Flash 04: OJT, Part 01

He sat down and looked at me. I could tell he was wracked with emotion. I pulled out an audio recorder and set it down after turning it on.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to record our conversation, just to make sure I get everything correct. Is that okay?"

"Yes, sir, that will be fine," he said.

"And please, call me Cameron. May I call you Joe?" I asked.

"Yes, sir -- er, Cameron. You may," he said.

"Alright, Joe. Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself," I said.

"There's not much to say. I went into the Air Force right out of high school. Got assigned to Payments and Disbursing. Did that for four years, then went to college to get a business degree. That's where I met Veronica, the woman I married. Met her in my senior year. She was two years behind me, taking pre-law classes. We dated and fell in love and I asked her to marry me. She said yes, but she wanted to wait until she graduated first.

"I thought that made sense, so I agreed. After I graduated, I went to work for a bank and was put into the business banking section. We continued dating and got married after she graduated. By then, I had enough to buy a house, so we picked one out together and I got a mortgage through my bank.

"She went to work as a paralegal for the Hamilton Law Group, and things were great for the first couple years or so. I had never been so happy in my life. We had even started talking about having kids.

"Then one day I got a call from an unlisted number on my cell. I answered, thinking it might be someone from my office, but it wasn't. It was some guy telling me he was going to fuck my wife and take her from me. I ended the call and didn't say anything to Veronica, thinking it was just a prank call," he said.

"How long ago was that?" I asked.

"Let me think," he said. "I've been here two months now, almost. The divorce took six months to get final, and that first call came about four months or so before that. So, I guess about a year ago or so," he said.

"How many calls did you get from this guy?"

"Three, total. All of them saying the same thing," he said.

"Any idea who it was that might've done that?" I asked. He shook his head.

"I have no idea," he said.

"Is it possible it might have been a rival at work, or perhaps an upset customer?" I asked.

"My job is strictly analysis and running spreadsheets," he said. "I don't interface with customers at all. And I get along with everyone at work."

"Could it be a rival from college, or maybe someone you might have pissed off when you were in the service?" I asked. He thought for a bit, then shook his head.

"No," he finally said. "I've always gotten along well with everyone."

"What happened after that first call?"

"Things were okay between us, or at least I thought so. I did notice Veronica was spending more time at work, and she started dressing a bit sexier. Nothing slutty or anything like that. Just a bit more... provocative. She also started going out with 'the girls' from work once or twice a week. I knew her job could get stressful at times so I didn't give her a hard time about that. Plus, she always seemed really hot to trot when she got home," he said, causing us all to chuckle just a bit.

"She started calling me more often at work, just to say 'hi' and tell me she loved me. I thought that was a bit odd since she had never done that before. I didn't complain, though. I liked it that she thought enough of me to call.

"Then one day, she called and said I needed to get straight home. Said there was an emergency. I rushed home, thinking that maybe the place had caught fire or something. When I went inside, I saw her covered in plaster dust and wondered what happened. She said there was a water line break and some of the stuff in my downstairs office might have gotten wet.

"I went into the closet and saw a hole in the ceiling and some exposed pipe. Water was getting all over everything. I started looking and found my old baseball card collection and the books where I kept my stamp collection. I normally kept those on my bookshelf, but somehow they were in my closet, open. I don't know how they had gotten in my closet, and I don't remember putting them in there.

"Everything was ruined, and they smelled... off. I mean, really bad. I remember asking Veronica why she didn't just turn off the water to the house and call a plumber. I told her to call a plumber and I would turn off the water, and that's what we did.

"The plumber came and fixed everything, but he told me it looked like the line had been deliberately cut. And he said there was no need for the hole in the ceiling. He told me it all looked like sabotage to him.

"I tried to salvage what I could from my collection, but a couple days later I came home and saw our burn barrel in the back yard with smoke coming out of it. I asked Veronica what she was burning, and she said she burned my collections. Said it was a lost cause and they were stinking the place up anyway. I couldn't believe she had done that and went to look. Sure enough, everything had been burned to ash. I was quite upset over that."

"How much was it all worth?" I asked.

"My dad had it appraised shortly before he died five years ago, and it was worth just over $250,000 at the time," he said.

"That's not exactly chump change," I told him. "Why not keep it in a safety deposit box or something?"

"My dad never kept it locked up. He and I used to spend hours going through it. I used to spend a lot of time looking at it, thinking about him after he died. Now, it's all... gone," he said, his voice shaking. He looked away from me but I could see a tear forming in his eye. I let him collect himself before continuing.

"What happened after that?" I asked.

"Veronica started going out more often and staying at her sister's apartment, claiming she needed emotional support after her last breakup. I knew the two of them were close, so I didn't say much at first. But then it got to where she was over there three nights a week. She'd have a casserole or something in the fridge for me and take off.

"After a while, I got a bit pissed off -- I mean, she was at her sister's three nights a week, and out supposedly with 'the girls' two nights a week or more. Hell, she was gone more than she was at home. I went to her sister's one night unannounced and that didn't work out too well. I could tell something was going on, but I didn't know what. When I left, though, I saw three sets of dirty dishes in the sink."

"So, you figured out your wife was cheating on you and her sister was covering for it?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "The next day, I asked her about it, and she blew up, accusing me of being paranoid and not trusting her. She said if I really loved her, I'd trust her not to cheat on me.

"A week later, I came home and she was gone. All of her stuff was gone. I called her sister's and was told to not call again. That night I was served divorce papers, claiming I had mentally and physically abused her. It was all bullshit, and she knew it. I was also served with a restraining order that said I couldn't come within 500 yards of her, her sister's apartment, or their place of employment. I couldn't believe it.

"I got an attorney and tried to arrange a meeting, but they wouldn't meet with me. Claimed I was a danger or something. The day the judge signed the divorce order, Veronica called me, and that's when I learned the whole truth," he said.

"What did she tell you?" I asked.

"Everything. How she had been cuckolding me for months with someone richer, more powerful, and of course, with a much bigger dick than me. She told me it was his idea to destroy my collection, and she went along with him. She thought it was so fucking funny the way he pissed all over my baseball cards and my stamps. She also said he jacked off into the casseroles she left for me. I nearly threw up when she said that.

"She also told me her lover was at her sister's the day I went over. Said he had just fucked her before I got there. And the times she called? She claimed he was there, fucking her in our bed. She also admitted everything in her divorce petition was a lie. What she didn't know is that I had recorded every word she said."

"Did you present that to the court or tell your lawyer?" I asked.

"I did. But no one wanted to even hear it. It's like they just didn't give a damn about the truth. Whatever Veronica or her lawyer said was gospel as far as they were concerned."

He went on, but I found myself unable to concentrate as the pressure in my head was starting to build and I knew if I didn't conclude this soon, something really bad would happen. I employed the techniques Smith and Jones gave me and was able to calm myself to the point where I could continue.

"Hold on a second," Max said, interrupting Joe's narrative. "Are you alright, Cameron?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said. "Just a slight headache." I looked at Joe before continuing.

"I understand your divorce records are sealed. Any idea why?" I asked.

"Veronica's attorney requested it, and the judge granted it," he said. "They suggested I would use the information to stalk Veronica or her sister and perhaps do harm to them."

"Would you?"

"No, never. I just wanted answers and the truth," he said.

"How have you coped with things after the divorce?" I asked.

"Not well, I'm afraid. I almost lost the house but I was able to sell it before it went into foreclosure. My work started to suffer and the bank paid to have me see a counselor, but it didn't help very much. Finally, my boss gave me a warning and said I either take a three-month sabbatical here or find myself another job. Since the bank's paying, I decided to come here," he said. "Look, Cameron, all I want is justice. Can you help me?" I felt his pain, but I remembered Max's warning.

"I'll do everything I can, Joe," I said.

"That's all I ask," he said.

"You say you recorded that last conversation," I told Joe. "Do you still have that recording?"

"Yes, it's on my phone," he said.

"Can you get that recording to me?" I asked.

"Students aren't allowed to keep electronic devices while they're here," Gunny Rob said. "If he brought a phone, it would have been collected his first day here. If you want, I can have Student Services get that for you."

"Yes, that would be a big help," I said. "Are you okay with that, Joe?"

"Absolutely," he said.

"Then let's do it," I said. "I think we can call it a day for now. You've given me a lot of information, Joe. Thank you. We'll be in touch."

"Thank you, Cameron," he said, extending his hand. I shook it and turned off the recorder.

"Sgt. Johnson, you can get Nelson back to his scheduled training," Gunny Rob said.

"Will do," the big sergeant said, standing up. "All right, Nelson, let's go." Joe grabbed his uniform cap and left the room.

"Well, that was interesting," Gunny Rob said after they left. "You remember where the guest quarters are, right?" he asked, looking at Max.

"Of course," Max said.

"Why don't you get your gear over there and I'll walk Cameron over," he said. Max nodded his head.

"Sounds like a plan," he said. He grabbed his fedora and headed out. Gunny Rob waited until Max left before speaking.

"Walk with me, son," he said. I grabbed my laptop bag and slung it over my shoulder, following him out. "You're fairly new at this, aren't you?" he asked.

"What makes you ask that?"

"A seasoned investigator knows how to keep his emotions in check. You looked like you were about to blow your top a bit ago. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said.

"Bullshit," Gunny Rob said. I was shocked at his candor, but I respected him for it. "I know when a man's about to blow, and son, you looked like you were ready to hit Def-con 5. Nelson's story hit you pretty hard, didn't it?"

"Yeah, it did," I said. "How do you listen to these stories without losing it?"

"His story was pretty tame compared to some I've heard here," he said. "Believe me, there's times I want to just grab some of these assholes up by the stacking swivel and knock their dicks into the dirt. Most of the time, I take a walk or a run, maybe kick a tree or a rock. Makes me want to work harder for these men, get them the justice they deserve."

"I can understand that," I said. By then, we reached the guest quarters. Gunny Rob opened the door and I looked on my card to see which room was mine. I swiped the card in the slot and heard the door lock click. I opened the door and we went inside.

"Listen, do your best for Nelson. That's all I ask. And if you feel the need, there's a big ass rock behind these guest quarters. Feel free to kick it to your heart's content. No one will complain," he said with a smile. I laughed at that.

"Thanks, Gunny," I said. "I may just take you up on that offer." Max came into the room with my luggage and put it on the bed.

"I'm right next door," he said. "Let me stash my gear and I'll be right back." He was back in the room a minute or so later.

"Don't forget, the chow line opens up at 17:00 hours. That's five o'clock for you civilian personnel," Gunny Rob said. "I hear they're cooking up venison tonight."

"Venison?" I asked.

"Yeah. Elk season is coming up soon, and they're clearing out the freezers for all the new meat they'll be getting," he said.

"You hunt as well?" I asked.

"Hell yeah," he said. "This is north Idaho, son. Damn near everyone goes elk hunting up here. Been hunting these woods since I was old enough to shoulder a firearm. Bag my limit, as well. I usually keep one for myself and give one to the camp. The other instructors do the same."

"Nothing like fresh meat," I said.

"Got that right," he said. "Anyway, I'll let you two get settled in. Take care now. You do remember where the chow hall is, don't you, Max?"

"How can I ever forget," Max said.

Laughing, Gunny Rob left the room and I put my things away. There was a desk along one wall, so I pulled out my laptop and my headset and fired it up.

"You got Nelson's memories?" Max asked.

"Yeah, getting ready to download them to my computer," I said. "You wanna stay and observe?"

"What the hell," he said. "I'd like to see this."

"Nothing much to see, really," I told him. By then, the laptop was up and I brought up the application. I put the headset on and fired it up. We watched as the transfer took place. Then the processing began.

"Might as well relax a bit," I said. "This could take up to a half-hour depending on how much there is to index."

"Stay right here, I'll be right back," Max said before leaving my room. He was back five minutes later with two cups of steaming liquid. He handed one to me and I took a sip. Whatever it was, it tasted delicious and I found it calming.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Tea," Max said. "Adrestia's own special blend. C'mon, let's step out back for a bit." We stepped outside and walked around to the back of the guest quarters. I saw the rock Gunny Rob talked about and a wooden bench in front of it. Max sat down and I joined him. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered one to me.

"Thanks, but I don't smoke," I said.

"I know," he said. "Take one anyway." For some reason, I felt compelled to do as he said. I noticed the brand on the pack -- "JOP." He held the lighter as I took my first puff. I expected to choke on the thing and was surprised that I didn't. In fact, I found it as calming as Adrestia's tea.

"I've never seen that brand before," I said.

"You can't get this in any store," he said. "Friend of mine gave them to me."

"Let me guess -- a special blend?"

"Something like that," he said. "He once told me there's nothing like a beer and a good smoke to finish the day." I chuckled at that.

"You did really well in there, Cameron," Max said as we waited. "Except for when you were about to lose it. Reminded you of Ginger, didn't it?"

"Maybe a bit," I said. "But Ginger isn't Nelson's wife."

"No, she's not. You're going to have to learn to keep your emotions under control, Cameron," he said. "You're no good to me, Nelson, or anyone else if you can't do that. You need to find a way to channel those emotions or they're going to get the best of you."

"You're right," I said. "Gunny Rob basically told me the same thing."

"He's a good man. You should listen to him," Max said. "You know, there's outcroppings of rock like this all over the place up here. When I was a student here, my senior instructor took us to a rock like this on the other side of the camp. Told us to break the rock with our anger. 'Yell at it, scream at it, curse at it, beat it, kick it, piss on it if you have to,' he said." Max chuckled at the memory.

"Imagine, 15 guys standing around yelling at a rock to break. A couple guys actually pissed on the thing. When we had all calmed down, the senior spoke to us. I'll never forget what he said. 'See, your anger didn't budge this rock one iota. It was here thousands of years before you were born and it'll be here thousands of years after you're dead and buried.' He was right."

"Sounds like a wise man, your senior instructor," I said.

"He was," Max said.

"There's only one thing," I said. "You see, I really can break that rock with my anger."

"Now that I'd like to see," Max said. I shook my head.

"I don't think so," I said. "It's actually pretty scary, knowing I have that inside me."

"How do you deal with it?" Max asked.

"I have mental exercises I use and they usually do the trick. If those don't work, I have something that generates low-energy waves," I said. "But if you're serious about a demonstration, I suppose we can arrange that one of these days."

"Yeah, that would be interesting," he said. "You're a good man, Cameron. You have a lot of potential to help a lot of people. You're smart, observant and you have heart. But you need to be more objective, not let things get to you. I know it's hard sometimes, especially with what you've been through, but I'll help you any way I can."

"Thanks, Max, I appreciate that," I said. We finished our cigarettes and stubbed them out in the ashcan sitting on the ground. "I guess we'd better go check the status of Nelson's brain feed." We got up and went back inside the guest quarters.

The laptop dinged as soon as we entered my room, letting me know the processing had finished. I sat down and Max hovered over my shoulder. I pulled up the search bar and typed "fuck your wife," the phrase Nelson said the man used on his first phone call, then hit enter.

"You can search memories with this?" he asked.

"Yeah, it works a bit like Google," I said. A couple seconds later, I saw four entries. I looked for one that was about a year old and selected it. We watched in first person as Joe answered his phone and saw that it was an unlisted number. He opened the call and we heard the man on the other end. I paused for a second and selected a menu option that would bring up the voice-print recorder, then restarted the video.

"I'm going to fuck your wife and take her from you. Hah hah hah," the man said. I paused the video again and confirmed the voice-print had been captured. Then I used the menu options to search Joe's memories for voice-prints that were at least a 90 percent match. I hit enter and watched the progress bar.

"It's probably going to take a while for this to complete, so we might as well take a break," I said. "Maybe it'll be done after we get back from dinner."

"Well, it's nearly 5:00 now, so we might as well get started," Max said, looking at his watch. We left the guest quarters and I followed Max to the chow hall. It wasn't hard to find, as there was a line at the front door. When we got there, we were directed to the guest line and the man at the door scanned our cards.

"Trays and utensils are right over there," he said, pointing to a rack that held metal trays and containers of knives, forks, and spoons. We got our trays and went through the line, where we each got a fair-sized venison steak, a nice helping of green beans, and garlic mashed potatoes. A secondary line held the makings for a salad, so we made a salad, grabbed a glass of tea, and headed for the guest section.