periods of time, when nothing was happening and there was empty desert spread in all directions. He hadn’t socialized much with the broader team. Not because he hadn’t liked them, but because he was the kind of guy who’d always preferred just having a couple of close friendships.
“He was an Afghan contractor who helped as a local liaison to get our weapons into the hands of the right people on the ground,” he said, “and keep them out of the wrong ones. It’s very important that I speak with him as soon as possible, but I haven’t been able to reach him in weeks. I considered contacting your counterpart on the ground, Captain Teddy Dennis, but I don’t know him personally and never served under him directly.”
“May I ask what this is regarding?” Her voice was guarded and cautious, even clipped. Under the circumstances, he wasn’t surprised.
Lord, I hate asking anyone for help. But I don’t have the resources to track Ajay down on my own.
“I need him to confirm a video communication we had on the morning of April 1,” he said, knowing the date would probably trigger the same shudder of familiarity down her spine as it did his. “Ajay and I used to be in a small Bible study together, and consider each other friends. He had been dealing with a tricky situation and was looking for my advice.”
Specifically, the young Afghan had been noticing some slight discrepancies in some of the weapons shipments and wondered if a fellow contractor was skimming off a few items to sell on the black market. Considering the desperate poverty some of his men were coming from, Ajay had been tempted to look the other way. But his new and growing Christian faith had been nudging him toward making a full report to Captain Dennis. He’d asked Chase to pray with him and had also promised to send through some supply records to get Chase’s second opinion. He didn’t want to ruin another man’s life until he was positive theft was actually happening. The supply record emails had arrived encrypted. In the chaos of Boyd’s breakout and the release of the K-9 dogs, Chase hadn’t managed to unencrypt them before his laptop had been stolen from his truck. When Chase had gotten a new machine and asked Ajay to resend the files, Ajay had emailed back saying the matter had been resolved. It had been nothing but an accounting error. He’d also said that his father was ill, so he was going to visit his family in the mountains. Chase had wished his father a speedy recovery. That was the last Chase had heard from him.
He was thankful Captain Reardon hadn’t pressed him for more information about the call. If Ajay had been right, and it had been nothing but an accounting error, he didn’t want the notoriously aggressive Captain Dennis firing Ajay’s crew over it.
“While we were talking, a phone call came in about the Red Rose Killer breaking onto base and releasing K-9 dogs,” he said. “We’d been on the call from four fifteen onward, which proves I wasn’t helping Boyd Sullivan on base that morning and was not involved in any of the crimes that took place. I got an email from him a few weeks ago telling me he was going to visit his family in the mountains and I haven’t heard from him since. But, as you can imagine, I’m quite eager to talk to him now.”
“While I don’t recognize his name, Captain Dennis did recently mention his main liaison with one of the Afghan independent contractors had recently left,” she said. “I assume we’re talking about the same man. Communication lines in the mountains are virtually nonexistent.”
“Did Captain Dennis have any idea when he’d be returning or how I could contact him?” Chase asked. “Do you know if Ajay’s company has anyone who’d be heading up into the mountains who could try to pass along a message for me?”
He ran his hand over his face. Maybe he should have gone to Captain Dennis directly.
There was a heavy pause, which he knew meant Captain Reardon was choosing her words carefully. “Airman, I know you’re frustrated. But you know that things don’t work in Afghanistan the way they do here. It’s the middle of the summer. The heat is extreme and we can’t expect one of our partners on the ground to send someone wandering through a war zone to find one man who might not even remember a conversation he had with you three months ago.”
He blew out a long breath. She was right and he should probably be thankful she was agreeing to talk to him at all under the circumstances.
“I understand, ma’am,” he said. “I apologize for putting you in this situation. I realize I’m grasping at straws. But my laptop was stolen from my truck and along with it any evidence of the video call. Someone threatened my daughter’s life this morning. There was a prowler outside her window who tried to cut the screen with a knife.”
She took in a sharp breath.
“Oh, Chase, I’m so sorry.” Her voice softened. “As I hope you can understand, my hands are fairly tied and there’s very little I can do. But I will speak to Captain Dennis directly today and ask if there’s any way he can speak to the man’s organization and access his computer logs. If he was using a base computer, Captain Dennis might be able to access the records himself and confirm when you spoke and for how long. I can also ask him if he knows of any way to contact him directly. Although, I would’ve assumed Security Forces would’ve already sought to access that information.”
So would he. But the almost gleefully vindictive look that had glinted in Preston’s eyes was now making him wonder. Was it possible Captain Dennis had already provided that information and investigators were so eager to see him hang that they’d discounted it? “Do you think I should contact Captain Dennis directly?”
“May I be blunt?” she asked.
“Of course.”
“You’re suspected of helping a serial killer who murdered several fine servicemen and -women.” Her voice sharpened. “You know what Boyd Sullivan has done to our community. His crimes and the fact that he’s still on the loose is tearing Canyon apart. Everyone you speak to is going to be under a cloud of suspicion and it could have an extremely unwelcome impact on anyone serving overseas if you start making calls on secured lines about accessing old video logs. I’m talking about how it will look, Airman, regardless of how innocent your intentions are. Let me talk to Captain Dennis. I’ll impress on him the importance of the situation and tell him to pass everything he can find directly onto investigators. You and I have served together. I have broad shoulders and can take a bit of heat. I’ve already been questioned about you once and I won’t be surprised if I face some additional questioning over this conversation.”
He hadn’t even considered how talking to Captain Reardon or Captain Dennis would impact their careers, their work or their teams. Suspicion was like a toxin. It had been spreading through Canyon Air Force Base for weeks now, poisoning hearts and infecting relationships. He prayed that neither of the captains would face any trouble for helping him.
“Let me assure you that nobody you’ve served with believes for a moment you have anything to do with Boyd Sullivan,” she added. “Hopefully, this will all be cleared up quickly. But, in my opinion, the best thing you can do right now is to lay low and let the investigators do their job.”
“Thank you, ma’am, and thank you for the help. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem, Airman.”
They ended the call and he set the phone back in its cradle. Relaxing was the last thing on his mind. He’d been framed for murder, his life was falling apart and he wasn’t about to sit around and wait for someone else to sort it. The uncharacteristic silence of his empty house surrounded him. He knelt in the mess and closed his eyes to pray. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been truly alone in his bungalow without his daughter and dog running around. He wasn’t sure he liked it. Questions tumbled through his mind like Ping-Pong balls in a dryer. His daughter’s frightened face filled his mind.
Help me, God. I’m in really deep trouble and You’re my only hope.
He opened his eyes and set out for Sunny Seeds Preschool.
* * *
“Doggy, Doggy, go find the phone!”
Maisy