Chapter 1

Lincoln Steele wore a black suit and open-collared white shirt in the thick Mississippi humidity. Black clouds loomed over the men and women huddled together as they watched the coffin sink into the freshly dug hole. Four uniformed men maneuvered two ropes with military precision, hand over hand, guiding Sergeant First Class Buck Miller to his final resting place. Steele tried to stand at attention, but his shoulders slumped with a heavy heart.

Drizzle started. Umbrellas popped open all around Steele, but the ex-Army Ranger stood steadfast. His many Special Ops missions had conditioned him to ignore the elements. Even when Mother Nature added her tears to the women’s by pelting the umbrellas with raindrops.

When the slack ropes were dragged out of the hole and discarded on the ground, the four soldiers snapped to attention. A lieutenant colonel Steele didn’t know marched up to Sgt. Miller’s widow with the American flag that had recently been draped over the coffin, now folded into a tight triangle, held in his upturned palms. He stopped in front of her and extended his arms.

Mrs. Miller stared at it through the veil hanging from the tip of her large black hat. Tears streamed down her caramel-colored cheeks. Buck Miller, known to his Army comrades as Coal because his skin was as black as coal, used to tease his wife that she must have had white ancestors. “If all the women in your family tree were as pretty as you,” he would say, “I can’t blame those white slave owners for climbing between their legs.”

The lieutenant colonel ignored the water running off the shiny brim of his Army dress hat. “Mrs. Miller, your country appreciates the service Sergeant First Class Miller gave to his country and the sacrifices you both endured. Please accept this flag as a symbol of that gratitude and a remembrance of a brave and honorable man.”

Sally Miller’s arms rose slowly, as if weights were attached to them. They dropped back down. The lieutenant colonel stood tall with the flag held out in both hands. Steele took a step toward her but stopped when Captain Wilks placed a hand on his shoulder. Steele turned to his old war buddy. Except for his thinning hair and potbelly, he resembled the soldier Steele had served with. As usual, he was right. It was something Sally Miller needed to do herself. To achieve closure.

Mrs. Miller lifted her arms again, taking the flag and pressing it to her bosom. Her knees buckled. Steele bolted to her side, catching both her collapsing body and the flag that slipped from her fingers. No one else had moved. Lincoln Steele’s reflexes and speed had always served him well. He scooped her up in his powerful arms, her body looking like a child next to his six-foot-three muscular frame.

“Sally, are you okay?”

Mrs. Miller looked at Steele’s face. A half smile formed. “I didn’t know you came. Buck would have been glad. Please take me away from here.”

“Where’s your car?”

“Someone drove me. Did you rent a car?”

Wilks strolled up to Steele.

“You remember Captain Wilks,” Steele said.

“Major Wilks?”

“No longer Major,” Wilks said. “Like Linc, I’m a civilian now. A police captain. We flew in last night. Actually, got in this morning. Flight was delayed. Mechanical problem. Sorry, but we got to the church after services started and snuck in the back.”

Steele looked around. “Where’s Annamae?”

“She’s not here.”

“She missed her father’s funeral?”

Fresh tears formed in Sally Miller’s eyes. “Please take me away from here.”

“Your place?”

“No. People will be there. I can’t handle that right now.”

The two men glanced at each other. Wilks nodded. They were always able to read each other’s mind. Steele carried Mrs. Miller to the white Chevy sedan they had rented. Wilks marched beside him. Steele helped her into the back seat and then the two men took the front with Wilks behind the steering wheel.

They drove to the next town in silence, other than the occasional sniffle coming from the back. When they reached the motel where Sally Miller had told them to stay, Steele opened the door. Both beds had an open suitcase on it with clothing and other articles scattered on the beds and floor.

“Sorry for the mess,” Steele said, “but we were in a hurry. Only had time to clean up and change.”

“You haven’t slept?”

“Not yet.”

“I should leave then.”

“Nonsense.”

Captain Wilks was already stuffing clothing into his suitcase. Steele did the same, flipping the top over the pile of clothes that stuck out the sides. He pointed to a chair. Mrs. Miller sat down, hugging the folded flag to her chest.

Steele laid his suit jacket on top of his suitcase and sat on the side of the bed. “Sally, why wasn’t Annamae at the funeral?”

Mrs. Miller’s bottom lip quivered. “We don’t know where she is.”

Captain Wilks and Steele looked at each other and then Steele asked, “What do you mean?”

“She disappeared.”

“Did you fill out a missing person report?” Captain Wilks asked.

“Buck tried. The police chief said she must have run away and is not missing. Since she’s not a minor, she’s nineteen, the police chief said there’s nothing he can do about it.”

Wilks scratched his thin hair. “That’s not true. I wonder why he said that.”

“Sally,” Steele asked, “what happened to Coal, um, Buck?”

Mrs. Miller made an attempt to smile. “That’s okay. You can call him Coal. We know it’s out of love, not like the people in my shitty town. He went looking for Annamae. And now he’s dead.”

“Foul play?” Captain Wilks asked.

Tears flowed down Mrs. Miller’s cheeks. “The police chief said it was suicide. That he hung himself. But Buck wouldn’t do that.”

“I think I’ll pay the police chief a visit,” Captain Wilks said. He turned to Steele. “Want to come along?”

Steele rubbed his chin. “I think I’ll stay out of sight. Snoop around without people knowing I knew Buck.”

“I guess that’s the difference between being a cop and a private investigator. I do my snooping out in the open. But first I need some sleep.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Sally said. “Y’all are tired.” She turned to Steele. “Will you take me home?”

“Are you sure? We can get a cup of coffee.”

“No, y’all flew in from the other side of the country. Y’all need sleep. I’ll be fine.”

Wilks clapped his hands. “That’s settled. Try not to wake me when you get back.”

During the drive to Sally’s house, little was said. Steele wanted to ask about Buck’s death and Annamae’s disappearance, but kept it to small talk. They just buried Buck and he didn’t want to upset Sally any more by talking about her daughter. Not yet.

They passed the white-trash trailer park before entering the colored section. This small Mississippi town was living a hundred years in the past. The houses were smaller and shabbier than in the white part of town. They had driven past a baseball field in the white neighborhood earlier. It had pristine grass and lights for night games, and a fence all around with advertisements plastered on it. The baseball field in the colored section was all dirt, and the pebbles and weeds in the infield made for tricky ground balls. The wooden benches needed painting and the chain link fence begged for repairs. Not that there was much of it. The only fence was behind home plate where the few benches were. Next to the baseball field was a small area with two basketball hoops. One rim was bent downward. Weeds popped through the cracked cement floor. It was obvious where the tax dollars went, and where they didn’t.

“Will you be all right?” Steele asked when they arrived at her house.

“I don’t know. It’s going to feel so strange knowing that Buck--” Her chin hit her chest.

“Would you like me to come in?”

Her head shot up and she turned to him. “Please. I feel so alone.”

When they entered the house, Sally said, “Would you like a cup of coffee?”

“I better not. I need to get a few hours shut-eye and the caffeine--”

“Omigod! You need to sleep. You can sleep in Annamae’s room.”

“I’ll just go back to the motel.”

“And fall asleep at the wheel? Or wake Major Wilks up? You can sleep here. And I won’t feel so alone.”

Steele placed a hand on Sally’s shoulder. “Buck’s left you alone a lot. Part of the job.”

Sally’s bottom lip quivered and her eyes got shiny. “But I knew he was coming home. No matter how dangerous the mission, I knew he’d make it. I had that. But now...” Her eyes dropped. “I never felt this alone.”

Steele pulled her to him, holding her against his body. She trembled in his arms. And sobbed.

Steele whispered, “Don’t forget, it’s Captain Wilks now. Keep calling him Major and it will go to his head. It’s hard enough living with him as it is.”

The trembling stopped. So did the crying. They stood still, and then Sally tilted her head back. She smiled and then laughed. So hard her body shook.

“Where did that come from?” she said. “It’s just what I needed. You always make me laugh.” She wrenched free and wiped her cheeks with her shoulders. “C’mon, I’ll take you to Annamae’s room.”

Her daughter’s bedroom was typical for a nineteen-year-old girl. Posters on the walls, predominantly One Direction. Stuffed animals on the queen size bed and chair. A laptop on the desk. After Sally left, Steele had a quick look around. The drawers and closet were full. No way did she run away.

Steele stripped and climbed under the covers. As soon as his head hit the pillow, the lack of sleep overcame him. Even with the flimsy curtains letting in the midday light now that the rain had stopped.

Click.

Steele sprang up in bed. Ears alert. Muscles tense. Ready for...

Sally’s hand was still on the doorknob. Standing just inside her daughter’s bedroom, she wore an ankle-length, pink cotton nightgown with a white lace collar. The thin material accentuated what lay beneath. Her round breasts, thick nipples, wide hips, little paunch at her belly, and the tuft of hair below that.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Sally said. “I forgot how light you guys sleep.”

“It’s habit. Being in the field makes us jumpy. Is everything all right? Do you need something?”

“I feel so alone. I was wondering if I could lie with you.”

“Sally, I sleep in the nude.”

“Oh.” She looked down and then back up. “So did Buck.”

“It’s not the same.”

“Look, I’m a big girl. I just can’t be alone right now.”

Steele held up the end of the bedcover. Sally ran to the bed and climbed in. The two lay side by side in the queen size bed, both on their backs staring at the ceiling.