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Chapter 16
A Glimpse
Bobby stretched his full length on the bed, slowly turning, trying to find a comfortable spot. He paused mid turn, frowned, and then tried again. He glanced towards his partner, fast becoming friend, Gage, who was bent over the small desk, squinting at his notes. Declan raised his head, his voice was low. "Ya know, Bobby, we might touch base with the NYPD. Share what we have and see if they have found any new information."
Goren paused in his turn. "You'd think they'd want to work with us." His voice was sarcastic.
Declan slightly raised himself into a stretch, slightly turning in his chair. "Now Bobby, we are the...." He paused in thought. A smile crossed his face. "The foreigners here. We need to try to work with them."
Finding a spot, Goren stopped in his tossing, sighing in comfort. "Yeah, we'll check with them tomorrow."
Having turned back to his work, Gage raised a brow in amusement. "Good. Tomorrow then."
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Alex paused at the table, quickly thumbing through the mail. She stopped when she reached an envelope addressed to her. Quietly picking it out of the group, she went up the stairs to her bedroom. Dropping her backpack on the floor, she quickly sprawled on her belly on top of her bed. Latching her ankles together above her, she opened the letter.
'Dear Alex,
Higgins again. Thought you might want to know, Sergeant Goren's case has taken him to New York City.'
Alex's heart skipped a beat. He's here? Bobby's in New York? Will he try to contact me? She unhooked her ankles and re-hooked them again. I'm sure he has enough to do, without thinking about me. But the thought couldn't help but lift her heart. The next sentence caused a snort to escape her lips.
"I am sorry to report, but because of his extended absence, Private Flynn and myself devoured the cookies. Which, I might add, although they were delicious, need a bit more butter."
I think you should consider them a gift...from both Bobby and me.
'Not that we didn't enjoy the cookies, we did. I just remember how my Grandma use to make them. Would you believe she substituted chicken fat for butter? Wild, isn't it?'
Alex moved her hair out of her face and behind her ear. "Eeew, that doesn't sound good at all!"
'Believe it or not, they were good. Of course, I have no doubt now that my cholesterol rose quite a bit.'
She laughed. "I bet it did!"
'Anyway, I thought you might want to know about Sergeant Goren. Not really sure if he will be returning to Germany, or if he'll be stationed stateside.'
Alex frowned. "How would I find out? Would they even tell me?" She sighed in frustration, turning over on her back, staring at the ceiling, clasping the pillow behind her head. If I should meet him, what would I say? How would I greet him? Will he.... She paused in thought, feeling the tears beginning to well up. Would he even want to acknowledge that I am alive?
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Moving quickly across the compound, Higgins had his collar turned up to keep his ears warm, holding it closed with a gloved hand. He laughed at the image that he was giving others. A turtle with its head half in his shell, only moving faster. He chuckled as he opened the door to the MPO, letting it slam behind him. He looked at the startled red haired Private. "Flynn, any letters?"
Errol looked up at the Corporal, as he began to shuffle through the pile of letters. He took longer than necessary, knowing full well there was one waiting for the Corporal. "Yeah Elbert..." After shuffling a few more moments, he held up one letter, with a glint of mischievousness in his eyes. "Looks like you're taking up, where Goren left off."
In two steps, Elbert was at the counter plucking the letter from Flynn's hands. "What did I tell you about referencing Ms. Eames in that manner?"
The Private cowered mockingly. "Yeah, well, I know how many letters you get."
The Corporal shot a look of reproach at him. "Don't remind me." In truth, he didn't reminding. He recently received a Dear John Letter from his girl friend, indicating she had a new beau with a very promising future. With both of his folks are deceased, the chance of a letter are slim to none. The letter from Alex was a bright light in his very dark tunnel. Even if its dribble, it's stateside dribble and I appreciate it. He gently placed it in his pocket, lightly patting it. He looked over at Flynn. "Thanks Errol. Come over for coffee later?"
The youth grinned. "That would be great."
Elbert smiled. "Later then." With that, he turned and headed out the door. Stepping back outside, he quickly pulled his collar back up. With his first step, he debated on his next destination. With a shrug, Higgins headed towards the mess hall.
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Being led through the maze of desks and file cabinets, Gage and Goren found themselves being shown seats in front of a desk that was piled with papers. An older detective entered the area, handing a cup of black coffee to each of them. Taking his seat, he waved to Gage and Goren to do the same.
Bobby took a sip, wrinkling his nose at the strong sour taste. The detective smiled. "It's an acquired taste."
Gage grinned, nudging his partner. "Kind of like you, Bobby."
As each took a seat, Declan began sharing information about the case. Pausing for a moment, the detective quickly interjected, "We, at NYPD, don't feel it's a serial killer. We think these are just random murders, with some faint similarities." The detective stopped, noting that Dr. Gage held up his hand in argument.
"With all due respect, detective, we've followed this case from Korea." Gage looked at his partner who was nodding in agreement.
Detective Sloan leaned back in his chair. "Korea?" He shook his head, trying to grasp what they were saying. "We have cases like this every day in New York City. There hasn't been a serial killing." His voice was adamant.
Declan slightly raised himself by the arms of his chair, pushing himself against the back of it. "How can you be so sure?"
Bobby looked over at Declan, trying to sooth him as quickly as he could. "Declan...."
Detective Sloan could feel the hair raise up on the back of his neck. "If you thought these murders were even a resemblance of a serial killer from Korea, you should have..."
Gage glared at him, raising his voice. "We're here now. And what? So you could drop the ball anyway?" He snorted, shaking his head.
Bobby glanced at the two men, realizing that the possibility of working with the NYPD was quickly disappearing. "Gentlemen.... We, we need to...."
Pushing himself from his chair, Declan nearly knocked it over. "Come on Bobby. Apparently, they have something better to do."
Declan indignantly pushed his way through a group of police officers in the hallway, with Bobby in tow. Goren paused to apologize for his partner's abruptness, as he passed through the narrow passage they had made for the two visitors. One officer studied Gage and Goren as they made their way past him and down the down the hall. "Who in the hell are they?"
Sloan approached the group of officers, catching a final glimpse of the back of the tall CID, as he turned the corner. Hearing the question, a dry laugh escaped his lips. "That, Officer Eames, is the Army's finest...Dr. Gage and Sergeant Goren."
John Eames tilted his head in thought. He looked back at the corner where they had disappeared. Goren? Where the hell did I hear that name before?
A/N: Hope you all are still enjoying the story. By coincidence, a friend e-mailed me some information (she doesn't know I'm writing this story). A simple request. When sending out your Christmas / Holiday cards, include one more on your list. Send to: A Recovering Soldier; C/O Walter Reed Army Medical Center; 6900 Georgia Avenue. NW; Washington, DC 20307-5001. Make someone's day! Thanks!