Court Martial (12 page)

Mary walked down the double-rutted jeep trail holding a steaming mug of coffee in each hand. She saw Spencer perched on the
fence and changed her course.

“I’m glad I found you before the coffee got cold.” She handed him a mug and joined him on the fence. “See anything this morning
worth talking about?” She smiled around the lip of her mug.

“Flowers…” Spencer skipped over the hawk incident and the thoughts it had caused in his mind.

“You do know a lot about wild flowers.” Mary reached down with her free hand and plucked a stalk containing bright blue flower
heads that were just beginning to open in the early morning light. “What’s this called?”

“Chicory… Do you know that each flower only lasts one day and then it dies. The roots can be dried and used as a coffee substitute.”

Mary gave Spencer a teasing look out of the corner of her eye and plucked another nearby flower from its stalk. “And this?”

Spencer grinned. “Poison ivy.”

Mary dropped the bright orange flower and gasped.

“I’m just kidding—that’s butterfly weed. The pioneers called it ‘pleurisy root’ because the Indians said it cured pulmonary
ailments.”

Mary looked down at the beautiful flower with more interest. Her nurse’s curiosity made her slip off the railing and pick
up the orange flower for a closer inspection. “Really? That’s interesting.... Where did you learn all this stuff about wild
flowers?”

A long silence filled the morning air. The heavy dew made the moment seem even longer before Spencer answered her. “When I
was in the foster care system down in South Carolina, one of my foster fathers taught me. The family lived on a farm.”

“One
of your foster fathers?”

“Yeah… the social workers believed in moving us around so we wouldn’t become too attached to a family.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

The look Spencer flashed at her told Mary that he agreed with her statement but there was a lot more to the story. “I know
it doesn’t, but what makes sense to us doesn’t necessary make sense to a children’s welfare system that draws money from the
state for
each
child in the system.”

“In other words—the social workers don’t want a kid to get out of the system once they’re in it?”

“Bingo! Girl, you’re smart!” Spencer was being sarcastic. “I call them emotional vampires… real vampires drink your blood,
but these creatures
feed
off the emotions of others… probably because they don’t have any of their own.”

“What’s this?” Mary used another wild flower to change the subject. She could tell that Spencer was becoming upset.

He glanced at the golden orange trumpet-shaped flower. “It’s a touch-me-not.”

Mary giggled. “A what?”

“Touch-me-not.” Spencer slipped down off the fence and walked over to the low growth. “Actually, this should be growing closer
to water.... Watch…” He gently shook the plant and a soft popping sound filled the air.

“What’s happening?” Mary slipped off the fence and stood next to Spencer in the waist-high tangle of wild flowers and weeds.

“The seed pods explode when a strong wind shakes the plant or when an animal brushes past it.” Spencer looked at Mary out
of the corner of his eye.

She casually slipped her hand up over the back pocket of his worn Levi’s and under his denim jacket. Spencer wasn’t wearing
a shirt. She set her coffee cup on top of a fence post and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. Spencer stopped
shaking the plant. With her fingernail she traced along the hair of his trail-to-paradise and stopped when she reached the
waistband of his Levi’s to draw tiny circles against his stomach.

“That’s dangerous....” Spencer’s voice was husky.

“You said that
animals
make the seed pods explode when they brush a touch-me-not. Well… I’m a touch-meoften.… Make me explode.”

Spencer turned around to face her and saw the look in her eyes. He used his boots to flatten a spot in the meadow and slipped
his jacket off for her to lie on. Mary rubbed her hand against the growing bulge in Spencer’s Levi’s and pulled him down on
top of her. The smell of wild flowers and the soft hum of the bees provided the extras for their early morning lovemaking.

The FBI agent dropped his binoculars and looked at his partner. “I think that kid is a billygoat.”

“Again?” The other FBI agent chuckled.

“Yeah… again.” The agent using the binoculars shook his head. “Well, I don’t give a damn what the chief said—I’m not going
to sit up here and watch those kids screw.”

“It’s your decision, but you know the rules—they’re not to be out of our
sight.”

“They’re not! We both know where they’re at!”

The agent shrugged and kept the grin on his face. It was almost funny how often the kid and the nurse had sex. The jungles
of Vietnam must have really built up a reserve in the boy.

Mary lay in Spencer’s arms and looked up at the white clouds floating by. “Spencer Barnett, it gets better every time we do
it.”

“Thanks.” He tickled her left nipple with his dry lips.

“Oh!” She feebly tried rolling away from him but the touch felt too good.

Spencer stopped and rolled over onto his back. He could feel the cool dew-covered grass against his back. Mary cuddled closer
to him and shivered. “You cold?”

“No…” She sighed and nuzzled his chest with the tip of her nose. “I love you, Spencer Barnett.”

“Me or my
Great
White?”

Mary chuckled. Her warm breath slipped across his chest and tickled. “Both of you… but I wouldn’t call it the
Great
White.”

“Oh?” Spencer shifted his position on the ground. “What
would
you call him?”

Mary waited until she knew Spencer was becoming irritated before answering him. “Oh, I’d call him… the
most
spectacular gigantic lady-pleaser that ever was attached to a man.”

“That’ll do.” Spencer shrugged. “But let’s call him the Great White for short.”

Mary dropped her hand and felt Spencer’s Great White. He was resting. “Are you done?”

“For now.”

“Are you trying to tell me that that’s it?” Mary teased.

“Sure… unless you want to do it again with that
huge
spider watching us.” Spencer pointed to the large black-and yellow Argiope spider in the center of her two-foot-wide web,
which was only inches away from their feet.

“Agh!” Mary jumped up and stepped back away from the spider web . She shivered. “Oh , Spencer! Was that there all the time?”

“Yep.”

“Oh!
Why didn’t you tell me?”

“She doesn’t care. I was more worried about bothering her than her bothering us.”

“Let’s go.” Mary turned to walk back to the jeep trail.

“Aren’t you going to get dressed first?” Spencer started Laughing. Mary’s blouse was off and her jeans were unbuttoned.

“Yes!” She started reaching down for her blouse and shivered again. “You pick it up, please… and shake it out.”

Spencer smiled and reached down for the blouse. “Women!”

“And lead the way back to the trail!” Mary exaggerated her directive.

“If it wasn’t for that patch of fur...”

“Well… that’s something
you can’t
change!”

Spencer stepped out onto the jeep trail and turned to take Mary in his arms. They hugged for a couple of minutes. “That’s
something I have no desire to change, young lady.”

“Good.” She kissed him. “But could you do something about those spiders in the meadow?”

“Like what?” Spencer took her hand and started walking back toward the cabin.

“Spray them or something…”

Spencer started laughing and Mary tried hitting him with her blouse, which she was still carrying in her hand.

The FBI agent kept the binoculars up to his eyes. “It must be nice to be a kid again.”

“What are they doing?” His partner leaned the 306 against a nearby tree, making sure the scope didn’t bang against the trunk.

“Walking back toward the cabin on the jeep trail.” The agent shook his head and then stopped. The movement was making him
sick, looking through the glasses. “She’s not wearing a blouse or a bra.”

“Let me see!” The rifleman reached for the binos.

“Absolutely not! J. Edgar Hoover would throw you out of the Agency if he heard you say that!”

“You’re
looking!”

“Yeah, but I’m on
duty.”
The FBI agent lowered his binos for a second and glanced over at his partner. “Besides… I’ve a
daughter
that old.”

“Fine, tell that to our supervisor… but if that young soldier down there ever finds out that we’ve been watching him through
binoculars…”

“I can guess what he’ll do. I understand he’s going to the White House next week to receive a Medal of Honor.” The agent swept
the meadow with the binoculars as he talked. He was a professional and knew what he was looking for as he paused in each of
the shadows the trees made along the edge of the forest. The information they had received was that a secret sect was going
to assassinate Spencer Barnett and the other key witnesses to the James court-martial before the court convened at Fort Bragg,
North Carolina.

Spencer paused when they reached the last turn in the trail. “You’d better slip on your blouse before we reach the cabin.
I wouldn’t want those FBI agents checking out my woman.”

Mary shook her blouse and checked the sleeves for spiders before slipping it on. She shuddered involuntarily and reached for
Spencer’s hand.

“I love you, Mary.”

She looked up at him and smiled. “I love you too, Spencer Barnett.”

“I don’t think I could handle it if something bad happened to you.”

“What makes you say that, Spencer Barnett?” She loved the sound of his full name and always referred to him in private as
Spencer Barnett.

The two of them made the last turn in the trail and looked up at the back deck of the large mountain cabin. Mary’s father
had built the new log structure only the year before and had torn down the old cottage that overlooked the private lake. He
had done an excellent job and the whole effect was nothing less than spectacular. A private raised wooden deck went from the
master bedroom through a small stand of spruce and sweet-smelling easter red cedar out to a screened gazebo that was built
overhanging the shoreline of the lake. He had built it especially for his wife, who loved to sit near the water late at night.
She had died before she had a chance to use it, and now only Mary would go out there to be close to her mother.

“We have visitors.” Mary saw the men on the back deck and pointed. Spencer had been lost in one of his personal thoughts—a
growing fear that he would fall too much in love with Mary and then lose her.

“What did you say?”

“Visitors… on the back deck.”

Spencer squinted and stared at the small figures standing in the shadows of the cabin. He raised his hand to his forehead,
trying to block out the bright sun breaking over the tops of the trees to the east. “Are you expecting anybody?”

“No. Daddy leased the cabin to the CIA for the summer.” Mary eased closer to Spencer. “Maybe they brought in some more FBI
agents.”

“Might be… some of them are wearing dark caps.” Spencer squinted harder but couldn’t make out much more until they got closer
to the cabin. “Come on. We’ll find out soon enough....1’m not liking this at all!” He was becoming angry. “We were supposed
to have some privacy!”

“Take it easy, Spencer Barnett! Let’s find out what they want first.” Mary had to take a few running steps to keep up with
Spencer’s brisk pace. “Slow down, Spencer Barnett, or I’ll never talk to you again!”

Spencer caught himself and waited for her to catch up. He noticed that two of the figures on the porch were facing his direction
and leaning against the back railing. One of them was wearing a dark cap and the other stood ramrod straight.

The closer they got to the deck, the faster Spencer walked until he was nearly dragging Mary by her arm. When he saw the light
flash off the silver skulls on the black Marine fatigue caps, he knew for sure who was on the deck.

“Mary! It’s Sergeant Arnason.…” He recognized the soldier standing next to Sergeant Arnason and cried, “And… and David Woods!”
Spencer let go of Mary’s hand and ran to the steps leading up to the deck. He was greeted by a pair of wide smiles.

“Going for a morning walk or
pretending
that you’re still a recon man?” arnason broke the emotional deadlock.

“Arnason!” Spencer raced over and grabbed his hand. “What a surprise!”

“Yeah… we figured we’d better stop in and check you out before you got into a lot of trouble back here.” arnason waved his
open hand across the deck.
“This
is a hospital?”

Spencer grinned and hugged his teammate. “Dave… man, is it good seeing you!”

“Believe me, the feeling is mutual. We just got off a mission in Laos....” Woods glanced at the woman standing alone at the
head of the stairs.

Spencer looked back over his shoulder and his face turned red with embarrassment. “Mary… I’m sorry!”

“That’s okay… introduce me.” A slight edge of jealousy was in her voice. She didn’t like sharing Spencer with anyone and it
was obvious that these men meant a lot to him.

“This is my team sergeant, Dwightarnason… and my best friend from Vietnam,
Sergeant
David Woods.”

Woods cut in, “Very good. Spence, you remembered—
sergeant…
that’s me.”

Spencer hooded his eyes and grinned. “Bite my ass… Sergeant!”

“And who’s this” Mary looked over at the master sergeant who stood quietly in the shadows.

Spencer noticed him for the first time and his breath caught in his throat. “Sergeant McDonald?”

“Yeah, boy. That’s me.” The NCO stepped out from the shadows and she saw the green beret on his head.

“What are you doing here?” Spencer was shocked.

“James’s trial… I’m a witness.” The older man walked over to the railing and the light reflected off his face from the sun
coming up over the roof.