IMBERADO

                                             Chapter 3

Travis was setting at his work station in his office when the alarm started buzzing. He looked up and saw it was five pm already. After shutting the alarm off he looked back at his computer screen and logged off from FIDONET, where he had been sending and answering email traffic.

Since Sheriff Dexter had told Levi what he knew about the dead Marine and asked him to pass it along to Travis, he had emailed some of his contacts on FIDONET and asked them to look for any information on the deceased Sargent Davis, most of his contacts here were hackers (as were most of those who frequented the FIDONET service). AOL was good for emailing back and forth with friends, company contacts and some government agencies, but FIDONET was far better for this type of endeavor.

He had also put in a call to an old acquaintance at DOD and they had met at noon in Arlington for lunch at Helen’s favorite sub shop. Travis was still mulling over what she had told him, especially her undertones about considering dropping whatever case he was working on. She had been in Marine communications back-in-the-day, but now worked for the DOD as a civilian.

After his computer finally shut down, Travis walked out of his office, closed the door, walked upstairs and put the hidden panel door back to its usual location beside the fireplace. Levi and Dexter were due here at his house around six to share any new information with one another and grill some burgers for dinner as they did. So he went in the kitchen to get things ready for their arrival in half an hour or so.

True to Levi’s penchant for promptness, he heard the car’s tires on the gravel driveway just as the clock in the kitchen clanged out the six o’clock hour. Then two sets of doors could be heard slamming shut just before Levi announced their arrival as he unlocked and came in the front door, Dexter right behind him.

“Anybody here ready to burn some burgers? I brought a bag of chips and twelve pack of Bud.”

“Sure, come on in, I’m back in the kitchen slicing up some tomatoes and sweet onions.”

As they walked into the kitchen Travis looked over his shoulder and saw William Dexter beside Levi.

“Damn Sheriff, I don’t think I ever saw you in anything but your uniform. You always ware a cowboy hat?”

“Yeah and the boots to match. You ever wear anything other than those loose shirts like you were on an African safari?”

“Touché Dexter, and only when I wear nothing at all.”

“Sorry I asked. That’s not a vision I needed in my head.” And with that said all three men chuckled while shaking hands in greeting.

“Let’s go on the deck and I can put these puppies on the grill. I know how Levi wants his, well done to almost the consistency of shoe leather, how do you like yours?”

“Whack off the hooves and warm each side up, I don’t see any sense in ruining the meat.”

“Rare it is, I’ll put yours on just before Levi’s is done.”

“Sound’s good.”

Once the burgers were done and they were eating them with the chips, pickle spears and beer the real conversation started.

“I haven’t got much new information from anywhere yet, not since Levi passed along what I had a couple of days ago, anyway.”

“Well, I have a few irons in the fire right now with some computer contacts. I did, however, talk to an old friend with DOD today over in Arlington.”

“Did you go see Helen today? I haven’t seen her in two years or so.” Levi asked with a slight grin on his face.

“Yeah and her version of things didn’t unmuddy the waters much either. According to official records Sargent Davis was killed in the bombing of the barracks in Beirut three years ago. But the odd thing is he wasn’t stationed there.”

“Then why was he there?”

“It seems he was just in transit for the night while he waited to hop a cargo flight to Germany, he was on leave from his unit. But that only makes it more curious in some ways. You see his remains were one of the first identified, but one of the last confirmed.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Dexter was sitting more erect now, while he propped on his elbows leaning closer to Travis, his face becoming a mask of consternation.

“Helen says that the report lists his dog tags found in the barracks, but at one of the points where a direct hit occurred, so there was no complete body to identify, not enough for finger print or dental record identification. Add to that, the fact he hopped a flight to Beirut that landed that afternoon and was only bunking at the barracks for the night and it took them a while to find his travel orders at the flight desk for notification of any flight to Germany he could hop out the next day.”

“Crappy timing is a bitch.” Levi muttered in between bites on the dill pickle spear.

“Then add to that there was no longer a next of kin to notify.”

“Wait a minute, that doesn’t sound right. Everybody has someone to notify.”

“I agree, usually at least. His mother was his, but when they tried to notify her, they found out she had died of a drug overdose six months before and Davis hadn’t amended his next of kin in his files or informed his company about her death.”

“No way, he would have had to get a leave to be at her funeral.”

“That’s the next odd thing. According to his records, Davis didn’t take a leave around the time of his mother’s death.  Also no one claimed her body either, so her body was cremated that’s what the locals do there in these cases.”

“This seems to be getting way to convenient for me.”

“Again we agree, Sheriff. But what peeked my curiosity even more was what Helen said last. She said that she thought I should drop any further investigation into Sargent Davis, even if it meant dropping whatever case I was on and when I asked why, all she said was it would be better all around.”

“That doesn’t sound like the Helen I know.” Levi interjected.

“Me either, but she would say nothing more about it and that’s when we said our good byes so she could get back to her office.”

“Well, I don’t know this Helen but this sounds way too neat a package for me.”

As Travis and Dexter were making this last exchange, Levi heard a car coming up the driveway and stopping in front of the house. He looked at his friend and could see he had heard it too by the look of slight surprise that crossed his face. He couldn’t help mutter in a hushed tone “You must have a death wish.”

Sheriff Dexter apparently heard the sounds as well and looked at Travis while asking “I thought only a couple of people had the code to your driveway gate? If you were expecting company we should have done this tomorrow.”

“Only two people anywhere have that code, Sheriff, and I did not know Andy was coming over tonight. Believe me when I say, I would have made other arrangements if I had.”

At just that moment the sliding glass door to the deck glided open and the soft laugh of a woman could be heard from behind them. Sheriff William Dexter knew that laugh all too well.

“Hello, Daddy.” Was all Andrea Dexter could get out as she continued chuckling under her breath? “You must have come over with Levi, I didn’t see your car outside.”

Andrea was a full bodied, five foot six, deep auburn haired, green eyed exact duplicate of her mother and William Dexter saw his deceased wife in her every move and jester. She was two years older than her brother Danny and a high school sociology teacher in Winchester, Virginia.

“So this is the Andy, you just spoke of?” As he turned to his daughter, disbelief creeping across his usually stern face.

“Yep. That’s me.” Andrea answered before Travis could speak. As she kissed her father on the top of his head as she walked by. “Hi, Levi. I haven’t seen you in a month of Sundays” she chuckled again as she ruffled his hair while continuing to where Travis sat. Then she bent over and kissed him on the cheek before continuing. “I better get me a beer, back in a minute, fellas.”

“Sorry, Sheriff. I would have told you a long time ago.”

“How long ago?”

“About a year and a half, Daddy. I would have told you too, but the time never seemed right, with that attitude you have toward Private Investigators.”

“Well, you should have told me anyway. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy and not fall for some dirt bag who was going to hurt you.”

“I know and I am happy. Travis will never hurt me, he loves me too much for that.” Andy took a sip of the cold beer and then continued. “What’s the topic for the night, or should I presume it’s about Congressman Whiteside’s death?”

“So you know about that too?”

“I do, Travis and I have no secrets and we never lie to one another about anything. Did anyone find anything yet?”

“Just more questions, Travis talked to Helen today and she didn’t have any answers to help us solve much.” Levi added in before Dexter or Travis could say anything.

“How is she? So what’s next?”

“I have some feelers out on FIDONET but no answers back so far, maybe in a day or two. Want me to cook you a burger?”

“Not really, I’ll just sip beer and munch on your fries. I’m good.”

“It’s going to take me some time getting used to this you two. Maybe Levi and I should go. You’ll get hold of me when you hear anything we can follow up on, right.”

“Don’t go yet, Daddy, I just got here and we should all visit some. Now that it’s all out in the open we can start talk openly about everything.”

“We can and will, but right now I would rather get back home and let Levi get on with his weekend too. Travis let me know whatever you find out.”

“You’ll be the first to know when I do, Sheriff.”

Travis and Andrea walked the two to Levi’s Dodge Ram where they all said their goodbyes for the night and she kissed her father’s cheek.

Once out of the gate, Sheriff Dexter turned to his deputy and said. “Levi, I know he is your friend but I need to ask you, if you honestly believe he is right for my girl”

“Sheriff, I have known Travis for over twenty years, ever since ‘Nam. I trust him with my life. He helped me through my divorce, there isn’t a better man anywhere. He’s never been married and he has no illegitimate kids. We all have skeletons, but I am sure he has told Andy all of his. And she is right, he loves her more than his own life, if anyone is ever going to be right for her, he’s the one. She will always be loved and safe with him.”

“Then that’s all I need to know. If that is who she has set her mind on, there’s no way I could change it anyway, she’s just like her mother was and I still love her. I always will.”

“Well, I hope someday I can say the same thing about someone.”

The rest of the ride went more cordially, even as they reexamined all that had been said about the case that night. Levi did add at one point that he had a friend heavily involved with an Ex-Marine Corps group and would call him the next day, just to see if he had any possibilities to check on as well.

During all this Travis and Andy cleaned up the kitchen and talked as they usually did when she came over to stay on most weekends. She suggested he go downstairs and check his emails just in case there was a response from someone. While he did she took a long leisurely bubble bath.

She was just stepping out of the tub when Travis walked into the room.

“Anything yet?”

“Not yet, maybe tomorrow.”

“Good, I feel like a massage, you know one of those long deep ones only you can give.”

“I am just the guy for that assignment, Baby.”

“MMMM, I know that and you know the rewards will be worth it.”

“You are talking my language now.”

Both of them laughed as he started to gently pat her dry with the large towel before they walked into the bedroom.

Monday morning Travis and Andy were standing at her car saying goodbye as she was getting ready to drive to Winchester for her classes that day. She was in Travis’s arms and her head on his shoulder, when she leaned back, looked into his gleaming deep blue eyes and spoke.

“We successfully bridged another milestone this weekend, my stalwart knight.”

“We did and it went much better than we would have thought.”

“If I had thought he would take it this well, I would have told him months ago.”

“I know you would have, but he could be in shock even today. I would have loved to be a fly on the headliner in Levi’s car for that ride.”

“For sure, but maybe it’s better we weren’t. What do you think he asked Levi?”

“Oh, more about my background than he either already knows or suspects. The same things I would ask if I were in his place and you were my daughter.”

“Really, you mean you would be a protective father, even of a thirtyish woman.”

“Even of a sixtyish woman, you cannot outgrow being a daughter, you’re stuck with it for life.”

Both of them chuckled and then kissed again.

“I do have to leave or I will be speeding down the 340, so I won’t be late for my first class, but that does make me want to ask another question?”

“You don’t have to ask it. This is your home, as far as I am concerned, already. It is only that you have to decide if and when, you want to face this commute five days a week, and give up the alone time you have now, when you are not here.”

“I don’t need alone time from you, do you?”

“No, I haven’t needed it for a long time and I think you know that already.”

“I do.”

As Andy answered him, Travis reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small black box. Then he bent down on his right knee while opening the box so she could see a rather sizable diamond ring inside.

“Ahem, about that I do statement. Would you consider saying that in front of a minister or justice of the peace? What I mean to ask is will you marry me, Andrea Dexter.”

“OOOH, yes I will, Travis Cody. What took you so long to ask that and how long have you had this gorgeous ring? I do love you.” She answered as he stood up and they kissed each other for long moments.

“The ring, about six or seven months now. But I couldn’t say anything until we at least told your father, before we got engaged. He could only stand one surprise at a time, before he would explode.”

“Oh yeah, he would have at that. Okay you’re forgiven, now put it where it belongs, please.”

As Travis slipped the ring onto Andy’s third finger, they kissed again.

“Now I have to hurry my fiancé, but make no plans for tonight. I will be back here right after school is out today.”

“I’ll be here Baby. Drive carefully.”

“Oh sure, now you say that.”

Andy jumped into her car, closed the door, started the engine and waved goodbye as she started down the driveway. Travis walked back to the house smiling and shaking his head side-to-side, after she disappeared around the trees, even though he could hear the gate open, tires screech from a close turn onto pavement and the gate start to close again.

Now it was time to go back down to the basement office and get to work at his computer. He had a case to solve and a deceased friend who deserved justice.