Free Lean on Me by Claudia Hall Christian

man nodded and went to open the gate.
    “ What’s going on?” Trece
whispered.
    “ He checked our identities
through a facial recognition app. He’ll send the request for our
visit to the house,” Alex repeated what she read on the young man’s
lips. “We’re approved but he will only see me. The driver is going
to take you to the kitchen. I’m going to see him.”
    “ Chicken and pie?” Zack
asked.
    “ She does make the best
pie,” Alex said.
    “ And fried chicken,” Zack
licked his lips.
    “ Who?” Trece shifted
uncomfortably.
    “ There are no names here.
They call her “Mammy” like something out of Gone with the Wind,”
Alex said. “I’ve heard they are all descendents of the Harkers and
their slaves. Their accent is actually a dialect called High Tide
Brogue.”
    “ It sounds almost Irish or
English,” Zack said. “Takes a while to get the hang of.”
    “ And the language the boy
was speaking?” Trece asked.
    “ Gullah,” Alex said. “It’s
a language South Carolina slaves developed. Almost no one speaks
old Gullah anymore.”
    The Bronco made a sharp right into a long
groomed driveway. A two-story home appeared ahead.
    “ We’re approaching the home
of a man you might recognize,” Alex said. “He has residences all
over the world. This is his true home and his true family. I will
tell you that only three other outsiders have been to this home –
Ben, Steve Pershing, and the General. Consider yourself lucky and
be a little afraid. The fact that he’s allowing us here means
something terrible is going on.”
    The Bronco pulled to a stop at the
house.
    “ I’ve only been here
twice,” Alex said.
    “ That’s what I don’t get,”
Zack said. “Why are you desperate enough to come here?”
    “ At least eight experienced
field teams have disappeared,” Alex said. “There is no trace of
what mission they were on, what they were supposed to do, or where
they might be. For all intents and purposes, they’ve
vanished.”
    “ Including G.I. Joe,” Trece
nodded.
    “ Sergeant Larry Flagg and
Marine Captain Heath Walker,” Alex said. “We need to find out
what’s going on.”
    A large-cheeked, round-bodied woman came to
the front door and waved. The driver of the Bronco let them out of
the vehicle. They walked down a brick path past an ancient rose
garden and plush green lawn to the house. The smell of the roses
caught the warm wind and Alex felt as if she was walking on a
carpet of their perfume.
    “ Here we go,” Alex stepped
into the house.
    FFFFFF Sunday morning
    October 25 – 7:30 a.m. EDT
    Fredericksburg Police Station,
Fredericksburg, PA
     
    After waiting for more than an hour, three
men came into the small interrogation room. Troy, the Army JAG, and
the criminal defense lawyer stood up.
    “ Please sit,” the
Fredericksburg detective said. “As you know, I’m Detective Young.
This is Agent Platt of the FBI and Senior Field Agent Snypes of
Army CID.”
    “ Hawkins Mac Alister,” the
criminal defense lawyer shook the men’s extended hands.
    “ Captain Tyler,” the Army
JAG lawyer said. “Nice to see you again Senior Agent
Snypes.”
    “ We’ve worked together on a
number of cases,” Senior Field Agent Snypes said. “On both sides of
the table.”
    The more the men smiled and shook each
other’s hands, the more nervous Troy became. The detective glanced
at him. Troy let out a breath. At least they weren’t all on the
same team.
    “ There are more agencies
and agents behind the glass,” Detective Young said. “Captain
Olivas, I believe you’ve been read your Miranda rights.”
    “ That’s correct.” Hawkins
Mac Alister took his position as lead attorney.
    “ I want to say something
right off the bat,” Troy said. “I don’t have anything to
hide.”
    “ Why do you have your
lawyers here?” Senior Field Agent Snypes asked.
    “ My CO told me to bring
them,” Troy said.
    “ And you always do what
your CO tells you to do?” FBI Agent Platt