Page 8 of So Savage

“Where was Rooster?”Marcus asked.“I’m assuming that was his dog?”

"Yes.Is his dog.He survived.Rooster was ten yards away, hidden in some thick grass.I'm not sure why the coyotes didn't notice him.Kevin—Sergeant Walsh—was so frozen that the coyotes couldn't even bite into him.They would have made a good meal of Rooster.Not that I'm upset that they didn't eat him.I just wasn't sure why they picked him.I don't know if it matters or not."

“It’s possible they were just getting started when you arrived,” Marcus offered.“They might have made their way to Rooser if you hadn’t shooed them off.”

Turk trotted toward the crime scene.The snow had been cleared away, leaving a crater behind that looked like the remnant of a small meteor landing.“The snow was cleared because of the blood, I’m assuming?”Faith asked.

“Yes,” Torres confirmed.“From what I understand, there was no blood besides Sergeant Walsh’s and no DNA from the killer.”

“What about footprints?”Marcus asked.

“It was snowing when Sergeant Walsh was killed,” Torres replied, “so there were no footprints here, but there were some left behind when Master Sergeant Reeves was killed.You’re looking for a man wearing a size twelve standard-issue Army combat boot.”

“Does that fit anyone in your unit, Lieutenant?”

“Sure does.Seven of my soldiers wear a size twelve.All seven of them have confirmed alibis.It was my platoon sergeant’s birthday last night.I saw all of them there.”

Turk trotted over to the clump of taller grass that poked through the snow.He lowered his nose and sniffed, but Faith didn’t catch a reaction that suggested he had found anything useful.She wondered if the killer had used something to mask his scent.Presumably the K9s would have detected him from a distance if he hadn’t, unless he managed to stay downwind of them the entire time.

“Did you notice any changes in Sergeant Walsh’s behavior recently?”Faith asked.

“No, nothing new.He was the same serious, dedicated man I knew him to be when I met him.”She shook her head.“I can’t imagine why anyone would want to hurt him.He was strict, but he had his soldiers’ backs.He had everyone’s back.He was the man who was first in and last out in any combat situation.”

“Did your unit deploy recently?”

“No, but Sergeant Walsh was a recent addition.He was active duty up until last year, He came to us with a silver star that he’d earned by saving his company commander’s life and carrying him under fire to an evac helicopter at great risk to his own life.”

“He sounds like a good man,” Marcus replied.

“He was.The best man I ever knew.”

Turk snorted in irritation and trotted back to the three of them.“Nothing, huh?”Faith asked.

He snorted and whined irritably.She bent low and ruffled his fur."That's all right, boy.We'll get him."She straightened and asked Torres, "Do you mind if we head inside to talk?I'm not quite used to this cold."

“You don’t get used to this kind of cold,” Torres replied.

She led them back into the building.The desk sergeant greeted them with three cups of coffee.Torres nodded to her.“You’re a lifesaver, Kent.”

Kent returned a half-smile that didn’t last long.Faith recognized that look.She was thinking about the life she hadn’t been able to save.

Torres took them into a small office that contained a particle board desk and two metal-frame chairs with vinyl cushions.Faith smiled wryly.Trust Uncle Sam to spare no expense for its platoon commanders.Actually, this office was fairly luxurious compared to the offices of most LTs Faith had known.Maybe the Reserves got better equipment.

Marcus started the interview.“You said you’d known Marcus for just about a year, Lieutenant Torres?”

“Yes, sir.He joined the platoon thirteen months ago.”

“And you’ve had no complaints about him from anyone?”

She shook her head and said firmly, “No.Everyone loved him.”

“And you haven’t noticed any suspicious behavior from Walsh or anyone else on your unit.”

“No.Everything was just the same as it was any other day.”

“How familiar are you with Walsh’s personal life?”Faith asked.

Torres smiled sadly.“I was most of that personal life.”She glanced at the window of her office door, probably to make sure that Sergeant Kent wasn’t listening.“The military frowns on relationships between officers and their subordinates for obvious reasons.Good reasons.But… that didn’t stop us.”

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