AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And you’ve never mentioned this again?”
“No. I wish I had. Maybe your soldiers wouldn’t be going through hell now. I can’t change the past, but I can change the future, and you seem like a good, genuine guy that will listen to me.”
I sigh. “I’m going to try my best, Jared. Out of curiosity, who did you tell when you came home?”
“Michael Morrison.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Why do you sound so shocked?”
“Because he was one of the first guys I spoke with about trying to get help to find Shay. But he blew me off and said there was nothing he could do, too much time had passed. You don’t think he had anything to do with this, do you? Shay said she knows for sure the camp is organized by Americans, but the lead ringer goes by The Boss.”
“How original,” Jared scoffs. “Honestly, nothing would surprise me. You have nothing to lose by digging, but those soldiers have a hell of a lot riding on your help and support.”
And that’s the hard part. I know so many people could lose their life if I make one wrong move. Shay and her family could be in danger. My own family could be in danger. Innocent families torn apart.
I look up at the ceiling and sigh. “I’ve got Shay’s family under my protection because she was threatened to keep quiet before she was released.”
I don’t know why I feel safe talking to this guy, but he strikes me as a genuine person. I’m suspicious of everyone right now. Anyone could be behind this mess, but Jared just makes me feel comfortable.
“My lips are sealed, Clay. If you need any other help, just give me a call. If I remember anything significant, I’ll call you.”
“Thank you. It means a lot to know that there’s still sincere people out there.”
“Anytime. Take care.”
“I will. I’ll speak to you later.”
“Bye.”
I disconnect the call and look at the screen curiously. It’s killing me to think that someone I know could be involved in such atrocious crimes, but like Jared, nothing would shock or surprise me now.
I dial Caleb’s cell and wait for him to answer. He might be able to help me piece together some sort of picture.
“Hey, what’s up?” asks Caleb.
“Long story short, I received an email from an old army colleague yesterday. I called him back just now, and he told me about a camp he delivered supplies to in Iraq. He said it was like delivering to the enemy, but get this, he saw an American soldier who had recently been pronounced dead, and he looked brainwashed.” I rattle off like a freight train.
“Okay. I’m following. Did he report it?”
“Another mind fuck. He reported it to Michael Morrison.”
Silence. “The same Michael that said he couldn’t help you, and the same Michael that called to say Shay was on her way home?”
“Yes. The one and only. He told him later that he investigated his claim, but the man was a lookalike. Later that month, Jared was sent on his last mission, because he was injured in combat.”
“Wow! Okay. I think we have our first suspect to investigate. I’ll get Amber to hack into the army files again, check for any filed reports back then regarding Jared’s claim. I’m guessing Michael would have had a duty to file a report?”
“Absolutely! We filed reports for everything.”
“What do you know about this guy?” asks Caleb.
“Not much, really. He was a good soldier in his time. I wasn’t directly around him daily. He’s always been higher up than me, and I left before I reached his rank.”
“I’ll check him out. How’s Shay?”
“Still chomping at the bit to get out of here. I don’t blame her; I’m getting cabin fever myself now.”
