Debby Giusti - The Officer's Secret

Nate glanced down at his notes. “Let’s go back to the beginning. What happened after you entered the house?”

She explained how she had searched the rooms and, finding nothing, had made her way to the attic. “The upstairs was pitch-black. I couldn’t see anything and waved my hand in the air to find the pull cord for the overhead light bulb. The moon shone through the window and—” She struggled to find her words.

His voice softened. “That’s when you saw your sister?”

She nodded. Tears pooled in her blue-green eyes and slowly trickled down her cheeks. Nate pulled his handkerchief from his pocket and shoved it into her hand, his fingers touching hers for longer than necessary.

Maggie seemed oblivious to the way his hand burned where it touched hers. What was happening to his ability to remain neutral? No one had ever affected him like the woman sitting close to him.

is a medical technologist who loves working with test tubes and petri dishes almost as much as she loves to write. Growing up as an army brat, Debby met and married her husband—then a captain in the army—at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Together they traveled the world, raised three wonderful army brats of their own and have now settled in Atlanta, Georgia, where Debby spins tales of suspense that touch the heart and soul. Contact Debby through her website, www.DebbyGiusti.com, email debby@debbygiusti.com, or write c/o Love Inspired Suspense, 233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10279.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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If you remain in my word,

you will truly be my disciples, and you will

know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

—John 8:31, 32

To Tony and Joseph

My Military Heroes

To our brave men and women in uniform

God bless you

and

God bless the United States of America

To the Seekers

Thanks for making it so much fun!

To my editor, Emily Rodmell

You always make my stories better

To Tony, Liz, Eric, Mary, Katie and Joe

To Anna, Robert, John Anthony and baby William

I love you all so much!

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

EPILOGUE

LETTER TO READER

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

The night lay cold and dark outside the car just like the layer of regret that hung around Maggie Bennett’s heart. She had left Fort Rickman as a young teen, vowing never to return. Too many painful memories were associated with the army post, memories Maggie had secreted away in the deepest recesses of her heart. Tonight, she prayed those memories would remain hidden forever.

Squinting through the rain-spattered windshield, she approached Fort Rickman’s main gate and parked in front of the Visitor’s Center. The clock on the dashboard read 2:15 a.m., a chilling reminder of the urgency of the middle-of-the-night plea that brought her here.

If not for her sister’s phone call, Maggie would still be sound asleep at home in Alabama instead of seeking entry to the Georgia army post she had left sixteen years ago. Dani’s attempt at reconciliation last week when the two sisters had met for lunch had been as unexpected after their years of separation as tonight’s phone call. Maggie had been surprised that Dani would reach out to her so soon after opening up communication again, but she wasn’t going to let her sister down. Not this time.

With a heavy sigh, she pulled her key from the ignition and stepped from her car, shivering, not so much from the cold February night air but in anticipation of what awaited her. Perhaps Dani’s outreach would move them beyond the pain of their estrangement.

How had the years passed without either of them making an effort to reconnect? After more than a decade of silence, her sister’s invitation to meet for lunch had been a welcome first step. Both of them had been guarded at the onset. Then slowly, recalling their childhood days, the sibling bond had semisurfaced and opened them to share at least a bit more deeply.

Maggie had known intuitively that Dani had changed, even before she had mentioned her time in Afghanistan. The deployment had provided an opportunity for her sister to reflect on the purpose of her life and, as she had told Maggie, she’d eventually realized her marriage to Graham had been a huge mistake. As soon as Dani had returned to the States, she had tried to explain to her husband the way she felt, but he hadn’t wanted to listen. Evidently Dani had been more insistent tonight.

Over lunch, Dani had also alluded to a possible illegal operation she had uncovered during her deployment, something that could put her in danger if the wrong people found out. She hadn’t divulged any of the details to Maggie, although she had voiced her own hesitation about telling Graham. He traveled to the Middle East with the civilian contracting job he had on post, and for a reason her sister never divulged, Dani felt she couldn’t confide in him—nor could she confide in the military police on post, who Dani believed could in some way be connected to the Afghani operation. All of which made Maggie wonder whether her sister thought Graham was involved, as well.

The old Dani never worried about the future, but Maggie had heard concern in her sister’s voice a week ago and had seen the glint of fear in her eyes, no matter how hard Dani had tried to cover her anxiety with a nervous laugh.

Neither sibling had mentioned their father’s death or leaving Fort Rickman years earlier, yet the topic had hovered like a dark cloud over their time together until, in parting, Dani had opened her arms and the two women had embraced, both with some hesitation and neither making the most of the moment. Yet the outreach on Dani’s part had been significant enough to, if not knit the tear, at least bandage the wound she doubted would ever completely heal.

Pushing aside the guilt that had claimed her heart for too long, Maggie tugged her coat closed against the wind and hurried inside where the glare of fluorescent lights greeted her along with the brisk “Welcome to Fort Rickman” of the military policeman on duty.

With a perfunctory nod, she pulled her driver’s license and registration form from her purse. After giving him the documents, she raked her free hand through her chestnut-colored hair, painfully aware of her disheveled appearance.

If only she had changed into something more presentable than faded jeans and a baggy orange sweater prior to starting out on her journey. As distraught as Dani had sounded over the phone, Maggie’s focus had been on packing a suitcase and heading for the highway. She’d made the trip in a little over two hours.