Nothing Ordinary by M J Marlow (best ereader for academics txt) 📕

frame Captain Jeffrey Owens for the shooting of Doctor Guthrie, Lieutenant Cartwright.” “I don’t know Doctor Guthrie,” Cartwright replied. “But I can say if Owens wanted the man dead it was because he was a bastard of the first order. He’d be more likely to beat the man to a bloody pulp than shoot him from a distance.” He frowned at a particular memory and rubbed his jaw. “Very hands-on, is Jeffrey.” “Thank you for your time, Lieutenant Cartwright,” Camden rose to his feet. “Please leave your contact information with the Sergeant at the front desk. We might have follow up questions for you.” “Glad to help, sir,” Cartwright said. “If you’re looking for someone who has it in for that pair, I’d look at Higgins or McManus.” “McManus?” Camden queried. “That’s a name that has come up before. But we can’t find him.” “Not surprising,” Cartwright shrugged. “The man was listed as MIA the same time James Owens was. He was obsessed with Anneke; actually thought she was meant to be with him. If he found his way back, he might misconstrue a relationship between Anneke and any man and think he’d been betrayed.” “Thank you for the help, Lieutenant,” Camden nodded and went to knock on the door. Petrie opened it and Cartwright left. “Send in Lieutenant Higgins now.” Jeffrey watched as Higgins came into the room. He walked with a limp from the injury he had suffered in Iraq and had put on a little weight since taking on a desk assignment. He nodded to Cartwright briefly and the two men shook hands and parted company without a word. Camden noted no animosity between them, but no camaraderie either. “Lieutenant Higgins,” Camden nodded to the man as Petrie closed the door. “I’m Major Camden. I’ve asked you here to answer a few questions…” “Whatever they think Owens did,” Higgins broke in fervently, “it’s not true. That man is the original straight arrow!” “You know Anneke Weber, now Anneke Weber Owens?” “Ah!” Higgins smiled warmly and fondly. “There is an angel! As early as fourteen she had all the young bucks tripping over their feet to be near her. The fact that her father was a Major kept most of us on our best behavior, though.” He laughed. “There was a girl who knew her own mind! If she didn’t like the way a person was behaving, she was not too shy to say so.” He looked at the Major worriedly. “She’s not in any trouble, is she?” “Jeffrey Owens is being accused of shooting the man who abducted her,” Camden told the man and saw him laugh. “What’s funny?” “If it wasn’t at point blank range in defense of Anneke or another innocent,” Higgins said firmly, “then Jeffrey did not do it. Long distance shooting is the act of a coward.” “Can you think of anyone in particular who might want to frame Captain Owens for this murder, Lieutenant Higgins?” “Hmmm,” Higgins thought, putting his steepled fingers to his chin. “Cartwright always had a rivalry with Owens’ brother, but that was professional. If I had to lay money on who did this, it would be Creepy McManus. I caught him glaring at James and Anneke when they spent time together like he wanted to skin the man alive. Only problem with that is McManus and James Owens went MIA during our last deployment to Iraq.” Camden saw Higgins out and called for Preston. The two men stopped in front of each other and he could practically see the hackles rising. Camden wondered what that was all about. Preston came into the room and remained standing until Camden had taken a seat. The man had military manners, Camden thought, but they were insincere. There was no respect for his rank or his office in the man he was facing. “Sergeant Preston,” he nodded to the man. “We are looking into the murder of Doctor Walter Guthrie.” “Why would that interest me?” Preston said stiffly. “I never heard of the man.” “You do know the woman he abducted and raped, Sergeant,” Camden stated. “You knew her as Anneke Weber.” “Snotty little brat,” Preston muttered. He saw Camden stiffen. “Oh she was a pretty thing, Major,” he continued, “but she was very stand-offish. Never gave a man a chance. She had her sights set on James Owens from the start.” “Is that why you lied at the inquest into her parents’ deaths, Sergeant?” Camden asked a question that had nothing to do with the murder. He saw the man stiffen. “Mrs. Owens stated that when their car went into the river, you and three other men were there sharing a keg.” The man was looking decidedly uneasy. “But you told the investigating officers that she was imagining things.” He was angry. “I have only known Mrs. Owens for a short time, Sergeant, but she does not strike me as a young woman who would imagine things to that degree.” “The girl was in shock,” Preston shrugged as if the matter wasn’t worth speaking about. “I fail to see how that matter is pertinent here, sir.” “I am just trying to ascertain how trustworthy a witness you would be, Sergeant Preston,” Camden replied calmly and saw the man stiffen in anger. Good! The man deserved that! “I would like to hear your impressions of Jeffrey Owens. Do you believe he would be capable of assassinating someone if he believed Anneke Weber’s life was endangered?” “Owens would walk up to the man in question,” Preston replied, “and rip his heart out! He is not the type of man who does anything from the shadows.” He grew silent a moment. “That would be more McManus’ style. He liked the shadows; that made him the second best man in our sniper unit.” “Can you tell me how the receipt you gave Captain Owens for his weapon happened to get lost, Sergeant?” Camden asked the man. “He is certain he turned it in when he left Munich and that you were the officer on duty when he did so.” “Let me check,” Preston said as he whipped out his PDA. He pulled up a file and turned it to Camden. “It’s noted here. Owens turned over his weapon and was given a receipt.” “Is it possible to get a print-out of that record, Sergeant?” Camden asked the man. “It’ll just take a moment to sync-up to a computer in your office,” Preston nodded. “I may have been annoyed by Anneke when she was a teenager, but she has improved since then. If you see her, tell her we are all happy James came back.” “Thank you for your time, Sergeant Preston,” Camden got to his feet. “Captain Petrie will show you to a terminal so you can print out that record for us.” “Hey,” Preston shrugged, “we might have been annoyed by Prince Charming, but he always had our backs. Glad I could do the same for him.” Ryan nodded and wondered about the man all three men had named. McManus was MIA in Iraq. That didn’t mean he hadn’t gotten out. He would need to know the details to see if there was any reason the man might have had for wanting Owens’ brother in prison and Anneke vulnerable to attack. “Owens, James M., Major, U.S. Army Sniper Elite,” Camden read the file he had pulled up. “Reported Missing In Action along with McManus, Thomas R. on 12 September 2008 after building unit had chosen as vantage point was damaged by IUD in abandoned taxi. Higgins, Samuel C. critically wounded in same action.” “That was a bad day,” Jeffrey nodded. “We walked into an ambush and McManus and my brother went up to see if they could get at them from above. The taxi blew and the roof caved in. We couldn’t get to either of them, we barely got Higgins out; it got too hot for us to remain where we were.” He shook his head. “I still have nightmares about it.” “Camden,” the Major answered his phone. He nodded. “That is interesting. Keep digging.” He hung up and turned to the two men. “That was the JAG Office in Munich. They went back over the Weber’s car and found a bullet in the left front tire and the brake lines cut. Someone was very determined to kill the entire family that night.” He whistled. “McManus, Thomas R., status reactivated 15 December 2008 under sealed orders of Pentagon. Reported AWOL 18 December 2008.” He looked at Jeffrey. “The man is still alive, Captain.” “And he is on the loose,” Jeffrey frowned. He was on his way out with the others when he saw Preston crawling out of the bathroom. He went down on his knees to help the man. “Pres, what happened?” “Someone caught me from behind,” he choked on the blood welling up from his slit throat. “Tried to get my PDA, Owens.” He gripped Jeffrey’s arm. “It was one of us! Saw the eagle reflected in the mirror.” He reached into his pocket. “Left this for you.” He lost consciousness and Jeffrey let the doctor at him. Jeffrey looked at the paper Preston had given him and his blood went cold. On it in big red letters was written ‘Anneke will be mine! Don’t get in the way!’ He handed it over to Camden and slammed his fist into the wall. This bastard was going down, he swore to himself. He was not getting away with this! 22 James looked at the clock and his smile widened. He had a dinner date and he didn’t want to keep her waiting. Anneke had been the only one he had thought of as he lay in the Iraqi prison. Her image had kept him from breaking as they tortured him. He had gotten free only to hear that his wife; his angel, had been abducted and raped by Walter Guthrie. He pulled into the garage and went into the house where she had set the table with flowers and candles. A bottle of red wine and two glasses was waiting. Marcy and Jeffrey were out to dinner to celebrate his release from questioning, he knew. Annie came out of the kitchen wearing the dress he had bought, her golden hair flowing around her and falling to the middle of her back in silken waves. He caught her unique scent as she came towards him. When they finally got to the dinner table, he was quiet for a moment. “I’m sorry, Annie,” he said finally. “I got my orders and we need to leave in the morning.” Annie looked about to argue but she did not. “We’re to report to Sterling Military Academy in New York in two days’ time.” “A military academy?” Annie was intrigued. “You’re going to be bored out of your skull, James!” “The powers that be have decided I need time to recuperate from my ordeal,” James nodded. He poured them each a glass of wine and came to sit next to her. “It sounds like a good opportunity for us. I know Colonel Sheridan. His wife breeds and shows Rottweilers.” He saw her eyes sparkle. “I knew you’d like that.” “Tomorrow,” Annie frowned. She took a sip of her wine. “Sometimes I hate being an Army brat.” “I know, baby,” James said as he took the glass from her and set it down. He pulled her into his lap and held her as she cried. “Major Camden is almost certain that they are on the trail of the real murderer. At least Jeffrey is free of suspicion now.” He picked her up in his arms. “We’d better go to bed and get some sleep. We have to leave early in the morning.” “I have a feeling if we go to bed now,” Annie teased her husband as she drank in his new features and familiar eyes, “we won’t be getting much sleep.” “Vixen!” James laughed and sped up. But