Plain Danger. Debby Giusti

      Fort Rickman, with its stately oaks and tall pine trees, wasn’t what Carrie had expected. She had a preconceived notion of army posts filled with men in uniform marching across parade fields accompanied by flags and a band. Her false ideas had probably been the result of watching too many military movies as a kid that featured army heroes. Silly of her, but since she’d never known her father, she’d hoped the movies would help her understand the life he had lived.

      Ty made a quick stop at CID headquarters and insisted she come into his office, which turned out to be a cubicle big enough for a desk and two chairs. He brought her coffee and asked for her to wait while he talked to one of the other agents about the case.

      As she sipped the hot brew, she couldn’t help noticing the lack of photos and other knickknacks on his desk. Everything was neat and tidy but unadorned with anything that smacked of family or gave her a clue about who Ty Zimmerman really was.

      He returned and smiled. “Ready to go to your father’s unit?”

      She continued to be pleasantly surprised as they drove across post. A stream meandered next to a walking trail that bordered a grassy knoll. The plentiful stands of trees and expansive green spaces reminded her of a national park. She’d been to Fort Meyer and Fort Belvoir in Virginia with the senator. Both posts were beautiful, but they weren’t troop posts where soldiers trained for war. Somehow she hadn’t expected anything as lush at Fort Rickman.

      “It looks so peaceful,” she said as they drove along a quiet two-lane road, overhung with a canopy of live oaks. “I expected dusty training areas with little or no vegetation.”

      He pointed left and then right. “The training areas stretch east and west on either side of the main post garrison. If you’d like, we could drive there.”

      She held up her hand. “That won’t be necessary. I’m not even sure about stopping by my father’s unit.”

      “I thought you wanted to know more about who he was and what was important to him.”

      “I do. It’s just that...” She hesitated. “I don’t know what to expect.”

      “Not to worry. From what I’ve heard, Sergeant Major Harris was well liked and well respected. I’m sure his men and colleagues will enjoy meeting you.”

      Tyler made a number of turns that eventually led to the engineer battalion. He pointed to a one-story brick building with a military flag hanging in front. To the side and rear were a number of three-story buildings.

      “The taller structures are the barracks where the soldiers live. Battalion headquarters sits in the middle. That’s where the commander works, along with his staff and the command sergeant major.”

      “Which was my father’s position.”

      “That’s correct. He was the ranking noncommissioned officer in the battalion.”

      All around them soldiers scurried from building to building. In the distance, she saw men standing in formation, and beside one of the barracks, military personnel were scrubbing trash cans. A soldier picked up a scrap of paper and tossed it in a nearby receptacle.

      “Looks like everyone takes pride in maintaining the area.”

      “I’m sure your father stressed that to his men.”

      “They look so young.”

      “That’s because they are, Carrie. Many of them are right out of high school.”

      “And going to war.”

      “If their unit is deployed.”

      Pulling to a stop, he again opened her door and then ushered her toward the headquarters.

      Stepping inside, she was surprised when three soldiers, sitting at desks, all rose to greet her. She hadn’t expected their manners or their welcoming smiles.

      “Afternoon, ma’am,” they said practically in unison. The tallest of the three men turned to Tyler. “How may I help you, sir?”

      He showed his identification and gave his name and Carrie’s. “I’d like to talk to Corporal Fellows’s first sergeant.”

      “Yes, sir. That would be First Sergeant Baker. I’ll call him and ask him to come to headquarters.”

      Tyler glanced at the office to the rear. The nameplate on the door read Command Sergeant Major Adams, evidently the man who had taken her father’s position.

      “Is the sergeant major in?” Tyler asked.

      “Ah, no, sir. He’s tied up at main post headquarters along with the commander.”

      “Ms. York is Sergeant Major Harris’s daughter. I’m sure she’d appreciate seeing her father’s former office, if you don’t mind.”

      One of the other men came from around his desk. “Your dad was a fine man who did everything he could to help the troops. I’d be happy to show you around.”

      She followed the soldier into a corner office. A large desk sat in front of two windows. Three flags, including the American flag, stood nearby.

      “Your father had the side wall filled with awards and commendations, ma’am. Close to thirty years on active duty. That’s a career to be proud of, although I don’t have to tell you.”

      She nodded, unable to think of anything to say that wouldn’t expose her mixed emotions. “How did he treat the other men in the unit?” she asked, searching for something to say that wouldn’t reveal her lack of knowledge of the military.

      “He was by the book, if that’s what you mean, ma’am, although the sergeant major liked to laugh. A deep bellowing sound that would fill a room. If you heard him laugh, you knew everything would be okay.” Her guide suddenly looked embarrassed. “Forgive me, ma’am. I’m not telling you anything you didn’t already know.”

      His statement took her aback. Confusion swept over her as it had too many times over the last twenty-some hours. If only she had heard her father’s laughter.

      Tears stung her eyes and a lump filled her throat. Not wanting the sergeant to realize her upset, she choked back her thanks and returned to the main area where Ty stood to the side talking to another man in uniform.

      “I’ll wait for you outside,” she managed to say in passing as she hurried out the door and toward the car. Breathing in the fresh air, she stared at the pristine grounds that had been her father’s life for close to thirty years. She knew so little about the military, and everything she thought she knew was proving to be wrong.

      A breeze stirred the trees and made her hair swirl in front of her face. She pulled it behind her ears and wiped her hand across her cheeks. She needed to be strong, especially here, surrounded by men and women in uniform who sacrificed so much for the nation.

      Carrie thought she had known who she was and where she’d come from. Since George Gates had called her, she had realized how her past had been clouded by her mother’s lies. Regrettably the foundation upon which she’d built her life had been false.

      Before arriving at Tyler’s car, someone shouted her name. She turned, seeing a soldier, late thirties, blond hair visible under his beret. He ran toward her.

      “Ma’am, one of the men said you were Sergeant Major Harris’s daughter.”

      “That’s correct.”

      He held out his hand. “Sergeant Oliver, ma’am. Pleased to meet you.”

      She returned the handshake.

      “I was with your father in the Middle East and served with him here at Fort Rickman. His death was hard on all of us who knew him. If there’s anything I can do, don’t hesitate to ask.”

      “Thank you, Sergeant.”

      “You’ve heard about the ceremony at the