coffee cups, dental floss, mouthwash, breath mints, chewing gum, and a bag of lemon drops. A scrap of paper ripped from a steno pad with the word Nerine and a number slashed across the corner in black marker. It’s raggedness looked out of place in the pristine desk. Perhaps written in haste. Or anger?
Lani tucked that thought away, sat in Kenyon’s office chair, and reached for the phone on Kenyon’s desk. Instinct made her pull her hand away. Instead, she used her cell, then leaned back and counted the rings. One. Two.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Nerine.” At least she hoped it was Nerine. It sounded like her. “This is Elaine Hollister. I—”
“Something happened. Didn’t it?” Her voice quavered. “Please tell me no one else got hurt. Oh, God. Is he dead?”
Stunned, Lani struggled for a response. “He didn’t come home last night?”
She heard the intake of breath, then a slowly released sigh. “I left Mick last November. Right after the ball. The kids and I are living in San Diego near my family. He didn’t tell you?”
“No.” Lani barely managed to get the word out.
Another sigh. “I had no choice. His drinking had gotten to the point where he… He wasn’t the man I thought he was. I did what I thought was best for us all. I filed for divorce and sole legal and physical custody of the children. The last time we saw him was at Christmas. Briefly. He indicated he’d moved on, found someone else, and was better off without me. I couldn’t agree more.”
“I-I don’t know what to say.” And that was the truth.
“I’m not surprised he didn’t say anything,” Nerine told her. “He’s very good at hiding things, and for good reason. He’s made some real career-busting moves and… Well, like I said, he’s not the man I thought he was. I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to realize it. The drinking… Is he…all right?”
Lani wouldn’t lie. “I don’t know. He didn’t come in.” Again . “We can’t reach him by phone. Do you know who this new person in his life is?”
Nerine took so long answering, Lani wondered if the call had dropped. “I can’t say.”
Can’t say, or won’t say?
“Let me know if he’s all right. He’ll hate that you did, but…” Her voice broke. “I still love him, you know. How stupid does that make me?”
“Not stupid at all. I’ll let you know.”
“Maybe you can get him help with the drinking and…stuff.”
“I don’t think he’ll have a choice.” There was no covering this up. Lani was ashamed she hadn’t acted on her suspicions earlier. Disbelief, fear of ruining a good marine’s career…neither were good excuses. There were no excuses.
Lani ended the call with another promise to keep Nerine informed and exited Kenyon’s office to find Greg braced against the wall, his arms crossed and a glower darkening his face. Mathias quivered beside him.
“Thank you, Corporal Mathias. Put in a request to have the door fixed.” She stooped for her duffel. “Master Gunnery Sergeant Landess, please get Lieutenant Cornwall and come to my office.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Heads ducked back into offices, but the whispered conversations didn’t die as she headed down the hallway. The news was out. Staff Sergeant Tipton was dead. Major Kenyon was UA. Another unauthorized absence. Probably drunk again , they’d say. Lani damned herself for letting it go on. What the hell had she been thinking? The man had a problem, and they’d ignored it.
She opened her office door and blessed Greg’s consideration when she saw the large coffee from Carl’s Jr. in the middle of her desk. Office coffee sucked. This one would be the right temperature, have the right amount of half-and-half. She popped the lid, tested to make sure her assumptions were correct, then sucked down half of it and sank into her pleather chair.
“I can get you another if you’d like,” Greg said as he and their lanky operations officer walked in and sat in the chairs
Lani tucked that thought away, sat in Kenyon’s office chair, and reached for the phone on Kenyon’s desk. Instinct made her pull her hand away. Instead, she used her cell, then leaned back and counted the rings. One. Two.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Nerine.” At least she hoped it was Nerine. It sounded like her. “This is Elaine Hollister. I—”
“Something happened. Didn’t it?” Her voice quavered. “Please tell me no one else got hurt. Oh, God. Is he dead?”
Stunned, Lani struggled for a response. “He didn’t come home last night?”
She heard the intake of breath, then a slowly released sigh. “I left Mick last November. Right after the ball. The kids and I are living in San Diego near my family. He didn’t tell you?”
“No.” Lani barely managed to get the word out.
Another sigh. “I had no choice. His drinking had gotten to the point where he… He wasn’t the man I thought he was. I did what I thought was best for us all. I filed for divorce and sole legal and physical custody of the children. The last time we saw him was at Christmas. Briefly. He indicated he’d moved on, found someone else, and was better off without me. I couldn’t agree more.”
“I-I don’t know what to say.” And that was the truth.
“I’m not surprised he didn’t say anything,” Nerine told her. “He’s very good at hiding things, and for good reason. He’s made some real career-busting moves and… Well, like I said, he’s not the man I thought he was. I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to realize it. The drinking… Is he…all right?”
Lani wouldn’t lie. “I don’t know. He didn’t come in.” Again . “We can’t reach him by phone. Do you know who this new person in his life is?”
Nerine took so long answering, Lani wondered if the call had dropped. “I can’t say.”
Can’t say, or won’t say?
“Let me know if he’s all right. He’ll hate that you did, but…” Her voice broke. “I still love him, you know. How stupid does that make me?”
“Not stupid at all. I’ll let you know.”
“Maybe you can get him help with the drinking and…stuff.”
“I don’t think he’ll have a choice.” There was no covering this up. Lani was ashamed she hadn’t acted on her suspicions earlier. Disbelief, fear of ruining a good marine’s career…neither were good excuses. There were no excuses.
Lani ended the call with another promise to keep Nerine informed and exited Kenyon’s office to find Greg braced against the wall, his arms crossed and a glower darkening his face. Mathias quivered beside him.
“Thank you, Corporal Mathias. Put in a request to have the door fixed.” She stooped for her duffel. “Master Gunnery Sergeant Landess, please get Lieutenant Cornwall and come to my office.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Heads ducked back into offices, but the whispered conversations didn’t die as she headed down the hallway. The news was out. Staff Sergeant Tipton was dead. Major Kenyon was UA. Another unauthorized absence. Probably drunk again , they’d say. Lani damned herself for letting it go on. What the hell had she been thinking? The man had a problem, and they’d ignored it.
She opened her office door and blessed Greg’s consideration when she saw the large coffee from Carl’s Jr. in the middle of her desk. Office coffee sucked. This one would be the right temperature, have the right amount of half-and-half. She popped the lid, tested to make sure her assumptions were correct, then sucked down half of it and sank into her pleather chair.
“I can get you another if you’d like,” Greg said as he and their lanky operations officer walked in and sat in the chairs
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