his death and withheld information from the grieving girlfriend who was pregnant with his child.
Now Carrie knew the truth, but counter to what scripture said, it hadn’t set her free. Instead she felt tied in knots and suddenly connected to a man and a past she didn’t understand, which only confirmed her upset with God. Why would He turn His back on a woman who always longed for a father’s love? Evidently she and her problems didn’t carry weight.
The special agent only confused her more. He’d been civil enough today, and his smile had seemed sincere, yet she had to be careful and cautious, especially after his antagonistic comments last night.
Carrie glanced again at the sky and turned on the windshield wipers as the first drops of rain began to fall. A road sign warned of a sharp curve ahead. She lifted her foot from the accelerator and placed both hands on the wheel as the car entered the turn.
A bolt of lightning cut through the dark clouds, followed by a clash of thunder that made her flinch. The tires lost traction for a heartbeat on the slick roadway. She turned the wheel to the right and tapped the brake, relieved when the car responded.
Coming around the curve, she glanced ahead and gasped. A semi-trailer was bearing down on her, going much too fast. Heart in her throat, she intensified her hold on the steering wheel, feeling the pull as the truck flew past with less than an inch to spare.
Too close.
Clunk-clunk-clunk.
Startled by the sound, she gripped the wheel even more tightly. The car shimmied, then jolted as the rear left side dropped. She glanced back, seeing a tire roll across the roadway.
A grating sound. Metal dragging against pavement. Her heart raced. The car veered left, crossed the center line and crashed into the ditch that edged the roadway.
Rain pelted the windshield. She struggled to free herself and clawed at the door, unable to push it open.
“Help!” she cried, knowing no one would hear her.
“Carrie!”
She turned, seeing Tyler.
He grabbed the door handle and ripped it open. Reaching around her, he unbuckled her seat belt. “Are you all right?”
She nodded. He pulled her free.
Rain pummeled her face as she looked into eyes filled with concern.
“Where are you hurt?” He touched her arms, the back of her neck and head as if searching for an injury. “Talk to me.”
She swallowed down the fear and nodded. “I...I’m okay. How—”
“I was driving home and saw your car enter the turn. A semi passed. Then I saw you in the ditch. Did you get sideswiped?”
She shook her head. “The tire came off.”
“What?”
He turned to study her car, then glanced back to where the wheel lay on the edge of the roadway. Retrieving the tire, he pried off the hubcap. “Three of your lug nuts are missing. Have you gone to a mechanic recently?”
“I had my oil changed before I made the trip to Georgia.”
“This just happened. Since you last drove the car.”
“I...I don’t understand.”
“In town. While you were talking to Gates. Someone removed three of your lug nuts.”
Her ears roared, and she shivered in the chilly rain.
“Someone tampered with your wheel, Carrie,” he repeated, his voice deathly calm. “They wanted the tire to fall off.”
“But why?”
“Two reasons come to mind. Either to scare you—”
Her heart quickened.
“Or to do you harm.”
FOUR
The police sedan’s flashing lights drove home the seriousness of what had happened. Tyler glanced at his own car where Carrie sat, protected from the stiff breeze that had picked up once the rain eased.
“You must be working the twenty-four-hour shift,” Ty said when Officer Steve Inman climbed from his patrol car.
Ignoring the dampness, the officer smiled. “You and Ms. York are keeping me busy.”
Much to Tyler’s frustration, Carrie left the warmth of his car and hurried to join them at the side of the road.
“Ma’am.” Officer Inman nodded a greeting. “You mind telling me what happened?”
She quickly filled him in on losing control of the car and the missing lug nuts.
“Any chance your folks can dust the hubcap for prints?” Tyler asked. “You’ll find mine, for sure, and the last mechanic who checked the tire.”
“That won’t be a problem.” Inman pulled a notebook from his pocket. “So you think the lug nuts were purposely removed.”
Tyler nodded. “I’m guessing when Ms. York was in town.”
“I made two stops,” she added. “The Gates Law Firm and the supermarket on Harvest Road.”
Inman made note of the information. “I’ll see if we have video cameras in either area that might have picked up activity.”
“You’ll let me know what you uncover,” Carrie insisted.
“Yes, ma’am.” He turned to Tyler. “You were following Ms. York home?”
“I had talked briefly with George Gates and ended up not too far behind her car, which was fortunate.”
“Ma’am, did you see anyone behind you when you drove to town this morning?” the cop asked.
Carrie shook her head. “No one.”
Inman turned to Tyler. “What about you, sir?”
“Negative. But I left my house early and went to post first so I could brief Chief Wilson, the head of the CID, on Corporal Fellows’s murder. General Cameron has been informed, as well.”
“He’s the post commanding general?”
“That’s right. As you can imagine, the general’s upset about the corporal’s death and has given us free rein to support you in any way we can.”
“I’ll pass that on. The chief of police is out of town, so Phillips is in charge. Last I heard, he contacted the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to rush the forensics on the case. Freemont is indebted to the military. We’ll do everything we can to bring Corporal Fellows’s killer to justice.”
All of them turned at the sound of an approaching vehicle. Earl’s Tow Service was painted on the side of the tow truck that pulled to a stop. A man hopped to the pavement.
“Craig Owens.” The driver provided his name as he approached the threesome. “Special Agent Zimmerman?”
Tyler nodded. “That’s right. I talked to Earl.”
He pointed to Carrie’s car, wedged in the ditch. “The vehicle needs to be towed. Earl said he’d order a new rear tire. Tell him to check the underbelly and ensure that nothing else is wrong.”
“Will do.” The driver held up a clipboard. “You mind signing the request for service?”
Tyler passed the clipboard to Carrie. “The car belongs to Ms. York.”
“Do you need payment now?” she asked.
“No, ma’am, just your signature.”
After she’d signed the form, the driver tossed the clipboard into his cab and climbed behind the wheel. He backed to the edge of the ditch and used a winch to hoist the vehicle onto the flatbed.
Once the car was safely locked down, he handed Carrie a business card. “Earl will call you with an estimate if your car needs repair work. As soon as the new tire comes in, he’ll notify you. Appreciate your business.”
Tyler stopped Owens before he climbed into his truck. “Any idea how long a wheel would stay attached with only two lug nuts?”
The tow man scratched his head. “Not long. The tire would start to shimmy and work the remaining lug nuts off in a short time.”
Which was exactly what Tyler thought. “Thanks for getting here so quickly.”
“We aim to please.”
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.
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