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“Show them in,” she said.
Even though she was not in uniform, Laura Lee came to attention as she presented herself to this superior officer. “Lieutenant Laura Lee Saxton, ma’am,” she said as the secretary closed the door after he’d stepped from the room.
“And Lieutenant Garcia,” he added. “Army Special Projects Directorate.”
“ASPD? What the hell are you doing here? And why are you out of uniform?”
“As I’m sure you’re aware, the Sensitive Activities Oversight Office has a wide latitude to carry out its mission, which, in this case, warrants civilian attire,” Garcia answered. “Our investigation is classified; however, your name came up during it.”
“My name came up during an ASPD investigation? In what context?” she demanded.
“As a possible witness,” Laura Lee added as planned. She could easily play the role of the good cop opposite Garcia’s gruff persona. “We are at the very beginning of our investigation and we’re looking for help to substantiate possible ongoing abuse charges.”
“Abuse? In my command?” Burnside asked.
“No, ma’am,” Laura Lee replied. “This goes back several years and is not associated with the base.”
Captain Burnside had a confused look on her face. “In one of my former commands?”
“We are looking into allegations that go all the way back to when women signed their intent to serve during their ROTC program. You were in the ROTC at Mary Washington University,” Garcia said. “Were you aware of any type of abuse?”
Captain Burnside looks stunned for a moment. “That was well over a decade ago.”
“Anything you could remember that could help would be very much appreciated,” Laura Lee said. “From the records we were able to access, there were four women, including you, in your ROTC class.”
“I suppose that sounds right. It seems like it was so long ago. I honestly haven’t thought about it in years.” Her voice was ripe with the southern accent.
Both Laura Lee and Garcia knew she was full of shit. First of all, there’s no way she would ever forget the makeup of her ROTC class, including how many females there were. Secondly, given the fact that she was probably an asset for Harrison West, she most certainly thought about her college years on a regular basis, or at least whenever he contacted her.
Laura Lee forced a friendly smile. “You must have had an experience similar to my own. Others talk about the wonderful lifelong friendships they made with others in their ROTC class. Not me. The four other women in my class were the cattiest, nastiest, backstabbing women I have ever met in my life.”
“What year did you graduate?” Burnside asked.
“Four years after you.”
“From Mary Washington?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The expression on captain Burnside’s face morphed from surprise to something dark and then back to surprise again. “Do you know of any abuse allegations from your class?” she asked, with a soft voice.
“Yes, there was definitely abuse that took place.” Laura Lee stated it as fact.
“Saxton,” Garcia reprimanded. They had to leave her name fresh in the captain’s thoughts as they wrapped up the visit. “We’re not here to report what we suspect. We’re here only to ascertain if Captain Burnside has any additional information to help corroborate the allegations.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“You will disregard Saxton’s statement,” Garcia said. “As this is an ongoing investigation, we caution you against discussing this matter with anyone.”
“Of course,” the captain agreed. “I’m curious though, we’re talking about potential crimes over a decade ago. Why investigate it now?”
“If I’m right, it’s still occurring,” Laura Lee proclaimed.
“And even if it isn’t,” Garcia jumped in, “the fact that the possible crimes were perpetrated against military personnel lends special circumstances to the prosecutorial process.”
“I see,” the captain said.
Laura Lee could see the gears turning in her brain. She was trying to evaluate how this would affect her.
