Free The Good Soldier by L. T. Ryan

in the car with the middle aged Lt. Col., than with the prisoners and MPs in the brig.
    "Go on," the MP behind me said with a push to my back.
    "Let's go, Bear," I said.
    Bear opened the back door on the passenger side and got in the car.
    I walked around the back of the vehicle and grabbed the handle, but stopped before getting in.
    McDuffie stood with his hand on the open door to the driver's seat. He studied me for a moment. "Go on, get in."
    "I can trust you, Lt. Col.?" I said.
    "I'm on your side, Jack," he said.
    * * *
    We left Camp Lejeune behind. Houses, fields and stretches of forest passed by in a blur. We drove for forty-five minutes without saying a word.
    McDuffie pulled into the parking lot of a small shopping center near I-95, just outside of Fayetteville. He parked the car and opened his door. "Let's grab something to eat." He pointed toward a 24-hour breakfast diner.
    We got out and crossed the parking lot. McDuffie walked in front, and Bear and I followed close behind.
    We must have missed the breakfast rush because the diner was empty. A cute hostess warily greeted us and sat us in a booth then dropped off a carafe of coffee. Moments later a blond haired waitress with red lipstick and a name tag that read Jenny took our order.
    Bear and I sat shoulder to shoulder, across from McDuffie. He said nothing to us. His eyes scanned the road in front of the diner. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lit one and dropped the pack on the table.
    I followed his gaze, stared out the window, watched cars pass by on the road we had traveled on.
    "Glad you guys could make it," a voice said from behind.
    I turned and saw Abbot standing there, dressed in faded blue jeans, a white polo and a tan jacket.
    "Sorry things got out of hand in there, Jack," he said.
    I hiked my shoulders. "Not your fault."
    "You should have never been in there."
    "Hear anything?"
    He shook his head. McDuffie slid in toward the window and Abbot sat down next to him.
    "No," Abbot said. "I've called every contact I have." He placed his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers. "Half of the bastards wouldn't even take my call."
    "What about General Keller?" I asked. "Did he reach out to you?"
    "Briefly," Abbot replied. "After he spoke with you." He grabbed a menu, looked it over, then poured himself a cup of coffee from the steaming carafe. "He's looking into it, too," he added.
    "So what now?" Bear asked.
    Abbot held the mug to his mouth and blew into it, sending ripples through the coffee and a puff of steam into the air in front of him. He took a sip and his mouth contorted in response to the aftertaste. He set the mug down then lowered his hand to his lap, returning a moment later with a set of keys that he tossed onto the table.
    "D.C."
    "Washington?" Bear asked.
    "Yeah," Abbot replied. "Neil Delaney."
    He slid a folded piece of paper across the table toward me. I reached out, grabbed it and then unfolded the paper, reading the name and phone number on it. I offered it to Bear, but he shook his head, perhaps because he trusted me with the information, or maybe because he didn't want to take his eyes off the men who sat across from us.
    "Who's that?" I asked.
    Abbot cleared his throat and fidgeted with his scuffed gold wedding band. He brought his hands to his face and rubbed his chin with the tips of his thumbs, holding his index fingers inches from his mouth. His eyes shifted toward the window and he said nothing.
    "Colonel-"
    Abbot raised his hand and shook his head slightly. "He's an old friend. He's got contacts that I don't. Delaney might not have any idea what's going on when you meet with him, but give him a few hours and he'll be able to tell you everything. Who's behind it, why they're behind it, how high it goes. Everything, Jack."
    He glanced over my shoulder and lifted an eyebrow while nodding once.
    The waitress stopped next to me, a brown tray perched on her hand and shoulder. She expertly balanced it while setting our plates down