Author's Notes: 1. Apolgies for the slight delay. I had to run from Hurricane Rita.

2. Thanks to Jenos Idanian & Poe1911 for your kind remarks. I hope you enjoy these chapters.


THREE


Oct. 30th: 1300 hours

"Ps-s-s-t." Loitering around the signpost, the detective had been waiting for one particular person to walk by. He gestured to the red-haired woman who waved at him and changed her course to speak to him.

"Did you spring a leak, Klinger?" Hawkeye, who was walking with Sarabeth, questioned with a grin. He was enjoying this continuous game with the inventive corporal.

The man in the fedora smiled and shrugged. He was on a clandestine assignment and couldn't be distracted. "Hey, lady," he whispered, "I've got those top secret files you requested."

"Great. Thank you, Sam." She accepted the folder handed to her. "Why don't you stop by the ranch house to pick up your payment in a few minutes?"

"Payment? Top secret? What's going on?" Pierce asked.

"Just never you mind, Reginald," MacAllister smirked. "You're not only who has secrets to keep, you know."

"You're not doing anything illegal, are you, Regina?" Hawkeye asked in fake concern. "Something an older brother would need to know about?"

"Nope. All I can say is, it's a hush-hush assignment that's been blessed by our parish priest," she offered as an explanation. "Thanks again, Detective." Sarabeth smiled at both men. "And, if y'all will excuse me, I have some research to conduct."


Inside her tent, Lieutenant MacAllister and Father Mulcahy were going over the lists that Corporal Klinger had provided. Frowning, the woman looked through her stack of papers again. "I don't see any information on Monica Parnelli. Do you have something, sir?"

The mansearched through his share of addresses, as well. "No, I don't either: most peculiar. I'm sure Klinger would include everyone."

"He would," MacAllister agreed. "I know she doesn't get much mail but she has to have someone back home." The woman frowned again, "Reckon I'll have to continue my own investigation."


"No, she's never mentioned anyone." Nurse Christy Baker shook her head when MacAllister asked about her tent mate. "Even when we've had our 'girl talks' she's never volunteered anything about her family."

"She likes to talk about her conquests, however," Sherry Riggs added. "Real and imagined."

"Boy, does she ever!" Baker agreed with a grin. Both women rolled their eyes at that shared memory. "Why, Sarabeth?"

The Texan shrugged, "Just curious. Thanks."