Chapter Three

The moon seeped in through the crack I had left open in the curtains. Outside, hardly anything made a sound except for the wildlife stirring for the first time all day. I laid on my bed, waiting for something to happen like Hudson would come back or something, but nothing happened. I knew the guy one day, and he was all I could think about. Knowing my luck, he probably was friendly with all of the girls who came into town. We didn’t kiss or hug or even exchange contact information. Instead, all we said was a simple goodnight.

    The light from Leila Jade’s cabin filled my living room as soon as she cut it on. When I had finally arrived home, she was waiting for me on her front porch, claiming that she couldn’t sleep. I knew she probably didn’t sleep very well since her daughter’s disappearance, but I was not about to put my nose anymore into her business. Being about half a mile from all of the training facilities on base, I could hear the soldiers preparing to tackle the day head on.

    Realizing I wouldn’t get any sleep, I walked over to Leila Jade’s cabin to see why she was up so early. I opened the door to find her cooking some muffins for breakfast. “Good morning, Leila Jade.”

    “Good morning, sweetheart. Did I wake you up? I was trying to very quiet this morning. You were out very late last night, and I thought you were going to try to sleep in.” she exclaimed, putting a new batch in the oven. “Your parents called and told me they are going to head right to the set. They lost track of the time playing poker with the general.”

    “Leila Jade, can I ask you something? I know we just met and everything, but I feel like I can trust your advice.” I was sitting in her living room while I waited for her to finish cooking. “I would talk to someone else about it if I could, but you see my mom and I aren’t that close, and I don’t have a lot of friends. Moving around so much, you don’t really have to time to get to know a lot of people.”

    “Is it about that boy who dropped you off last night? I thought I saw a connection between the two of you. Darling, I might not be your mother, but I am suppose to take good care of you. I must say this. I wouldn’t feel very comfortable if my own daughter was out with a boy all night on a motorcycle. You need to use your best judgment, especially for those military boys. They can be quite a handful sometimes. I was married to a Marine for five years. About a month after we married, we adopted our daughter. I was eighteen then. Then, he died in combat a few years later.”

    Every time I talked to her, I was able to see more and more into her life. If I had listened to my mother, I would have thought she was some charity case. “It’s not about Hudson. I think that was a one time thing though. He just took me to a party with some of his friends, and we talked for a little bit. It’s about someone he introduced me to though. He was a corporal. The guy came up to me asking if I knew this girl. I have never been paranoid about anything, but something wasn’t right there. The way he was acting it seemed like he was into something.”

    “I might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but it doesn’t take an einstein to know when to stay in your own business. You don’t know what he is involved in or if he is even guilty of anything. The best thing to do is distance yourself from those kind of people. Do you hear me? If he comes up to you again, you send him to me. For the next six months, I am going to treat you like you are my daughter. Always know you can come talk to me about anything.” Leila Jade said while bringing a plate full of muffins into the room. “So, darling, what are you going to do for the rest of the day?”

    A knock on the door interrupted my response. Leila Jade stood up and opened it to reveal a Marine officer standing there. “Excuse me. I am looking for Miss Leila Waverly and Miss Adaline Halliwell.”

    “That is Miss Leila Jade to you, Sir. What is this about? The two of us have a lot to do today, and we will not halt our busy schedules for foolish nonsense.” Even when she wasn’t trying to be, she showed off her firecracker personality.

    “General Marshall would like to speak with both of you about a private matter, ma’am. I am just the messenger. I was not given any information about what he would like to see you for. Please, I was instructed to bring you to his office immediately.” the Marine told her.

    We were both still in pajamas. “Do we at least have time to change or is that a crime?”

    “Yes ma’am. I can give you a few minutes to get dressed.” I stood up and walked to the door to go get my clothes. “Ma’am, may I ask where exactly you are going?”

    “I am going to go change. This isn’t my cabin. I am at the one right next door. Why are you so worried about what I am doing anyway?” I questioned.

    The man stepped back to let me pass. “Ma’am, I was given strict orders to make sure you two came straight to his office. I did not know if you were attempting to deny his orders. I was not trying to treat you like a criminal or anything. Please proceed to getting dressed.”

    The officer did not give us long to change into more suitable clothes. I had just enough time to put on jeans, a white shirt, and a scarf before he knocked on my door. I grabbed my army green jacket and brown boots to put on in the car. Leila Jade had taken a more comfortable route and had instead dressed herself in leggings and an oversized sweater with boots. With her help, I had my hair braided and my outfit finally completed by the time we had arrived at the center of the base. The officer opened our doors and led us inside. Leila Jade was taken down a different hallway while I stepped right into General Marshall’s office.

    “Good morning, Miss Halliwell. I am sorry for all the trouble we might have caused you this morning, but we do have a bit of a situation on our hands. One of our officers Sergeant Jesse Sullivan was not accounted for this morning. Witnesses say the last time anyone saw him was last night at dinner with you and PFC Hudson Williams. I just want to make sure this information was correct.” he explained, looking at me like I had something to hide. “Did you see Sergeant Sullivan anytime after dinner?”

    “No, I did not see him after dinner. Hudson and I were going to go meet some of his friends with Jesse, but he never showed up.” I replied.

    “Did Sergeant Sullivan seem distressed or nervous to you last night? Do you have any reason to believe that the officer would have been in any trouble?” General Marshall questioned.

    I shook my head. “I knew the guy for one night. He seemed perfectly fine to me, but I wouldn’t know his normal attitude anyway. General, if you want to know if anything is out of the ordinary with Jesse, why don’t you just talk to Hudson? I’m sure he could tell you everything about Jesse.”

    “PFC Williams is currently being interrogated about Sergeant Sullivan’s whereabouts. Were you with Private Williams all night or just part of the night?” he pressed.

    “I was with Private Williams until about midnight when he dropped me off at my cabin. Leila Jade was on her front porch if you want to get an accurate time. I assure you though neither of us knew anything about the location of Sergeant Sullivan.” I nearly yelled at him.

    The phone on his desk rang. “This is General Marshall.” I could make out a voice on the other line. “Yes. I will be right there.” He hung up the phone and looked at me. “Miss Halliwell, this is a confidential matter and discussing the information with anyone outside of this investigation is a breach of federal information. You are free to return to whatever you were doing. Thank you for your time.”

    “Excuse me? You are just going to sit here and accuse me of knowing the location of one of your soldiers who is awol then just leave. I am not military, General Marshall. You should not be allowed to harass me like one of your soldiers. At the very least, I deserve a proper explanation as to what is really going on here.” I might have been in the presence of a man who commanded thousands of men, but at this moment I was too angry to care.

    “Miss Halliwell, what I do here on my base is up to me. If you hear anything, I expect you to come to me and discuss it. You do not deserve an apology and therefore I won’t give it. Please, excuse me while I go deal with other issues. Private Davis will escort you out.” the general did not even attempt to keep the sternness out of his voice. “And Miss Halliwell, please note that you were not being accused of anything. I was simply trying to get to the bottom of things. Your parents are noble people, and the best way to make them proud is to know your place.”

    The private in the office led me out as soon as the general turned away. “Ma’am, I was asked to bring you to someone if that is alright.” I nodded and continued to follow him until we came across a waiting room. Hudson was sitting in one of the chairs with his head down until he saw me enter.

    “You came out in one piece. I was worried you would freak out or something. Are you okay? They probably asked us the same questions, but I didn’t know anything about it.” Hudson babbled.

    “I’m fine. Besides the fact that I yelled at the general of the base, everything went smoothly. I didn’t have anything to hide or anything so I wasn’t going to freak out. Is this a normal thing for soldiers to run away from duty?” I asked.

    Hudson shook his head. “You will hear about it every now and then, but usually if someone wants out they asked to be discharged. Sergeant Sullivan loved the Marines though. He was on a fast track to being one of the top officers in the country. He wouldn’t be stupid enough to try to escape the military even if he did want out. Something had to have happened to him. Maybe he was in an accident and is at the hospital or he is just at home sick. Whatever it is, we have to believe he is okay.”

    “I am not an expert at this military stuff, but even I know he wouldn’t have promised to meet us at the party or promised to help me learn ranks if he knew he would be leaving. I am sure they will find him soon. Have you seen a tall lady with blonde hair and pink and blue highlights?” I said, searching the room for Leila Jade.

    “No. Is that the lady who is suppose to be babysitting you?” he teased.

    I rolled my eyes. “That’s probably why she hired, but she is one hell of a cook. I have pretty much raised myself, so I don’t need anyone to watch over me. When we walked in, the officer took us past the waiting room, and she went to the left, and I went to the right.”

    “That’s strange. She should have been escorted to the waiting room while the general talked to you. Did the officer ask to see her or both of you?” Hudson talked faster and faster with every word. Even though he didn’t say it, I knew something was wrong.

    “They asked for her. Maybe they were just clearing something up like her role in filming and everything. Why in the world would they be questioning Leila Jade?” I nearly laughed thinking about her being interrogating.

    Hudson looked at me. “How much do you really know about her? She could be some criminal, and the Marines saw it in her background check. We can’t allow convicts on the base. What if you have been exposed to someone who is dangerous to everyone she meets? You really should know who you let in your life.”

    “I might not know much about her, but if she is dangerous don’t you think she would have attempted something by now? Hudson, I barely know you for God’s sake. You told me not to worry about Jesse, but now I am suppose to worry about Leila Jade? Maybe, it would be better if we just dropped this right here,” I had to maintain my voice so others didn’t hear me.

    Hudson looked at me. “Adaline, I wasn’t trying to question your judgment, but I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

    Leila Jade entered the room. “Hudson, we barely know each other, and you can’t sit there and tell people what to do with their lives. I need to go home with my nanny who happens to have no sign of handcuffs or restraints on her. Bye, Hudson.”

    She came over to me before he could say anything. “Time to go back to the cabin, darling. Hello there. You must be Hudson. Thank you for taking her home last night.”

    “You’re welcome, ma’am. It was my pleasure. After she sang and entertained the whole party, it was the least I could do. Please excuse me, ladies. I have training I need to return to.” Hudson turned around and walked out.

    Leila Jade put her arm around me. “I saw you two were fighting. I might not know what it was about, but I do know you will find a way to work it out or you will at least get over it. There is someone out there for you, child. You just have to find what is right for your life.”

    “He wasn’t my boyfriend or anything, Leila Jade. Just your typical guy trying to find a girl to fall in love with. He wouldn’t have left so easily if he had any feelings for me anyway. So, are we going to head home now or do you need to run any errands?” The window to the waiting room was open, and I could see Hudson walking away. He never turned around and looked back to check on me. He just looked forward and kept going.

    “Well, I was going to go home and find something to do there, but if you want to go anywhere I can take you.” she told me.

    I sighed and turned my eyes towards her. “No, I don’t have anywhere to go today. I think we can find something to do at the cabin. You know I have a driver’s license and don’t need a chauffeur, right?”

    “Darling, I never had the chance to take my daughter places. I was always working and when I came home we would talk and go to sleep. It is a real pleasure to be able to correct that life choice even if you aren’t my own child. If I can help one more kid grow up to be a classy, intelligent person, then my life is complete. Let’s head home now.”

    The limousine had been called to transport us home and must have been waiting for us there since we had arrived. The driver opened the door and helped Leila Jade inside. He stopped me before I could get into the car.

    “Miss Adaline, this was requested to be delivered directly to you,” the driver told me, handing me a single white rose. A card was attached reading:

Adaline,

    I trust you will keep all of this to yourself. If you want to remain alive, this is your best option. We will be in touch.

Sergeant Jesse Sullivan