Solemn Duty (1997) (17 page)

Ann folded her hands in her lap and looked up at the ceiling.

"Oh, God, let me think a moment Jerry had many friends-but close ones? There weren't that many you would call close.

Jerry didn't make friends very easily, Agent Sutton. He always said being a sergeant major was the loneliest job in the Army.

Let me see. The first would be Sergeant Major Dan Murphy.

He liked Dan, a lot They went fishing together and told each other war stories, I think. Dan works in Building Four. There's First Sergeant David Gregory, but he just left for duty in Germany. . . . Let's see . . . oh, yes, Glenn Hoffman. He retired and lives in Columbus. Glenn and Jerry served together in the Special Forces in Vietnam. They were very close. Glenn works for the post office and lives near the river. I believe I have his address in my address book."

Eli gave Ashley a nod and stood. "Thank you very much for your help, Mrs. Rhodes. You have been most helpful. Again, I'm very sorry for your loss. We'll do our best to find the one who did this," I can assure you."

Ann Rhodes rose and dipped her chin to Ashley, but looked Eli in the eyes. "Did they find the woman Jerry was with? Eli held her gaze. "No, ma'am. She's still missing."

"Is she a suspect?" Ann asked.

"No, Mrs. Rhodes, she's not."

Ann broke her stare and nodded. "I'll get Glenn's address for you."

They heard footsteps, and seconds later Ann appeared and handed Eli a piece of paper. "I suppose you're wondering how I knew? Jerry was a very good soldier, Agent Tanner, but he wasn't smart. He would tell me he was going out to inspect training, but the next day I would smell perfume on the fatigues he'd left for me to wash. It was cheap perfume . . . like her, I imagine. I knew . . . I knew, but I also knew it wouldn't last We were going to Washington, you see. He'd been selected by the Secretary of the Army to be the new sergeant major of the Army. It was his dream . . . and mine. In Washington things would have been different."

Eli lowered his chin. "Yes, ma'am, I'm sure they would have been. We can see ourselves out. Good-bye."

In the van, Ashley glanced at her passenger as she turned on the ignition. "You men are really pathetic at times, you know?"

Eli nodded in silence.

"Like I told ya, Tan, I don't know a soul who'd want to kill Jerry. There's a bunch who would have liked to bust his nose, but kill him? No way."

Eli stood and extended his hand. "Thanks Murph; I had to ask. And thanks for the tip this morning."

"And yer sure it wasn't the bitch?"

"We're sure. Agent Sutton, do you have anything you want to ask Murph before we go?"

Ashley looked at her notepad. "You said you know Glenn Hoffman as well?"

"Sure, Huff-that's what we call him-went fishin' with Jerry and me a couple of times. Huff is retired S. F. He and Jerry go back a ways, served in the same team in da Nam. But I gotta tell ya, he's gonna tell ya the same thing I did. Jerry had enemies, but none that would have murdered him."

Eli patted his friend's back. "'Thanks again, Murph. We've got to get to the office and start writing a report. I'll call ya when the dust settles on this and we'll go drink a beer."

Once outside, Eli slowed his steps and looked at his watch.

"It's after five. I feel like I've been up thirty hours instead of only twelve."

Ashley sighed. "I'm beat, too. It doesn't look good, does it? Not a single lead, and they still haven't found Mrs.

Hargrove."

"Something will turn up. The lab will find something that will help us . . . I hope. If you're up to it, we can go visit with Glenn Hoffman, or we can do it tomorrow when we're both rested."

"I vote for rest first"

"Good, that's my vote, too. Want to get a beer and wind down? You do drink beer, don't you?"

"You're learning, Tanner. You asked this time. No, I don't drink beer, but I'll have a gin and tonic. But Tanner, let's go to a place with some class. A place where I don't have to brush flies away and hold my breath when I visit the ladies' room. Oh yeah, and no country music."

Eli opened the van door and, expressionless, said, "Just drop me off at my truck."

"What happened to your offer of a drink?"

"I didn't know it was going to have so many qualifiers. I could agree to all but the last one. What's your hang-up with country music, anyway?"

"I prefer music that doesn't twang, okay? And I went with a guy once who . . . never mind, you'll just laugh and think it's silly."

"I wouldn't do that. Tell me."

"When I was in high school, I went out with this guy who played in a band. Yes, Tanner, it was a county western band. I had to sit for hours wearing a stupid grin like I loved the music he was making. Every time I hear the stuff it reminds me how dumb I was."

"What happened? I mean between you and Mr. Country and Western."

"He wanted me to tell him how great he was. He was okay but not great. I couldn't lie to him."

"Why, you liked him, didn't you?'

"Not enough to lie and feed his ego all the time. Anyway, he smoked. I didn't like walking around smelling like stale beer and Marlboros."

"All right, Agent Sutton, we'll go someplace nice. You pick the place. I need a beer and a chance to think."

Ashley gave him a side glance. "You've not giving up so easily, are you? I would have given in a little."

"No, you win. I was just sitting here trying to picture you at a table watchin' Mr. Country and Western with a grin. Can't seem to get that picture in focus. Did you wear boots, tight jeans, and a spade-front shirt?"

"That's enough, Tanner."

"You did, didn't you? How about a hat? Did you two-step and Cotton-eye Joe, too?"

"I'll drop you at your pickup."

"So I win after all?"

"I'll drop you off, and you meet me at the Bombay Bicycle Club. We'll call it a draw this time, okay?"

Eli sighed and leaned back in the seat, shutting his eyes.

"What I'll do for a beer," he said in a stage whisper.

Eli rolled over in bed and slapped twice at the nightstand before finding the beeping cell phone. "Agent Tanner," he said, closing his eyes again.

"Tanner, it's me, Sutton. We've got another one."

"What time is it?" he asked, opening his eyes again.

"Another what?"

"Wake up, Tanner. It's almost three A. M. A detective from the Columbus Police Department called me just minutes ago.

The detective heard about our homicide on post and told me he was called to a house where an apparent suicide had taken place. Tanner, the victim had a gold chain in his mouth . . . the chain held a cross. The victim is Glenn Hoffman. . . . Did you hear me? Glenn Hoffman, the sergeant major's buddy."

Eli sat up. "Where's the body?"

"I'm on the way to pick you up. The detective is waiting at the scene and has already called GBI. I'll be at the house in five minutes."

"I'll be ready and standing out front."

Chapter 10.

Eli bent over and shined the flashlight on the dead man's face. The victim was black.

Ashley leaned over. "It's the same type of gold chain, isn't it?"

Eli straightened up. "Yep, and same style cross."

A Columbus Police Department detective stood beside them and motioned to the body. "I gotta tell ya, if I hadn't read the National Crime Information Center's computer bulletin, I would have called it a suicide. The gold chain is what tipped us. The difference in M. O. is the weapon. This victim used a .22 on himself. I-talian job, semi auto, and expensive. We ran a check, and Hoffman didn't have the weapon registered and the wife says he didn't own a pistol. I pulled back the victim's shirt-taser marks on his chest. The killer must have kept the juice on him pretty high to keep him subdued. Those things can kill ya if ya use too much of an electrical charge."

Having seen enough, Eli panned his light to the small house twenty yards away. "Family find him?"

"Daughter did. She and Hoffman's wife live in the house.

Daughter said her dad played cards on Sunday nights with friends down the street. He's off work on Mondays. When he wasn't home by one, she got worried. She called the friend's house and the man said Hoffman had left an hour earlier. She didn't wake her mom, just went out to look for him along with the friend. They found him here about one-thirty."

Headlights from an approaching car briefly bathed the crime scene in a golden glow then went out. A short man stepped out of the car, Ed Faraday, the GBI detective Tanner had met the day before. Detective Faraday shut his door and shook his head. "Agent Tanner, looks like you've got yourself a serial killer."

Eli stepped closer. "Two homicides in two days with the same M. O. makes it appear so, Ed, but it's not a serial killer.

Yesterday's victim and this one served together in Vietnam.

We've got something else on our hands."

The detective shook his head again. "Well, whatever it is, you've got three homicides now. I got a call ten minutes ago on the way here. Seems the Fort Smith, Arkansas, Police Department read the bulletin we sent over the NCIC. They had a similar death three days ago, gold chain in the mouth. It was ruled suicide and of course wasn't entered on the NCIC. They hadn't buried the victim yet, and checked his body. They found taser marks. Like I said, three homicides. Your killer is gettin' around."

Eli turned to Ashley. "Better call the SAC and let him know.

He'll want to declare an alert and bring in a behavioral scientist from Quantico. I'll call the Fort Smith police and get the facts?'

The detective stepped back to his car and opened the door.

"I called them from my phone while I was drivin'. I got some notes for ya. Their victim was a white male, fifty-four years of age. Retired from the Army as a sergeant major after twenty-eight years and worked for a trailer company as a--"

"Ed, was he in Special Forces by chance?"

The detective glanced at his notes then back up to Eli.

"Yeah, I think so--says he had a Special Forces tattoo on his forearm. How did ya know he was a Green Beret?"

Eli exchanged looks with Ashley before lowering his head.

"Ed, I think the killer must be going after the team."

"What team are you talking about?" Faraday asked, stepping closer.

Eli motioned behind him. "As I told you, Sergeant Major Rhodes and this victim served together in Vietnam on the same Special Forces team. I bet the victim in Fort Smith was on the same team with them."

"Oh shit . . . how many are there on a team?"

"Twelve, if it was a full A-team, six if it was split. If it was a B-team, it's a lot more."

Ashley grasped Eli's arm. "How can we find out for sure if the victim in Fort Smith was on the team?"

Eli took in another breath to try to relax and think. "Victim's family would know, and we can contact the DOD. They'll have records, but it will take days, maybe weeks."

"DOD? What's that?"

"Department of Defense. I think I know a faster way. Go and talk to this victim's wife. Collect any pictures she may have of her husband in Nam. Also get all his Army records, especially his citations for awards or promotions. And the letters he sent to her. I'll visit the sergeant major's widow and do the same. We'll meet in the office and go over what we came up with. Ed, I'm leaving the scene in your hands. Please call the Fort Smith P. D. and have them talk to their victim's widow and do the same thing we're doing by collecting his Army pictures and records. They can fax the stuff to our office."

"Got it. I'll call 'em now." Faraday strode back toward his car.

Ashley still held Eli's arm. "Still want me to call the SAC?"

"Yes, fill him in and request DOD's help. Tell him we have to move quick. The killer has struck three times in five days, and most likely is going after the others."

It was ten o'clock in the morning when Regina set a full cup of coffee down in front of Ashley, who was going through one of the three boxes of photographs and memorabilia she'd gotten from Hoffman's widow. "I'll bet you haven't had a bite to eat this mornin', Agent Sutton. Want me to go get you somethin'?"

Ashley glanced up. "Thank you, Ms. Washington, but coffee is fine. You didn't have to make it, you know?"

Regina settled into a chair. "I know, but you and the boss being so busy and all. Can I help you in some way?"

Leaning back in her chair, Ashley wrinkled her brow as if frustrated. "I wish you could, but I'm not sure what I'm looking for. We'll just have to wait until Agent Tanner gets here with the sergeant major's things and tells us what it is we're looking for."

Regina smiled. "The boss is somethin', isn't he? He sure got a way about him."

"I guess I haven't noticed," Ashley said, picking up several pictures. "What kind of way does he have?"

"You know. A way--the way he walks and the way he talks but doesn't say a thing, his eyes and his look says it all for him.

It's cool, definitely cool. GBI guys that were in yesterday usin' our copier told me he slam-dunked the military police major, big-time. Said the boss was cool as a cucumber and was right on ruling a suspicious death. I wish I'd been there to see it."